PUBLISH!! Conference a Huge Success
July 27, 2013
Over fifty area writers attended The Village Writing School’s conference, PUBLISH! Your Questions Answered, at the Inn of the Ozarks on Saturday. Via Skype, speakers from New York and Florida joined six live presenters to cover the full range of options available in today’s publishing world.
The event kicked off on Friday night with a well-attended reception for the speakers at the Garden Bistro. On Saturday, attendees had plenty of opportunity to interact with the publishers during lunch and individual pitch sessions, and several were asked to submit their complete manuscripts for consideration by the publishers.
New York agent, Jeff Kleinman, founder of Folio Literary Management, a mid-sized agency, spoke and fielded questions for over an hour and, though he is not taking new clients, he shared a path for submission to him for those attending the workshop. Virtually every presenter stressed the importance of a polished manuscript with a strong premise and good writing. While being candid about the difficulties of a market flooded with 1.9 million manuscripts at any time, all presenters were encouraging and emphatic that good stories are getting published.
Local favorite, Alice French, put her years of live television experience to good use in a joint point/counterpoint presentation with award-winning writer John Cammalleri from Fort Pierce, Florida. As she was at the podium and he was broadcast onto a six-foot screen, they discussed their self-publishing experiences with CreateSpace and iUniverse and fielded questions from the audience. Despite the large crowd, everyone commented on the excellent sound system provided by the Inn of the Ozarks.
Due to the good turnout and the many positive comments, the Village Writing School plans to make PUBLISH!! an annual event.
Linda Hebert of Clifty stands ready to welcome PUBLISH!! attendees 
Eureka writers Gerry and Rosalie Toler pick up their packets as Shiva Shanti signs in.
PUBLISH!! Speakers — 2013
NEW YORK PUBLISHING
Jeff Kleinman
Folio Literary Agency
Jeff founded Folio Literary Management, LLC in 2006 to establish an agency that was forward-thinking and able to offer services that “traditional” literary agents don’t provide. Folio has grown to 15 agents, and Jeff has represented many successful books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Art of Racing in the Rain, The Widow of the South, The Eighty Dollar Champion, Mockingbird, and The Memory of Running. Joining us via Skype, Jeff will speak on overcoming the barriers to landing a New York Agent.
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SMALL PRESS PUBLISHING
Louella Turner
High Hill Press—St. Louis
Lou Turner likes to say it’s easy to get published if you have a great story, with great characters, written by a great writer. High Hill publishes genres such as western, fantasy, horror, and romance. They publish children’s books and have recently moved into the literary market. Lou will speak about the publishing opportunities with small presses. You will also have the opportunity to pitch your book to her.
UNIVERSITY & SMALL LITERARY PRESSES
Dr. Susan Swartwout
Southeast Missouri State University
Susan is Professor of creative writing and publishing at Southeast Missouri State University and is the Publisher of Southeast Missouri State University Press which produces full-length books, four annual writing contests, The Cape Rock poetry journal, and Big Muddy: Journal of the Mississippi River Valley. Susan edits the annual anthology Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors. She is an extensiviely published poet and the author of A Student’s Guide to Getting Published.
Susan will speak on the opportunities for publishing with small literary presses.
INSPIRATIONAL MARKET
Roy Lessin
DaySpring
Roy Lessin is co-founder of DaySpring, now a subsidiary of Hallmark Inc. Roy served as a senior writer at DaySpring for 37 years and authored many devotional and gift books enjoyed by millions. He writes the Meet Me in the Meadow blog, with an audience reach of over one million. His latest book is entitled This is Your Best Day.
Roy will speak on the opportunities in the inspirational and devotional markets.
E-Books
Alice French
CreateSpace
After a career in television in which she produced her own talk show, Alice wrote a book collecting her interviews of over —–women on the subject of aging. She elected to publish her book, Happy Birthday, Adjusting to Life’s Changes as the Birthdays Keep on Coming, using Amazon’s CreateSpace. Alice will discuss her experience of the pros and cons of this process.
Hand-Bound Books
Rick Magley
DaySpring Press
Rick Magley is a senior designer
for DaySpring Cards (A Hallmark Subsidiary). He also makes
Hand-Bound journals and children’s books. If you need a few special copies of your book—perhaps your memoir for your grandchildren—consider Rick’s fine design and beautiful craftsmanship.
Children’s Books
Craig Froman
New Leaf Publishing Group
Craig Froman hold a masters in Education and is Assistant Editor at New Leaf Publishing Group. He is the author of several children’s books, including the USA Best Book Passport to the World.
Craig will speak on what New Leaf looks for in a children’s manuscript and how to create a book that children will love and publishers will buy.