Online, via Zoom
$35 general
Here is your chance to ask anything in this virtual event featuring publishers. As everyone probably knows, you or your agent needs to get your book or proposal into the hands of an interested editor; that’s the first hurdle. A well-crafted proposal, an agent with good relationships, and choosing the right editors to approach are the first steps.
What most would-be authors don’t know is that the editor has to turn around and sell YOU to an editorial board. The sales management, more often than not, makes the decisions. If sales and marketing think they can sell your book, then you’ve got a wonderful chance of getting published. Publishing veterans Jan Johnson, Nancy Fish, Annemarie O’Brien and Brenda Knight, and publicity expert Jill Lublin will help you navigate the rapids of book publishing so you can find the perfect home for your books. Bring all your questions about book publishing and publicity so you can learn from some of the best in the business!
Note: we are limited to 90 attendees at this event, so register early!
Brenda Knight, author of Women of the Beat Generation, will read new work and a tribute to “Beat Goddess” ruth weiss. Brenda began her publishing career at HarperCollins. An author of ten books, she won the American Book Award for “Women of the Beat Generation.” In 2015, she was named Indiefab Publisher of the Year. She is Editorial Director at Mango Publishing and is President of WNBA-SF Chapter.
In her long career in publishing, Nancy Fish has worked in almost every iteration of the book business. Having been publicity and marketing director for major houses including Farrar, Straus & Giroux, HarperCollins and Perseus as well as small indies, freelance publicist and copywriter, and bookseller at legendary shops on both coasts, Nancy now manages the Path to Publishing Program, and all the writers programs, at Marin County’s three-store treasure trove, Book Passage. Ask her about them.
Jan Johnson is Publisher Emeritus at Red Wheel Weiser & Conari Press, acquiring select books for each imprint. Before launching Red Wheel/Weiser, Johnson worked at Tuttle Publishing, HarperOne (when it was known as HarperSanFrancisco), and Winston/Seabury Press and as an independent book doctor, rewrite editor and editorial consultant for corporate and independent publishers. Johnson has worked on many bestsellers including Codependent No More, Random Acts of Kindness, Oprah pick The Book of Awakening, and Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way.
Annemarie O’Brien is an award-winning children’s author and marketing professional with twenty-plus years of global brand experience. She has a BBA in marketing, an MBA in international business, and an MFA in writing for Children & Young Adults. She teaches story marketing at Stanford Continuing Studies and writing courses at UC Berkeley Extension and Pixar. She is a frequent conference speaker on story marketing.
Jill Lublin is an international speaker on the topics of Radical Influence, Publicity, Networking, Kindness and Referrals. She is the author of 4 Best Selling books including Get Noticed…Get Referrals (McGraw Hill) and co-author of Guerrilla Publicity and Networking Magic. Her latest book, Profit of Kindness went #1 in four categories. Jill is a master strategist on how to position your business for more profitability and more visibility in the marketplace. She is CEO of a strategic consulting firm and has over 25 years experience working with over 100,000 people plus national and international media. Jill teaches Publicity Crash Courses as both live events and live webinars and consults and speaks all over the world. She also helps authors to create book deals with major publishers and agents, and well as obtain foreign rights deals. Visit publicitycrashcourse.com/freegift and jilllublin.com
Michael Larsen co-founded Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents in 1972. Over four decades, the agency sold hundreds of books to more than 100 publishers and imprints. The agency has stopped accepting new writers, but Mike loves helping all writers. He gives talks about writing and publishing, and does author coaching. He wrote How to Write a Book Proposal and How to Get a Literary Agent, and coauthored Guerrilla Marketing for Writers. Mike is co-director of the San Francisco Writers Conference and the San Francisco Writing for Change Conference. larsenauthorcoaching.com/








Nina Amir, the Inspiration to Creation Coach, is an 14-times Amazon bestselling author of How to Blog a Book, The Author Training Manual, Creative Visualization for Writers, and a host of ebooks. As an Author Coach and one of 700 elite Certified High Performance Coaches world-wide—the only one working with writers—she helps her clients Achieve More Inspired Results. Nina founded the Nonfiction Writers’ University and the Write Nonfiction in November Challenge. She helps her clients get from the lightbulb moment to the realization of their dreams (without letting anything get in the way) and make a positive and meaningful difference with their words.
Thursday, April 23, 2020 – 12:00pm to 1:00pm
Taryn Edwards is a Librarian, Historian and Strategic Parnterships Manager for the Mechanics’ Institute. She manages the writers activities there and works with other nonprofits to achieve mutual goals. Currently the Mechanics’ Institute hosts 13 writers groups and a wealth of other activities aimed at the writing community of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Laurie McLean spent 20 years as the CEO of a multi-million dollar marketing agency and 8 years as an agent/senior agent at Larsen Pomada Literary Agents before co-founding
Brenda Knight began her career at HarperCollins, working with luminaries Paolo Coelho, Dr. Dean Ornish and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Knight was awarded IndieFab’s Publisher of the Year in 2014 at the ALA, American Library Association. Knight is the author of Wild Women and Books, The Grateful Table, Be a Good in the World, and Women of the Beat Generation, which won an American Book Award. Knight is Associate Publisher at