Check-in & Registration

Traditional Publishing: Catching an agent’s attention 101
** Speaker: Awaiting confirmation

Submitting a manuscript to an agent seems easy, but with many agencies only responding if they’re interested, it’s hard to tell if you’ve done everything you can to get noticed. This presentation will review common mistakes authors make when approaching an agent and offer options for avoiding them.

Indie Publishing: How to self-publish your book
Speaker | Jan Yager

With the stigma of self-publishing removed, more and more authors, even those previously published by commercial houses, are turning to self-publishing for one, some, or all of their new works. This session explores the three key aspects of self-publishing: Writing the Book; Preparing it for publication; and Selling it including publicity and even foreign rights. In addition, it covers the ten “tells” that a book is self-published and how to avoid each one.

Break

Social Media Marketing for Authors 101
Speaker | Chris Gibson

Building visibility and brand for your book in this new age of influence.

Social Media Marketing for Authors 201
Speaker |  – Awaiting confirmation

Understanding the science of social media marketing and how authors should leverage it to build their readership.

Break

Think Like a Bookpreneur: Ways to Monetize Your Book Beyond Traditional Sales
Speaker |  Tieshena Davis

A well written and organized book can be the launchpad to creating a profitable business model for long-term author success. In this session, Tieshena will share how any author can transform their book into multiple streams of income, acquire new consumers, and identify new revenue-generating opportunities.

Capitalizing on your writing: Strategies for Personal Branding and Making Money
Speaker | Robert Lucas

Writing a book can lead to many things: enhanced self-esteem, personal recognition, and financial success. However, before these benefits come to an author, there are steps that must be taken to position the writer as someone who creates books that others want to read. There are also a series of strategies that must be employed before, during and after publication to spread the word about the book and its author. By taking steps shared in this session, attendees can more effectively brand themselves and their books while creating residual streams of income.

Registration and Breakfast

Welcome
Pat Stanford, FAPA President

Success by Design: How to plan for or grow a successful business in the publishing industry
Speaker | Julia Demkowski

Success is most often the result of executing a carefully crafted set of objectives and strategies.

• Understand What Strategy and Strategic Planning Mean

• The 5 Most Important Questions Needed for Creating Effective Strategic Plans

• Identify Ways to Align Your Strategy with Goals

• Put Your Plan into Action

Break

Legal Issues for Authors
Speaker | – Awaiting confirmation

Lunch Break

Marketing for Authors
Speaker | – Awaiting confirmation

Break

Out-of-the-Box Marketing
Speaker | Patti Brassard Jefferson
Speaker | Saundra Kelley

A moderator-lead panel with ideas for marketing/branding that will set you and your books apart from the rest of the pack. Learn to define your target audience and then use creative methods of reaching them in the real world.

Cocktails – “Awards reception” Cash Bar

Photo ops available in front of red carpet banners.

2020 FAPA President’s Book Awards Banquet

Join us for an exciting evening of celebration of the more than 80 finalists who will be receiving either a Bronze, Silver, or Gold Medal for their books.