We are happy to invite you to attend the best networking, learning, and professional development opportunity available for Latter-day Saints interested in publishing and media. The Sixth Annual National Conference of the Latter-day Saint Publishing and Media Association (LDSPMA) will take virtually, on September 24 – 26, 2020.
All conference sessions on September 25 and 26 will be available for viewing by conference registrants not only during the conference but also for five weeks after the conference, until October 31, 2020 (except for the Interactive Sessions, which will only be available during the conference). This greatly increases the value of the conference. It will allow you to watch all the sessions you want to watch—more than 50 sessions—not just one session each hour of the conference. And you will be able to watch the sessions whenever you want to watch them during those five weeks.
The theme of our 2020 conference is Empowered by Vision. This theme was chosen in recognition of the 200th anniversary of the First Vision. And it signifies that Latter-day Saints involved in publishing and media can be tremendously empowered by the vision contained within the scriptures and teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This vision is a source of inspiration, creativity, clarity, and wisdom.
We will be privileged to hear from several distinguished keynote speakers, including the Bonner Family, Bruce and Marie Hafen, Brandon Mull, and Hilary Weeks..
In addition to these keynote speakers, the conference will feature over 80 other leaders in publishing and media who will share valuable instruction in 48 topical sessions, 8 interactive sessions, and 10 deep-dive preconference workshops.
SIX TRACKS OF TOPICAL SESSIONS. There will be eight sessions in each track, featuring classes and panels taught by many leaders in publishing and media. The track topics are:
- Marketing Track
- Editing, Design, and Production Track
- Media Track
- Publishing Track
- Fiction Writing Track
- Nonfiction Writing Track
INTERACTIVE SESSIONS. These interactive ways to connect, learn, and receive feedback are one of the most useful aspects of the conference:
- New this year! Online Presence Audit: Get a professional evaluation of where you land in a Google search and how to improve your visibility, message, and clarity.
- Quick Critiques: Receive instant professional feedback on your manuscript.
- Networking Groups: Meet other conference attendees and get help with your publishing challenges.
PRECONFERENCE DEEP-DIVE WORKSHOPS
All of the above sessions are included in the general conference registration and will take place on Friday, September 25, and Saturday, September 26.
In addition, you can register separately for any of 10 half-day, hands-on, action-learning workshops on Thursday, September 24, led by top professionals as instructors. We introduced these preconference deep-dive workshops last year, and they were a big hit, so we are expanding them:
- Professional Editing Workshop. Taught by BYU professor and former LDSPMA president Suzy Bills.
- Developmental Editing for Fiction Writing Workshop. Taught by BYU professor and former LDSPMA president Suzy Bills.
- Power Storytelling Techniques to Captivate Readers: The Hero’s Journey, Writing Juicy, and the Three-Act Play. Taught by New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Bridget Cook-Burch.
- Fiction Writing Workshop. Taught by award-winning authors and popular creative writing instructors Dean Hughes and Chris Crowe.
- Your Map to Successful Book Publishing Workshop. Taught by 4-time USA Today bestselling author and 4-time Whitney Award winner Heather B. Moore.
- Business and Intellectual Property Development in Media and Publishing Workshop. Taught by Nate Olson, who has 20 years’ experience in media design, marketing, distribution, and monetization with entertainment companies.
- The Art of Podcasting Workshop: Design, Launch, Marketing, Brand Building. Taught by professional podcast producer and consultant Christine Baird.
- Screenwriting Workshop: Breaking through Barriers and Mastering Tools. Taught by Alan Peterson, who has written, directed, and produced many films.
- Marketing Strategies and Campaign Building for Authors and Other Creative Artists Workshop. Taught by strategic marketing and author coach and 30-book author Trina Boice.
- Website Design, Branding, and Social Media Workshop. Taught by Direction Marketing & Design president and website designer Brett Oliver Parson.