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(1) Publishing Trends — Don't Get Left Without A Market!

Are we writers destined to become simply "content providers" with few residual rights to our own work? A distinguished panel of media consultants, magazine-watchers, writers and editors will discuss the future of magazines and opportunities for freelance writers, and the skills we need to survive.

Moderator: Greg Breining, ASJA, is a contributor to The New York Times, National Geographic Adventure, National Geographic Traveler, Sports Illustrated, Wildlife Conservation, Backpacker, Voyaging and others.

Peter Brown, a director of the American Society of Magazine Editors, is an editor at Scientific American and former editor of Natural History and The Sciences. Titles under his editorship have won four National Magazine Awards.

Ava Seave, founder and principal of Quantum Media, a New York-based consulting group, teaches "Strategic Management of Media" at the Columbia University Graduate Business School.

Tony Silber, editor and publisher of Folio:, the "magazine for magazine management," launched M10, an executive-level magazine and information service for the magazine industry.

Anne Stuart, ASJA, executive editor of Redmond Channel Partner magazine; former editor or writer at Inc., CIO and Harvard magazines, the Associated Press and others; freelance contributor to CFO, Inc.com, Deliver, American Way and others. She recently researched publishing trends as a member of ASJA's Five-Year Task Force.

(2) Chasing History! Writing Biography

This well-published group of biographers and historians will discuss the challenges of historical research and share ideas for making the past come alive—faithfully—on the page. They'll also confront the age-old question: "Can you make a living writing biography?"

Moderator: Beverly Gray, ASJA, author of biographies of Roger Corman and Ron Howard, is currently researching When Doctor Dolittle Met Mrs. Robinson: The Movies, the Sixties, and the Dividing of America.

Sidney D. Kirkpatrick is a filmmaker and author of best-selling nonfiction books, including A Cast of Killers, Turning the Tide, Lords of Sipan, and Edgar Cayce: An American Prophet. His most recent work, The Revenge of Thomas Eakins, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Nancy Kriplen, ASJA, is a former staffer for Time. Her biographies include Dwight Davis: The Man and the Cup and the newly published The Eccentric Billionaire: John D. MacArthur — Empire Builder, Reluctant Philanthropist, Relentless Adversary.

Marcus Mabry, international business editor of The New York Times and a former Newsweek foreign correspondent, is the author of Twice As Good: Condoleezza Rice and Her Path to Power.

Hazel Rowley author of three literary biographies: Christina Stead; Richard Wright; and Tête-à-Tête: Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre; working on Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: An Extraordinary Marriage.

(3) Get and Keep Corporate Clients

Our group of experts will share insights and ideas on how to position yourself for lucrative business work. All the basics will be covered: prospecting, marketing, hanging on to success, contracts, rates, avoiding burnout and maintaining creativity.

Moderator: Suzanne Wright, ASJA, has more than 20 years' experience working with clients such as Turner Networks, Kelloggs, NASCAR, Olive Garden, American Express, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Cisco Systems.

Steve Slaunwhite, ASJA, has written copy for more than 100 clients, including Hewlett-Packard, UPS and Sprint. He is the author of The Everything Guide to Writing Copy and also teaches copywriting to professionals.

Susan B. Weiner, ASJA, freelance writer, editor and CFA, specializes in investment management and financial planning. She has written for Bottom Line/Personal, Financial Planning, Louis Rukeyser's Mutual Funds, and Wealth Manager.

Personal Pitch brings dozens of editors together with ASJA members for brief face-to-face pitch meetings. Advance sign-up required. And new this year: Inside the Magazine presents editors from major magazines to discuss their editorial needs in detail. This year's roster will include editors from New York Times Magazine, Reader's Digest, and Wired.

Sandy Lamb & JoBeth McDaniel, Chairs

(4) The Organized Writer: Writer Learning and Organization Styles

Learn organizing and office decluttering techniques that actually have a hope of working for you—because they are based on your individual learning style. (It influences how you approach projects.) Get a grip on your time and set up your desk according to Feng Shui principles.

Moderator: Sherry Paprocki, ASJA, has juggled an array of diverse projects in her 25-year writing and editing career. In 2007 she received awards for producing Marietta Magazine, a college alumni magazine, and for her nonfiction books for middle school students.

Judi Culbertson, ASJA, has written for The New York Times, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, others, and is the author of 10 books. In 2005 she co-authored Scaling Down, Living Large in a Smaller Space. Her latest book, The Clutter Cure, was published 2006.

Donna Goldberg, award-winning author of The Organized Student: Teaching Children the Skills for Success in School, has been seen on CNN, CNBC, the Today Show, and Good Morning America.

Nancy Shepherdson, ASJA, is the author or ghostwriter of five books, including La Vida Rica: The Latina's Guide to Success, and in 1993, Nancy organized the first Writers and Editors/One on One conference.

Sally Stich, ASJA, contributing editor at Woman's Day, has had her byline in TIME, Parade, Parents, Marie Claire, This Old House, Ladies' Home Journal, many others.

(5) The Art of the Interview: Building Source Relationships

Our panel will share tips on how to ask the delicate, difficult questions, keep the too-chatty on track, and draw out an inarticulate or borderline-unwilling subject. What is the best answer when you're asked to show your story or notes for approval? Allow a PR firm's rep to sit in? After this panel, you'll know.

Moderator: Anne Hosansky, ASJA, has interviewed hundreds of people for her book Turning Toward Tomorrow and her articles in Family Circle, Newsday, Institutional Investor and other publications.

John Hanc, ASJA, long-time contributor to Newsday and Runner's World whose eighth book, On Thin Ice; A Memoir of the American Marathon, will be published in 2008.

Florence Isaacs, past president, ASJA; contributor to many magazines and author of eight books. Her latest, What Do You Say When? Talking to People With Confidence on any Social or Business Occasion, will appear in 2008.

Susan Strecker Richard, EIC of Caring Today, is the founding editor of five magazines and has produced more than a dozen custom publications. She has also led the iVillage Parenting Network and Baby Talk.

(6) Should You Self-Publish?

Some books and topics have a better chance for success in the quickly evolving self-published category. Is your idea one of them? These self-publishing experts will share their triumphs and candidly answer your questions. Learn how to come up with a realistic budget, avoid common pitfalls, and stage a book launch.

Moderator: Kim Kavin, ASJA, is an award-winning writer, editor and photographer. She is the author of four traditionally published books plus the self-published Dream Cruises: The Insider's Guide to Private Yacht Charter Vacations.

Robert Crooke, a former reporter and media spokesman for Reuters, now delights in writing novels that he self-publishes. His first, American Family, received critical praise and became a regional best-seller. His latest, Sunrise, is an iUniverse Editor's Choice Selection.

Marilyn Ross, ASJA, along with her husband, Bob, has self-published more than a dozen nonfiction titles and are the authors of The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing. They co-founded SPAN, the Small Publishers Association of North America.

Francine Silverman, a former newspaper reporter and author of two travel guidebooks, Catskills Alive and Long Island, self-published Book Marketing from A-Z and Talk Radio for Authors

(7) Best Tools for Your Digital Office

Increase your productivity while saving trees! Tech-savvy writers will share favorite programs for collecting and storing research online, screenreader technology, remote back-ups and more—using inexpensive programs and those you probably own right now.

Moderator: Jeanne Erdmann, ASJA, is a freelance medical science writer whose work has appeared in Health, Science, and Wildlife Conservation.

Alan Brown, ASJA, is a whiz at getting the most out of MS Outlook. He will share his timesaving tricks, including using Outlook project folders and creating specialized phone books.

Glenn Derene, senior editor, Popular Mechanics, will explain how writers can mine features in software they may already own to better manage notes and information.

Helen Gallagher, ASJA, is the author of Computer Ease and owner of Computer Clarity, a software training company. She will demonstrate organization software and talk about basic organizing tools and back-up devices.

Tammy Powledge, ASJA, is a long-time digitizer and contributor to Scientific American, Popular Science, Health, Salon.com, others. Her latest book is The Complete Idiot's Guide to Microbiology.

(8) Pitching Hollywood: Turn Your Story into a Movie

Daydreaming about a movie based on your book or article? We've put together a group of experts who will demystify the process and explore the variety of ways that freelancers' work can reach the big screen.

Moderator: Sallie Randolph, ASJA, is a freelance-writer-turned-attorney and the lead author of Author Law A to Z, A Desktop Guide to Writers' Rights and Responsibilities.

Christina DeHaven is an independent producer and adjunct faculty member at NYU's film school. In addition to commercials, music videos, documentaries and many short films, she has produced music videos for the The Black Eyed Peas.

P.F. Kluge, journalist, novelist and professor, saw his article "The Boys in the Bank," turned into the movie Dog Day Afternoon; his novel Eddie and the Cruisers has become a cult movie classic.

David Hale Smith is founder and president of DHS Literary, Inc. which has handled New York Times bestsellers The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook and Whiteout. The latter has been made into a movie by Warner Brothers/Joel Silver Pictures, coming in 2008.

F. Robert Stein, an entertainment attorney who counsels and represents authors, agents, publishers, producers and others, was involved in negotiations for Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Mad Hot Ballroom, Why We Fight, Wordplay and many others.

(9) We Just Wanna Have Fun: Opportunities in Humor Writing

Today's humorist needs to be flexible enough to write or perform in a variety of venues – magazines, stage, newspapers, blogs, speeches – in order to create enough of a platform. This panel will explore various ways to get your funnies out.

Moderator: Beth Levine, ASJA, has published work – funny and otherwise – in Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, Redbook, the Chicago Tribune, USA Weekend, and others.

Andrea King Collier, ASJA, says she zeroes in "on the twisted side of life." Her work appears in O the Oprah Magazine, Ladies' Home Journal, More, Better Homes and Gardens, and has written two books.

Brett Leveridge is the author of Men My Mother Dated And Other Mostly True Tales, finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor. His funny essays have been on National Public Radio.

Janet Rosen, literary agent with Sheree Bykofsky Associates, writes and performs comedy in her off hours. Janet has appeared on the Howard Stern Show and hosts a weekly trivia quiz night, The Drunken Smartass Olympics at a NYC pub once a week.

Michele Wojciechowski, ASJA, has worked as a freelance writer and editor for more than decade, featured in publications like Family Circle, Maryland Life, Baltimore Magazine, PT Magazine, Smart Woman, and WomensWallstreet.com, among many others. For the last four years, she has written a humor column, Wojo's World (tm), which features every ridiculous thing that happens in her life. Michele has performed stand-up comedy since the age of 18, most recently at the 2008 Erma Bombeck Humor Writers Workshop. She kicked off her comedy career at age 5 doing a killer impression for family and friends of Vinny Barbarino (John Travolta's character) from Welcome Back Kotter.