Writers' Conference Panel Descriptions

Friday, April 29

Attendee registration (Friday 8:15 - 9:00 am)

The Chosen Few: Book Reviewers and the Reviewing Process (Friday 9:00 – 10:30 am; A Session)
Who chooses which books get reviewed? What criteria do they use? Book reviewers discuss their reviewing philosophies, policies for selecting which books to review, and how the ever-evolving trends of the publishing industry influence the reviewing process.

Rachel Donadio, The New York Times Book Review
Eric Lorberer, Rain Taxi Review of Books
Laura Miller, Salon
Bob Minzesheimer, USA Today
Madeleine Morel, Literary Agent, 2 M Comunications Associates (moderator)

Size Doesn't Matter: Publishing with an Indie Press (Friday 9:00 – 10:30 am; B Session)
Independent press editors, publishers and authors discuss this vital segment of the publishing community. Indie publishers are increasingly at the forefront of the industry, and renowned for discovering new and original voices. The panel will feature a discussion of the unique author/publisher relationship that a smaller house provides and the promotion and distribution challenges with which an indie press must contend.

Gary Baddeley, The Disinformation Company
Deb Worksmen, Sourcebooks
Dan Simon, Seven Stories Press
Robert Hershon/Dan Pawlak, Hanging Loose Press
Marcella Durand, St. Mark's Poetry Project Newsletter
Michael Andre (moderator)

The 15 Percent Solution: Agents (Friday 11:00 am – 12:30 pm; A Session)
Top-notch literary agents discuss how they find authors, explain the criteria they use to choose which authors to represent, and describe how they pitch work to publishers. The panel will also feature tips on how to approach an agent and other useful information regarding the author-agent relationship.

Michael Connelly, author, The Closers (May 16, 2005), The Narrows (2004), President of MWA
Jeff Herman, The Jeff Herman Agency
Marcy Posner, Marcy Posner Literary Agency
Katherine Sands, Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency
Neil Soderstrom, Freelance
Jim Fitzgerald, James Fitzgerald Agency (moderator)

Contemplate Your Novel: Fiction Editors (Friday 2:00 – 3:30 pm; A Session)
Fiction editors from a variety of the nation’s top publishing houses explain the editorial process and discuss the role they play in selecting manuscripts and shepherding these works through to publication.

Richard Eoin Nash, Soft Skull Press
Ryan Harbage, Simon & Schuster
Carrie Thornton, Crown
Jonathan Karp, Random House
Marly Rusoff, Marly Rusoff Agency (moderator)

Reality Bytes: Non-Fiction Editors (Friday 2:00 – 3:30 pm; B Session)
The non-fiction publishing sector is huge, ranging from literary memoir to straightforward biography, from self-help to current events. Some of the most influential nonfiction editors in the business discuss their role in identifying marketplace trends and selecting nonfiction works that tap into the public’s tastes and needs.

Les Pockell, Warner Books
Kris Puopolo, Broadway Books/Random House
Brant Rumble, Scribners/Simon & Schuster
Brando Skyhorse, Grove Atlantic Monthly
Jake Elwell, Wieser & Elwell, Inc. (moderator)

Birth of a Book: The Ha-Ha (Friday 3:30 – 5:00 pm; A Session)
Writing may be a solitary act, but publishing a book takes a collective effort. This panel features a step-by-step discussion of the publishing process with the individuals who produced the recently released and much-buzzed novel The Ha Ha (Little, Brown): the author, the agent, the editor, and the sales and marketing team from Little, Brown.

Kim Goldstein, Agent, Susan Golomb Agency
Karen Torres, VP, Sales & Marketing, Time Warner Book Group
Dave King, author, The Ha-Ha
Michael Mezzo, editor, Little, Brown
Shannon Byrne, Senior Publicist, Little, Brown

From Page to Screen: Translating Books to Film or Television (Friday 3:30 – 5:00 pm; B Session)
Authors, agents and studio executives illuminate the page-to-screen process. How do studios select books to make into movies? What elements of story, character, or cultural commentary help green light a book for adaptation? What challenges do authors face when their work is optioned for film? This panel gives the inside scoop on how to have a book realized on the big (or little) screen.

Kaylie Jones, A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries, Speak Now
Dale Maharidge, Journey to Nowhere; And Their Children After Them
Esther Margolis, Newmarket Press
Peter Miller, PMA Literary and Film Management
Helen Wan, Frankfurt Garbus Kurnit Klein & Selz (moderator)
Additional panelists to be announced.

7:00 - 10:00 pm
Director's Screening of The Stone Reader (Friday 7:00 - 10:00 pm)

Mark Moskowitz, writer and director

Saturday, April 30

Attendee registration (Saturday 8:15 - 9:00 am)

DIY & Satisfied: The Ins and Outs of Self-Publishing (Saturday 9:00 – 10:30 am; A Session)
Self-published authors and a representative from a Print-On-Demand company discuss the pros and cons of the self-publishing option. For the right book, publishing on your own can make considerable sense from a financial and creative standpoint. Panelists will share their experiences from the front line of the self-publishing movement.

Lloyd Jassin, Law Offices of Lloyd J. Jassin
Meg La Borde, Greenleaf Book Group
Jane Pirone, Publisher, Not for Tourists and Happy Mezza
Robert Lasner, Publisher of Ig Publishing
Mark Kohut (moderator)

Buzzzz: Secrets from Marketing and PR Insiders (Saturday 9:00 – 10:30 am; B Session)
How do you get the word out about your work and generate interest in your published book? Marketing experts and public relations professionals discuss opportunities and strategies for writers to gain attention and notice for their works through such channels as advertising, newspapers, magazines, radio and television.

PJ Campbell, Wiley
David Thalberg, Planned Television Arts
Jean Kramer, Random House
Kristin Matthews, CBS Early Show
Audrey B. Pass, WCBS-TV; formerly Oprah Book Club (moderator)

Strength in Numbers: What Writers' Organizations Can Do For You (Saturday 11:00 am – 12:30 pm; A Session)
How does an individual find out about and take advantage of the unique support system available in the writing community? Representatives from writers’ organizations address this question and discuss the types of legal, educational, networking, and financial support that their organizations offer writers.

Jessie Koester, Poets & Writers
Kay Murray, Authors Guild
Liam Rector, PEN
Allison Kelley, Romance Writers of America
Nancy D. Lewis, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
Brendan Tapley, The MacDowell Colony
Jody Kolodzey, Philadelphia Chapter of the National Writers Union (NWU)
Lloyd Jassin, Law Offices of Lloyd J. Jassin (moderator)

Don't Quit Your Day Job: Writers Who Wear Many Hats (Saturday 11:00 am – 12:30 pm; B Session)
Authors who have a day job outside the typical university creative writing program discuss how they balance their deep desire to write with the heavy demands of their careers and give tips on how to successfully manage both.

Ruben Bolling, comic artist; banker
Jeanette Walls, author of The Glass Castle
Carol Hoenig, author; book events
Andy Greenwald, Spin Magazine
Jonathan Sackner-Bernstein, author; physician
Tim W. Brown, author; technical writer (moderator)

Luncheon with guest speaker
Malachy McCourt, author of A Monk Swimming : A Memoir, Malachy McCourt's History of Ireland (Saturday 12:30 - 2:00 pm)

Show Me the Money: Securing Grants and Fellowships (Saturday 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm; A Session)
Representatives from state and local agencies and private foundations discuss opportunities for writers to obtain monetary and other assistance in the form of grants, fellowships, retreats, awards, and other financial options.

Richard Kostelanetz, writer
Shawn Miller, New York Foundation for the Arts
Catherine Bruno, Westchester Arts Council
Bonnie Marcus, Poets & Writers
Jeffrey Lependorf, Council for Literary Magazines and Presses (moderator)

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Writing Process But Were Afraid to Ask (Saturday 2:00 – 3:30 pm; B Session)
A diverse group of talented authors discuss the writing process in a free-form session in which they field attendees’ questions about practical matters of concern to writers, including work habits, time management, networking, dealing with agents and publishers, and more.

Jenny Davidson, Heredity
Robert Polito, Director of The New School Writing Program
Rachel Resnick, Go West Young F*cked Up Chick

The Green Light at the End of the Dock: Author Success Stories (Saturday 3:30 – 5:00 pm; A Session)
Writers, each of whom is successful in his/her own way, discuss the topic of publishing success – how it’s defined and measured, how it translates in the marketplace and how it contributes to personal satisfaction.

Rona Jaffe, The Best of Everything
Diane Mancher, President, One Potato Productions, Inc
Mario Bosquez, WCBS-TV, The Chalupa Rules
Blair Tindall, Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music

Book to the Future: Forecasting Publishing Trends (Saturday 3:30 – 5:00 pm; B Session)
In-the-know observers of the industry discuss publishing’s future and make predictions about this often volatile and ever-evolving business. Topics include emerging publishing markets, literary fads and fashions, electronic publishing, blogs, and more.

Dennis Loy Johnson, Melville House Books
Michael Cader, Publishers Lunch
Sara Nelson, Publishers Weekly
Bill Goldstein, founding editor of NYTimes.com/books (moderator)

Gala Dinner with Keynote Speaker Meg Wolitzer
Meg Wolitzer graduated from Brown University in 1981. Her debut novel, Sleepwalking, was released within the following year, hailing the beginning of a successful publishing career. Since then, she has written several novels, including Hidden Pictures, This Is Your Life, Friends for Life, Surrender, Dorothy, The Wife and The Position; taught writing at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop and Skidmore College; and written several screenplays. (Saturday 7:00 - 10:00 pm)


For more information, call 212.764.7021 or email the Small Press Center.

An Educational Program of the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York. © 2006 Small Press Center 20 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036 212.764.7021