Indie Author Publishing Conference and Pitchapalooza

By Sativa Peterson Mon., Feb. 20 2012 at 7:00 AM

Categories: Literary

There's still time to sign up for the Indie Author Publishing Conference & Pitchapalooza this Saturday, February 25 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the South Mountain Community Library.

The all-day conference is co-hosted by Changing Hands Bookstore and the Phoenix Public Library, who partnered in January to host a Young Adult Writing Conference.

This month's event includes a line up of six 45-minute sessions, a lunch talk, and, of course, a Pitchapalooza.

The publishing world is experiencing a lot of change and this conference will delve into some of the trends and hot topics facing writers today: Should you pursue a traditional path with an agent and a publishing house? Or is self-publishing the way to go? Physical copy? Or digital?

The conference sessions include:

- It's a great time to be an author, presented by: Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry,

- What about traditional publishing?, Presented by: Mike Slack, Annette Rogers and Gayle Shanks,

- How to pitch your book, Presented by: David Henry Sterry and Arielle Eckstut,

- Lunch Talk: Marketing your book, Presented by Penny Sansevieri, Introduction to digital publishing, Presented by: Evo Terra and Jeff Moriarty,

- Alternative publishing, Presented by: Michael A. Stackpole, Mike Slack, Sam Henrie and Gwen Henson, and

- Working with bookstores and libraries: Best practices, Presented by: Gayle Shanks, Kathleen Sullivan, Dana Braccia and Cindy Dach.

At the end of the conference day -- and open to the public for free -- will be a Pitchapalooza, in which randomly selected participants will have one high-energy minute to pitch their book idea to judges, Arielle Eckstut, David Henry Sterry, Annette Rogers and Gayle Shanks.

Pitches will be critiqued on everything from idea and style to marketability. One winner will be selected to receive an introduction to a literary agent in their genre. Good or bad, hearing the pitches is an entertaining and enlightening way for publishing hopefuls to learn the art of the pitch. The Pitchapalooza will begin at 4:30 p.m. Think of it as a chance to give your "elevator speech" on why your project is great. Because hey, you never know...

The cost for the conference is $115. A box lunch is provided. To register, call 480-730-0205. More detailed session descriptions can be found here.

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