2021 LDSPMA Annual Conference Sessions

Where’s the Line between Priestcraft and Gospel Sharing While Making Money? Questions for Authors, Publishers, Artists, and Media Professionals

Marianna Richardson

The Church wants individuals to use media to spread the gospel in creative ways. Deseret Book, Seagull Book, and many other media outlets make a profit while sharing uplifting messages. This session will discuss people’s thoughts about sharing the gospel while making money. What is the right balance? Is there a line that we should not cross? How do we make sure we are sharing the gospel the way the Lord wants us to share it?

Audience level: General

Bio: Marianna Richardson is currently the Director of Communications for the G20 Interfaith Forum. She is also an adjunct professor at the Marriott School of Business (MSB) in management communication and the editor-in-chief of the Marriott Student Review, a student-run, peer-reviewed journal. She is also the faculty advisor for Measuring Success Right, a business podcast, and the former president of LDSPMA. She was recently awarded the Wendy C. Archibald Meritorious Service Award from the J. Reuben Clark Law School and the Outstanding Adjunct Teaching Award at BYU MSB. She is also a co-host on the Come, Follow Me series—Act in Doctrine—produced by Book of Mormon Central. She has published books and articles on a variety of subjects. She received her master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and her doctorate from Seattle Pacific University.

When It’s Meant for the Wider World: National Publishing Success for the Inspired Latter-day Saint Author (Nonfiction Focus)

Bridget Cook-Burch

National publishers and agents sometimes shun nonfiction Latter-day Saint authors, making it difficult to publish authentic Latter-day Saint experiences to the wider world. This session will help you increase your publishing chances, without compromising your voice, as you learn the newest Latter-day-Saint-friendly advice from some of the most powerful agents and publishers in the inspiration industry. Plus, discover how to communicate a powerful message in your book proposal and on your social media to convince publishers and agents you’re a good investment. Your story and testimony are more important than ever, so learn how to make your impact!

Audience level: General

Bio: Bridget is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author, transformational speaker, writing mentor, and leader of writing retreats in Utah and Ireland. She has had books showcased on Oprah, Dateline NBC, Good Morning America, Today, and People magazine. A passionate humanitarian, Bridget is cofounder and executive director of SHEROES United, a nonprofit organization that champions women leaders out of deep trauma. She loves to guide writers to believe in the power of their stories to change the world.

Writing, Editing, and Publishing in More Inclusive Ways: Intersectionality and Identity Development in Diverse Historical and Fictional Characters

Tarienne Mitchell

This session examines the experiences of Black women in history to explore how intersectionality (being a person of color and female) often plays a role in decision making and motivation throughout their lives. The discussion will help authors, editors, and publishers understand the implications of intersectionality and its impact on developing complex and diverse characters in their work and publications.

Audience level: General

Bio: Tarienne Mitchell is an archivist at the Church History Library who specializes in the history of Black members of the Church. Tarienne works hard in the cause of diversity and inclusion and helped put together a cultural competency training program held in the Church History Department in 2020. In addition to her work in the archive, she helped create the Utah Black History traveling exhibit (which was launched on a bus in 2021) to teach more stories of Black history to the students of Utah.

Publishing Post-COVID: What’s Changed and What Does Moving Forward Look Like?

Chris Schoebinger, Angela Johnson, Christopher Robbins, and Emma Heggem

How has COVID-19 changed the publishing world, and how will things evolve moving forward? What will jobs look like (telecommuting or hybrid models)? What virtual or other new strategies in book marketing will sink and which will continue to sore—and what new forms of marketing will emerge?  How will the mix of media—print, digital, audio, video—change? Will new combinations appear? How will printer capacity affect publishing schedules and sales? And will there be changes to editing, design, or production processes? Find out in this up-to-the-minute publishers’ panel!

Audience level: General

Bio: Chris Schoebinger has worked in publishing for more than thirty years. For many years, he was a product director for Deseret Book, developing such authors as John Bytheway, Timothy Ballard, and Emily Freeman. He’s currently the publishing director for Shadow Mountain. He’s published award-winning and New York Times best-selling authors, such as Brandon Mull, Jason F. Wright, and Ally Condie. As a developmental editor, he’s worked with authors to create bestsellers in many genres, including children’s/young adult fiction, general fiction, nonfiction historical, and memoir.

Bio: Angela Johnson has lived in Utah her entire life. Raised in Provo, she is the third of six children. Johnson has a love of literature and writing. After working in the world of accounting for nineteen years, Johnson decided it wasn’t creative enough, so she followed her dreams and changed course. She now works as the talent acquisitions manager at Cedar Fort Publishing. Johnson served a mission to the Czech Republic (Prague), after which she earned a BS in English from Utah Valley University, a master of professional communications from Weber State University, and an MA in publishing from Western Colorado University. Her debut novel, set for release in June 2020, is a Regency Romance titled The Earl of Arundel. Traveling and reading are favorite pastimes and help her form ideas for writing.

Bio: Christopher Robbins is the founder and CEO of Familiar, a trade book publishing company founded in 2012 with a mission to help families be happy. He is the author of various books and has served as editorial director and marketing director for Northwest Publishing, as the founder of NOVELocity, as the CEO of Gibbs Smith, as the cofounder of Hummingbird Digital Media, and as the CEO of American West Books.

Bio: Emma Heggem is the managing editor for Future House Publishing, a family-friendly speculative fiction publishing house. She specializes in content editing but is involved in every step of the publishing process, from acquisitions to layout to marketing. When she’s not editing, she attends writers’ conferences to take pitches, give critiques, and talk to aspiring writers about the mysterious world of publishing.

The Numbers Publishers Use to Decide What to Publish: Factors, Metrics, and Analytical Tools to Evaluate Book Proposals

Brad Farmer

What information do publishers use when evaluating book proposals? What data is helpful to track the success of a book and generate ideas to improve sales? Publishers use both financial and non-financial metrics to guide their business decisions and drive improved performance. In this session, we will discuss some of the metrics and tools that publishers use to make data-driven decisions.

Audience level: Intermediate

Bio: Brad Farmer is the CEO at Gibbs Smith, an employee-owned, independent publisher of illustrated books in architecture, interior design, cooking, and children’s literature, along with award-winning social studies curriculum programs. He has worked in all aspects of the publishing process, from acquisition and production to sales, marketing, and distribution. He lives in Layton, Utah, with his wife and two sets of twin boys (an extra set for good measure) and loves to explore the world in books and in person. He has served on the board of PubWest, a publishing trade association; the Davis Arts Council; and the Gangrene Film Festival. He has also advised numerous publishing startups on strategy and operations.

Publishing for an International Audience to Advance the Lord’s Work

Serge Petelo, Valerie Hitoto, and Matt Whitaker

How can Latter-day Saints increase the relevance, appeal, and reach of their publications for international audiences? This panel will explore many elements, including internationalizing the content of books, localizing book covers, marketing to reach worldwide audiences, determining when translation is needed, and learning how to arrange competent translations. All topics discussed will cover self-publishing as well as commercial publishing options.

Audience level: General

Bio: Serge Petelo is a globalization consultant and business owner currently residing in Provo, Utah. He has been involved with the language services industry for the past eighteen years and has worked with various organizations in helping them reach their audience and clients internationally. A native of the DR Congo, he grew up in France. With his wife and four children, he has called the State of Utah home for the last twenty years. Because of his lived and emotional ties to these three continents, he greatly values the notion of shared principles that transcend cultures and borders and that can be communicated from and to any part of the world.

Bio: Valerie Hitoto is a French mom of six who has a PhD in ancient Judaism, which led to her first book. She writes to share principles of wisdom that help people approach life with joy, confidence, and hope. Her three books differ in style (spiritual tale, children’s book, and personal development novel) as well as audience (from children to adults). She published one title with a traditional publishing house and self-published her two other titles.

Bio: Matt Whitaker has been writing, directing, and producing branded media and feature films for more than 25 years. He wrote the screenplays for Saints and Soldiers and the second and third films of the Work and the Glory trilogy. He was also a lead creative producer and director on the “I’m A Mormon” ad campaign. Matt is currently preparing to direct two feature films—both based on scripts he wrote and both with ties to his faith. The first tells the true story of Helmuth Hübener, a teenage resistance fighter in Nazi Germany. The second explores the journey of a faithful Latter-day Saint couple struggling to navigate their path forward when one of them comes out as transgender.

What an Agent Does, How to Become One, and How Agents Help (Even Small) Publishers

Jessica Reino

Get excited to go behind the scenes with an agent! Learn what an agent does, the ever-evolving role of an agent in the publishing landscape, how to become an agent, and how connecting with agents can be beneficial to even small and independent publishers.

Audience level: General

Bio: Jessica Reino is a senior literary agent at Metamorphosis Literary Agency, freelance editor, and multi-genre author. She loves connecting with other publishing professionals and is the host of #TheWritersZen monthly Twitter chat.

Envisioning the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts: How to Communicate through the Arts

Richard Bushman and Glen Nelson 

The Center for Latter-day Saint Arts has a three-fold mission: to display and perform art by Latter-day Saints in New York City and elsewhere, to publish scholarship and criticism about our art to reach a wider public, and to establish a comprehensive archive of Latter-day Saint arts from 1830 to the present.

The co-executive directors describe the vision of this ambitious, new, and independent nonprofit organization, tell how it came to be, and share what it has accomplished so far. They outline its programs, its publications, and how people can participate in and support the Center. Additionally, they reflect on the place of the arts in Latter-day Saint culture and what the fine arts can contribute to our lives and communities.

Audience level: General

Bio: Richard Bushman was born in Salt Lake City in 1931 and brought up in Portland, Oregon. He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Harvard University and taught at Brigham Young University, Boston University, and the University of Delaware. He retired as Gouverneur Morris Professor of History at Columbia University in 2001 and was visiting Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University from 2008 to 2011. He is the author of a number of books, including Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. He served as co-general editor of The Joseph Smith Papers until 2012 and in 1997 founded the Mormon Scholars Foundation, which fosters the development of young scholars from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is now co-director of the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts in New York City, which promotes Latter-day Saint arts around the world. With his wife Claudia Bushman, he is the father of six children and twenty grandchildren. He has served as a Bishop and Stake President and currently is Patriarch of the New York Young Single Adult Stake.

Bio: Glen Nelson is an author of thirty books, curator, librettist, and co-executive director of the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts. His most recent book is Joseph Paul Vorst, the subject of a retrospective at the Church History Museum in 2018, which he co-curated. As a librettist, his most recent opera is The Captivity of Hannah Duston, composed by Lansing McLoskey, and he has also released a recent mono-scene for tenor and piano, “Picasso,” by Francisco Estevez. Upcoming exhibitions curated by Nelson include Photographs of Utah (1935–1944): Ansel Adams, Andreas Feininger, Dorothea Lange, Russell Lee, Arthur Rothstein, and John Vachon and John Held, Jr.: Cartoonist, Illustrator, Artist, Novelist, Wit for the Center Gallery in New York City.

Disney, Dreamworks, Blue Sky: Latter-day Saint Animators Tell Their Stories

Moroni Taylor, Craig Van Dyke, and Jake Merrell

In this panel discussion, highly experienced Latter-day Saint animators talk about how they entered the animation industry and what animation work is like as a Latter-day Saint creator.

Audience level: General

Bio: Moroni Taylor has worked as a story artist on 30 animated feature films for Blue Sky, Paramount, Sony, Illumination, and Nickelodeon. Some of his credits include Iron Gian, Ice Ages, Grinch, The Peanuts Movie, Spies in Disguise, and the soon-to-be-released Space Jam 2, Hotel Transylvania 4, and Minions: The Rise of Gru. 

Bio: Craig Van Dyke is an alumnus of BYU’s animation program. He has 17 years of experience in both the commercial and feature animated industries. His work has included roles as a CG supervisor, animator, modeler, and storyboard artist. He is best known for his work in previsualization. He has worked on numerous films from Dreamworks Animation, Digital Domain, and Netflix. He has taught at Art Center, Chapman University, and now full time at BYU. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he does layout work for Netflix Animation and was most recently the Previs Lead for the animated feature Over the Moon, directed by Glen Keane and John Kahrs.

Bio: Jacob Merrell has worked as a technical director for 15 years in a number of different disciplines from software engineer to lighting to character lookdev.  Some of his credits include Up, Cars 2, Inside Out, Cars 3, Coco, and Toy Story 4.  He’s currently working on original content for Disney+ as a character shading artist.

How to Tell Our Amazing Stories for the Big (and Little) Screen

Matthew Brown

How do we get our AMAZING STORIES out not just to our market but also the world? Fortunately, there has never been a better time to succeed broadly in the faith niche with well-written, powerful stories. We’ve seen some recent successes (and failures), and we’ll talk about stories, strategies, and various ways to ensure financial success so your light can shine bright while creating the next faith-based blockbuster.

Audience level: General

Bio: With the dramatic rise of streaming services, Matt Brown, CEO of Living Scriptures, is now at the center of Latter-day Saint streaming and media. With over 4,000 titles, Living Scriptures teaches faith principles to hundreds of thousands, has created a safe viewing experience of all kinds of media for all ages, and continues to perpetuate Latter-day Saint, faith-based, and family-friendly stories.

From Story Idea to Legendary Picture: Various Ways Award-Winning Movies Get Made

Ryan Little, Peter Eskelsen, and Cameron Sawyer

What makes a great film or TV show? In this panel discussion, two experienced filmmakers discuss how feature films, documentaries, and TV shows get produced and what sets a great production apart from a mediocre one.

Audience level: General

Bio: Ryan Little is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, which has allowed him to work freely in both countries. In 2003 he produced and directed Saints and Soldiers, which won sixteen “Best Picture” awards and two nominations at the Independent Spirit Awards. Since that time, Ryan has directed multiple projects, including Age of Dragons, Forever Strong, and War Pigs. Ryan has worked on the TNT pilot Blank Slate, the SyFy Channel pilot Zeros, and TV episodes of Granite Flats and Extinct. He recently completed producing Christmas films for the Lifetime Network and the new Discovery+ streaming platform.

Bio: Peter Eskelsen ran creative development for the British filmmakers Guy Ritchie and Lionel Wigram for 8 years. During that time, he was integrally involved in the development and production of the feature films Sherlock Holmes 1 & 2, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Guardians of Ga’hoole, and Seventh Son. More recently, Peter worked as an executive with Imagine Television overseeing the development and production of the TV series 24: Legacy (Fox), The Bastard Executioner (FX), Breakthrough, and Mars (both National Geographic). Peter then served as a scripted executive with Legendary Television, where he set up and supervised projects, most notably with Apple TV and HBO. For the last few years, Peter has been working as an independent producer and screenwriter.

Bio: Cameron Sawyer is an award-winning writer and director. He received his MFA in film directing from Chapman University. His graduate thesis film, She’s a Fox, starring Academy Award nominee Hailee Steinfeld, won several awards worldwide, including Provincetown International’s Jury Prize for Best Student Film. Sawyer’s other work includes Tim Timmerman, Hope of America, a semi-autobiographical feature-length comedy that he wrote and directed, and most recently a few episodes of BYU TV’s new comedy series 9 Years to Neptune, which he says is unlike anything that has aired on BYU TV (coming out this fall!). Cameron is currently working with DiBonaventura Pictures on an adaptation of the New York Times bestselling series Fablehaven.

Yo Gabba Gabba! Aquabats Super Show! 9 Years to Neptune: Making TV for Kids

Cameron Sawyer, Christian Jacobs, and Adam Sidwell

What are the current trends in kids programming? How do you successfully pitch a show for younger audiences to networks and streamers? How has COVID-19 affected the market? What works in fundraising and marketing shows for younger audiences? How do you develop and show-run a successful show? Plus, Christian and Cameron will answer questions about working on BYU TV’s upcoming show, “Nine Years to Neptune,” about developing the screen adaptation of “Fablehaven,” and about “The Aquabats” band and how they’ve been able to establish world domination.

Audience level: General

Bio: Cameron Sawyer is an award-winning writer and director. He received his MFA in film directing from Chapman University. His graduate thesis film, She’s a Fox, starring Academy Award nominee Hailee Steinfeld, won several awards worldwide, including Provincetown International’s Jury Prize for Best Student Film. Sawyer’s other work includes Tim Timmerman, Hope of America, a semi-autobiographical feature-length comedy that he wrote and directed, and most recently a few episodes of BYU TV’s new comedy series 9 Years to Neptune, which he says is unlike anything that has aired on BYU TV (coming out this fall!). Cameron is currently working with DiBonaventura Pictures on an adaptation of the New York Times bestselling series Fablehaven.

Bio: Christian Jacobs is an American musician, television producer, writer and director. He is perhaps most recognized as the co-creator of the award-winning Nick Jr. children’s television series Yo Gabba Gabba!, on which he additionally serves as a writer, director, composer, and voice actor. Jacobs is also the co-founder and lead singer of the rock band The Aquabats. The Emmy award-winning series “The Aquabats! SuperShow!!,” based on the band, was also co-created/produced with Jacobs and his partners at Awesome Forces Productions.

Bio: A storyteller, technologist, and entrepreneur, Adam Sidwell is Founder and Creative Director at the Future House family of companies. Future House Studios and Future House Publishing work in concert together to develop creative content for books, film, animation, television, games, virtual reality, and XR. As Head of Studio at Future House Studios—an animation, VR, and creative development studio—Adam directs content for animated projects in multiple mediums and has assembled a world-class team with alumni from Lucasfilm, Disney, Pixar, Within, and more. As CEO of Future House Publishing, Adam built the company from the ground up, crafting the creative vision overall design for Future House’s titles, a unique blend of science fiction, fantasy, and children’s books.

Mainstream Media from Surprising Places: Breakout Success from YouTube and Other Social Media Platforms

Randy Roberts, John Roberts, and Stephen Tanne

Want 100,000 subscribers? Hear YouTube creators and experts talk about how they built their audiences, how they engage them, and what the future holds for YouTube and other social media platforms. Moderated by Adam Sidwell.

Audience level: General

Bio: Randal Roberts is a dentist, educator, and actor. He is the producer of the YouTube channel “Bored Shorts TV,” which has 519,000 subscribers and over 250 million views and which produced the hit YouTube series Kid History and Kid Snippets. He has worked with various artists and groups, including Josh Groban, Lucas Film, Hot Wheels, Nintendo, Lucky Charms, and Lindsey Sterling.

Bio: John Roberts is one of the creators of the YouTube channel “Bored Shorts TV,” which created the Kid Snippets and Kid History series, and CVX Live, a social media convention for creators and fans with thousands of attendees each year. John is currently the CEO of Smile Systems, which provides permanent full-mouth dental restorations to people all over the country. John lives in Lindon, Utah, with his wife and 6 children.

Bio: Stephen Tanne is a self-taught 3D artist and publishes his work on YouTube. He has created two YouTube channels, “SilverC16” and “Comic Crafter,” that together have generated nearly 50 million views and over 250,000 subscribers. Without any college experience, Stephen has been able to work for Roblox and several other companies over the years.

The Miracles of New Scripture Media Resources: How Engaging Video Libraries Are Being Created, How Media Professionals and Church Members Are Using Them, and What’s Next

Aaron Merrell, Rob Jex, and Kirk Magleby

Come hear about the miraculous experiences from The Church’s filming of the “Resurrected Jesus Christ in the Americas” episodes of the Book of Mormon Videos series. Come learn about how you can access the Church’s scripture videos and images assets for use in your creative works. Come see examples of how Book of Mormon Central and others have been using these assets to be “voices of light.”

Audience level: General

Bio: Aaron Merrell started his film career at DreamWorks, Walt Disney, Phoenix Pictures, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, and others. In 2011 he was recruited by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where he has produced I’m a Mormon, 12 Steps to Change, Special Witnesses of Jesus Christ, and Mormon and Gay. He is currently producing the Book of Mormon Videos series and is now working on the fourth of five seasons. Aaron is married to his true love, Maegan, and has four super cool sons.

Bio: As a product manager at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Rob Jex has coordinated the publishing of The Life of Jesus Christ Bible Videos and the Book of Mormon Videos series for the past 10 years. He also oversees the popular Gospel Library app and loves to receive ideas on how the app’s user experience can be improved to better support your study and teaching experiences.

Bio: Kirk Magleby is a semiretired technology entrepreneur from American Fork who has found his calling volunteering as Book of Mormon Central’s Executive Director. Across multiple brands and digital publishing venues, Book of Mormon Central reaches a large audience each week in 3 languages. Mobile apps include ScripturePlus and the new Come Follow Me. Kirk is also a service missionary with the Priesthood and Family Department tasked with helping support the ecosystem around gospel study.

Plotting a Page-Turning Novel

Janette Rallison

There are no formulas for writing a novel, but there are tried and true principles for writing successful fiction. Come learn the six things every author needs to know about their story before they hit the keyboard. We’ll cover the do’s and don’ts of plotting that will make writing your novel faster and selling your book easier. Keep your readers wanting more!

Audience level: Intermediate

Bio: USA Today best-selling author Janette Rallison/ CJ Hill writes books because writing is much more fun than cleaning bathrooms. Her avoidance of housework has led her to write thirty-one novels that have sold over one million print copies and appeared on many reading and state lists. She writes fantasy, sci-fi, and romantic comedy because hey, there is enough angst in real life, but there’s a drastic shortage of humor, romance, and hot guys who fight dragons. She lives in Chandler, Arizona, with her husband, kids, and enough cats to classify her as eccentric.

How to Tap into Creative Processes (Even When We Don’t Feel Creative)

Elizabeth and Chris Crowe

Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, “creativity involves both a process and a result. It springs out of our seeing possibilities we have not seen before, seeing connections between patches of truth and beauty, and responding to them in ways we have not done before.” This session will explore the nature of creativity in different areas—including art, writing, and daily life—and discuss how anyone can tap into their own creative processes. Elizabeth and Chris share the problems they experience in being creative and how they work through those problems.

Audience level: General

Bio: Elizabeth Crowe is a ceramic artist who earned a BFA in art from BYU-Hawaii and an MA in English and MFA in ceramics from BYU, where she’s also an adjunct instructor of ceramics. She’s married to Chris Crowe.

Bio: Chris Crowe is a writer who earned degrees from BYU and Arizona State University. He teaches creative writing and YA literature at BYU. He’s married to Elizabeth Crowe.

Rooting Out Racism: How to Identify and Eradicate Racist Tropes

Madeleine Dresden

We’ve all seen the spread of anti-racist hashtags like #ownvoices or #weneeddiversebooks. We may have even championed them ourselves. But rooting out racism in today’s literature is going to take a lot more than tweeting our support for diverse books. This presentation will offer insight into racist tropes and depictions that are inadvertently perpetuating harms against BIPOC communities.

Audience level: General

Bio: Madeleine Dresden grew up in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and wrote her first novel in the fifth grade—complete with a “dude in distress,” a heroine named Macaroni Pizza, and a dragon that is allergic to men. She has an M.F.A. in Creative Writing and teaches rhetoric at BYU. As an Asian-American writer and a member of the Center for Latter-day Arts Race, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Madeleine is actively engaged in amplifying BIPOC voices and spreading awareness of harmful tropes in contemporary literature.

Strong Women in History: How to See Them, How to Portray Them

Jen Geigle Johnson

Writing historical fiction and romance requires precise world-building skills. But what about our characters? How did they think? What were their concerns and motivations? How can women of the past be seen as strong, making their own choices and paving their own way? Was everyone a Joan of Arc? Are there other ways to be a strong person? Learn practical research tools and attitudes to aid in accurate and powerful portrayals of women that are also enjoyable to a modern reader.

Audience level: General

Bio: An award-winning author of more than thirteen published historical fiction/romance novels, Jen Geigle Johnson discovered her passion for England while kayaking on the Thames near London as a teenager. While all of her books have a strong romance plot, she becomes captivated in the time periods and shares bits of history that might otherwise be forgotten, like the events at Peterloo, the women involved in the French Revolution, or the earliest calls for women’s suffrage in England. Of all the voices to remember, she feels women’s voices are some of the strongest.

And Then This Happened: My Unexpected Journey into Nontraditional Publishing

Beth Brower

Beth Brower shares how she unexpectedly found herself building a publishing career from scratch. From writing and editing to book layout and marketing, Beth explains the at-times humorous process of getting a book onto readers’ shelves. Her journey will help you find your own publishing path.

Audience level: Intermediate

Bio: Beth Brower is the author of five novels—The Q, The Books of Imirillia trilogy, and The Beast of Ten—and  The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, a series of novellas. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as the head gardener on a private estate called Rivendell, where she would write on her lunch break. Beth has a bachelor’s degree in literary studies and lives with her husband, Kip, in Salt Lake City. There may or may not be a cat.

Every Word Matters: Revising Your Picture Book Manuscript

Nicole Abreu Drysdale and Shar Abreu Petersen

When you’ve got only five hundred words, each one matters. We’re going to dive deep into revising your picture book manuscript. We’ll look at improving language, word choice, and dialogue and figure out which precious lines to cut.

Audience level: Intermediate

Bio: Nicole and Shar Abreu are sisters and coauthors of the picture book Over in the Woodland: A Mythological Counting Journey. They are passionate about creativity in childhood education. Nicole studied early childhood development in college and has taught preschool for children of all abilities for over a decade. Shar studied English with an emphasis in creative writing and spent more than twelve years helping create award-winning language and literacy software for young learners. They live near the mountains of Utah with their families. 

What’s Holding You Back from Your Publishing Goals?

Roxanne Kennedy-Granata

Do you have so many ideas bursting to come to life but you just don’t know what to do and how to do it? This class will guide you through uncovering what is holding you back from creating your perfect characters and honing in on the message you want your writing to convey.  Learn step by step the process of identifying what’s in your way so you can see more clearly your vision and bring it into action. Your desire to be successful and make your dream happen is right around the corner.

Audience level: General

Bio: Roxanne Kennedy-Granata is an expert in facilitating mentor groups to help individuals reach their potential. She is the author of Cutting Ties and host of the Choose In podcast where she discusses how to overcome personal betrayal trauma. She has over fifteen years of experience as a personal mentor helping individuals identify and overcome barriers to success.

The Magic of Storytelling: Tricks to Help Your Writing Resonate with Audiences

Devan Jensen and John Hilton III

Like a good article, book, or blog post, a good magic trick has specific stages and requires careful storytelling. The presenters will share lessons learned both as authors and amateur magicians on how to shape and craft nonfiction narratives. Best practices? Find a fresh approach to a familiar topic. Focus on what is going to “hook” the reader. Spin your story and include personal accounts and elements of surprise. Craft an ending that makes them want more. Polish your performance. And practice, practice, practice. Magic tricks included!

Audience level: General

Bio: Devan Jensen has authored several books and fifty articles and is the executive editor of the BYU Religious Studies Center. He also serves as the LDSPMA president.

Bio: John Hilton III is the author of many popular books and is an associate professor of BYU Religious Education. Visit his website at johnhiltoniii.com.

Both Devan and John are amateur magicians.

How to Write, Edit, and Shop Memoirs: Delivering What Publishers Are Looking For

Jay Christopher Gowen

The memoir, with its curated details and refined prose, is as much fiction as truth. This paradox is what gives the memoir its power. This session examines the intersection between story and truth telling by looking at the different “voices” in a memoir, their purpose, and how to find the ones best suited for your story.  

Audience level: Intermediate

Bio: Jay Christopher is manager of acquisitions for WiDo Publishing. Most of the manuscripts reviewed by WiDo are assigned to an acquisitions editor for possible acquisition. When a particularly compelling memoir crosses Jay’s desk, he reads it himself, and if the manuscript is acquired, he works personally with the author in the content edit.

Plums in the Icebox: Finding the Best Words, Images, and Metaphors

Darlene Young

So you’ve got some great content for a poem or prose passage. Once you’ve gotten your ideas down, what can you do to make your language sparkle? We’ll talk about the importance of imagery and surprising metaphor and review some tools for choosing fresher words in revision. 

Audience level: Beginner

Bio: Darlene Young’s poetry collection Homespun and Angel Feathers (BCC Press, 2019) won the Association for Mormon Letters Award for poetry. Her work has been nominated for Pushcart Prizes (essays and poetry) and noted in Best American Essays 2019. She has worked as a poetry editor for the journals Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought and Segullah. She teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University.

Writing as Ministering: Meeting People in Their Needs

James Goldberg

Whatever kind of writing you may be doing, readers bring themselves and their struggles to your work. Writing, then, is an opportunity to meet people in their needs. In this session, we’ll talk about different ways readers have responded to writing during times of personal trial and reflect on how keeping those readers in mind can change your process.

Audience level: General

Bio: James Goldberg is a poet, playwright, essayist, novelist, documentary filmmaker, scholar, and translator who specializes in Latter-day Saint literature. He is a cofounder of the Mormon Lit Lab and currently serves on the board of the Association for Mormon Letters and on the advisory board for the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts. To support his work, visit patreon.com/jamesgoldberg.

Screenwriting Basics and How to Use Final Draft Software

Spanky Ward

One of the most experienced Latter-day Saint screenwriters tells you what you need to know to get working on a screenplay. Aspiring screenwriters will learn how screenplays are formatted, how to structure stories, and how to use the industry-standard screenwriting software Final Draft. 

Audience level: Beginner

Bio: Dustin “Spanky” Ward is a film producer, director, and writer known for Hello, I Love You, Riot (Dolph Lundgren), Ruling of the Heart, and Christmas Break-In (Danny Glover, Denise Richards). He has written, produced, and directed more than seventy shorts and commercials. He’s currently working on his next feature film. His self-published children’s book, Charlie’s Long Journey, is available on Amazon.com. Spanky released his latest feature film, The Santa Box, during Christmas 2020. It won an Audience Choice Award and 2nd Place Best Feature Film at the LDS Film Festival. 

What’s the Story? Using Creativity to Tell the Truth in Songwriting

Cherie Call

Telling a true story can seem overwhelming. How do you get started? Will it be scary? Will it be boring? What if you don’t feel like writing today? Cherie Call will show you how she applies creative and refreshing prompts to songwriting and how you can transfer the ideas to your own writing. Learn how to use writing prompts, deadlines, accountability, and the “stuff” that only you can give to tell a true story that resonates with many. 

Audience level: General

Bio: Cherie Call has released ten original albums, and her songs have appeared in award-winning films. She has been a finalist in the Wildflower and Kerrville songwriting competitions and has played in-the-round at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. Her song “The Astronaut and the Mermaid,” cowritten with Lyndy Butler, won the Children’s category of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in 2016. Cherie teaches songwriting to teens at the Utah Conservatory of Performing Arts, has taught songwriting at Snow College, and is a frequent guest teacher at BYU and UVU. Cherie lives in Spanish Fork with her husband and four children.

Don’t Be Dismissed: Tips for Business and Professional Writers

Shayne Clarke

Remember that writing class you wished you took in college? You were going to get back to it someday. It’s someday. Learn tips and tricks to improve your writing—the stuff you write every day. Most people wish they were better writers. It’s time to do something about it. Learn how to unlock your mind and get your brilliant thoughts on paper. This class will be fun and interactive and will dial in on specific concerns you have. 

Audience level: General

Bio: Shayne’s thirty-seven years of business experience include working for WordPerfect, Novell, Nu Skin, Xactware, and MyFamily.com (now Ancestry). He currently works as BYU’s director of strategic marketing for continuing education, and he’s taught management communications for BYU’s Marriott School of Business since 2009. Shayne is also a freelance writer and consultant. He has published humor articles for American Falconry and a boring technical book by Simon & Schuster. Shayne and his wife, JaLee, live in Orem. His passions include chocolate chip cookies and a lifelong love of falconry.

How to Win at the Pricing Game When You’re a Freelancer

Suzy Bills

Many freelancers struggle over what and how to charge for their services. How do you know what the going rates are? What if a potential client thinks your prices are too high? What if you underestimate the time required to complete a project? This session will answer these and other questions so participants can determine what to charge for their freelance services, what pricing method to use (per word, per page, per hour), and how to overcome price objections.

Audience level: Beginner

Bio: Suzy Bills is an editor, author, and faculty member in the editing and publishing program at Brigham Young University. She was previously a lead editor for The Joseph Smith Papers, and she’s owned a writing and editing business for more than a decade, working with individuals and companies to publish everything from books to dissertations, video scripts, technical manuals, marketing materials, and cookbooks. She loves sharing her skills with others, whether through teaching, mentoring, helping authors get their thoughts on paper, or fine-tuning their writing. Her book The Freelance Editor’s Handbook was published this year by the University of California Press.

Project “Completion”—Balancing Your Vision with Clients’ Needs & Deadlines

James Joel Holmes

Working for hire in the arts is tricky. You can edit a piece for eternity—how do you decide it’s “done”? Your clients’ requests may not help their project succeed, yet you need to balance your expertise and vision with theirs. What about meeting deadlines vs. following the creative process? Or giving your all to jobs you’re not passionate about? In this class, we’ll explore the sand art of Tibetan monks, our own transient art, and how to balance project demands to achieve a fulfilling career in the arts.

Audience level: General

Bio: James Joel Holmes has twenty years of experience as a fine artist, designer, producer, and photographer and has created products and marketing materials for many well-established businesses. He strives to achieve impact through clean and compelling design. His goal is always for a memorable and user-friendly experience for his clients and collaborators. A philosopher and history buff at heart, James is seasoned and smart in his approach to creative problem-solving.

Power Book Covers: Understanding Genre through Color, Typography, Trends, and More

Brian Halley

You could have award-winning writing, the most amazing story, or an exceptional concept, but if the cover does not convey that, and to the right reader, chances are you just missed the most important doorway to your book’s success: the cover. For new designers and authors, this class will instill an understanding of what makes a professional, marketable, genre-savvy cover. You’ll walk away knowing solid principles of cover design, focusing on typography, color, focal point, imagery, and more for genre success.

Audience level: Beginner

Bio: Brian Halley is the owner of Right Think and Book Creatives, both award-winning creative agencies. With over twenty years of experience creating world-class brands and hundreds of book covers, he brings knowledge and awareness to the authors of the world and the publishing industry. Brian loves to share his book cover design experience with principles, secrets, and tips to help any author, designer, or publisher get an edge in the busy market of publishing. 

Producing, Designing, and Editing Your Own Podcasts, Shows, and Blogs

Kamille Bauer

Learn to navigate the amateur waters of content production and tech without drowning in despair. Step by step, discover how you can execute professional and engaging content without breaking the bank. You’ll get a customizable content template so you can generate your ideas in an easy-to-follow workflow. Plus, you’ll walk away knowing the equipment you need, how to create a script, and how to brand yourself. Soon you’ll be successfully producing shows, blogs, podcasts, and more!

Audience level: Beginner

Bio: Kamille Bauer is a dynamic media influencer and YouTuber with over half a million views as well as a model, spokesperson, emcee, and motivational speaker. But more importantly, she’s a vibrant happiness advocate and grief recovery expert. As a cancer widow and single mother of three, her positive perspective on life has given hope to tens of thousands around the world. She has a talent for deeply connecting with her audiences through vulnerable honesty, and her unique training helps others create positive outcomes in their own lives and businesses.

Paced to Thrill: Transforming Fiction or Memoir from Almost to Amazing!

Angela Jepperson

Why do stories with compelling plots, intriguing characters, and perfect settings get passed up by agents and publishers or receive poor reviews from readers? Geared toward editors and self-editors, this session will teach you how to answer that question—and fix the problem!—with effective story structure and pacing principles. This knowledge enables you to deconstruct early manuscripts and address foundational weaknesses, thus transforming drafts into stories that keep agents, publishers, and readers turning pages well after bedtime.

Audience level: Intermediate

Bio: Angela Jepperson is a senior editor at Eschler Editing, where she’s always eager to get her hands on the next exciting fiction or nonfiction manuscript. (That means yours!) A fifteen-year veteran high school language arts teacher, she now edits and writes full-time from her home in Ogden, Utah.

Maximizing Productivity and Time Management: How Editors Get More Done without Working More Hours

Suzy Bills

All editors benefit from maximizing their productivity through time management and project management, but there are more tricks to the trade than that. Some productivity strategies are relatively simple (like Word shortcut keys). Others are more advanced (and perhaps intimidating), such as using macros. Yet others may seem counterintuitive—for example, taking breaks can actually help editors complete projects faster. We’ll cover these strategies and more to help editors increase their productivity and accuracy while reducing some monotonous aspects of editing.

Audience level: Beginner

Bio: Suzy Bills is an editor, author, and faculty member in the editing and publishing program at Brigham Young University. She was previously a lead editor for The Joseph Smith Papers, and she’s owned a writing and editing business for more than a decade, working with individuals and companies to publish everything from books to dissertations, video scripts, technical manuals, marketing materials, and cookbooks. She loves sharing her skills with others, whether through teaching, mentoring, helping authors get their thoughts on paper, or fine-tuning their writing. Her book The Freelance Editor’s Handbook was published this year by the University of California Press.

Editing Film and Graphics for Career Success (A Philosophy)

James Joel Holmes

This presentation will cover some of the principles of film and visual editing and design for successful projects and relationships with clients and collaborators. We’ll explore digesting the source material, organization, nurturing professional relationships, the laws of editing and design, surprising tips and tricks to help improve workflow, and more. You’ll walk away ready to own the real power of a visual editor to create and influence stories that stir the emotions and psychology of any audience.

Audience level: Intermediate

Bio: James Joel Holmes has twenty years of experience as a fine artist, designer, producer, and photographer and has created products and marketing materials for many well-established businesses. He strives to achieve impact through clean and compelling design. His goal is always for a memorable and user-friendly experience for his clients and collaborators. A philosopher and history buff at heart, James is seasoned and smart in his approach to creative problem solving.