John Dillon & Vivian Nesbitt - hosts and moderators

Each session will be focused by our excellent moderators John Dillon and Vivian Nesbitt, who have years of experience interviewing and drawing information out of guests as hosts of the nationally syndicated Art of the Song Creativity Radio. After an initial 5-10 minute interview, each speaker will present a focused, keynote presentation that gives you more information that you really need. At the end, Vivian and John will pose the questions you want asked and answered. This makes for a perfect hour with each presenter--again, not something you get at the average conference. [visit John and Viv's website]

 

Just Added!

Rick Frishman - our speaker on "What Publishers Want"

• Rick Frishman, the founder of Planned Television Arts, has been one of the leading book publicists in America for over 30 years.

• Rick continues to work with many of the top book editors, literary agents and publishers in America, including Simon and Schuster, Random House, Wiley, Harper Collins, Pocket Books, Penguin Putnam, and Hyperion Books. Some of the best-selling authors he has worked with include: Mitch Albom, Bill Moyers, Stephen King, Caroline Kennedy, Howard Stern, President Jimmy Carter, Mark Victor Hansen, Nelson DeMille, John Grisham, Hugh Downs, Henry Kissinger, Jack Canfield, Alan Deshowitz, Arnold Palmer, and Harvey Mackay.

• Rick has appeared on hundreds of radio shows and more than a dozen TV shows nationwide. He has appeared as a guest on OPRAH and on Bloomberg TV numerous times. He has also been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Selling Power Magazine, New York Post and scores of publications.

• He is the co-author of eight books, including national best-sellers GUERRILLA PUBLICITY and NETWORKING MAGIC. He recently launched the popular four-book series, AUTHOR 101^(TM). [visit Rick's website]

Cindi Myers - our speaker on "Writing and Selling the Contemporary Novel"

• Writing as Cynthia Sterling, Cindi wrote seven historical romances for Berkley and Kensington before turning to contemporary fiction.
• Cindi has published more than 30 romances and women's fiction titles, among them MY BACKWARDS LIFE, LEARNING CURVES, THE RIGHT MR. WRONG, and A SOLDIER COMES HOME.
• Almost half a million copies of Cindi's books have been published around the world. Her books have been translated into Spanish, French, Italian, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, German, Dutch, Korean, Japanese, and Greek. [visit Cindi's website]

Rebecca York - our speaker on "Writing and Selling the Romance Novel"

• A New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly best-selling and award-winning author, Rebecca has written over 115 books. Since 1983, Rebecca has authored or co-authored 85 romances and romantic thrillers, for Berkley, Harlequin, Silhouette, Dell, Kensington and Tor, many with paranormal elements.
• Her KILLING MOON was a launch title for Berkley's Sensation imprint in June 2003. Seven more books in the series have followed. Her next Intrigue is CHRISTMAS SPIRIT, October, 2008.
• Her many awards include two Rita finalist books. She has two Career Achievement awards from Romantic Times: for Series Romantic Suspense and for Series Romantic Mystery. Romantic Times recently honored her as a Pioneer of Romance. [visit Rebecca's website]

Camille Minichino - our speaker on "Writing and Selling the Mystery Series"

• Bestselling author of the periodic table mystery series, whose titles include THE OXYGEN MURDER, THE LITHIUM MURDER, THE CARBON MURDER and THE NITROGEN MURDER.
• Camille also created a second mystery series based on her lifelong love of miniatures. Writing as Margaret Grace, her titles in this series include MURDER IN MINIATURE and MAYHEM IN MINIATURE.
• Has a Ph.D. in physics from Fordham University, is on the staff of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, has written wildly popular articles like "Experimental Very High Pressure Equation of State and Thermophysical Properties of Liquid Ta and W" and "Thermophysical Properties of Liquid Tantalum and Molybdenum" and further demonstrated her range by penning MEMOIR: THE BOSTON BRAVES. [visit Camille's website]

Sheree Fitch - our speaker on "Writing and Selling the Children's Book"

• Sheree is a multi award-winning writer, speaker, and educator and the author of twenty-three books in a variety of genres. Since the publication of her first book, TOES IN MY NOSE (Doubleday 1987), she's traveled the globe as a visiting author, writing instructor, and literacy educator.
• Sheree is one of Canada's best-known and best-loved children's book authors. Her books for children include THERE'S A MOUSE IN MY HOUSE!, IF I COULD WEAR MY SNEAKERS, NO TWO SNOWFLAKES, THE HULLABALOO BUGAGABOO DAY and many others
• Sheree received the Vicky Metcalf Award for a body of work inspirational to Canadian children and two honorary doctorates for her contribution to Canadian literature and issues affecting women and children. [visit Sheree's website]

Ed Hooks - our speaker on "Writing for the Niche Market"

• Ed has been a theatre professional for three decades and teaches acting to both animators and actors. His books include THE ACTOR'S FIELD GUIDE, ACTING STRATEGIES FOR THE CYBER AGE, THE ULTIMATE SCENE AND MONOLOGUE SOURCEBOOK, and ACTING FOR ANIMATORS.
• Ed has taught for many companies, including Disney Feature Animation (Burbank, Orlando and Sydney, Australia), Ubisoft, Blue Sky, DreamWorks/PDI, Lucas Learning, Animal Logic, Rising Sun Pictures, Microsoft (X-Box/Fasa Studios), Big Idea, Scanline Productions (Munich Germany) and Crystal Dynamics and twice instructed at The Ringling School of Art and Design (Sarasota, Florida).
• Last year Ed taught in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ed's newest book is ACTING IN ANIMATION: A LOOK AT 12 FILMS. [visit Ed's website]

Cathleen Rountree - our speaker on "Writing and Selling the Interview Book"

• Author of the bestselling interview series ON WOMEN TURNING 30, ON WOMEN TURNING 40, ON WOMEN TURNING 50, ON WOMEN TURNING 60, and ON WOMEN TURNING 70
• An entertainment critic, film critic and movie lover who wrote THE MOVIE LOVER'S CLUB and who writes for Documentary Magazine, Film Arts Magazine, GreenCine, and many other publications
• Cathleen is also the author of THE WRITER'S MENTOR: A GUIDE TO PUTTING PASSION ON PAGE, a book for - and beloved by - writers. [visit Cathleen's website]

Jennifer Louden - our speaker on "Writing and Selling the Self-Help Book"

• Created the internationally known and bestselling Comfort Queen line of books, including THE WOMAN'S COMFORT BOOK, THE COUPLE'S COMFORT BOOK, THE PREGNANT WOMAN'S COMFORT BOOK, and COMFORT SECRETS FOR BUSY WOMEN
• Prolific author whose other books include THE LIFE ORGANIZER: A WOMAN'S GUIDE TO A MINDFUL YEAR and whose articles appear regularly in Body + Soul Magazine
• An in-demand speaker and a leading spokeswoman for women's well-being, she has appeared on the Oprah Show, Later Today, MS-NBC, Fit TV, and more than a hundred local news shows in most major markets. [visit Jennifer's website]

Bobette Buster - our speaker on "The Fundamentals of Screenwriting: Finding the Story in Your Script"

• A world-renowned lecturer on "What's the Big Idea? The Art and Craft of Feature Film Development," a course which she created as an Adj. Professor at the University of Southern California's Peter Stark Producing Program, while working as a Hollywood creative film executive with Tony Scott, Larry Gelbart and Ray Stark.
• An in-demand worldwide workshop leader and lecturer who for the past dozen years had been visiting faculty at the University of Milan, La Femis in Paris and the Media Business School in Rhonda, Spain, as well as the creator of the Origination Lab for Screen Training Ireland, guest lecturer at Pixar Studios, advisor at the Sundance Lab for Latin American Writers and speaker and advisor to film programs in Mexico, Cuba, Germany, The Czech Republic, Italy, Denmark, Norway and Japan.
• During each of the past ten years, one of the Top Ten Box Office films has been from a student of Bobette's. Her students are now major Industry players, writers/directors, executives and producers and have been nominated for or won the top awards in Europe and Hollywood, including the Emmys and Oscars.

Janet Rosen - our speaker on "Literary Agent Basics"

• Janet is a senior agent at the prestigious Sheree Bykofsky Associates Literary Agency, where she represents a wide range of nonfiction.
• Former president of the NYC chapter of the Women's National Book Association, former associate book editor at Glamour Magazine, and - hold on to your hats - stand-up comedienne, appearing at some of NYC's better and seedier clubs.
• Specializes in the areas of business, health and fitness, humor, narrative nonfiction, pop culture, psychology, religion and spirituality, self-help, dating and relationships, and current affairs.

Roccie Hill - our speaker on "The Odyssey of the First Novel"

• Roccie has worked as the executive director of several non-profits, among them Earthshare of California, The Housing Trust of Santa Clara, and The Leakey Foundation. She is currently the executive director of Guide Dogs of the Desert.
• Her first published novel, THREE MINUTES ON LOVE, ran the gauntlet of over 100 rejections before finding its home at The Permanent Press and its publication October, 2008.
• Hear the story of a writer with fortitude and an agent on a mission who brought a book to market that is now getting rave endorsements from the likes of Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN. [visit Roccie's website]

Danny Gregory - our speaker on "Writing and Selling the Illustrated Book"

• Danny is an artist and writer whose bestselling books include THE CREATIVE LICENSE and EVERYDAY MATTERS, a classic in the genre of handwritten and hand-drawn illustrated books.
• Danny other works include CHANGE YOUR UNDERWEAR TWICE A WEEK: LESSONS FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF CLASSROOM FILMSTRIPS, HELLO WORLD: A LIFE IN HAM RADIO, PEANUT, a memoir about the transition into fatherhood, and illustrations for Eric Maisel's A WRITER'S PARIS.
• Danny's latest is AN ILLUSTRATED LIFE: DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM THE PRIVATE SKETCHBOOKS OF ARTISTS, ILLUSTRATORS AND DESIGNERS, due out December, 2008. [visit Danny's website]

C. M. Mayo - our speaker on "Writing and Selling the Travel Memoir"

• C.M. is the author of the forthcoming THE LAST PRINCE OF THE MEXICAN EMPIRE, the widely-lauded travel memoir, MIRACULOUS AIR: JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES THROUGH BAJA CALIFORNIA, THE OTHER MEXICO and SKY OVER EL NIDO, which won the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction. She is also the editor of the anthology of Mexican fiction and literary prose, MEXICO: A TRAVELER'S LITERARY COMPANION.
• Her stories, essays and poems have appeared in numerous U.S. literary magazines including Chelsea, Creative Nonfiction, Fourth Genre, Kenyon Review, The North American Review, The Paris Review, Southwest Review, Tin House and Witness, as well as the Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal.
• Other of her awards include three Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards and three Washington Independent Writers Awards, most recently for her essay, "From Mexico to Miramar or, Across the Lake of Oblivion." She has also been awarded residencies at Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, Ragdale Foundation, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and (for Sky Over El Nido) fellowships from the writers conferences at Wesleyan, Sewanee, and Bread Loaf. [visit C. M.'s website]

Susan Raeburn - our speaker on "The Nonfiction Collaboration"

• In her day job as a psychologist, addictions specialist, and therapist to artists, Dr. Susan Raeburn maintains a private practice, works in the Chemical Dependency Services program at Kaiser Permanente in Walnut Creek, California, and is a member of the Editorial Board of the journal, Medical Problems of Performing Artists. She has also had a lifelong interest in the emotional and practical issues of musicians, in part because of her parents, the Big Band era professional musicians Boyd Raeburn and Ginnie Powell.
• Her specialty in addictions and her work with artists naturally lead to her to a collaboration with Eric Maisel on CREATIVE RECOVERY: A COMPLETE ADDICTION TREATMENT PROGRAM THAT USES YOUR NATURAL CREATIVITY, the first book to present a comprehensive addiction recovery program for creative types.
• Susan has presented widely at music industry conferences like South by Southwest, North by Northwest, NARAS, the Future of Music Coalition, and The Experience Music Project and as an expert on E! Entertainment TV.

Lee Silber - our speaker on "How to Handle Rejection"

• Lee Silber is the author of 13 books including four in the "Creative Person" by Random House, one by St. Martin's Press (ORGANIZING FROM THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN), and his next release from Capital Books (ROCK TO RICHES, due out in August 2008). In addition he has a textbook with Prentice-Hall, a business management book with Career Press, and is pitching a children's picture book and a parenting book.
• Silber's books sell with his time management title now in its 11th printing, his award-winning book on self-promotion now in it's 6th printing, and his book on organizing quickly reaching selling through 5 printings. His works have also been translated into five languages.
• Lee has won 9 awards for his books including the coveted Theodor S. Geisel Award in 2002. He has also garnered a great deal of publicity for his work (979 media appearances and counting since 1991) and received rave reviews from "USA Today" and the "New York Times." [visit Lee's website]

Jan Johnson - our speaker on "What Editors Want"

• Jan holds the position of publisher of Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC, which publishes about 55-60 books per year under the Weiser Books and Conari Press imprints. Recent Weiser titles include FRIENDS ON A ROTTEN DAY: THE ASTROLOGY OF FRIENDSHIP by Hazel Dixon Cooper and THE MENTALIST'S HANDBOOK by Clint Marsh. Recent Conari titles include STOKING THE CREATIVE FIRE by Phil Cousineau and HALF FULL: MEDITATIONS ON HOPE, OPTIMISM, AND OTHER THINGS THAT MATTER by Mina Parker with photographs by Daniel Talbott.
• Jan has been in publishing since 1972, when she took a temporary job as editor of a kindergarten curriculum. She worked on staff for Winston Press, a division of Holt, Rinehart, Winston/CBS Publishing and HarperSanFrancisco, now known as HarperOne, and Tuttle Publishing, holding editorial director positions at all three.
• Jan has also worked in publicity and direct mail marketing in book publishing. For several years she was a freelance editorial consultant and editor whose clients included Bantam, Riverhead, and Tarcher. She is also a writer herself with a Master's in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University.

Georgia Hughes - our speaker on "The Art of the Spiritual Book"

• Georgia is editorial director at New World Library, where she acquires and edits books in the areas of spirituality, personal growth, sustainable business, animals, and women's issues.
• New World Library, publisher of the bestselling THE POWER OF NOW and CREATIVE VISUALIZATION, is a member of the Green Press Initiative. Recent acquisitions include COACHING THE ARTIST WITHIN by Eric Maisel, RESCUED: SAVING ANIMALS FROM DISASTER by Allen and Linda Anderson, 20 SOMETHING MANIFESTO by Christine Hassler, and THE THREE 'ONLY' THINGS by Robert Moss.
• Among New World Library's many spiritual titles are IN THE HEART OF THE WORLD by Mother Theresa, INNER REACHES OF OUTER SPACE by Joseph Campbell, MONK IN THE WORLD by Wayne Teasdale, WHAT IS TAO? By Alan Watts, and THE SEVEN LAWS OF SPIRITUAL SUCCESS by Deepak Chopra.

Mark Levy - our speaker on "Branding, Positioning, and Self-Promoting"

• Mark runs Levy Innovation: A Marketing Strategy Company. Called by Joe Vitale "genius with a warp-speed brain" and by Joel Bauer' "branding god." Mark consults to authors on every facet of branding, market positioning, and self-promotion.
• Mark has authored or co-authored HOW TO PERSUADE PEOPLE WHO DON'T WANT TO BE PERSUADED, ACCIDENTAL GENIUS, TRICKS WITH YOUR HEAD, and MAGIC FOR DUMMIES.
• Mark's background as a pitchman: For sixteen years, he pitched books and helped his companies sell over one billion dollars worth of goods. Mark estimates that he pitched 12,500 titles to over 1,000 clients, including Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, and Borders.

Carol Susan Roth - our speaker on "How to Turn Your Expertise into a Bestselling Book"

• Carol is an internationally recognized literary agent based near Stanford University in California who has helped develop and sell more than 120 nonfiction titles to all the major NYC publishers as well as many other smaller trade, university and Christian publishers. Her authors' books have appeared on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Soundstrue and One Spirit bestseller lists. Recent titles include HEART SMART by Dr. Matt DeVane, LIVING WISDOM WITH THE DALAI LAMA by Don Farber, THE FERTILE SOUL by Dr. Randine Lewis, GOD IN THE WILDERNESS by Rabbi Jamie Korngold, ORIGINS OF LIFE: EMERGENCE FROM STARS AND PLANETS by Dr. David Deamer, SEVEN STONES THAT ROCKED THE WORLD by Dr.Patrick Hunt and GLIMPSES OF HEAVEN by Trudy Harris,R.N.
• Carol has more than a two decades in the world of publishing best selling authors. First by presenting the who's who in personal growth, spirituality, holistic health including Bernie Siegel, Scott Peck, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, Marion Woodman, Ram Dass, Shakti Gawain and John Gray, as well as, producing North America's 1st Sprituality and Business Conference, THE HEART OF BUSINESS in 1977.
• Her specialty is working with experts of all kinds - especially, professors, physicians and journalists - helping them develop and position their work for the greatest success in the marketplace.

Annie Jennings - our speaker on "Book Publicity Basics"

• Annie, of the National PR firm Annie Jennings PR, specializes in promoting authors and experts to the media. Countless of the publicity techniques, tools and strategies that are in widespread use today throughout the industry have been developed by Annie Jennings PR.
• Annie has been an invited guest lecturer for NYU's Publishing Program and for the American Society Of Journalists & Authors. Annie Jennings PR has provided over 500 SMASH HIT PUBLICITY Teleseminars for consistent standing room audiences, reaching hundreds of thousands of author and experts.
• Annie created the concepts of media websites and online press kits, defined how to create a powerful platform, and developed the most advanced branding concepts known to the industry. Her firm has over 25,000 author experts aboard who use her services to build their platform and land book deals.

Co-presenting with Annie will be National Publicist, Stacy Amaral.

Leslie Kenton - our speaker on "The Odyssey of the Memoir"

• Award winning writer of bestsellers on health and spiritual subjects, Leslie Kenton is a broadcaster, lecturer, social activist, and creator of the world wide Origins product range for Estee Lauder. She has a passion for working with people guiding them to enhance their physical and spiritual well being, to live their lives from their own truth, and to make full use of their creative powers.
• Leslie is just completing DANCING IN THE DARK for Random House. A unique memoir of a love affair between child and father, the book is set in the world of jazz clubs, dance halls, and one-nighters, where lives are lived on a razor's edge. The father: legendary jazz giant Stan Kenton. The book honors the creative genius, humor and joy of a man whose fear and obsession prevented him from fulfilling his deepest dreams for his music - something few ever knew - and, ultimately destroyed his very life. Leslie invites the reader into dark realms of guilt, and tragedy as well as wonderment, joy, and transformation. This is a very personal memoir. Yet, because it deals honestly and honorably with the roles light and dark play in all our lives, it is a story of universal importance.
• Leslie insists that writing a memoir is not always easy but it can be nothing less than life-transforming.

John Moir - our speaker on "Writing and Selling the Nature Book"

• John is an award-winning science writer who has written two nonfiction books and contributed to two others. His more than 100 articles have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, the Christian Science Monitor, Audubon California, Birder's World, and elsewhere.
• John's most recent book, RETURN OF THE CONDOR: The Race To Save Our Largest Bird From Extinction was one of five works of outstanding science journalism selected by the National Association of Science Writers for their 2007 Science-in-Society Journalism Awards.
• John is an in-demand speaker on environmental topics, has won 16 writing awards, and is a member of the National Association of Science Writers, the Society of Environmental Journalists, the Authors Guild, and the Northern California Science Writers Association. [visit John's website]

Donna Druchunas - our speaker on "Internet Strategies for Writers"

• Donna is a professional writer who combined her interest in knitting with her skill at writing easy-to-follow instructions. Her designs and articles have been featured in Family Circle Easy Knitting, Knitters, Piecework, Interweave Knits, Fibre Focus, and INKnitters magazines and she designs patterns for several yarn companies.

• Donna's books include ETHNIC KNITTING DISCOVERY: THE NETHERLANDS, DENMARK, NORWAY AND THE ANDES and ARCTIC LACE: KNITTED PROJECTS AND STORIES INSPIRED BY ALASKA'S NATIVE KNITTERS

• Donna is a savvy Internet marketer who pioneered the virtual book tour, traveling from blog to blog in support of ETHNIC KNITTING DISCOVERY and ARCTIC LACE. She presents at writers' conferences on Internet strategies for writers, is an active blogger who, with her sister bloggers, writes for the popular skepchick blog, and is currently working on a memoir. [visit Donna's website]

Eric Maisel - our speaker on "Writing and Selling the Nonfiction Book"

• Eric has written more than thirty books, many in the creativity field. Among his books are CREATIVE RECOVERY, THE VAN GOGH BLUES, FEARLESS CREATING, COACHING THE ARTIST WITHIN, THE CREATIVITY BOOK, and CREATIVITY FOR LIFE
• Eric gives talks and workshops worldwide on the art and practice of writing and selling nonfiction books and has written the book on the subject, THE ART OF THE BOOK PROPOSAL.
• Along with Vivian Nesbitt and John Dillon, Eric helped found TeleSummits.com, the place to come for the information you really need. [visit Eric's website]

Surprise Benefit!

One of the great benefits of The Writers TeleSummit is that you get to try on writing genres that you might never have dreamed of considering and that might suit you beautifully.

You may never have thought of writing a travel memoir, a nature book, a mystery, or a self-help book, but when you listen to our expert speakers you may discover a whole new world opening up for you.

Take this as a great opportunity! It's not just the obvious presentations that will prove of value to you, the ones in genres in which you already write. New possibilities and ways of thinking about your writing career will open up to you as you listen to our superb speakers and learn about their fascinating genres.

Who knows which one of our 24 presentations will open up a new door for you? Try them all on! - and since they're recorded, that's a snap to do... at your own pace.

This is the Time!

A few more words from Eric:

I've worked as a creativity coach for almost twenty-five years and I know what it takes to maintain a writing practice and a writing career. It isn't easy--and it's made harder by the isolation factor and by the lack of really useful resources available to you. When you attend The Writers TeleSummit you'll hear the friendly voices of 24 industry professionals who know firsthand the hardships, joys, and realities of the writing life. They have information at their fingertips that will make a difference. I hope you'll leap at this exceptional experience! See you at The Writers TeleSummit.