WNBA/NYC Past Programs

Beating the Odds:
Two Debut Authors Share "the Story Behind the Story" and How They Got Published

Stanley N. Alpert, THE BIRTHDAY PARTY (called “a hot new book in the New York Times), and his editor Neil Nyren will the road to publication for Mr. Alpert’s memoir of the weekend he was held hostage in Brooklyn.

Lizabeth Zindel, and her publicist Susannah Greenburg will discuss the publication, and promotion for Lizabeths’ young adult novel GIRL OF THE MOMENT (Viking).

Panelists are:

Stanley N. Alpert has worked as an environmental trial lawyer but now he has a very unusual tale to tell. In The Birthday Party: A Memoir of Survival, published by Putnam January 18, Stan relates how as a federal prosecutor in 1998, he was kidnapped off the street by a gang of robbers (unrelated to his job) and held at gunpoint in an apartment in Brooklyn for 25 hours. He survived, and, though blindfolded, he gathered sufficient clues for the FBI and NYPD to round up the bad guys a mere 48 hours later. The book is terrifying and also hysterical; Joseph Wambaugh calls it "too wild to be fiction."

Lizabeth Zindel, an exciting new voice in young adult fiction, daughter of noted young adult author and Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Paul Zindel. Zindel spent five years working in Hollywood at a major talent agency and Madonna's Maverick Entertainment. She now lives in New York City.

Susannah Greenburg, Book Buzz Publicity, a literary public relations company whose clients include Spencer Johnson, Alan Dershowitz, Dr. Robert Atkins, Robert Coles, Stuart Hample, Joan Wester Anderson, Steve Carter & Julia Sokol, Michael Berg, and Charles Panati.

Neil S. Nyren,senior vice president, publisher and editor in chief of G.P. Putnam’s Sons. His authors include Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler, Patricia Cornwell, Jack Higgins, W.E.B. Griffin, John Sandford, Dave Barry, Daniel Silva, Ken Follett, Frederick Forsyth, Randy Wayne White, and Carol O’Connell; nonfiction by Bob Schieffer, Maureen Dowd, John McEnroe, Linda Ellerbee, Jeff Greenfield, Charles Kuralt, Secretary of State James Baker III, Thomas P.M. Barnett, Sara Nelson, and Generals Fred Franks, Chuck Horner, Carl Stiner and Tony Zinni.

Special appearance –WNBA member Masha Hamilton, whose novel THE CAMEL BOOKMOBILE is an April Book Sense selection will present information on how to donate books to the actual camel bookmobile in Kenya.Moderator: Janet Reid, Imprint Agency

Where: The Small Press Center at the General Society of Mechanics and
Tradesmen Library
20 West 44th Street
New York, New York

The Role of Book Packaging:
Unwrapping the Mystique from Packaging to
Production

With big publishers unable to keep up with the demands for high-quality,
innovative books in an increasingly competitive and complex market,
packagers, also known as book producers, can step in to the rescue. But
can they make it easier, and for whom? What opportunities and services do
packagers offer publishers, editors, agents, and established and novice
authors? Learn the facts about book packaging, and how parties in all
areas of the publishing industry can benefit.

Panelists are:

Nancy Hall, president, Nancy Hall, Inc., specializing in adult nonfiction
and juvenile and educational material. Clients include; Barnes & Noble;
Little, Brown; and Scholastic

Judy Linden, vice president and executive editor of Stonesong Press;
Stonesong specializes in popular reference and general nonfiction, and
holds licenses to develop books with New York Public Library, National
Public Radio, and American Film Institute, among others. Clients include
St. Martin’s, Delacorte, and Broadway.

Mel Parker, president, Mel Parker, Inc. specializing in market-driven
books in business, health, psychology, spirituality, memoir/biography,
fiction, and pop culture. Clients include Simon & Schuster, Doubleday
Broadway, and Avalon.

Donna Sanzone, Executive Editor at Collins Reference/Harper Collins,
formerly with Grolier Academic Reference, Oryx Press/Greenwood, and
Macmillan--to be confirmed

Dan Tucker, president of the American Book Producers Association;
president of Sideshow Media, specializing in illustrated books in the
areas of visual and performing arts; literature; popular culture; the
culinary arts; and travel. Clients include Chronicle, Monacelli, and
Vintage.

Moderators
Sheila K. Lewis, educational consultant and writer
Valerie Tomaselli, president, MTM Publishing; president WNBA-NYC

Where: The Small Press Center at the General Society of Mechanics and
Tradesmen Library
20 West 44th Street
New York, New York

Entrepreneurial Publishing:
Electronic Books, Print-on-Demand, andFull-Scale Self Publishing

Do it yourself is no longer “second class” publishing or “where you go if you can’t get a REAL deal”. Entrepreneurial publishing now produces best sellers, and attracts big name authors. Libraries and wholesalers stock them. Best selling authors are now choosing alternatives to Big Publishing. This panel will explore what’s happening in POD, e-publishing, back-into-print, alternative payment models and a host of other “not business as usual” ideas.

Robin Sumner Asbury, manager of business development, Academic Publishing Services
BookSurge LLC, an Amazon.com company

Where: The Small Press Center at the General Society of Mechanics and
Tradesmen Library
20 West 44th Street
New York, New York

Independent presses need to be savvy and nimble in this big-publishing dominated industry. How do they do that?
Can they publish fresh, untried writers and/or risky material or do they stick with tried and true?
What motivates people to start publishing companies or work for indie presses when the risks are high?
What have independent presses learned that will be useful to other publishing professionals, and how can authors and agents work with independent publishers to build careers?
This panel will provide answers!

Panelists are:

Laura Hruska, publisher and editor in chief, Soho Press

Lyron Bennet, childrens book acquisitions editor, Sourcebooks

James Peltz, Interim Director, SUNY Press

Moderator: Lauri Berkenkamp, Marketing Director, Nomad Press

Where: The Small Press Center at the General Society of Mechanics and
Tradesmen Library
20 West 44th Street
New York, New York

CREATE YOUR OWN CULT
How to locate, recognize, cultivate and sell to the people who become devoted fans of an author or publisher

A discussion and Q&A with:

Simon Lipskar, literary agent
Lauren Cerand, publicist
Richard Nash, Publisher, Soft Skull Press
Jeralyn Gerba, editor, DailyCandy.com
Moderator: MJ Rose, author, blogger, AuthorBuzz.com

The Small Press Center at the General Society of Mechanics and
Tradesmen Library
20 West 44th Street
New York, New York

Please attend the WNBA-NYC's annual business meeting and vote for next season's panel topics. Choices include:

What's True, What's Not, and Who Cares Anyway? Redefinding Memoir
Independent Presses: Critical Opportunities in a Supersized Industry
The Mystique of New Voices: Deconstructing the Myth of the Debut Novel
Commerce or Art: Acquiring, Editing, and Promoting Literary Fiction
Packaging to Product: The Roles of Packagers vs. Agents vs. Publishers
Experts and Ghosts: Specializes Skills in the Publishing Marketplace
Grow Your Own Cult: Identifying, Developing, and Utilizing Authors' Super-Fans
Entreprenuerial Publishing: A World of Choice

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2006
6 — 8 p.m.

Time-Life Building
1271 Avenue of the Americas
(between 50th and 51st Streets)

Admission: Free for WNBA members. All members are encouraged to attend!
RSVP necessary by 5/7/06. Reply to recording secretary, Kate Lindsay:
katelindsay1177 at msn.com

General Information and media inquiries:
Janet Reid, 718-821-4996, wnba-events@earthlink.net

Membership:
Valerie Tomaselli, 212-242-6930, Vtomaselli@mtmpublishing.com

NOTE: THIS EVENT DOES NOT TAKE PLACE IN OUR USUAL VENUE, THE SMALL PRESS CENTER! IT'S AT THE TIME-LIFE BUIDLING. PANEL EVENTS: All panel events are held 6 to 8 p.m. at the Small Press Center and General Society, 20 West 44th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. (Take the 1, 2, 3, 9, N, R and 7 trains to Times Square, Forty-Second Street and Seventh Avenue, the B, D, F, and Q trains to Bryant Park, Forty-Second Street and Sixth Avenue, or the 4, 5, 6, 7 and Metro North Trains to Grand Central Station, Forty-Second Street and Madison Avenue.)

Writers are invited to bring their cover letters, synopses (1000 words or less please),
and first page of a novel or narrative.
Agents will review one item per session and offer insights into what gets an agent’s attention,
what works and what doesn’t.
Each session is ten minutes. Writers can meet with multiple agents.
No pitching required or expected: just seeking and getting advice.

This is a great opportunity to find out what’s wrong with the query you’ve been sending
or catch problems before you start sending it.

Confirmed Agents Include:

Loretta Barrett, Loretta Barrett Books
Jennifer Lyons, Lyons & Pande
Jenny Bent, Trident Media
Stepany Evans, Imprint Agency
Paige Wheeler, Folio Literary Management
Kate Epstein, Epstein Literary Agency
Byrd Leavell, Waxman Literary Agency
Al Longden, Rights Unlimited
Janet Rosen, Sheree Bykofsky Agency
Jessica Regal, Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency
Regina Brooks, Serendipity Literary Agency

Reservations are required by April 10, 2006.
E-mail your name and number of desired sessions to:
wnba-events @ earthlink.net

Least expensive: one ten minute session: $30
Better value: three ten minute sessions: $60
Best deal: ten ten minutes sessions: $125
10% discount for current members of WNBA.

For questions or further information, contact Janet Reid
jetreidliterary @ earthlink.net
(718) 821-4996

THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2006
6 — 8 p.m.

Small Press Center
General Society for Mechanics and Tradesmen
20 West 44th Street

Admission: Free for WNBA members. $10 for nonmembers; $5 for students w/ID and Small Press Center members.
No RSVP necessary.

General Information and media inquiries:
Janet Reid, 718-821-4996, wnba-events@earthlink.net

Membership:
Valerie Tomaselli, 212-242-6930, Vtomaselli@mtmpublishing.com

The library, a time-honored institution in American society, is facing a unique set of challenges. New pressures concerning freedom of speech and privacy rights, electronic publishing, and the changing nature of media—even literacy—augment ongoing economic issues to create a complex and sometimes confounding environment for librarians and the constituencies they serve. The panel—taking place in one of the oldest libraries in New York City—will explore those challenges and the strategies that libraries have developed to deal with them.

Special Remarks and Standing Tour
Janet Greene, Historian and Director of the Library,
General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen

A discussion and Q&A with:

Francine Fialkoff, Editor-in-Chief, Library Journal
Heike Kordish, Director of New York Public Library’s Humanities and Social Sciences Library,
and President of the Metropolitan New York Library Council
Patricia Renfro, Deputy University Librarian, Columbia University Libraries
Barbara Stripling, Director of Library Services, New York City Department of Education
Pat Tumulty, Executive Director, New Jersey Library Association

Ogranized by:
Valerie Tomaselli – MTM Publishing, President
Cynthia Yazbek – Kaplan, Associate Editor

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2006
6 — 8 p.m.

Small Press Center
General Society for Mechanics and Tradesmen
20 West 44th Street

Admission: Free for WNBA members. $10 for nonmembers; $5 for students w/ID and Small Press Center members.
No RSVP necessary.

General Information and media inquiries:
Janet Reid, 718-821-4996, wnba-events@earthlink.net

Membership:
Valerie Tomaselli, 212-242-6930, Vtomaselli@mtmpublishing.com

Today’s tween readers are too old for toys and too young for boys.
Publishers are keeping pace with these increasingly savvy pre-adolescents
with true-to-life stories and prose that keep pages turning.
Marketers and packagers are turning to hot product tie-ins to throw some grown-up sparkle onto these tantalizing reads.
And in the midst of this girly world, the boys aren’t getting left out.

A discussion and Q&A with:

Kristin Earhart , Senior Editor, Trade Paperbacks, Scholastic Inc.
Carol Fitzgerald, Co-Founder/President, The Book Report Network
Addie Swartz, Founder and President, B*tween Productions, Inc.

Ogranized by:
Lauren Causey, Contracts Assistant, Scholastic Inc.
Kate Stevenson, Independent Editor of Children’s Books

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16
6 — 8 p.m.

Small Press Center
General Society for Mechanics and Tradesmen
20 West 44th Street

Admission: Free for WNBA members. $10 for nonmembers; $5 for students w/ID and Small Press Center members. No RSVP necessary.

General Information and media inquiries:
Janet Reid, 718-821-4996, wnba-events@earthlink.net

Membership:
Valerie Tomaselli, 212-242-6930, Vtomaselli@mtmpublishing.com

Christian Faith-Based Bestsellers — New Genres or Old Standards Resurrected?

Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins’ Left Behind Series (Tyndale House Publishers)
was based on the Bible’s Book of Revelation;
Rick Warren’s The Purpose-Driven Life (Zondervan) was written for Inspiration.
The dramatic sales of these and other faith-based books have caused a Sensation.

How has the recent trend of the “multi-million copy faith-based best-seller” affected the marketplace? What are some of the factors involved? What affect have these books had on other traditional-religion and general-trade publishers — and how have these books impacted sales and marketing strategies for both?

A discussion and Q&A with:

Vicki Cessna, Sr. Director of Corporate Communications and Public Relations, Zondervan
Andrea Doring, Editor, "Crossings" —Bookspan's Christian Book Club
Elizabeth Gold, Sr. Editor, "Guideposts
Georgina Hill, Owner, Timeless Treasures, Christian Gifts and Books, and Christian Publications Bookstore NYC (West 43rd St.)

Ogranized by:
Gail Marshall, Gail Marshall Consulting Corp.
Carol Wiener, Publications Manager, PaceWildenstein

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18
6 — 8 p.m.

Small Press Center
General Society for Mechanics and Tradesmen
20 West 44th Street

Admission: Free for WNBA members. $10 for nonmembers; $5 for students w/ID and Small Press Center members. No RSVP necessary.

General Information and media inquiries:
Janet Reid, 718-821-4996, wnba-events@earthlink.net

Membership:
Valerie Tomaselli, 212-242-6930, Vtomaselli@mtmpublishing.com

Book Reviewers and Their Reviews — What Impact on the Marketplace?

Who Writes Book Reviews, Who Reads Book Reviews, What Book Reviews Matter

Confirmed panelists include:
Louisa Ermelino, Reviews Director, Publishers Weekly
Carole Goldberg, Book Review Editor, Hartford Courant
Ron Hogan, Editor, Beatrice.com
Rebecca Miller, President, National Book Critics Circle and Executive Editor, Library Journal
Michael Selleck, SVP, Executive Director of Marketing, Simon & Schuster Adult Trade Group

Panel moderators:
Kate Lindsay, Senior Editorial Assistant, John Wiley & Sons
Cynthia Yazbek, Associate Editor, Kaplan

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10
6 – 8 p.m.

Small Press Center
General Society for Mechanics and Tradesmen
20 West 44th Street

Admission: Free for WNBA members. $10 for nonmembers; $5 for students w/ID and Small Press Center members. No RSVP necessary.

General Information and media inquiries:
Janet Reid, 718-821-4996, wnba-events@earthlink.net

Membership:
Valerie Tomaselli, 212-242-6930, Vtomaselli@mtmpublishing.com

Dangerous Books
When Wal-Mart won’t stock it, and The New York Times won’t touch it,
how do editors, authors and publicists deal with avant-garde, cutting-edge and
politically-unpopular books?

A discussion and Q & A with:
Hanne Blank, Author, Virgin: The Untouched History (Bloomsbury, 2006) and
Unruly Appetites (Seal Press, 2003)
Kim Dower, Kim-from-L.A., Literary & Media Services and Coauthor,
Life Is a Series of Presentations (Fireside, 2005)
Barbara Nitke, President, Camera Club of New York and Author, Kiss of Fire (Kehrer, 2003); Lead Plaintiff, Nitke vs. Gonzalez
Jeremie Ruby-Strauss, Senior Editor, Kensington Books
Amy Scholder, General Manager, Verso Press

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11
6 – 8 p.m.

Small Press Center
General Society for Mechanics and Tradesmen
20 West 44th Street

Admission: Free for WNBA members. $10 for nonmembers; $5 for students w/ID and Small Press Center members. No RSVP necessary.

General Information and media inquiries:
Janet Reid, 718-821-4996, wnba-events@earthlink.net

Membership:
Valerie Tomaselli, 212-242-6930, Vtomaselli@mtmpublishing.com