Category: Writers Seminar

Seminar
Saturday, June 19, 2010

In this seminar, multiple Award-Winning author and Book Midwife, Gemini Adams,explores vanity, self, traditional and hybrid publishing with a detailed analysis of the pro’s and con’s, together with up-front costs, back-end returns, rights issues, royalites and what materials you actually need according to the path you choose. This information will save you hours of your life that can be wasted writing book proposals, pursuing publishers who have no interest in your work, and can save you thousands that you might otherwise waste creating and self-publishing a product that won’t sell anywhere!

Presented by: GEMINI ADAMS

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Seminar
Saturday, May 15, 2010

ANN CONVERY is an international speaker, seminar leader, trainer and author who has worked with top professionals in politics, medicine, law, business, health and beauty. For 18 years she has prepared clients for CNN, 60 Minutes, The New York Times, Time magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Vogue, People, Self, and other media outlets. She has also guest lectured at UCLA Extension and The USC Marshall School of Business. In addition, Convery has been interviewed in The Los Angeles Times, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Woman’s Day, First for Women, Entrepreneur, and Presentations Magazine.

Convery will talk about her system called Speak Your Business in 30 Seconds or Less™ which explains that the self-centered Primitive (or Old) Brain responds to stark contrast, likes street language, stops listening to the middle of your message, is attracted to word-pictures, and is only reached through emotion

Presented by: Ann Convery

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Seminar
Saturday, April 17, 2010

Before you spend years researching, writing, rewriting and polishing that great
nonfiction tome that no one else could possibly assemble, STOP! Why invest time and
effort in a book that may not be what publishers believe is marketable? Or worse, after
three years and three hundred pages, your book turns out to be very similar to another
already set for publishing. Would it not be more time- and cost-effective to first distill
your concept and structure into its essence, then write a proposal outlining your format
and information? And before you send that detailed proposal to agents or editors,
would it not be even more prudent to focus your ideas further by writing a single-page
query letter? The answer to both questions is yes. Proposals and query letters are
standard publishing industry procedures.

Presented by: Marvin J. Wolf

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Seminar
Saturday, February 20, 2010

Back by popular demand is “Grammar for Grownups: A Painless Grammar and Punctuation Review for Writers,” offered by Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC). Presenter is Flo Selfman, public relations consultant, proofreader/copyeditor and sixth-year IWOSC president.

Has the lazy language of email and texting made your professional communications sloppy? Do you agonize every time you prepare an article or a query letter because you’re afraid it contains grammar and punctuation errors? Are your skills a little rusty?

Seminar participants will gain grammar confidence in a review of few simple rules that can correct dozens of the most commonly made errors in written and spoken communication. Topics to be covered include…

Presented by:

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Seminar
Saturday, January 16, 2010

Blogging and website creation can go hand-in-hand, one complementing the other, but the journey begins with a single step.

In this seminar, you’ll discover how to:

Presented by:

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Seminar
Saturday, November 21, 2009

“Don’t trust anyone,” goes the longtime maxim of Hollywood and New York publishing. Yet today, writers have to trust their material and ideas to dozens of people — agents, acquisitions editors, and development professionals. And over the past decade, scam literary agents and agencies and disreputable “editing services” have cost writers tens of thousands of dollars. “Idea theft” lawsuits have become more common than ever, in today’s online, new-media age. And how can writers who choose to go the self-publishing route best protect their books — and their pocketbooks? How can a writer tell “the wheat from the chaff?” How can we be sure that we won’t get ripped off?

Presented by: CHRISTINE VALADA and MICHAEL S. KLEIN

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Seminar
Saturday, Sept 12, 2009

There is no shortage of screenplays in Los Angeles. But what does it take to get your project noticed? A High Concept film is a great way to spark the attention of important people.

You’ll learn:

Presented by: STEVE KAIRE

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Seminar
Saturday, June 20, 2009

Self-publishing is finally getting some respect, especially in this age of hard times for mainstream publishers. There are many good reasons to consider self-publishing, whether as a traditional book, an electronic book, an audio book, a print-on-demand book, a large-print book, or all of the above. Self-publishing cuts much of the wait time, places you in charge of a greater percentage of profits, allows “free” books if you speak for a group, and gives you greater flexibility for other sales generated by the book.

Presented by: REG GREEN and CLIFF CARLE

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Seminar
Saturday, May 16, 2009

Laughter is the best medicine, they say. Many IWOSCans say laughter is also lucrative. Humorous writing is not one-line jokes — it is setting up the humorous premise and giving your audience/reader the humorous payoff.

Mark Miller will show you how to craft humor for general and specific audiences. He will highlight humor’s various forms and how to craft humorous writing. He will walk us through what works, what doesn’t, and why. He will discuss the markets, resources and New Media possibilities for humorous writing.

Presented by: Mark Miller

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Seminar
Saturday, March 21, 2009

Newsletters: The Good, the Bad, and the Creative

Want to produce a newsworthy newsletter?

Whether you want to create your own newsletter to promote your business, or write newsletters for clients and employers, learn how to assemble a newsletter that readers look forward to reading. Seminar leaders Debra Eckerling and Tammy Takahashi will address layout, clarity, graphics, misspellings, typos, syntax issues, and the software to make your job easier and product better. Also learn ways to contact companies that provide newsletters and help make their product more profitable.

Presented by: DEBRA ECKERLING and TAMMY TAKAHASHI

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Seminar
Saturday, February 21, 2009

February is the shortest month of the year, so IWOSC is dedicating it to short stories!

Name your favorite short story.
Is it “The Gift of the Magi,” in which the wife cuts and sells her long hair to buy her husband a watch fob, while, unbeknownst to her, he sells the watch to buy her a beautiful comb for her hair? How did O. Henry create a short story of such lasting beauty? How did Edgar Allen Poe, Washington Irving, Saki, Kipling, Mark Twain, Bret Harte and many others create stories that we still read today?
More to the point, how can today’s aspiring O. Henrys write stories that editors will want to buy? And where do we find these editors, magazines, and anthologies?

Presented by:

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Seminar
Saturday, January 17, 2009

Does the thought of a microphone in your face turn your knees to jelly? Hate interviewing someone else to research your play or other project? How do you prepare? How do you handle handlers? How do you get close-mouthed people to open up? What is off the record? Never fear. “Interviewing 101” is on tap.

Whether you’ve interviewed dozens of people or working up to your first one, whether you interview people for print or electronic media, this experienced interviewer’s experience will benefit you. Join KPCC’s Special Correspondent and noted playwright Kitty Felde to learn the secrets of a successful interview.

Presented by: Kitty Felde

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Seminar
Saturday, November 15, 2008

Michele Wallerstein, the Writer’s Consultant, and former literary agent, will guide you through the ways to move your projects into the world of motion picture studios, agents, publishers, and the television markets. Learn the secrets of successful networking and follow-up, as well as who to contact and how to do it.

Presented by: Michele Wallerstein

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Seminar

Whether you need a book-jacket blurb or a resume opening, these few words make the reader want more. Your capsule bio can be a sleek torpedo or bloated blimp. The best writers don’t always know which they’ve launched, as Alice Romano discovered when compiling IWOSC’s own directory. Follow the journalism creed of brevity and clarity to create your tasty intro.

Alice Romano, IWOSC past President and Intensive Writing Workshop facilitator, leads this seminar on how to create a succinct biography that is a quick read and plays to your strengths.

Presented by: Alice Romano

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Seminar

Our speaker explains the dynamics behind creating a winning story pitch or query that will get the attention of editors around the country. Learn the fundamentals of a well-written story, one that will impress an editor every time. Tips and techniques are available for those writers who want to polish their skills.

Presented by: Karlin

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Seminar

The Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC) presents veteran publicist and consultant Flo Selfman – aided by many of her colleagues’ results-getting techniques – who will help you craft the best press release for your message, and provide pointers for getting your word out to the right places.

Presented by: Flo Selfman

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Seminar

How can you create a publicity buzz with your own books, blogs, and videos? Dr. Tina Tessina, Ph.D., aka Dr. Romance, tells how she did it and still does it! She’ll discuss her psychotherapy practice as a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and how she’s published 11 books in many languages to help couples find happiness.

Presented by: Dr. Tina Tessina, Ph.D., aka Dr. Romance

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Seminar
Saturday, May 17, 2008

To write for kids, you have to think like a kid. There are nuances and approaches that children’s authors use frequently. It is not just the words, but also the images that the words create, which draw children into reading a story.

Join two award-winning children’s book authors and illustrators Kathryn Hewitt and Deborah Nourse Lattimore as they present practical tips and guidance on how to turn your kernel of a book idea into one ready to sell to a children’s book publisher.

Presented by: Kathryn Hewitt and Deborah Nourse Lattimore

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Seminar
Saturday, April 12, 2008

Once the final few sentences of that great American novel have been penned or a non-fiction tale that no one else could scribe, it’s time to get your manuscript in front of an agent. Agents have the contacts to get your work seen and read by editors in publishing houses, looking for the newest acquisition. But where does one begin? Powerhouse author and screenwriter Marvin J. Wolf offers practical advice and savvy tips on how to turn your work into an attractive product ripe for picking by the book-publishing establishment.

Presented by: MARVIN J. WOLF

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Seminar
Saturday, March 15, 2008

What can you do to make your writing stand out in a crowded field? According to Lilli Cloud, communications trainer and owner of Blue Feet, you need to “write for differentiation.” In this seminar on business writing, Cloud will provide you with worthwhile tips and guidance on how to effectively differentiate a product, service or even yourself. The workshop will also include hands-on exercises

This workshop covers…

Presented by: LILLI CLOUD

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Seminar
Saturday, February 16, 2008

Whether you’re writing to impress an editor, agent or publisher, your finished product should reflect the highest standards of professionalism. Whether you’re turning out autobiographies, corporate newsletters, or other writing projects, every professional endeavor requires editing and proofreading. Our two accomplished experts, editor and publishing consultant Monica Faulkner, and IWOSC President, PR consultant and proofreader-copyeditor Flo Selfman demystify the editing process, as well as the nuts and bolts of proofreading and copyediting.

A sampling of questions to be addressed…

Presented by: Monica Faulkner and Flo Selfman

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Seminar
Saturday, January 19, 2008

Guest speakers Gerald Everett Jones and Helen Jupiter have each found a way to expound on the universe through blogs. If you’re a writer, blogging can be a powerful tool for promoting your ideas, expertise, book or platform both on purpose and accidentally in a “viral” form. With the right positioning, a blog can show up in Internet searches all over the world, compounding your media exposure exponentially. Let our experts explain why, where, when, and how to blog on a budget.

Presented by: Gerald Everett Jones and Helen Jupiter

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Seminar
Saturday, November 17, 2007

Powerhouse writing partners, Marvin J. Wolf and Larry Mintz, explain the subtle dynamics behind writing a successful screenplay. Several of their projects have aired on the small screen since their collaboration began in 2001. Between them, the men represent more than 70 years of professional writing.

Presented by: Marvin J. Wolf and Larry Mintz

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