Changing Hands Bookstore will hold its second Indie Author Publishing Conference & Pitchapalooza! at Burton Barr Library on Feb. 9, focusing on the publishing process to benefit both new and veteran authors.
“We get a lot of aspiring writers walking in our front door asking if they can get advice,” said Changing Hands co-owner Cindy Dach.
To accommodate the aspiring authors’ requests, Changing Hands originally organized a Meet the Buyer event, where an author could pay $25 for a 15-minute advice session with a publisher. Advice ranged from designing the book cover to marketing the work.
The Indie Author Publishing Conference will cover these topics as well as different publishing outlets. This year’s conference emphasizes self-publishing.
“This conference is very innovative. It’s a new kind of approach,” said Laurie Notaro, a New York Times best-selling author and former columnist for the Arizona Republic.
Notaro is one of 18 presenters speaking at the conference. The lineup includes individuals with different experiences in the publishing world.
Dach, who is also presenting, said last year’s speakers were nearly all local. More presenters are traveling from across the U.S. this year.
Speakers will be arranged in panels across eight sessions throughout the day. The presenters will discuss subjects ranging from the business side of publishing to going digital.
Pitchapalooza, a series of rapid-fire elevator pitches, will close the conference. Writers drawn at random from a hat have one minute to sell their idea to a panel of judges. At the end a winner is chosen and introduced to an agent.
“I certainly see it as an opportunity to make a presentation that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford,” said Rita Marko, Phoenix Public Library manager for community relations.
Marko said the library agreed to host the event as long as there was something free the general public could benefit from.
“It’s a win-win situation. They get the facility, we get the opportunity,” Marko said.
Notaro said the opportunity is helpful in two ways — she gets advice on publishing and learns from the other presenters.
“The waters you navigate are choppy,” Notaro said. “So if I can help anyone through the rapids, I’m more than happy.”
The conference begins at 8:30 a.m. with a registration and check-in and ends at 4:45 p.m. Pitchapalooza starts at 5:00 p.m. Registration is $135.
Contact the reporter at tchawtho@asu.edu
