Tag Archives: Marketing

2017 Virginia Festival of the Book

February 13, 2017Literary, Writing Conferences & GetawaysAuthor Readings, Authors, books, Charles Wright, Children's Program, David Baldacci, David McCullough, Edward Ayers, Feedback, Fiction, Inspiration, John Gisham, Jon Scieszka, Literary Culture, Manuscripts, Marketing, Non-Fiction, Rick Atkinson, Vacation, Virginia, Virginia Festival of the Book, Workshops, Writers, Writingpdpabst

The Virginia Festival of the Book brings readers and writers together for a five-day celebration of books, reading, literacy, and literary culture. The 23^rd Annual Festival will be held March 22-26, 2017. Programs range from traditional author readings and book signings to children’s programs and hands-on workshops. All programs are open to the public and, with the exception of a few ticketed events, the majority of Festival programs are free to attend.

An abbreviated list of past participants includes Rick Atkinson, Edward Ayers, David Baldacci, Maureen Corrigan, Edwidge Danticat, Kate DiCamillo, Rita Dove, Alan Furst, John Grisham, Jan Karon, Jim Lehrer, Frances Mayes, Colum McCann, David McCullough, Alice McDermott, Katherine Paterson, Jon Scieszka, Lisa Scottoline, Pete Seeger, Karin Slaughter, Alexander McCall Smith, Lee Smith, Bryan Stevenson, Elizabeth Strout, Judith Viorst, and Charles Wright. For a current listing, go here.

As always, have fun and learn lots!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Contest

February 12, 2017Awards, Contests, LiteraryAdult Short Topics, Agents, Authors, Chapter Books, Children's Picture Book, Conference, Critique, Editors, Fantasy, February, Feedback, Historical, Mainstream, Manuscripts, Marketing, Memoir, Middle Grade, Monetary Prize, Mystery, Nonfiction, Pacific Northwest Writers Association, Paranormal, PNWA, Poetry, Romance, Sci-Fi, Short Story, Submissions, Thriller, Unpublished, Women's Fiction, Writers, Writing, Young Adultpdpabst

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The deadline for Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Contest is approaching. All unpublished entries must be received by February 17, 2017. This is also a chance to get feedback on your work. There are twelve categories:

mainstream
historical
romance/women’s fiction
mystery/thriller
sci-fi/fantasy/paranormal
young adult
middle grade
nonfiction/memoir
poetry
short story
children’s picture/chapter book
adult short topics (articles/essays/memoir)

There are three monetary prizes:

FIRST PLACE: $600
SECOND PLACE: $300
THIRD PLACE: $100

Eight finalist will receive two critiques on their submissions. The agents and editors participating in the PNWA‘s summer conference will pick winners out of the finalists. Go here for complete details. As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

Iceland Writers Retreat

February 10, 2017Literary, Writing Conferences & Getaways#amediting, #amwriting, Adult Books, advise, April, Authors, books, Cafes, Critique Partners, Editing, Feedback, Fiction, Goals, Golden Circle, Holiday, Hot Springs, Iceland, Iceland Writers Retreat, Inspiration, Ireland, Learning, Literary Craft, Literary Tradition, Locations, Manuscripts, Marketing, Mentors, Middle Grade, Music, Non-Fiction, novels, Publishing, Readings, research, Reykjavik, Stories, Travel, Vacation, WIP, Work In Progress, Workshops, Writers, Writing, Writing Groups, Young Adultpdpabst

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The Iceland Writers Retreat states that over the course of the retreat, each participant is enrolled in a total of five two-hour small-group writing workshops (max. 15 participants) led by internationally acclaimed authors, a Q&A panel with all faculty, and numerous readings and social functions. But there are only a few seats left, so you better hurry!

Each of our Featured Authors teaches two different workshops, and you have plenty of time to interact with faculty, including those with whom you do not have any workshops. The retreat takes place April 5-9, 2017 and costs approximately ISK 289,000 (approximately $2479 US dollars). Prices exclude airfare and airport transportation.

Langjokull-Glacier-Mountaineers-of-Iceland

But between all the intimate workshops and lectures, writers will have the opportunity to tour the spectacular Golden Circle, sit in cozy cafes of Reykjavik, soak in geothermal hot springs, listen to new Icelandic music, meet contemporary Icelandic writers, and learn about the country’s rich literary tradition. And remember, if researching for a novel or just wanting the workshops to improve your craft, this retreat is tax deductible! For complete registration inclusions, go here.

As always, have fun and learn lots!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

Manuscript Wish List

February 5, 2017Literary, UncategorizedAdult, Agents, Authors, Blog, Completed Manauscripts, Editors, February, Fiction, Guidelines, Instructions, Jessica Sinsheimer, Literary Agents, Manuscript Wish List, Manuscripts, Marketing, Middle Grade, Newsletters, Non-Fiction, Publishers, Queries, Query, Query List, Stories, Submission List, Submissions, Twitter, Writers, Writing In Progress, Young Adultpdpabst

If you don’t know what Manuscript Wish List, you’re in for a treat. This fantastic blog was created by agent Jessica Sinsheimer for agents (and some editors) to let writer’s know what they’d like to see in their inbox. Yes, it’s that simple! So, before you decide to query that shiny new manuscript, check out the website to see if any agents would be a perfect fit. Even more exciting, they’ve created a sign-up for upcoming newsletters!

So when will the next one take place? On February 8th, 2017, tweeting of wishes will unfold on twitter using the hashtag #MSWL. But remember, this IS NOT for direct pitching. Please make a list of agents and/or editors stating your MS might be what they’re looking for. Then send queries as directed by the agent/editor. (If you have trouble locating the information, most can be found on the agency/publisher websites.

Then stay tuned to twitter on February 8th, 2017, as Jessica promises a BIG announcement!

As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

2017 Savannah Book Festival

February 1, 2017Literary, Writing Conferences & Getaways#amediting, #amreading, #amwriting, Authors, Book Signings, books, Chipeewa Squares, Christina Baker Kline, Colson Whitehead, Inspiration, James Patterson, Manuscripts, Marketing, NY Times Best Seller, Savannah Book Festival, Telfair, USA Bestseller, Vacation, Wright, Writerspdpabst

Celebrating its tenth year, the Savannah Book Festival is proud to announce the full roster of bestselling and emerging authors presenting at this year’s Festival, slated for Feb. 16-19, 2017 in and around Savannah’s historic Telfair, Wright, and Chippewa Squares.

Authors James Patterson, Colson Whitehead, and Christina Baker Kline will headline the 2017 celebration of the written word. But there another 40 authors attending this event. Don’t miss out on this learning experience and ventures around Savannah!

Have fun and learn lots!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

Bone Jack by Sara Crowe + #Giveaway

January 31, 2017Contests, LiteraryAmazon, Author, BONE JACK, Fiction, Giveaway, Great Read, Inspiration, Instagram, Marketing, Middle Grade, Mountains, New Cover, Photographer, Readers, Running, Sara Crowe, Stag Chase, Story, Twitter, U.K. Version, U.S. Version, Writerspdpabst

It’s with great pleasure I announce Bone Jack by Sara Crowe is being released in the United States on February 7, 2017. I originally interviewed Sara in June of 2014 regarding Bone Jack in the UK. However, the US link on that interview goes to the Book Depository for the UK version. BUT…now you can get the US version with a brand new cover design. And doesn’t it look fabulous?

Synopsis:

Times have been tough for Ash lately, and all he wants is for everything to go back to the way it used to be. Back before drought ruined the land and disease killed off the livestock. Before Ash’s father went off to war and returned carrying psychological scars. Before his best friend, Mark, started acting strangely.

As Ash trains for his town’s annual Stag Chase—a race rooted in violent, ancient lore—he’s certain that if he can win and make his father proud, life will return to normal. But the line between reality and illusion is rapidly blurring, and the past has a way of threatening the present.

When a run in the mountains brings Ash face-to-face with Bone Jack—a figure that guards the boundary between the living world and the dead—everything changes once more. As dark energies take root and the world as he knows it is upended, it’s up to Ash to restore things to their proper order and literally run for his life.

If you would like to learn more about Sara, visit her on twitter or Instagram. She is a wonderful photographer, as well. So check out all she has to offer!

***Congrats to Giveaway Winner: Diana Debolt***

If you live in the United States, be sure and enter the ~~Rafflecopter giveaway~~ (Closed) for a free copy of the US version of Bone Jack! (Yes, this is for U.S. only, sorry guys.) As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

San Miguel Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival

January 23, 2017Literary, Writing Conferences & GetawaysAuthors, Billy Collins, Canada, Conference, David Ebershoff, Europe, February, Fiction, Industry Experts, Journalists, Judy Collins, Learning, Lisa Moore, Literary Festival, Marketing, Mexico, Naomi Klein, Networking, Non-Fiction, Oscar Winners, Pedor Angel Palou, Poets, Readers, Robert Moor, San Miguel, Scholars, United States, Vacations, Writer's Conference, Writerspdpabst

The best thing about writing conferences and literary festivals is the luxury of learning while on vacation! If you have an itch to get away but want to keep your writing skills tuned, escape to San Miguel Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival.

San Miguel de Allende, Guanajurato, Mexico

As the largest and most prestigious co-cultural, bi-lingual literary gathering in the Americas, each February the San Miguel Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival attracts distinguished authors, established and emerging writers, industry experts, teaching professionals, and avid readers from the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

Judy Collins: Legendary folk singer and memoirist.
Naomi Klein: Award winning journalist and author.
Billy Collins: U.S. Poet Leareate.
Mary Karr: Award winning author.
David Ebershoff: Author of the Oscar winning story The Danish Girl.
Lisa Moore: Award-winning Canadian novelist and short story writer.
Pedor Angel Palou: Celebrated Mexican journalist and scholar.
Robert Moor: Narrative nonfiction author.

And don’t forget, conferences are tax deductible! Get you seat fast because the conference is February 15-19, 2017. Have fun!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

Sun vs Snow #Contest for #Writers

January 20, 2017Literary200 Entries, Adult Books, Amy Trueblood, Authors, Blog Contest, Feedback, Fiction, Finding Agents, January, Literary Agents, Manuscripts, Marketing, Michelle Hauck, Middle Grade Books, Official Rules, Polished Works, Sun vs Snow, Unpublished, WIPs, Young Adult Bookspdpabst

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It’s that time of year again when Amy Trueblood and Michelle Hauck host Sun vs Snow! This is not a twitter contest, but a blog contest for unpublished writers. This year they have 21 agents participating (half shown here and the other half shown here). Make sure you get your submission ready via email and submit when the window opens on January 23, 2017 at 4pm EST. They only take the first 200 entries, so don’t wait to long. Get your query and first 250 words polished now!

This is only for completed manuscripts, so please don’t send WIPs. Go here for complete guidelines.

As always, good luck!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer MG/YA fiction

Digital Book World 2017 + Expo

December 26, 2016LiteraryAbrams, Agents, Amazon, Authors, Authors Guild, books, Conference, Curtis Brown Literary, DBW, DeFiore and Company, Digital Book World, eBooks, Editors, Expo, F+W Media, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Independent Publishers Group, Industry, IPG, Laura Dail Literary Group, Learning, LIttle Brown and Company, Manuscripts, Marketing, New York Hilton Midtown, Penguin Random House, Publishers, Publishing, Readers, Serendipity Literary Agency, Simon and Schuster, Skyhorse Publishing, The New York TImes, United Talent Agency, Writers, Writers Housepdpabst

With the boom of digital publishing, it’s no wonder conferences are covering the topic. After all, as much as I love holding a book, I download a LOT of books to my Kindle app to read and keep up with market trends. As publishing evolves, so has Digital Book World (a conference for anyone in publishing). They say they will now be known as simply DBW. And that’s not all they’ve changed for the conference January 17-19, 2017:

More Real-World Solutions | Your team needs tactical, actionable solutions to the challenges facing publishing—DBW’s speakers have them.

Fresh Content | Experience targeted programming across a host of four brand-new DBW focus areas.

More Choices | A new program means new pricing and registration options. Now you can bring your whole team—executive, editorial, production and marketing.

Some of the publishers and agents attending are:

With over two hundred publishers and agencies in attendance, there are too many to name! For a complete list of those currently registered, go here. And as for the speakers list, go here. You won’t be disappointed! So be sure to register to attend and make your reservations at the New York Hilton Midtown.

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

San Francisco Writers Conference

December 24, 2016Literary, Writing Conferences & GetawaysAevitas Creative Management, Agents, Authors, books, California, Chronicle Books, Consultation, Dana Newman Literary, Editors, Fairbank Literary Representattion, Feedback, Fuse Literary, Harlequin/HarperCollins, Heather Graham, Irene Goodman Literary Agency, Jim Azevedo, John Perkins, Kimberley Cameron Literary, Literary Agents, Manuscripts, Mark Hopkins Hotel, Marketing, New York TImes Best Sellers, Peter Beren Literary Agency, Pitch Event, San Francisco, San Francisco Writers Conference, St. Martin's Press, Touchstone S&S, Trident Media Group, Viking Children's Books, William Bernahrdt, Writers, Writing, Writing Advicepdpabst

Image result for san francisco writers conference

The 2017 San Francisco Writers Conference will be held on February 16-19 at the historical Mark Hopkins Hotel. Meet keynoters:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Heather Graham
Author/Red Sneaker Writers founder William Bernhardt
New York Times bestselling author/Activist John Perkins

But the SFWC presenters list also includes many more bestselling authors, literary agents, editors, and publishers from major publishing houses. There are experts on self-publishing, book promotion, platform building, social media, and author websites.

PRESENTERS:
Jon Agee, children’s book author/illustrator
Nina Amir, author, speaker, journalist, nonfiction editor/coach/consultant
Kathleen Antrim, author, Co-President, of International Thriller Writers
Jim Azevedo, Smashwords Marketing Director
Aya de Leon, author and poet
Frances Caballo, SFWC social media director
Zoe FitzGerald Carter, author of Imperfect Endings: A Daughter’s Story of Love, Loss, and Letting Go
Stephanie Chandler, author, speaker and CEO
Mark Coker, Smashwords Founder
Rana DiOrio, Chief Executive Officer of Little Pickle Press
Julia Drake, co-founder of Wildbound PR
Selden Edwards, author of The Lost Prince
Kate Farrell, author, librarian, storyteller
Steaphen Fick, founder of the Davenriche Martial Artes School
Elizabeth Fishel, author of Getting To 30: A Parent’s Guide to the 20-Something Years (coauthored with Jeffrey Arnett)
Diane Frank, poet and author of six books of poems
Joel Friedlander, award-winning book designer and blogger
Tanya Egan Gibson, author, freelance editor and consultant
Cali Gilbert, author
Jewelle Gomez, author, poet, critic and playwright
Constance Hale, journalist and author
Melissa Hart, author and contributing editor at The Writer Magazine
K.J. Howe, author and Executive Director of ThrillerFest
Stuart Horwitz, founder and principal of Book Architecture
Carla King, adventure travel author, Founder of Self-Pub Boot Camp and Author Friendly
Michael Larsen, author, co-founder/co-director of the SFWC
Linda Lee, web site designer and WordPress expert
Donna Levin, author/writing teacher
Richard Loranger, writer, performer, visual artist
Mary Mackey, novelist, poet, screenwriter
Susie Meserve, memoirist, essayist, and poet
Tim McCanna, author of Bitty Bot and Watersong
Jennie Nash, author, teacher and CCO of AuthorAccelerator
Louise Nayer, co-authored How To Bury A Goldfish: 113 Rituals for Everyday Life.
Kathryn Otoshi, children’s book author
Douglas Rees, children’s book author and librarian
Olivia Rivers, children’s book author
Jordan E. Rosenfeld, author, editor and writing coach
Orna Ross, Irish indie author. She writes and publishes novels, poetry and the Go Creative!
Naheed Senzai, children’s book author
Lida Sideris, author of Murder and Other Unnatural Disasters
Justin Sloan, video game writer, novelist and screenwriter
Steven Spatz, writer,marketer and President of BookBaby
Elizabeth Stark, author,mentor and podcaster
Penny Warner, author and Agatha Award winner
Dylan Yates, author, writer and vocal coach

The lists for attending agents and editors looks topnotch! Some of the agents will even be accepting pitches during the Speed Dating For Agents. You can see a list of those participating here. Their are also editors doing eight minute consultations. More information on the consults is here. But for an idea of the many agents and editors that will be in attendance, here is a list:

AGENTS:
Lisa Abellera, Kimberley Cameron and Associates (CA)
Peter Beren, Peter Beren Literary Agency (CA)
Jennifer Chen Tran, Fuse Literary (CA)
Amy Cloughley, Kimberley Cameron & Assoc. (CA)
Sorche Elizabeth Fairbank, Fairbank Literary Representation (NY)
Mark Gottlieb, Trident Media Group, LLC (NYC)
Sarah Levitt, Aevitas Creative Management (NY)
Laurie McLean, Fuse Literary (CA)
Mary C. Moore, Kimberley Cameron & Associates (CA)
Dana Newman, Dana Newman Literary (CA)
Kim Perel, Irene Goodman Literary Agency (NY)
Jody Rein, Jody Rein Books (CO)
Andy Ross, Andy Ross Agency (CA)
Rayhané Sanders, Lippincott Massie McQuilkin (NY)
Ken Sherman, Ken Sherman & Associates (CA)
Jennifer March Soloway, Associate Agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (CA)
Gordon Warnock, Fuse Literary (CA)
Carlie Webber, CK Webber Associates (CA)
Ted Weinstein, Ted Weinstein Literary (CA)
Anna Worrall, The Gernert Company (NY)
Adriann Ranta Zurhellen, Foundry Literary + Media (NY)

EDITORS:
Chuck Adams, Executive editor at Algonquin Books
Brenda Copeland, St. Martins Press
Jason Gardner, New World Library
Mary Knippel, Independent Editor
Heather Lazare, Editor & Publishing Consultant
Tyler Moss, Managing Editor at Writers Digest
Taylor Norman, Chronicle Books
Jane Ormerod, Founding editor at great weather for MEDIA
Mary Rakow, Independent Editor
Leila Sales, author and Associate Publishing Manager at Viking Children’s Books
Lauren Spiegel, Senior Editor at Touchstone (S&S)
Liz Stein, Editor at Park Row Books, a division of Harlequin/HarperCollins
Annie Tucker, independent writing coach, developmental editor, and copy editor
Monica Wesolowska, Editor and teacher of fiction and creative non-fiction
Lisa Westmoreland, Executive Editor at 10 Speed Press

For those attending, this sounds like a great four days of learning and marketing yourself!

P.D. Pabst
Blogger and writer of MG/YA fiction.

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