Many conferences of all kinds allow attendees to sign up for brief consultations with event speakers and experts. The pros are there to answer attendee questions and give as much guidance as possible in a short amount of time.
Since the goal for NFWC has always been to take the traditional in-person writers conference and deliver a similar experience online, for the first time at NFWC 2017, we rounded up some top publishing industry experts to offer complimentary consultations. These pros included book editors, PR pros, marketing consultants and literary agents. And these sessions were a HUGE HIT with the pros and attendees alike, so we’re bringing these sessions back for all future conference events.
How does it work?
Ask-a-Pro sessions last 15-minutes and are conducted one-on-one between you and the pro—delivered via phone or Skype (the pro will call you during your scheduled time). This is not a sales pitch for either party. It’s an opportunity for NFWC attendees to ask questions and receive guidance from professionals.
What does it cost?
Ask-a-Pro is completely FREE for Gold, Platinum and VIP attendees!
How many sessions are available?
Space is absolutely limited for our Ask-a-Pro sessions and they fill up quickly. Most of our consultants offer just two hours of appointment times available—that’s a total of eight 15-minute consult sessions each. So, if there is someone in particular you really want to meet with, be sure to sign up right away. Once the sessions are full, registration for Ask-a-Pro will be closed.
How it Works
Gold, Platinum and VIP attendees can register for up to three Ask-a-Pro sessions. Consultations will take place the week of the conference, May 1st through 4th. Some consults happen concurrently during conference hours so plan accordingly or make sure you purchased recordings and/or transcripts.
How to Register for Consultations with the Pros
REGISTRATION FOR ASK-A-PRO 2018 WILL BE ANNOUNCED ABOUT A MONTH BEFORE THE CONFERENCE. BE SURE TO REGISTER FOR NFWC 2018 EARLY SINCE THOSE WHO DO WILL HAVE THE FIRST CHANCE TO RESERVE CONSULT SESSIONS ONCE THEY ARE AVAILABLE!
Register for the 2018 Nonfiction Writers Conference.
Meet Our Pros
Anne Janzer is an award-winning author and nonfiction writing coach on a mission to help people communicate more effectively through writing. She is author of the books The Writer’s Process, The Workplace Writer’s Process, and Subscription Marketing, and has another one on the way. Ask her questions about indie publishing or (you guessed it) the writing process – specifically, the process of writing your nonfiction book.
For more than 24 years, Publicity Expert Joan Stewart has mentored, coached and taught more than 50,000 authors, speakers, experts, CEOs and small business owners how to get thousands of dollars in free publicity and tell their stories to the world, without a $20,000 publicist. A former newspaper editor, Joan explains how to work with traditional media to earn free media coverage and build a platform of targeted followers on social media and offline. Joan has taught her clients how to get booked on the “Today” show and how to find their way onto the front page of the Wall Street Journal. She lives (and tries to stay warm) in Port Washington, Wis.
Brian Jud is the Executive Director of the Association of Publishers for Special Sales and President of Book Marketing Works. He has over 25 years of publishing experience as a speaker, book-marketing consultant, and the author of hundreds of articles and several books about selling books to non-bookstore buyers including How to Make Real Money Selling Books and Beyond the Bookstore. He also wrote five books on career transition that are distributed internationally. Brian was the host of the television series The Book Authority. Before entering the publishing industry, Brian was the Vice President of Marketing for a Fortune 250 company. Ask me about how to sell books in large, non-returnable quantities to non-bookstore buyers.
Angela Bole is chief executive officer of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), the largest book publishing association in the U.S. serving independent publishers and self-published authors. IBPA’s mission is to lead and serve the independent publishing community through advocacy, education, and tools for success. IBPA’s vision is a world where every independent publisher has the tools and knowledge needed to professionally engage in all aspects of the publishing industry.
Stephanie Chandler is the author of several books including The Nonfiction Book Marketing Plan: Online and Offline Promotion Strategies to Build Your Audience and Sell More Books and Own your Niche: Hype-Free Internet Marketing Tactics to Establish Authority in Your Field and Promote Your Service-Based Business. Stephanie is also founder and CEO of the Nonfiction Authors Association, a vibrant educational community for experienced and aspiring writers, and the Nonfiction Writers Conference, an annual event conducted entirely online. A frequent speaker at business events and on the radio, she has been featured in Entrepreneur, BusinessWeek, and Wired magazine.
Gordon Warnock is a founding partner at Fuse Literary, serving as a literary agent and the editorial director of Short Fuse Publishing. His nonfiction tastes are broad, and he especially enjoys self-help, pop-culture, current events, business, and memoir (both written and graphic) for adults through YA. Recent titles include: THIS IS WHAT A LIBRARIAN LOOKS LIKE by Kyle Cassidy, PERCEPTUAL INTELLIGENCE by Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler, and CREATIVE VISUALIZATION FOR WRITERS by Nina Amir. www.fuseliterary.com, @gordonwarnock
Sara Wigal has over 10 years’ experience working in book publishing. She studied literature at the University of California, San Diego as an undergraduate and went on to receive her M.A. in Writing, Literature and Publishing at Emerson College. She’s worked on the agent side, in publishing houses, and with private publicity firms, and she brings her varied perspectives about all aspects of an author’s writing career to the team at JKS Communications, a comprehensive literary publicity firm. A friend to writers both personally and professionally, she enjoys reading most genres and loves channeling her creativity to spread the news about each wonderful book she encounters. Authors are inspired by her ideas and high-octane energy!
Dana Newman is a Los Angeles based independent literary agent representing authors of practical and narrative non-fiction, and a select amount of literary and upmarket fiction. She’s also a transactional and intellectual property attorney with Raines Feldman LLP, focusing on publishing law, contracts, copyrights, trademarks, and licensing. Dana is a member of the California State Bar and the Association of Authors’ Representatives, and holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and a J.D. from the University of San Francisco. Information about her agency and law practice is online at http://dananewman.com.
Since 1991, Paulette Ensign has helped thousands through her non-traditional publishing company, Tips Products International. Most has been about how-to tips booklets, mirroring her success in personally selling over a million copies of her tips booklet, “110 Ideas for Organizing Your Business Life” in several languages and formats without a penny on advertising. It was initially a marketing tool and direct revenue stream for her then-career as a professional organizing and productivity consultant and speaker. She expanded her services to include helping clients generate more revenue from the content of their books, blogs, articles, other writing, or ideas yet to escape the inner sanctum of their mind. Originally from the Northeast, Paulette moved to San Diego in 1996 without missing a beat in her business. She loves living near the beach, does not miss snow one bit, and is proudly defying getting old as she gets older. You can reach her at 858-922-9768 or Paulette@tipsbooklets.com ,www.TipsProducts.com
As an author coach, self-publishing expert and book marketing strategist; Shelley Hitz is on a mission to help you reach more people with your message. She has coached thousands of authors through her books, training programs, online events, seminars, and more. She specializes in helping Christian nonfiction authors write, publish and market their books through her online coaching program, Author Audience Academy. Find out more about Shelley and download her free training at TrainingAuthors.com.
Tai Goodwin on a mission to help 10,000 entrepreneurs create more joy and wealth in their life and business. She’s the CEO of Aligned + Bankable and creator of the Growth Alignment Index(TM). An intuitive business growth strategist and teacher, she loves helping authors shift into thinking like entrepreneurs so they profit beyond the book. Tai is a former corporate trainer with a master’s degree in instructional design and over 20 years of experience designing courses, training programs, and certifications. Her work has been published on Forbes.com, Careerealism, The Huffington Post, and CAREER Magazine, and she has been highlighted by Small Biz Trends, Black Enterprise , Money Magazine, SmallBizChat and For Harriet.
Melinda Copp, founder and executive editor of The Writer’s Sherpa, LLC, is a book ghostwriter and editorial consultant based in Bluffton, South Carolina. She specializes in helping aspiring authors get clear on the real story they were meant to tell, organizing their material in a powerful way, and then using the client’s ideas to write an engaging and compelling book that delivers their big message. Melinda has ghostwritten thirteen books on a wide range of topics, including memoir, self-help, and business. She has an MFA in creative writing from Goucher College and a BS in journalism from West Virginia University. Melinda also teaches writing workshops and provides one-on-one editorial consulting for aspiring nonfiction authors. Visit her online at www.writerssherpa.com.
Teresa de Grosbios is a 4x Bestselling Author and an International Speaker sought by entrepreneurs and large corporations wanting to better understand how local word of mouth can suddenly turn into epidemic. Specializing in the topics of influence and success, Teresa has a proven track-record in understanding word of mouth epidemics having taken three books to best-seller status in only 8 months. Her book Mass Influence hit #1 international bestseller status in North America and Europe on the same day it launched. Teresa teaches business and marketing courses around the globe. As the Chair of the Evolutionary Business Council, Teresa leads an international, invitation-only council of speakers and influencers dedicated to teaching the principles of success. Teresa is also the co-founder of the Global Influence Summit.
Peter Bowerman, veteran commercial writer, is the self-published author of the three award-winning Well-Fed Writer titles (www.wellfedwriter.com), how-to “standards” on lucrative “commercial” freelancing. He chronicled his self-publishing success (100,000 copies of his books/ebooks in print and a full-time living for 10+ years) in the 2007 release (and its 2014 update—both multiple-award-winners): The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living. www.wellfedsp.com. For coaching details, visit http://www.wellfedsp.com/NFWC-Coach.html.
Stacy Ennis is a creative consultant and writer who helps people sort through their ideas to find clarity and direction. Corporate consulting, content strategy, individual coaching, authoring, ghostwriting—these are just a few of the routes she uses to help people shape ideas, content, and products before sending them out into the world. Her background includes serving as the long-time ghostwriter for a Nobel Prize winner and as executive editor of Sam’s Club’s Healthy Living Made Simple, a publication that reaches around 11 million readers. She is the cofounder of Next Level Women Leaders, a leadership platform training program, and a multi-published author, including coauthor of Growing Influence (forthcoming September 2018). Stacy is a TEDx speaker, world traveler, entrepreneur, runner, wife, and mom to two awesome kids. Learn more at stacyennis.com.
Tonya Hoffman is the CEO and Founder of the Public Speakers Association! She launched the organization in January of 2013 and now enjoys visiting her chapters across the US and Canada. She is well known and sought after across the globe as a Keynote, Motivational, Emcee, Trainer, Workshop Presenter or whatever it takes to meet someone new and change someone’s life! She has two rules for her organization and life… Only Nice People Allowed and Only Imperfect People Please!
Penny Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. (AME) and Adjunct Professor at NYU, is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns.
As an expert editor, Barbara McNichol is proud to help authors change the world with their well-crafted words. She specializes in editing books in business, self-help, how-to, health, memoir, relationships, and more. Over the past 24 years, she has placed more than 350 books (and counting) on her editor’s “trophy shelf.”
Looking for ways to improve your writing? Subscribe to her free monthly ezine Add Power to Your Pen and her comprehensive subscription program, Word Trippers Tips. See details at www.WordTrippers.com.
Barbara has called Tucson, Arizona, her home since 2001. She loves to dance Nia-style, play tennis and pickleball, and give her WordShops on better writing.
You can reach her at 520-615-7910 or editor@barbaramcnichol.com and connect on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
Marquina Iliev-Piselli is the Digital Marketing Director at RiffleBooks.com and an independent author-marketing consultant at AuthorpreneurLaunch.com She helps authors feel empowered, not overwhelmed, by marketing.
Since 2007, she has been an author-marketer who has helped indie authors, as well as the ‘Big 5’ book publishers, reach new readers, increase ebook sales and continue sustained platform growth. She is well versed in social media marketing, content marketing, organic search & ppc, book landing pages, email marketing, and growth hacking. She delivers high-quality, results-driven strategic processes and programs to help authors sell more books.
Tina Dietz is an award-winning and internationally acclaimed speaker, audiobook publisher, podcast producer, and content marketing expert who has been featured on media outlets including ABC, Inc.com, Huffington Post and Forbes. Tina’s podcast, The StartSomething Show, was named by INC magazine as one of the top 35 podcasts for entrepreneurs.
Tina has been building businesses for over 20 years and she is the owner of StartSomething Creative Business Solutions, a company committed to connecting experts, authors, and entrepreneurs with their ideal audiences through audio branding and marketing with a deep specialty in audiobook publishing, podcasting, and thought leadership.