CNN - John DeDakis in Saratoga Springs March 26th Workshop

WRITERS’ WORKSHOP
For Aspiring &/or Struggling Writers

Your Leader: John DeDakis
CNN Senior Copy Editor
“The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer”
Author, “Fast Track,” “Bluff” (Mystery-Suspense)

9am to 4:15pm, Saturday, March 26, 2011
Caffe Lena
47 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

9-10am: "From Journalist to Novelist (Or How I Learned to Start Making it Up)."
Think you're too busy to write a novel? Veteran CNN editor John DeDakis traces the arc of his 40-year career -- from getting tear gassed covering an anti-Vietnam War riot on the University of Wisconsin campus in 1970 to his current job as a Senior Copy Editor on CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer" in Washington, D.C. and how it all led to a parallel career as a published novelist, manuscript editor, and speaker.

10:15am-11:15am: How to Write a Novel
A practical 15-point plan that takes you from the mere germ of an idea all the way through the creative process, with an eye on getting a finished book into the hands of potential fans. We'll discuss how to transform the nub of an idea into a book-length project, populated with interesting characters, a twisty-turny plot, snappy dialogue, and an interesting setting. We'll also look at strategies for finding an agent and marketing the finished product.

1-3pm: Buffing and Polishing
You've finally finished your manuscript and now you're ready to tell Oprah all about it. Not so fast. The best writing is REwriting. In this writing lab, you'll learn practical ways to put your writing on a flab-burning diet so that your copy is tight, trim and hot -- and all without even having to step onto a treadmill. A big chunk of this is a writing lab, so be sure to bring a pen and paper.

3:15-4:15pm: Getting an Agent...and Getting Noticed
Writing's the easy part. The hard part is stepping out of your solitary comfort zone and trying to convince someone else that they should read your book. In this session you'll learn how to attract an agent and how to market yourself using strategies that are tailored to your personality.

$85 for all day (includes complimentary copy of “Fast Track”)
or:
$25 for each session
payment also available through Caffe Lena online – check the web site
Make checks payable to Nancy Denofio, 6 Ridge Ct., Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
518-581-7341

Please see Caffe Lena information posted on their web site.
Thanks, Nancy

PUBLISH YOUR BOOK for both Experienced and Aspiring Authors

DON ODOM Workshop Presenter and Publisher, DYSTENIUM LLC - Publishing for The Third Millennium, New York, N.Y.

Don Odom has been a publisher of quality books and periodicals for more than 25 years. Before founding DYSTENIUM LLC in 2010, he was Executive Editor at Oxford University Press USA

WORKSHOP

Planning your publishing project to ensure success -

* Ten key questions you should ask yourself
* The project checklist you must have
* Measures of success

Changing role of authors and publishers in the Digital age -

* Authors as publishers
* Publishers as content brokers
* Implications for your book or writing project

Marketing your book - low cost, high impact strategies -

* Innocative Internet driven marketing approaches
* Web 2.0 interactivity
* The role, structure and applicability of "Social Networking
* E-main best practices

Caveat scriptor - beware!

* Should I self publish?
* Three questions you should ask yourself
* How to spot a vanity or pay to publish press publishing scam a mile away

Innovative, new technologies in publishing -

* Offset or digital printing?
* print then distribute or distribute then print?
* the rise of the digital book reader
* implications for your book or writing project

Finding a publisher -

* Strategies
* Expectations
* What really happens when your query letter or book proposal is reviewed by an editiorial committee?

WORKSHOP TO BE HELD - WHERE? Saratoga Springs NY, Caffe Lena
WHEN? December 11th, 2010
TIME? 11 am - 2 pm

Caffe Lena can be found on the net at CaffeLena.com
Any questions about this workshop can be directed to Carol Graser of Caffe Lena or myself at words444@nycap.rr.com