Conference Presenters

Chuck Sambuchino, Writer's Digest Books

Chuck Sambuchino

Chuck Sambuchino is the editor of Guide to Literary Agents and the assistant editor of Writer's Market (both Writer's Digest Books). Chuck is a former staffer of several newspapers and magazines - most notably Writer's Digest. In addition, he was recently named the founding editor of Screenwriter's and Playwright's Market, a directory and instructional resource for those who write scripts and plays (December 2008 release).

Chuck is a playwright, with both original and commissioned works having been produced. He is also a freelance editor, public speaker, and award-winning journalist - with accolades from both the Kentucky Press Association and the Cincinnati Society of Professional Journalists. He teaches online instructional courses through Writers Online Workshops.

Chuck is also a magazine freelancer, with recent articles appearing in Watercolor Magic, Pennsylvania Magazine, The Pastel Journal, Cincinnati Magazine, and New Mexico Magazine. Learn more about him and his upcoming speaking engagements. Sign up for his new free newsletter and read his blog.

Tamara Dever

Tamara Dever

After freelancing for ten years, Tamara Dever founded TLC Graphics as a book design firm in 1997. Fueled by her passion to provide unparalleled quality and outstanding customer service to small publishers, the business has grown from design studio to complete author services firm and has won numerous awards regionally and nationally along the way. "Together with our clients, we have a great time transforming manuscripts into beautiful, marketable, and saleable books."

Visit TLC Graphics.

Diane Fanning

Diane Fanning

Diane's website is www.dianefanning.com.

Jerry Gross

Jerry Gross

Jerry Gross has been critiquing and line editing fiction and nonfiction for well over 40 years. Among the posts he has held: VP and Editorial Director of Warner Books, VP and Associate Editor in Chief of New American Library and Senior Editor of Dodd, Mead and Co. Since 1987, as president of Gerald Gross Associates LLC in Croton-on-Hudson, NY, he has been a freelance editor and book doctor working with agented and unagented authors, editors, agents, and publishing executives. A member of PEN, NWU, and The Authors Guild, and the founder of the IEG (Independent Editors Group), Jerry is the editor of Editors on Editing: What Writers Need to Know About What Editors Do, the standard work on trade book editing, used widely at writers' conferences and in publishing and writing courses. The third, completely revised edition of Editors on Editing, published by Grove/Atlantic Monthly Press in 1993, was selected as a featured alternate of The Book-of-the Month Club and The Quality Paperback Book Club and was recommended by Writer's Digest Magazine.

When not editing and critiquing, Jerry creates and presents workshops and panels on writing and editing at writers' conferences and universities.

Jerry Gross's website is www.bookdocs.com.

Joan Upton Hall

Joan Upton Hall

Former English teacher, Joan Upton Hall is now a freelance author and editor, writing instructor, and speaker. Her manual, Rx for Your Writing Ills and "Demystifying Writers' Demons" column, carried by various writer newsletters, have helped countless writers. A columnist for her local newspaper, Joan also contributes advice columns to various writer publications. She has also published numerous short stories and articles in magazines as diverse as Texas Highways, American Jails, and ByLine writers' magazine. Think that's a split personality? Her books run from historical nonfiction to urban fantasy and the paranormal. She offers sample chapters and other items at www.joanuptonhall.com/books.htm.

Milton Kahn

Milton Kahn

Milton Kahn Associates, headed by Milton Kahn, is a Santa Barbara, CA-based boutique public relations company specializing in orchestrating one-on-one campaigns representing authors and publishers. Among the clients that Milton has represented is Stanley Alpert, author of the G.P. Putnam's book, The Birthday Party: A Memoir of Survival, which will be produced by Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner for United Artists. Other authors include New York Times best-selling mystery writers, J.A. Jance, Margaret Coel, as well as the New York Times children's book bestseller, Stephen Huneck's Sally Goes to the Beach.

Other prestigious campaigns that Milton has orchestrated include the 2006 World Almanac Book of World Records along with highly successful campaigns for unknown authors numbering Robert Shoop, Down for the Wire: The Lives of Triple Crown Champions, and former FBI agent Mark Bouton, Cracks in the Rainbow.

Prior to turning his public relations focus into the world of publishing, Milton represented motion picture and television stars including Gregory Peck, Glenn Ford, Chuck Norris, Lee Grant and Michael Landon as well as filmmakers such as Roger Corman and Robert Aldrich. Milton also publicized the box office sensation, Fried Green Tomatoes, along with Oscar-winning films such as Fellini's Amarcord & Akira Kurosawa's Dersu Uzala.

Milton is a graduate of Ohio University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism after transferring from Syracuse University.

Milton Kahn's website is www.miltonkahnpr.com.

Karen MacInerney

Karen MacInerney

Karen MacInerney hooked her agent-and a two-book contract-at the 2004 Agents' Conference. Karen is the author of the Agatha-nominated Gray Whale Inn mystery series; she is also the creator of Tales of an Urban Werewolf, a new paranormal trilogy from Ballantine featuring reluctant werewolf Sophie Garou. When she's not working on her next novel, Karen often teaches workshops on writing and publishing

For more about Karen, visit www.karenmacinerney.com

Rita Mills

Rita Mills

Rita Mills' passions are the First Amendment and books. In the early '70s Rita moved from West Texas to Houston and started a 20-year stint at a major metropolitan newspaper, The Houston Post, where ink permanently took up residence in her blood. She left there in the early '90s to become the Managing Editor of Arte Publico Press at the University of Houston where she organized their production department and coordinated a half-million dollar annual print budget. While there, Rita also helped with the start-up of a new bi-lingual children's picture book imprint, Pinata Books.

She left the Arte Publico Press after 4 years to start her own business, The Book Connection, where she is a publishing consultant to small, independent presses. The Book Connection utilizes 35+ freelance individuals with book-specific experience in all areas of writing, editing, design, illustration, marketing and public relations. Rita shepherds her clients through the convoluted publishing maze to produce and sell trade-quality books. She is also a print broker and utilizes printers worldwide depending upon the product.

Her 16 years in the book business has resulted in the packaging of more than 350 different titles, ranging from simple mass-market paperbacks to hard-cover, coffee-table books. Included in this smorgasbord of books are a 4-book reference set; companion books for two PBS series; 25 hard-cover children's picture books; 4 cookbooks; 5 books used as fund raisers for nonprofits; and 11 books that have won various publishing awards.

Rita has a small press, Bluebonnets, Boots & Books Press, and has published 10 titles since 1996. She has a children's picture book imprint called The ABC's under which she published her most recent title, Don't Eat the Bluebonnets. She has three new children's picture books coming out in 2008 under the ABC's imprint.

Her other endeavors include a website hub where independent Texas publishers showcase their books and highlight their availability as speakers. She is also the organizer of the ABC's Children's Picture Book Competition, an annual competition for children's book writers with a grand prize that is unparalleled in the industry.

Rita's conference panel, Small Publishers’ Missteps & Triumphs, includes John Hardy Publishing, Debbie Leland, Victor Loos, and Marvie Ellis.

Kathy L. Patrick

Kathy L. Patrick

Kathy L. Patrick is the owner of Beauty and the Book, the only Hair Salon/Bookstore in the country located in historic Jefferson, Texas. She also is founder of The Pulpwood Queens Book Club, which is the largest "meeting and discussing" book club in the world. Kathy Patrick also founded and runs three book festivals in the Arkansas/Louisiana/Texas area including Books Alive, Girlfriend Weekend, and the International Book Club Author Extravaganza.

She currently writes a Pulpwood Queen blog at www.pulpwoodqueen.com and writes a monthly column at www.southernauthors.blogspot.com and www.ReadingGroupGuides.com.

She has appeared on Oprah, Good Morning America, and other national television shows, and she has appeared in national publications such as Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal.

Kathy L. Patrick lives just outside of Jefferson, Texas in the piney woods with her husband, Jay, and two teenagers, Helaina and Madeleine.

Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists Panel

"Landing Ink, Airtime and Blog Buzz in Today's Changing Media Environment: How Authors and Publishing Houses can effectively Work with the Media to Position Themselves for Coverage"

Moderator:

• Tolly Moseley, Senior Publicist at Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists. Moseley manages national media campaigns for top authors and publishing houses while also contributing to several lifestyle publications as a freelance journalist.

Panelists:

• Ian Crawford, News Editor for KUT-FM, Austin's NPR affiliate. Crawford oversees news content and determines which stories get airtime.
• Eileen Flynn writes about faith as a reporter, blogger and columnist for the Austin American-Statesman. She also teaches a course on journalism and religion at the University of Texas.
• Ron Hogan, editor of GalleyCat (Mediabistro's publishing blog) and creator of Beatrice.com, one of the oldest continuously running literary sites on the web.
• Michael Merschel is assistant arts editor/books editor at The Dallas Morning News, where he has served in a variety of editing roles since 1993.
• Sara Nelson, Editor-in-Chief of Publishers Weekly and author of So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading (Putnam, 2003)
  

Mindy Reed & Stephanie Barko

Mindy Reed

Stephanie Barko

Mindy Reed has been providing editorial services for over thirteen years to writers in fiction and nonfiction genres.

Visit The Author's Assistant for more information.

Stephanie Barko is a Literary Publicist specializing in nonfiction and historical fiction by Texas authors.

Visit The Author's Assistant for more information.

Linda Rohrbough

Linda Rohrbough

Linda Rohrbough has been writing professionally since 1989 and has more than 5,000 articles and seven books to her credit. She's received awards in both fiction and nonfiction, including three national awards. Her book, Weight Loss Surgery with the Adjustable Gastric Band, co-authored with Robert Sewell, M.D., was published by Da Capo Lifelong books in March 2008. Visit her website: www.LindaRohrbough.com.

Valerie Walley

Valerie Walley is Divisional Director for Random House, Inc. Adult Field Sales, South. She has been involved with publishing for many years, as a bookseller and as a sales rep for Random House in the SF Bay Area before moving to Austin in 2006.