Push to Publish 2020 Agenda

Welcome to Push to Publish 2020! We’re excited to be hosting this year’s conference virtually through Zoom. To mirror face-to-face conferences, we will be utilizing 5 Zoom Rooms. Each Zoom Room will have its own link. Going from one panel or workshop to another may require you to leave one meeting and move to another. This should be as simple as clicking one link, leaving a meeting, and then clicking on another link. If you have any technical issues, please email push2publish@gmail.com. 

Below you will find the links to each Zoom room and our updated conference schedule.

 

ZOOM ROOM 1:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86247115505?pwd=NDJDZWlDclpqL3pQRGtXMXpmVHVqUT09

ZOOM ROOM 2:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89003590855

ZOOM ROOM 3:

https://zoom.us/j/91636203919?pwd=WmhRWGdkNTVodjQ4Nm5MekdFUEZGZz09

ZOOM ROOM 4:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82472857583?pwd=d20wT1kxdmdDcGhWUGlZcU54RUU0Zz

ZOOM ROOM 5:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/72677253939?pwd=ZmtrOVlxLzNhOTBDNkRQc25XZU1MUT09

 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW SPEAKER BIOS

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CLICK HERE TO VIEW EDITOR BIOS

CLICK HERE TO VIEW RESOURCES & BOOKS

 

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

 

9:30 – 10:00 Welcome & Tech Check (ZOOM ROOM 1: CLICK HERE TO JOIN)

Room will open 30 minutes early to attendees.

 

10:00 – 10:45 Keynote Speaker: Karen Dionne (ZOOM ROOM 1: CLICK HERE TO JOIN)

Karen Dionne is the USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of The Marsh King’s Daughter, a psychological suspense novel set in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula wilderness published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons. Her psychological suspense novel, The Wicked Sister, was published on August 4, 2020. Karen has been active in the writing community for over twenty years. She co-founded the online writers community Backspace, and organized the Backspace Writers Conferences in New York and the Salt Cay Writers Retreat held on a private island in the Bahamas. She is a member of the International Thriller Writers, where she served on the board of directors as Vice President, Technology.

 

11:15 – 12:30 Speed Dating with Editors & Agents (ZOOM ROOMS 4 & 5)

Editors and agents will meet with attendees in individual breakout rooms for 10 minutes. Please note there is no separate link for breakout rooms. The monitor for Room 4 (Christine Weiser) or Room 5 (Carla Spataro) will place you with the appropriate editor/agent.

 

AGENTS (ZOOM ROOM 5: CLICK HERE TO JOIN)

EDITORS (ZOOM ROOM 4: CLICK HERE TO JOIN) 

11:15 – 12:15 Breakout Session I 

 

Panel: The Publishing Journey of a Debut Author (ZOOM ROOM 1: CLICK HERE TO JOIN)

Listen to these debut authors share their journeys to publishing their first novel. Learn how you can find an agent, land a book deal, and execute a successful book launch. 

Panelists: Sarah Rose Etter, Bill Elenbark, Madi Sinha, Moderator: Ayesha F. Hamid

 

Panel: Marketing & Promotion for Authors (ZOOM ROOM 2: CLICK HERE TO JOIN)

This panel of book publicists and marketing experts will offer tips on building your author platform, growing your network, and ways you can promote and sell your book—whether it’s your novel, memoir, or poetry collection. 

Panelists: Marissa Eigenbrood (VP, Smith Publicity), Jackie Karneth (Publicist, Books Forward), Bryan Buttler (President, Buttler Media Relations), Moderator: Feliza Casano (Marketing & Publicity Director, Lanternfish Press)

 

Workshop: Story Sleuth: How to Use Journalistic Skills to Write Your Memoir or Novel (ZOOM ROOM 3: CLICK HERE TO JOIN)

In this workshop, freelance journalist Katie Gilbert and creative writing instructor Susette Brooks will explain how writers can use research and interview skills to tell more nuanced fiction and nonfiction stories. They will also offer a behind-the-scenes look at how they’ve used these skills to tell their own stories. 

Presenters: Susette Brooks, Katie Gilbert

 

12:30 – 1:00 Lunch & Networking: Meet the Editors of Philadelphia Stories

 

FICTION (ZOOM ROOM 1: CLICK HERE TO JOIN)

Q&A with Fiction Editor Trish Rodriguez.

 

NONFICTION (ZOOM ROOM 2: CLICK HERE TO JOIN)

Q&A with Nonfiction Editor Adriana Lecuona.

 

POETRY (ZOOM ROOM 3: CLICK HERE TO JOIN)

Q&A with Poetry Editor Courtney Bambrick.

 

1:15-2:15 Breakout Session II 

 

Panel: Querying Your Book Without an Agent (ZOOM ROOM 1: CLICK HERE TO JOIN)

Agents are often seen as the gateway to getting published but there are a number of authors who’ve successfully published their books without an agent. This panel will offer tips on how to submit to publishers when you don’t have an agent’s connections. 

Panelists: Lawrence Knorr (Sunbury Press), Tara Tomczyk (Blydyn Square Books), Christine Neulieb (Lanternfish Press), Rebecca Gyllenhaal (Quirk Books), Moderator: Nathan Long

 

Panel: Submitting to Magazines & Journals: Essayists & Short Story Writers (ZOOM ROOM 2: CLICK HERE TO JOIN) 

This panel of editors will share their advice on how you can submit your work to literary magazines and journals to better your chances of getting published. They can answer any questions you have regarding reading fees, themed issues, writing contests, and more. 

Panelists: Trish Rodriguez (Philadelphia Stories), Donna Talarico (Hippocampus Magazine), Frances Metzman (Schuylkill Valley Journal), Nikki Caffier Smith (Cleaver Magazine), Moderator: Mitchell Sommers

 

Workshop: Poetry Workshop on Duende (ZOOM ROOM 3: CLICK HERE TO JOIN)

 In 1933 in Buenos Aires, the electrifying Spanish poet Federico García Lorca presented his famous lecture, “Play and Theory of the Duende.” The Duende, Lorca said, is a goblin—as distinct from an angel or a muse—which inhabits great art. But what is this goblin, and what business does it have with our poems? Lorca left us a few cryptic hints. To begin with, “The Duende … will not approach at all if he does not see the possibility of death, if he is not convinced he will circle death’s house …” Also, “intellect is oftentimes the foe of poetry because it imitates too much, it elevates the poet to a throne of acute angles and makes him forget that in time the ants can devour him, too …” This session will include enthusiastic discussion, and playful writing exercises. 

Presenter: John Wall Barger

 

1:30 – 2:30 Speed Dating with Agents (ZOOM ROOM 5: CLICK HERE TO JOIN)

Agents will meet with attendees in individual breakout rooms for 10 minutes. Please note there is no separate link for breakout rooms. The monitor for the room (Carla Spataro) will place you with the appropriate agent.

 

AGENTS

2:30-3:30 Breakout Session III 

 

Workshop: Demystifying Queries: A Guide to Writing Query Letters and First Few Pages  (ZOOM ROOM 1: CLICK HERE TO JOIN)

What makes a query letter stand out from the slush pile? And how can you ensure that your opening pages draw a literary agent’s attention? This workshop will cover the basics of writing a succinct query letter and effective sample pages. Examples will draw on literary/upmarket fiction and memoir, and the workshop is intended primarily for those writing novels or narrative nonfiction for the adult market, but the guidelines will be applicable across genres. Additional topics include how to structure your query letter, common pitfalls to avoid, and what to expect from the query process. 

Presenter: Jade Wong-Baxter (Agent, Massie & McQuilkin Literary Agency)

 

Panel: Promoting Diverse Communities of Writers (ZOOM ROOM 2: CLICK HERE TO JOIN) 

This panel will discuss the importance of diverse authors and books in publishing. Learn how you can help promote diversity and find a community of diverse writers. 

Panelists: Erin Entrada Kelly (2018 Newbery Medal Winner), I.W. Gregorio (We Need Diverse Books), Jeannine Cook (Owner, Harriet’s Bookshop), Moderator: Yalonda Rice

 

Panel: Writing for Children & YA (ZOOM ROOM 3: CLICK HERE TO JOIN)

This panel of published authors will discuss the unique Children’s and Young Adult markets and offer tips for writing for a younger audience and submitting to agents and publishers seeking work. 

Panelists: Victoria Strauss (YA Author), Margo Rabb (YA Author), Rajani LaRocca (Children’s Author), Jack Cheng (Children’s Author), Moderator: Maddy LeMaire

 

3:45-5 Breakout Session IV: Meet the Agents (ZOOM ROOM 1: CLICK HERE TO JOIN)

Agents will share their tips for finding the right agent and selling your work. This interactive panel will include plenty of time for Q&A so you can get an insider’s perspective on the publishing market today. 

Panelists: Jemiscoe Chambers-Black (ABLA), Priya Doraswamy (Lotus Lane Literary), Gina Panettieri (Talcott Notch Literary), Joyce Sweeney (The Seymour Agency), Moderator: Carla Spataro

 

4:00-5:00 Breakout Session V: Publishing Opportunities for Poets (ZOOM ROOM 3: CLICK HERE TO JOIN)

This session is geared to poets and will focus on the niche poetry market. Join this panel to learn how you can find publishing opportunities for your work and maximize your chances of getting published. 

Panelists: Henry Israeli (Saturnalia Books), Gabriel Cleveland (CavanKerry Press), T. Nicole Cirone (Night Heron Barks), Kelly Andrews (Pretty Owl Poetry), Moderator: Courtney Bambrick

 

5-6: Happy Hour & Reading: BYO (ZOOM ROOM 1: CLICK HERE TO JOIN)

Join us for a reading by our McGlinn Fiction Contest winners, followed by networking.