2010 Literary Breakthrough Conference
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 Friday, May 21, 2010 - 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1700 Smith St., Houston, TX
In Conjunction with the National Black Book Festival

Top book industry experts share information and strategies on how to make your literary breakthrough and turn your existing or future book(s) into a bestseller!

Conference includes three powerful sessions, breakfast, lunch and a closing reception.   Literary Breakthrough Conference sessions are as follows:

●  Book Industry Agents:  Hear from influential book agents on how to locate and identify the best agent for you; submit your book proposal; and how much of a book advance a first-time or repeat author should expect.

●  Book Publishers:   Hear from editors at major publishing houses on what they are looking for in a book proposal; how they determine which author and which books to publish; and how they determine whether an author receives a 2-book deal or a 5-book deal.

Luncheon Keynote Speaker

Sha-Shana Crichton
President, Crichton & Associates

Sha-Shana N. L. Crichton is a publishing and entertainment attorney. She counsels artists, authors, musicians, photographers, and other creative entities regarding drafting, and negotiating contracts, copyrights, wills, small business management, permits and employment issues relating to intellectual property, such as work-for-hire and non-competition clauses. Sha-Shana frequently lectures on negotiating publishing contracts and author-editor-agent relationships. She is licensed to practice in New York, New Jersey and the District of Columbia and is a member of the Litigation and Arts, Entertainment and Sports sections of the DC Bar.

Signup for the breakthrough conference and make your payment here

Conference registration fee includes all sessions, breakfast, lunch and closing reception. 

XPress registration fee (before Aug. 31, 2009):  
$139.00/person

Standard conference registration fee (after Aug. 31, 2009):          $179.00/person

• Forms of payment:  Visa, M/C, Am, Disc, Paypal, Check or Money Order - Use registration form
• For automatic payments, a credit card must be used.  Payments will automatically be charged to the same credit card on date of registration, on Dec. 31, 2009 and on Apr. 15, 2010.  For registrations after Dec. 31^st, the first two payments must be made simultaneously.
• Participating authors at NBBF receive a $20.00 discount off conference registration.  Author must already be registered for NBBF to receive the discount and conference registration must be made by phone by calling toll-free number:  1-800-340-5454
• All fees are nonrefundable
• Payable to:  National Black Book Festival, 13533 Bammel N. Houston Rd., Houston, TX  77066
• Hotel accommodations available at Crowne Plaza Hotel.  Call (713) 739-8800, Ext. 44.  Ask for National Black Book Festival room block.
• For questions or to register by phone:  1-800-340-5454

Tickets may be purchased for the conference luncheon or reception separately here:

Literary Breakthrough Conference Luncheon Ticket ONLY
$40.00 Each

Literary Breakthrough Conference Reception Ticket ONLY

Signup for the breakthrough conference and make your payment here

Book Publishers Session

Malaika Adero, Vice President and Senior Editor of Atria Books (Simon & Schuster), is also founder of Up South, Inc., an organization that promotes and presents authors and artists. A writer as well, she has authored books, essays and poetry.
 

Joylynn Jossel-Ross has been Senior Editor for Urban Book's Christian fiction imprint since its 2006 inception.  She's hand picked several Essence Magazine bestselling and award winning titles.
 

Carol Mackey is Editor in Chief of Black Expressions Book Club, a club founded in 1999 to celebrate the voices and visions of African Americans.  Under Mackey's editorial leadership, Black Expressions was voted Best Book Club by the African American Literary Awards Show for 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2004.

Book Marketers/Promoters Session

Donna Hill began her career in 1987. Since that time she has more than fifty published titles to her credit. Three of her novels have been adapted for television. As an editor she has packaged several highly successful novels, two of which were nominated for awards.

Dante Lee is the 28-year old president and CEO of Diversity City Media, an African American marketing and public relations firm based in Columbus, Ohio.  Highly regarded in the industry, Diversity City Media produces several online properties including BlackNews.com, BlackStudents.com, BlackPR.com, BlackExperts.com, and BlackSpeakers.com.

Tyora Moody has assisted authors with establishing their "brand" online for over ten years through Tywebbin Creations, her marketing and design company. Her services include web and graphic design, online marketing seminars and virtual book tour events.

Pam Perry is the Chief Visionary of Ministry Marketing Solutions Inc. and the nation's premiere Christian literary PR Coach.  She has worked with clients such as TD Jakes, Bill Winston, Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook. She is an online media strategist working on movies like "The Secret Life of Bees" for Fox SearchLight films. Hear her famous "Chocolate Pages" at www.blogtalkradio.com/chocolatepages.

Book Agents Session

Audra Barrett established Barrett Books, a Maryland-based literary agency, in 1990 to support a growing population of African American writers.  Today, that mission has expanded and she represents an array of authors whose fiction and nonfiction writing  reflects both contemporary and multicultural lifestyles.

Manie Barron, partner in The Menza Barron Agency in New York, has been in the world of books for two decades and has seen it from all sides.  He has been a manager for Doubleday Bookstores, a buyer for a national book distributor, a sales rep for Random House, the founder of the Striver's Row imprint at Random House, the Publishing Manager for Amistad Press/HarperCollins, and the first and only black literary agent in the history of the William Morris Agency.

Regina Brooks is the founder and President of Serendipity Literary Agency LLC. Equally at home in the technical world of engineering as in the literary world of writing and editing, Ms. Brooks has over a decade of experience in senior positions at major publishing houses including John Wiley &  Sons Inc. and the McGraw-Hill Companies.

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