Keynote: Trusting Yourself and Writing Your Own Author Success Story

Breakout Session 1: How to Bootstrap your launch (pre-launch essentials) -  Having launched 2 non-fiction, 3 low-content, and 9 romance titles, Danika Bloom has learned a thing or 100 about what goes into a successful book launch. In this workshop she’ll share concrete actions any author can take to bootstrap a book launch and achieve solid returns.

Breakout Session 2: How to Bootstrap your launch (launch week and beyond) -  Publishing success is a long game, best played with others. In this workshop, learn concrete, specific ways to leverage other author’s audiences to boost your reach for weeks and months post launch. Templates and swipe files will be provided so you can implement actions with ease.

Panel Discussion: AI and Writing: the Pros, Cons, & Concerns

Breakout Session: Copyright, Contracts and Defamation (Oh My!): A Primer on the Law for Authors - Can I quote song lyrics in my manuscript? Or talk about how much my main character enjoys eating at McDonalds (TM)? What if I want to write about real people? Can I be sued for defamation? And what about publishing contracts? Are there red flags I should look out for in contracts with agents and publishers? This session will answer these questions and more, in a user-friendly accessible manner. You will learn what to worry about and more importantly what NOT to worry about, and when (and how) to find affordable legal assistance if you need it.

Learn From A Literary Agent - In this session, participants will learn about the literary agent's role; some helpful resources on how to research literary agencies; tips on how to prepare and submit manuscripts and/or proposals; an overview of expectations and rejections; suggestions on how to handle an offer of representation; advise on a successful author-agent (or illustrator-, author/illustrator-) relationship; Q & A, if time allows.

Now the real work begins: tips on editing and revising your manuscript - Mystery author Andrew Welsh-Huggins discusses the writing and editing process he follows for both short stories and novels, including tips for strengthening your manuscript in the revision process and how to produce as close to an error-free draft before submission as possible.

Take the confusion out of publishing! - We live in a world of great opportunities. Brad Pauquette’s succinct guide will help you sort them out. Traditional publishing, self-publishing, indie… what’s the difference? Does it matter? How can you tell good opportunities from poor ones? This practical, conversational breakout session is based on his earned experience and wisdom.

From Book to Film - Expert Award- Winning Author and Filmmaker Danielle D. Smith will guide you on a captivating journey from the pages of a book to the silver screen. Discover the art of assembling the perfect crew to transform your literary vision into a visually stunning masterpiece. Uncover the secrets of collaboration as you learn to gel seamlessly with your team. Join us and unleash the power of collaboration, where finding the right crew becomes the key to unlocking the full potential of your story. Together, let's bring your creative vision to life and produce nothing but excellence on the big screen.

Unlocking Your Memories - Bestselling author Nita Sweeney shares the art of memoirwriting and offers suggestions for uncovering memories, planning your story, and findingpublication success. The presentation will also include some practice exercises to getyou started on your memoir journey.

Ohio Audiobook Narrators co-founders Becky White and Angus Freathy will present the workshop “Creating an Audiobook”. Topics covered will include:

• How to maximize your royalties using audiobooks,

• What you need to know about audiobook production as an author,

• What you need to know about narration: hiring a professional narrator vs DYI vs AI

About OAN Blurb

While there are many voice actors in Ohio, there were few resources for those who wished to concentrate on producing audiobooks. OAN was initially established to provide education & networking opportunities for Ohio-based narrators and they added to their ranks. They began networking with authors and developed connections with Ohio Writers' Association. This led to OAN's involvement in producing three of OWA's recent anthologies, "Outcasts: An Anthology", "Metamorphosis: An Anthology" and just recently "House of Secrets: Every Room Holds a Story". "Outcasts" recently received a Silver Award from The 2023 HearNow Palooza. Because there is so much interest among the general public, OAN also does speaking engagements at local libraries on the business & art of audiobook production geared toward listeners.

Ohio Audiobook Narrators co-founders Becky White and Angus Freathy will present the workshop “Creating an Audiobook”. Topics covered will include:

• How to maximize your royalties using audiobooks,

• What you need to know about audiobook production as an author,

• What you need to know about narration: hiring a professional narrator vs DYI vs AI

About OAN Blurb

While there are many voice actors in Ohio, there were few resources for those who wished to concentrate on producing audiobooks. OAN was initially established to provide education & networking opportunities for Ohio-based narrators and they added to their ranks. They began networking with authors and developed connections with Ohio Writers' Association. This led to OAN's involvement in producing three of OWA's recent anthologies, "Outcasts: An Anthology", "Metamorphosis: An Anthology" and just recently "House of Secrets: Every Room Holds a Story". "Outcasts" recently received a Silver Award from The 2023 HearNow Palooza. Because there is so much interest among the general public, OAN also does speaking engagements at local libraries on the business & art of audiobook production geared toward listeners.