Everything you need to know about self-help/how-to books - Tomorrow's LA Panel

Giving Useful Advice 

How-To and Self-Help

 Monday, September 25, 2017

7:30 p.m.  (to 9:15; networking follows the program)

Veterans Memorial Building

4117 Overland Avenue (at Culver)

Culver City, CA 90230

Free parking; enter on Culver

FREE for IWOSC Members;  $15 for non-members

Got knowledge? Great! The trick is to share it and get paid for it. Our panel of experts and authors will give you the how-to on how-to books.

• Almost any topic can be successfully turned into a book:
• Have you guided families as they dealt with autism/dyslexia/ADHD, or counseled people struggling with depression or addiction?
• Do you know decorating from the inside out, or antique conservation techniques from a career spent in museums and galleries?
• Can you share weight-loss and health advice accrued as a nurse, doctor, or counselor?
• Did you earn your PhD from Harvard, and can you write about how to manage money? Or maybe your financial lessons are from the School of Hard Knocks? 
• Can you write about a software program, and make it easy to understand?
• Maybe your book is a treasure-trove of your great-grandmother’s old country recipes that you’d like to share with the world?

It's time to write the book!

That’s what IWOSC's  2017-18 season kickoff program is all about. Here are just some of the things we’ll be covering with a panel of experienced, knowledgeable, published authors and experts:

• How do you translate the useful (but often dry or technical) advice into something commercial, reader-friendly, zingy, and irresistible?  
• How to effectively BRAND yourself as an expert and build your platform, so that your book proposal attracts agents, and publishers, rather than ending up on the slush pile?
• How to take your brand public, through social media and marketing, and sell more books.
• What did Julia Child, Martha Stewart, Wayne Dyer, Tony Robbins, and Dr. Phil have when they were first starting out that you might not yet?  

New Panelist Added:

STEVE HUTSON is a native of Los Angeles, a child of the sixties, and a storyteller almost from birth. (He’s convinced that the Wimpy Kid books are based on his childhood, but he can’t prove it.) After several years of freelance editing and directing a writers’ conference, he branched out as a literary agent in early 2011. He has placed his clients’ works with Dutton, Thomas Nelson, Tyndale, Potomac, David C. Cook, Praeger, Writer’s Digest Books, and others. Several clients have won prestigious awards for their works. Steve speaks frequently at writers’ events and writes an eclectic blog.

Steve's Website: wordwisemedia.com

Our Other Panelists:

DEBRA ECKERLING, a project catalyst, works with individuals and small businesses to strategize, set goals, and manage their projects. She is the creator of Write On Online, a website and community for writers, creatives, and entrepreneurs. Debra is also the author of Write On Blogging: 51 Tips to Create, Write & Promote Your Blog.

Debra's Website: writeononline.com

JENNIFER PURDIE is a freelance writer, endurance athlete and personal trainer. Her latest book Growth Mindset for Athletes, Coaches and Trainers, comes out October 10, 2017. Her writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, U.S. News and World Report, Woman’s Day, Salon, Triathlete, Running Times, Competitor, Redbook, Reader’s Digest, and Shape. Jennifer has been featured on TV shows including Fox Sports, was an Ironman finisher, and has completed marathons on every continent. She holds a personal training certification with the National Academy of Sports Medicine and is a Fitness and Nutrition Specialist. She is also a stand-up comedian and has been a finalist in several stand-up and storytelling competitions throughout Los Angeles.

Jennifer's Website:JenniferPurdie.com

REBECCA COOPER is known worldwide for her expertise in eating disorders. She has trained mental health professionals in the USA, Israel, Panama, Portugal, France, South Africa and Buenos Aires. She is the author of Diets Don’t Work, a recovery handbook. She regularly appears on webcasts, at professional conferences, and at community events to promote eating disorder awareness. She also has appeared on television on CNN, Fox, Bravo, Lifetime, CBS, ABC and TBN. Rebecca is a licensed therapist, clinical counselor and certified eating disorder specialist and supervisor. Rebecca is the founder of Rebecca’s House, an eating disorders treatment program for women and men.

Rebecca's Website: RebeccaCooper.com

MARILYN ANDERSON is an author, speaker, master book promoter and award-winning film and television writer. Her new book is How to Live Like a Millionaire When You’re a Million Short. Marilyn wrote and produced the family feature How to Beat a Bully. She has written for Murphy Brown, FAME, Friday the 13th – the Series, and Carol & Company. Marilyn’s humorous relationship book, Never Kiss a Frog: A Girl’s Guide to Creatures from the Dating Swamp, is published in 10 countries. She wrote, produced and hosted a web series for that book and for her new release. Marilyn won a Luminas Award for the Positive Depiction of Women in Film & Television, and was honored by the Writers Guild of America as a writer of one of the 101 Best TV Shows of the past seven decades.

Marilyn's Website: HowtoLiveLikeaMillionaire.com

Moderator:

ROBIN QUINN is a book coach, editor, ghostwriter and publishing consultant who has provided award-winning editorial support to the independent publishing community for over 25 years. She specializes in self-help nonfiction and uplifting memoir. Self-help clients include Bonnie Kreitler (I Heard Your Dog Died), Pat LaDouceur, PhD (Small Change, Big Results). Rebecca Cooper (Diets Don’t Work), Jordan McAuley (Celebrity Leverage), and Shelley Roxanne (The Frustrated Believer). Her goal with self-help writers is to help them express their ideas clearly in engaging ways with tips readers can put to use right away. She regularly produces and moderates panels for publishers and writers groups in the Los Angeles area

Robin's Website: WritingandEditing.biz

WHEN: Monday, September 25, 2017, 7:30-9:15 p.m. (networking follows)

LOCATION: Veterans Memorial Building, 4117 Overland Avenue, Culver City 90230 (corner of Culver Boulevard. Parking entrance on Culver)  Map of location. Free parking!

We'll be in the MultiPurpose Room, so from the main entrance, follow the signs down the hallway, out of the building, and around to the right to a patio area and meeting room.

ADMISSION: IWOSC members - free; General public - $15 

Independent Writers of Southern California: IWOSC.org.

AUDIOBOOKS: How to Make and Sell Them

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2017

7:00 PM

According to The Wall Street Journal, audiobooks are the fastest growing format in publishing today. With Smartphones and digital downloads, audiobooks offer book buyers easy access and convenience.

Join us and consider how your books could be adapted for this hot market. Our speakers will address the following topics and more:

- How to publish through the Amazon owned ACX audiobook service

- How to choose and work with a narrator

- When to consider doing the narration yourself as an author/publisher

- How the production process works at an audiobook publisher

- How to work with an independent recording studio

- Where and how audiobooks are distributed

- How to promote audiobooks

SPEAKERS

APRIL SUGARMAN is a Professional Narrator/Audiobook Producer with Amazon’s Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX). Her projects include the Adult Romance Renaissance of the Heart. An accomplished SAG actress, Sugarman decided to channel her creative energies into audiobooks after taking time off to raise her two children. April is also involved with Learning Ally, a nonprofit organization that provides dyslexia support via audiobooks. www.acx.com/narrator?p=ADQYJWS2ANJAW

ANDRE STOJKA has enjoyed a full-time career as a voiceover actor for over 35 years. He can currently be heard as the voice of the Owl in much of the Winnie the Pooh franchise. Six years ago, Andre and his wife Leslie decided to combine their interest in history, with his acting, writing and production abilities and form an audiobook company, Listen 2 Read. Their first series, The American Adventure Library, now consists of 16 audiobooks of American History available for download at Audible, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Listen2read.com, etc. http://listen2read.com/

TONY PERESLETE is Co-Founder of Runkee Productions, an audio recording studio in Culver City. Under the name William Anthony, he is also the author of the Young Adult Sci-Fi Adventure trilogy I Am Fire and Air, Shadows and Crosswinds, and Anthems. Currently in the works is his forthcoming series The Case Files of Belliver Holmes to be released first as a radio serial and later in book form. http://runkeeproductions.com/

MODERATOR/PRODUCER

ROBIN QUINN, Book Coach and Editor, has provided editorial support to the independent publishing community for over 25 years. She specializes in uplifting memoir and self-help nonfiction. She also regularly produces and moderates panels for publishers and writers groups in the Los Angeles area. www.writingandediting.biz  

DATE: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2017

TIME: 7:00 p.m.

LOCATION: Veterans Memorial Building, 4117 Overland Avenue, Culver City. Corner of Overland & Culver. Parking is free onsite. The parking entrance is on Culver. The PALA sign will be on the meeting room door. NOTE: Wear layered clothing. The room is usually comfortable, but the temperature may vary.

COST: $5 for PALA members; $10.00 for IWOSC members, $15.00 for nonmembers. To pay, go to:

http://www.publishersassociationoflosangeles.com/

QUESTIONS: Contact Robin Quinn, Program Producer, 818-813-3716, quinnrobin@aol.com.

Photographer Robert Herman Shares His Self-Publishing Journey

"Capture in the photograph what is invisible." 

~ Robert Herman

Having had a long love affair with photography, I remember looking at photobooks by major specialty publishers at Book Expo with envy. Tonight I attended an event in Century City sponsored by the Annenberg Space for Photography where NYC street photographer Robert Herman told us about taking a different route.

When looking for a publisher for his The New Yorkers, Herman received five offers from traditional photobook publishers. The rub was that he'd have to contribute $20,000 to $30,000 to the effort. He just didn't have the money. So Herman turned to self-publishing as he was looking for something to energize his career.

Key to his early efforts was setting up the groundwork for a successful Kickstarter campaign with work on Facebook. For instance, he had a well-produced video there (which he shared this evening). His Kickstarter offers included a book for $60, which was the most popular contribution level. He passed his set goal and successfully raised $10,559. Later he would see that a third of his Kickstarter money came from Facebook, a third from friends and family, and a third from people just surfing through Kickstarter or the Internet. The Kickstarter funds were supplemented by tax deductible donations through Fractured Atlas. Credit cards helped too.

The effort to hone down the work to the final candidates was massive. Herman started with thousands of images and got it down to 80. He'd put the images up in groups on the wall to select the best of the bunch, moving them around as part of the process. Herman says that as a self-editor you "need to be brutal."

Herman believes becoming a successful self-published photographer involved some miracles. These included getting a $1.000 Kickstarter contribution from someone he met at a party. Also, returning to a portfolio review for a second year with a dummy of the book brought in Sean Corcoran as the writer of the Foreword. Corcoran is the Curator of Prints and Photographs at the Museum of the City of New York.

It was obvious that Herman was dedicated to an involved process that would result in a high quality end result in the book and its images. The New Yorkers has been sold at the Museum of Modern Art for four years. And it received a feature article with photos in The New York Times as well as coverage in their Lens blog. All three of these accomplishments are very impressive for a self-published book.

The photographer emphasized that self-publishing a photobook is a group effort, and that it's important to have support. His team included an editor, book designer, production person for CMYK color conversions, and a cooperative Canadian printer who worked with him onsite.

The New Yorkers is now in its fourth year of publication and on its third printing.

"You don't have to travel all around the world 

to get a good photograph.

It's right outside your door."

~ Robert Herman

Herman photographs the audience.

 

See You at the LATFOB This Very Weekend!

Friend /client Susan Moss [right] (author, Survive Cancer) 

with Me [left] at BPSC Booth #933 in 2015

Wow! We're just a day away from the fabulous Los Angeles Festival of Books, one of those occasions where you can't do everything! I'll be walking the booths, attending panels, chatting with friends, and also making myself available at the Book Publicists of Southern California booth #933 to speak with you and answer your editing and publishing questions. Booth #933 is just slightly south of the LA Times Main Stage.

My times at the booth are:

Saturday, 4/22
2-3 pm and 5-6 pm

Sunday, 4/23
11-Noon and 3-4 pm

Come on by!

Write on!

Robin (Quinn)  / Book Coach and Editor

Learn about the Secret Power of Books Reviews - This Monday!

When I first got involved in the world of writing and books, it was natural for me to apply my skills from producing in TV. Now more than two decades later, I'm still at it -- currently producing and moderating programs for the Publishers Association of Los Angeles - affectionately known as PALA.

This Monday (March 13th) is my latest - an evening exploring the ins and outs of getting and best utilizing book reviews. The goal in mind is to improve your book's visibility and increase your book sales.

Our speaker is Carolyn Howard Johnson, author of the HowtoDoItFrugally series of books. She's appeared on my panels numerous times, and I always find her to be informative as well as charming.

To sign up, go to the PALA website: www.pa-la.org/

The cost is $5 for PALA members, and $15 for the general public.

Program starts at 7 PM, and will continue to 9 PM.

Location: Veteran's Memorial Building, 4117 Overland Ave., Culver City, CA.

I've been reading her book, and it's just packed with great information gleaned to a great degree from Carolyn's firsthand knowledge from being a best-selling author and excellent marketer.

Note: This program will be taped and made available soon after the event. Last month's PALA program on MONETIZING YOUR BLOG (see previous blog post) is now for sale at www.publishersassociationoflosangeles.com/pala-programs-recordings/.

Write on!

Robin
Program Producer, Book Coach & Editor

Learn to Get More from Your Blog – Next Wednesday!

Many marketers believe an author’s blog is one of the most important parts of book marketing. In addition, some say that everything should be brought back there, or to your website.

Join us in LA next Wednesday, February 15, to learn the blogging game or step up your blog practices. I’ll be there to moderate and learn right along with you.

Program will recorded and sold as audio by the Publishers Association of Los Angeles, www.pa-la.org.

Here are the details!

PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION OF LA (PALA)

FEBRUARY PROGRAM

Wednesday, Feb. 15^th, 7 PM

Stepping Up Your Blogging Game:

How to Blog Better, Monetize Your Blog & Sell More Books

Are you underutilizing your blog or don’t even have one? Whether you’re an author or publisher, this is a missed opportunity. February’s program will explore better blogging strategies, along with the smart ways to monetize your blog and use it to sell more books.

February’s PALA program will explore:

o Why blogging is an important marketing strategy
o Ways to research who will read your blog and books
o The different types of blogs and what they have to offer
o How to build traffic for your blog – strategies, tools and resources
o How blogs make money
o Independent vs. dependent types of income strategies
o Value as a marketing tool
o Using your blog to access other opportunities
o Changing the way you think about competition in the blogging world

OUR GUEST SPEAKER

Kitty Lusby is a full-time, professional blogger based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her early experiences with book blogging rapidly expanded into a profitable blogging career, and today, she manages and writes content for blogs in a variety of industries. When entrepreneurs and aspiring bloggers began regularly requesting coaching, Kitty transformed her personal website into a resource where people can find practical advice on the skill and business of blogging. Recently, she accepted a mentorship role for business students at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and she regularly leads workshops and lectures in Las Vegas and around the country. You can find her blog and a variety of online training at KittyLusby.com.

PROGRAM MODERATOR/PRODUCER

Robin Quinn has been in the book business for two and a half decades. She is an award-winning book editor, book coach, copywriter and ghostwriter. Robin specializes in self-help, spirituality, health, business and the media, and also loves to work with uplifting memoir and fiction. Her editing credits include the newly released The Frustrated Believer: What to do when you don't know what to do by Shelley Roxanne, I Heard Your Dog Died: Imaginings for Those Who Have Lost a Pet by Bonnie Kreitler, the college memoir, Heaven + Hell = Harvard by Jason W. Park, and the forthcoming child abuse survivor memoir, Heart Warrior by Stuart Lord and Jamison Stone. She is a board member of the Publishers Association of Los Angeles, Secretary of PALA and a member of PALA’s Program Planning Committee. www.writingandediting.biz

LOCATION:  Veterans Memorial Building, 4117 Overland Avenue, Culver City. Corner of Overland & Culver. Parking is free on site. The parking entrance is on Culver. Meetings are on the first floor, down the hall to the left of the front doors. The PALA sign will be on the meeting room door. NOTE: Wear layered clothing. The room is usually comfortable, but the temperature may vary.

COST:  $5.00 for PALA members; $15.00 for nonmembers. Advance admission can be purchased until the day before the program with PayPal on our website: www.pa-la.org .

QUESTIONS:  Contact Robin Quinn, PALA Secretary and Board member, quinnrobin@aol.com, 310-838-7098.