Do It Yourself: Get Your eBook Published

With Amazon taking the publishing world by storm, the times are a changing. For the courageous writer, this means that you can take your literary masterpiece from desk to Kindle sans middle man. Welcome to the exciting world of ePublishing! Novelist Melissa Clark will be your tour guide. In this one day class, she’ll tell you everything you need to know to publish your own eBook, from navigating the ePublishing process, exploring design logistics and formatting, as well making informed creative, legal, and marketing decisions. Melissa will even provide you with an eBook kit to take home. By the end of the class, you’ll have a plan for your own eBook and the resources to publish it. Before you know it, you’ll be running your own literary empire from your Macbook Pro!

	Instructor: Melissa Clark Friday, June 22, 2012 7:30-10:00 p.m. Cost: $75 (Includes snacks and tea) Location: Writing Pad East

About Melissa Clark:

 Melissa Clark is the author of the eBook "Imperfect" and “Swimming Upstream, Slowly” (Random House/Broadway Books). “Swimming Upstream, Slowly” was named a Target Breakout Book.  Her short stories have been published in literary journals such as the Santa Clara review and New Orleans Review. She also created and executive produced the animated television show, “Braceface,” starring the voice of Alicia Silverstone, which ran for five seasons on ABC Family Channel. Melissa has contributed scripts to “Rolie Polie Olie,” “Totally Spies” and “Sweet Valley High”, and has developed television projects for Disney Studios, Scholastic Productions and Cartoon Network. Melissa has taught creative writing and literature at Otis College of Art and Design and at the Esalen Institute for five years.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Emerson College and a Masters Degree from UC Davis in English and Writing.

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TO BE REPEATED IN 2012:

HOW TO HOOK AN AGENT

You have a brilliant new novel or memoir that you want to put out there (or an idea for one), but you're not sure how to land an agent and get it published. Have no fear, Elise Capron, literary agent extraordinaire, is here! Through an informative craft talk and fun in-class exercises, she'll give you the inside scoop on how to present your book in the best possible light and how to craft a sample chapter that will sell. Elise will teach you what you need to know so you don’t make the rookie mistakes, and she’ll show you how to make your work stand out. You’ll even get a one-on-one consultation with her in the afternoon and get feedback on an advance submission of your work! By the end of this class, you'll walk away with a plan that's certain to get your foot in the door.

	Instructor: Elise Capron Sat., Jan. 21, 2012 11:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. (Class & lunch till 2:30 p.m., one-on-one's 2:30 - 5:30 p.m.) Cost: $200 (Includes snacks, gourmet lunch and tea)

About Elise Capron:
Elise Capron is an agent at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency--proclaimed by the LA Times and Newsweek as “the most powerful literary” agency in the West. They represent bestselling fiction and non-fiction authors, such as Amy Tan, Lisa See, and Maxine Hong Kingston, and many more.  Some of Elise's recent and soon-to-be-published books include Tiphanie Yanique's How to Escape from a Leper Colony (Graywolf), The Land of Love and Drowning (Riverhead), Rikki Ducornet's Netsuke (Coffee House), Jonathan Keats' Virtual Words (Oxford) and The Book Of The Unknown (Random House), Jack Shuler's Blood and Bone (University of South Carolina), and The Noose: A History (Public Affairs).  Elise is looking for unforgettable writing, a terrific narrative voice/tone, and memorable characters. She loves fiction with an unusual or eccentric edge. On the non-fiction front, Elise prefers fascinating true stories told in a compelling way.  A graduate of Emerson College, Elise holds a BFA in Writing, Literature and Publishing, and served on the editorial staff of the Emerson Review. She joined the Dijkstra Agency in 2003.

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GET YOUR BOOK PUBLISHED

Do you have a nonfiction book or novel inside of you that you’re dying to get published? Wondering what those picky agents and editors are looking for? Or maybe you just want to learn how to make your book stand out? In this class, you’ll get a good understanding of how the publishing marketplace works, how to craft a stellar sales pitch for your book, and how you can land an agent or a publishing deal. By the end of class, you will have created an irresistible query letter and a logline that is so compelling that the gatekeepers will be fighting over your project!

Instructor: Derek Taylor Kent Sun. April 29, 2012 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. Cost: $55 Includes snacks and tea

About Derek Taylor Kent:
Derek Taylor Kent founded the company All Author Services, which helps writers through the book-selling process and helps them get agents and publishers.  He has had great success with several clients, including his client, Cavanaugh Lee, who through his help, landed representation by WME and sold her book, "Save As Draft," to Simon and Shuster after a four publisher bidding war.  Derek has a three book deal with Harper Collins for a series of comedic children’s novels entitled "Scary School." The first novel was released June 2011 and the other two will be released in 2012 and 2013. His other children’s book series, Rudy and The Beast, was recently optioned by renowned producer Colin Callendar. Derek also wrote the feature comedy script Cupids which is currently under option at Liberty Films. He wrote a musical-comedy called "King Kalimari: The Musical," which had a sold-out run in 2007 and garnered rave reviews and the short musical film "Rock Obama: The Barack Obama Musical" which was a hit at film festivals and is featured in a documentary about the Barack Obama campaign. Derek also recently wrapped shooting a comedic web pilot for Comedy Central premiering in February 2010. Derek has taught writing and drama throughout Los Angeles. He holds a BA in Writing and Theater from UCLA School and is a graduate of the writing program at Second City.

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