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Writers Conference

2007 ASJA Writers Conference
Public: April 21 - April 22, 2007
Members: April 20 - April 22, 2007
Grand Hyatt Hotel
42nd and Grand Central Station, New York, NY
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FEES & REGISTRATION
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Conference Home
The 2007 Conference

FRIDAY
Members Day Sessions
Personal Pitch

SATURDAY
Keynote Speaker
Saturday Sessions
First Pages FAQ
Mentoring FAQ

SUNDAY
Sunday Sessions<<
Essay Coaching FAQ
Book Proposal FAQ

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TRAVEL INFORMATION
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RELATED INFORMATION
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FEES & REGISTRATION
Last day of registration was April 15, 2007
Sunday, April 23, 2007

Session One
9:00 a.m. - Noon

Advanced
Sunday #41 / Stories from the Road: Narrative Travel Features from Idea to Publication

How do an intriguing idea, keen observation, and aggressive reporting elevate a vacation to an experience worth writing about? How can the people you meet along the way become vivid characters in your narrative? Our experienced panel will address these questions as they discuss the qualities of excellent travel narratives and how to write them—from developing the idea to writing the finished piece.

Moderator: Greg Breining, ASJA; author Wild Shore: Exploring Lake Superior by Kayak; contributor, The New York Times, National Geographic Adventure, National Geographic Traveler.

Cynthia Barnes, ASJA; contributor, National Geographic, National Geographic Traveler, Slate, Salon, Voyaging, Global Traveler, Continental.

Todd Pitock, ASJA; contributing editor, ForbesLife; author, Washington Post Magazine, Washingtonian, The New York Times.

Brad Wieners, executive editor, Men's Journal; formerly editor of National Geographic Adventure, Outside, and Wired.

Advanced
Sunday #42 / Self-Publishing: Get Your Book Out There!

Self-publishing used to be nothing more than vanity printing, but today it is a burgeoning industry within publishing itself. Whether you want to publish your book in an electronic format, use print-on-demand technology to create a trade paperback, or fill your basement with hardcover copies to sell by hand, this Sunday will show you how.

Moderator: Kim Kavin, ASJA; author of the self-published Have the Whole Boat: The Insider's Guide to Private Yacht Charter Vacations.

Susan Driscoll, president and chief executive officer, iUniverse.com.

Tim Harper, ASJA; editor, The ASJA Guide to Freelance Writing, author of 12 books, investor in self-publishing service Long Dash Books.

Beginner
Sunday #43 / Queries: How You Connect with Magazine Editors

This workshop will explore the key things missing in even the most established folks' queries. How professionals make these letters of introduction work, and how to get other editors and writers to sing your praises via networking.

Moderator: Melba Newsome, ASJA; contributor to O, The Oprah Magazine, National Geographic, Time and The New York Times; winner of ASJA awards in the categories of Medical Journalism, Significant Reporting, and Business and Technology.

John K. Borchardt, Ph.D., author of more than 1,100 articles published in magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias and on line. His book Career Management for Scientists and Engineers was a Library of Science Monthly Alternate Selection.

Ann Logue, ASJA; author of Hedge Funds for Dummies; contributor to Barron's, The New York Times, Newsweek Japan, and Compliance Week. She is a lecturer in finance at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Beginner
Sunday #44 / Revising Your Manuscript: Where Writing Really Begins

Join two veteran writers and a seasoned editor turned freelancer to discuss both sides of the coin of revisions. Learn, among other things, how to tailor your articles to meet editors' needs, how many rewrites should be expected of you, and what happens when a publication edits by committee. After attending this panel, you will have some insight into the reality of the editorial process.

Moderator: Claire Walter, ASJA; Claire is a long-time, award-winning freelance writer based in Colorado. She writes primarily about travel, snowsports and food. She has contributed to scores of magazines and newspapers, and has authored or co-authored 20 books. Prior to freelancing, she was managing editor of Ski magazine, a publication relations account manager and sales promotion writer.

Cheryl Platzman Weinstock, ASJA, is an award-winning freelance health and science writer whose work has appeared in major newspapers and magazines. Among her distinctions are a CASE Fellowship in astronomy at the University of Chicago, a Knight Medical Science Journalism Fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, two-time winner of ASJA's service article award and the recipient of a Multiple Sclerosis Education Award. She's been published in The New York times, Newsday, Washington Post, Woman s Day, More, All You, Real Simple.

Sondra Forsyth, ASJA; Instructor at Media Bistro: "Intro to Magazine Editing" and "Magazine Editing Boot Camp"; National Magazine Award Winner; Contributing Editor, Ladies' Home Journal and LHJ.com; former Executive Editor at LHJ, Features Editor at Cosmopolitan, Articles Editor at Bride's; author or co-author of ten books and numerous articles for major magazines.

Linda Marsa, award-winning investigative journalist, author and teacher specializing in science and medicine. A former Los Angeles Times staff writer, she is currently a contributing editor for Ladies' Home Journal, and has written for dozens of magazines, including Los Angeles Times Magazine, Parade, Omni, Discover, Playboy, Mother Jones, Glamour, Los Angeles, and Smart Money. Author of Prescription for Profits: How the Pharmaceutical Industry Bankrolled the Unholy Marriage Between Science and Business (Scribner, 1997). Honorable mention for ASJA's June Roth Memorial Award for Medical Journalism for "Danger in the ER," Ladies' Home Journal. Since 1986, an instructor in The Writer's Program at UCLA Extension, and was named Teacher of the Year in 1999.

Advanced
Sunday #45 / Truths Only Essays Can Tell

Writers sometimes complain that their own lives are too dull to provide any material. “Nothing interesting ever happens to me” is a common complaint, as if only tragedy and great events are worth writing about. We'll explain how to turn the small puzzles and dramas of everyday life into writing that sells. We'll also read and discuss some short personal essays by successful professional writers, and also your own work, as time allows. Learn how to create essays from your own life with grace and humor, and never ever run out of ideas. Feel free to bring laptops or writing implements and reams of paper. Click here for participation details.

Moderator: David Bouchier, ASJA; is the award-winning essayist for NPR Stations WSHU & WSUF. For ten years he wrote a weekly humor column in the Sunday New York Times. His most recent books are The Song Of Suburbia (essays), and The Cats and the Water Bottles about a year in a French village. His latest book, Writer at Work: Reflections on the Art and Business of Writing, was published in 2005.

Beginner
Sunday #46 / Perfecting Your Nonfiction Book Proposal

Before writing your manuscript you must begin with a winning proposal, one that sells your idea. Learn tips through an interactive session intended to help you mold your ideas into a cohesive, orderly proposal package. Bring your ideas, questions, and even your proposal-in-progress.

Moderator: Marcia Schonberg, ASJA; author of I is for Idea: An Inventions Alphabet, 15 nonfiction titles and another coming out this fall.

Liza N. Burby, ASJA; author of How to Publish Your Children's Book: A Complete Guide to Making the Right Publisher Say Yes; 38 nonfiction children's books and a young adult novel.

Susan Rabiner, co-author, Thinking Like Your Editor: How to Write Great Serious Nonfiction and Get it Published; co-owner of the Susan Rabiner Literary Agency.

Terry Whalin, ASJA; author of Book Proposals That Sell: 21 Secrets to Speed Your Success, author of two proposals which sold for six-figure advances, agent of the Whalin Literary Agency.

All Levels
Sunday #54 / iUniverse: Picking A Self Publishing Service

This session moved into Session #55 in the afternoon. See Special iUniverse at end.


Lunch
Noon - 1:00 p.m.

On your own

Session Two
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Advanced
Sunday #47 / Technology Writing for Non-Geeks: How to Crack this Lucrative and Growing Market

There's abundant work in a high-paying field, and you don't need specialized knowledge. This three-part workshop will give you everything you need to start pitching—and selling—technology pieces. First, three successful technology writers share tricks of the trade; next magazine and Web site editors tell how to break in; finally, agents and an editor tell what technology books publishers are buying now.

Moderator: Minda Zetlin, ASJA, co-author of The Geek Gap, author of several other business/technology books, most recently Telecommuting for Dummies.

Part One:

Karen Bannan, ASJA; contributor to CRM Magazine, PC Magazine, and the Robb Report;

Bill Pfleging, co-author of The Geek Gap, contributor to Computerworld, Smart Business, technology columnist for The Woodstock Times.

Scott Leibs, senior editor, CFO.

Part Two:

Lance Ulanoff, editor, reviews, PC Magazine;

Elizabeth Wasserman, editor, IncTechnology (Inc.com);

Todd Woody, assistant managing editor, Business 2.0.

Part Three:

Peter Meyers, managing editor, Missing Manuals for O'Reilly;

Neil J. Salkind, agent, StudioB, author of more than 100 trade and textbooks;

All Levels
Sunday #48 / Blogging & Beyond for Writers

Moderator: Anne Stuart, ASJA; executive editor, Redmond Channel Partner; contributor, American Way, CFO, Inc.com; former staffer Inc., CIO, Harvard Magazine, AP; former custom-publishing editor, CXO Media.

Tech guru Sree Sreenivasan is back with a new hands-on workshop. This intensive session will focus on how writers can use blogs to enhance their reporting and storytelling, promote their work and even make extra money. If you're new to blogging, you'll learn to create and maintain a blog. If you're already blogging, you'll get tips on doing so more effectively. Bring a portable computer and try to blog on the spot, or leave the laptop home and watch Sree's high-powered live blogging demonstration. Time permitting, Sree will also touch on podcasting, photoblogs and whatever's next. You'll leave with lots of new ideas and resources. Sree Sreenivasan is dean of students and director of the new media department at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. His Tech Guru segments appear regularly on WABC-TV in New York and his Web tips column appears weekly on Poynter.org.

Beginner Pro-photographers
Sunday #49 / Picture Perfect: Expanding into Photography

Since you're writing the story, why not take the digital photos? Freelancers can supplement their writing work with photography assignments that dovetail conveniently, that bring them more money, and that save expenses for magazines. Bring your camera and its manual because we'll spend time learning how to control and compose digital images to get better pictures. Then we'll discuss other topics such as lighting, equipment, and editing, as well as some of the basics of selling photographs to periodicals.

Moderator: Erik Sherman, ASJA, is the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Canon EOS Digital Camera and a photographer whose work has appeared in such publications as Newsweek, Pages, and Chief Executive, as well as in several books.

Advanced
Sunday #50 / From Journalist to Journalist/Author

Many writers move between roles as journalists and authors, but the combination has its challenges. Hear from a panel of experts how to turn articles into books, how to forge relationships with editors as both a potential contributor and an expert source, and how to manage these desirable yet sometimes conflicting identities.

During the last hour, the presentation will be "Keystrokes to kickstart you ascent to the top: LinkedIn for Journalists". LinkedIn allows you to find quality sources in seconds, for quick quotes or extended conversations with big thinkers. You can also use LinkedIn to put fire in your career by way of a strong, useful network that will help you to take the next steps you want to take. This one-hour session will explain how to start using LinkedIn to meet the demands of your work and the goals of your life. Thanks so much!

Moderator: Marci Alboher, ASJA; freelance writer/speaker/writing coach; author, One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work/Life Success.

AJ Jacobs, author of the New York Times best-seller The-Know-it-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World and The Year of Living Biblically; editor-at-large, Esquire.

Ryan Nerz's first book Eat This Book: A Year of Gorging and Glory on the Competitive Eating Circuit, was published in April 2006; his work has also appeared in Esquire, The Village Voice, Time Out New York, and ym.

Penelope Trunk gives advice at the intersection of work and life on her blog, Brazen Careerist (http://blog.penelopetrunk.com). She is also a columnist at The Boston Globe and the author of Brazen Careerist: New Rules for Success.

Linda Villarosa has written, co-authored or ghost written a number of books. She is a freelance writer and a former editor of the New York Times and Essence magazines. Her first novel will be published next summer.

All Levels
Sunday #51 / Make Your Next Book A Really Big Deal!

Top agent panelists dissect five book proposals to reveal exactly what snags large advances and great author concessions. An in-depth Q&A segment addressing your key questions follows. Then, in roundtable discussions, agents critique your pre-submitted proposals—first five pages—to help you master your own Really Big Book Deal. For submission instructions see: www.asja.org/wc/2007/proposals.php

Moderator: Sandra E. Lamb, ASJA; author of How to Write It, Personal Notes, and other books.

Jeff Kleinman, Folio Literary Management founding partner, handles narrative and prescriptive nonfiction and commercial and literary fiction.

Laura Yorke, Carol Mann Agency, former editor at Simon & Schuster and Putnam, co-founder and editorial director of Golden Books Adult Books, focuses on narrative nonfiction, particularly memoirs.

David Dunton, Harvey Klinger, Inc., former Simon & Schuster editor, handles nonfiction specializing in pop culture and adult and young adult fiction.

Eileen Cope, Trident Medial Group, former Putnam editor, handles narrative nonfiction, history, biography, popular culture, health and literary fiction.

Ellen Geiger, Frances Goldin Literary Agency, is a 25-year veteran of the publishing, television and film industries. Formerly with Curtis Brown Literary Agency, Ellen represents cutting-edge issues, narrative nonfiction, literary and commercial fiction, memoir, cultural and sociological issues, science, health and business.

All Levels
Sunday #52 / Preparing for New Opportunities in Internet Broadcasting

Magazines are now seizing upon web video as a path to new audiences and increased revenue. Many of them now want reporters who can appear on screen and even shoot simple video segments. This workshop will show you the basics of current video technology and give you some ideas about how to get started using them. If you own a device that can shoot any kind of digital video (a camcorder, a digital still camera, even a cell phone), feel free to bring it along.

Moderator: Bill Dyszel, ASJA; author of 18 books including Microsoft Outlook for Dummies, contributor to leading national magazines including PC Magazine and E-Week.

Sunday #53 / Not used

All Levels
Sunday #55 / Getting The Word About Your Self Published Book Out

See Special iUniverse below.


Special iUniverse

ASJA is pleased to join with our conference sponsor iUniverse to present two 3-hour seminars on the actual process and decisions of self-publishing.

All Levels
Sunday #54, 9 a.m. - noon
iUniverse: Picking A Self Publishing Service

THIS SESSION CANCELLED AND COMBINED WITH #55 IN THE AFTERNOON

iUniverse staff will show you how paying to be published can help your career; how to prepare your manuscript so that it is publisher-ready; and how to choose the level of self-publishing service that is right for you.

Workshop Leader: Susan Driscoll, president and chief executive officer, iUniverse.com. Assisting: Diane Gedymin, Vice President, Editorial, iUnivers.com.

All Levels
Sunday #55, 1 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Getting The Word About Your Self Published Book Out

iUniverse staff help you look beyond the bookstore, at non-traditional ways to get your book known and how to turn out-of-print titles into extra cash.

Workshop Leader: Susan Driscoll, president and chief executive officer, iUniverse.com. Assisting: Diane Gedymin, Vice President, Editorial, iUnivers.com.


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