Author’s Showcase & Bookstore Located in the Convention Exhibit Hall Book authorship can be an important to extending the journalists brand, and to giving a more in-depth view of the stories we tell. Author’s Showcase is designed to give you insights into the tools you need to make that dream of writing a book, and seeing it on bookstore shelves a reality. Authors and experts will talk about picking a subject that gets agents and editors attention, building the almighty platform, book promotion and speaking engagements as an offshoot of your book sales. And as self-publishing is now a real and legitimate part of the book world, hear more about the author/entrepreneur and the tools that are being used to sell a book across both print and digital platforms. We’ll even talk about turning your book into a movie. Make 2010 the your book year. Workshops and signings will be held in our exciting Author’s Showcase bookstore in the Exhibit Hall. Check schedule of signings for convention speakers. Thursday, July 29 From the Heart Three very different writers will share their very personal stories of book authorship. They will share their own very personal stories about truth, and love and hope. Moderator: Andrea King Collier, Author, "Still With Me: A Daughter’s Journey of Love and Loss" My Times in Black and White: Race and Power at the New York Times" Veteran journalist, and wife of the late Gerald M.Boyd talks about his memoir, her role in the writing of the book, and the significance of his legacy to black journalists. My Times in Black and White was completed after Boyd’s death, and published this year. Confessions of a Soap Opera Diva" Longtime friend of Author’s Showcase, actress Victoria Rowell is back to talk about her first novel. How it got written, the challenges of jumping into fiction after a first book on non-fiction, and getting out there to promote a book. Journalist and Author, "Orange, Mint and Honey" Carleen Brice will discuss working as a journalist and making the transition to becoming a successful novelist. Brice’s book Orange, Mint and Honey was recently made into a Lifetime Movie starring Jill Scott. Brice will also talk about her one woman campaign to create broader audiences for Black authors with her award winning blog, White Readers Meet Black Authors. 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. From Beat to Book: How to Turn Your News Stories Into a Bestseller Moderator: Regina Brooks, Literary Agent, Serendipity
and Author, "Writing Great Books for Young Adults" Agent, Regina Brooks will lead a discussion on what you need to know to generate a marketable idea, get an agent and secure a publishing deal in today’s changing publishing marketplace. How do journalists modify their ideas to make the leap from reporters to authors? What does a journalist need to know about the value of the stories they have access to, and properly leverage it to literary agents and publishers when their respective newsroom can't accommodate them? Friday, July 30th
Being A Black Author Moderator: Gil Robertson, Author, "Family Affair" and "Not In My Family" What does it really take to break through to a broad reading audience, as a black author? What are the challenges to getting reviewed and noticed by the masses and finding crossover appeal. How does a writer stay true to his or her culture and voice and still break through to publishing success? Top authors will talk about how they make a way as successful Black authors and how you can too. Panelists: Farai Chideya, Author, "Kiss the Sky" Terrance Dean, Author, "Visible Lives" Helena Andrews, "Bitch is the New Black" Rochelle Riley, "Raising A Parent" The Author Entrepreneur-Self Publishing There are more ways than one to see your book in print. While self-publishing was once the step-child of book authorship, with new tools such as e-books, and print on demand journalists are creating new business models. Hear from several journalists who have taken the leap. Moderator: Mark Luckie, Author, "The Digital Journalist" Panelists: Zondra Hughes, Author, "The Ebony Life" Lorraine Cole, Co-Author, "Working It" Kiratiana Freelon, Author, "Kiratiana’s Travel Guide to Black Paris" Harold Fisher, Author, "Two Weeks" Author’s Showcase For the GROWN and SEXY 10:00 p.m. to Midnight Join us for our “after dark” author event that promises not to disappoint. Not for the faint of heart--a hot and steamy evening.. Hear readings from authors who put sexy on the page with a sizzling story to tell! Erotic, exotic, it promises to be an evening to put a smile on your face. And if you have a little sexy story you’d like to see in print, we’re having a contest. Sign up at the Author’s Showcase to read the best few lines of your Grown and Sexy story competition. The audience will vote, and you could win a prize, including a consultation with a literary agent or a New York editor. Get Your Sexy On!!!!
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Robin D. Stone, Journalist and Author "
Victoria Rowell, Actress and Author, "
Carleen Brice,
9:00 -10:30 a.m.
located at the Redfield's Restaurant at the Manchester Grand Hyatt,
Home of NABJ AfterDark