New Rules, New Tools:
Writers In Charge

 Novelists, Inc. Presents

The New Publishing: Welcome To Tomorrow!

A Comprehensive Guide to the
New World of Publishing

TradeWinds Island Grand Resort
St. Pete Beach, Florida

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Meeting Rooms: Long/Bird/Indian Keys

Emcee:  Tosca Lee

9:00 to 10:30

SESSION ONE

The New Publishing Landscape

Panelists:  Don Weisberg, Linda Quinton, Mark Coker, Carolyn Pittis, Lou Aronica, Liz Scheier

There’s a tremendous range of options out there. Is your current publishing situation the best one for you? How do you make the best choices moving forward? What’s the safest course? What’s the most profitable course?

The speakers on this panel have much more than a century of publishing experience among them, and they will show you what the publishing landscape looks like now and suggest what it might very well be in the near future. What do traditional publishers still offer? What do alternative publishers do, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of working with them? What’s a vertical, and who is doing it particularly well? What’s the best way to get your backlist out there? How sustainable is self-publishing? These panelists have provocative answers to these questions and any others you’re likely to present during Q&A.

10:45 to 12:15

SESSION TWO

Finding Your Readers: Going with the Pros

Panelists:   David Wilk, Tracee Gleichner, Joan Schulhafer, Thubten Comerford

Whether you’re working with a big publishing house or publishing yourself, in all likelihood you’re going to need to find your own readers – and this is both easier and harder to do than ever before.

The speakers on this panel all make at least part of their living helping writers find readers. What kind of marketing truly sells books? Why are reviews more important than ever? What other publicity is available? Is there any role for advertising in the book world? What does an effective social media campaign look like? If you’re thinking about paying someone to do your marketing, you’re going to want to hear what these people say first.  Q&A as time allows.

12:30 pm to 1:45 pm 
Buffet lunch for all attendees and industry guests: Tarpon and Sawyer Keys

2:00 to 3:30

SESSION THREE

Finding Your Readers: Going it Alone

Panelists:  Thubten Comerford, Tracee Gleichner, Carolyn Pittis, Lou Aronica

Doing your own marketing is considerably cheaper – as long as you have a huge amount of time and a great deal of expertise. How do you effectively build a campaign for yourself or to supplement what your publisher is offering?

How much time is "a lot of time?" Why is effective research essential to a great campaign? How do you build a useful social media presence, e-mail list, and web presence? How do you work with your local bookseller to increase your profile? Q&A as time allows.

3:45 to 5:15

SESSION FOUR

More than Ever, It's All about the Book

Panelists:  Don Weisberg, Linda Quinton, David Wilk, Liz Sheier, Mark Coker

In many ways, this is a renaissance moment for writers. They have more flexibility and more ways of reaching readers than they have in recent memory. At the same time, readers have more ways than they ever have had of distinguishing great books from mediocre ones. Therefore, the quality and distinctiveness of what you write has never been more important. Meanwhile, new ways to bring your work to the public are emerging.

What’s the market for enhanced e-books? What kind of enhancements work for fiction? How do apps supplement a novel? Does serialization, interstitial work, or related shorter work make sense? Can enhancements and additions be a profit center for you, or are they merely more marketing?  Q&A as time allows.

5:15 pm to 6:30 pm

Ninc turns the room over to our industry guests for closed-door conversation

6:30 to 8:00 pm

Buffet dinner for attendees and industry guests, served on the Breckenridge Pool Deck – North

PANELISTS

Lou Aronica, Publisher, The Story Plant, Founder, The Fiction Studio
Mark Coker, Founder and CEO, Smashwords
Thubten Comerford.  CEO, WePost Media
Tracee Gleichner, Founder and CEO, Literal Exposure.
Carolyn Pittis, Senior Vice President, Global Author Services of HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide
Linda Quinton, Associate Publisher and VP of Marketing, Tor-Forge, Starscape
Liz Scheier, Editorial Director, Digital Content, Barnes & Noble.com
Joan Schulhafer, Joan Schulhafer Publishing & Media Consulting 
Don Weisberg, President, Penguin Young Readers Group 
David Wilk,  Creative Management Partners

Tosca Lee, Ninc member and Emcee