2020 LDSPMA Annual Conference Workshops

Professional Editing: Expanding and Refining Copy and Substantive Editing Skills

Suzy Bills

In this hands-on workshop, participants will refine their copy and substantive editing skills. They’ll review essential aspects of usage and Chicago style, learn strategies for addressing tricky substantive editing principles (e.g., cohesion and coherence), and apply editing principles in a variety of practice exercises. Participants will receive immediate feedback on their work and will have the opportunity to get answers to their toughest editing questions.  Class topics include: Chicago Style * Usage * Copy Editing * Substantive Editing * Cohesion * Coherence * Organization.

This class is for individuals who have learned the basics of copy editing (whether through a formal program or self-learning) and who want a refresher or an opportunity to dive more deeply into aspects of copy and substantive editing.  During the workshop, participants will:

• Review essential copy editing principles addressed in The Chicago Manual of Style
• Learn easy strategies for increasing the flow between sentences and paragraphs
• Work individually and in small groups to complete multiple practice exercises and then receive feedback
• Receive answers to tricky editing questions
• Learn about resources to continue refining their editing skills

Bio: Suzy Bills is an assistant teaching professor of editing and publishing at BYU and was formerly a lead editor at the Joseph Smith Papers. She also owns an editing and writing business. After completing a bachelor’s degree at BYU in 2004, she worked as an in-house editor and also completed an MBA in preparation for starting her own business. She’s worked with individuals and companies on everything from fiction to video scripts, website content, 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.

Writing Fiction: Process and Principles and Practice

Dean Hughes and Chris Crowe

Participants will learn to plan, research, draft and edit fiction. This workshop will teach basic principles of plotting, characterization, description, and revision but also suggest process techniques for developing an idea into a short story or novel. And if all that sounds like too much to do in four hours . . . well, it is.  But participants will be nudged in the right direction.

Effective writing techniques are the same for any audience or age group, so this workshop will stress basics.  Class participants will

• Learn planning techniques
• Review basic principles of fiction
• Receive guidance on research techniques
• Practice brainstorming 
• Practice character creation
• Practice writing accurate descriptions
• Practice some basic revision techniques

Bio: Dean taught creative writing at Central Missouri University and Brigham Young University.  He had presented workshops on many occasions during his 40-year writing career.

Bio: Chris teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University and has taught writing workshops at Storymakers, Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers, and at various schools since 1993.

Marketing Strategies and Campaign Building for Authors and Other Creative Artists

Trina Boice

This workshop is for fiction & non-fiction authors, musicians, singers, artists, and filmmakers who often feel overwhelmed with all of the marketing tasks and strategies that they hear they’re supposed to be doing to be successful. During this marketing deep dive, participants will:

• Define their ICA (Ideal Customer Avatar) because it determines how, what, where, and when to market!
• Learn how to create a marketing funnel
• Develop a lead magnet that can be offered in their marketing funnel
• Create a social media content calendar
• Analyze the launch formula and identify where they currently are
• Learn how to collaborate with Joint Venture partners and why they should
• Understand why building an email list is crucial to sales and success
• Develop front-end and back-end products that support the flagship product
• Conquer changing algorithms in Amazon, Facebook, and YouTube
• Learn why they should consider offering a podcast, online course, or service
• Discover what tasks can be outsourced to a Virtual Assistant for only $3.50/hour

Bio: Dr. Trina Boice is an author of 30 non-fiction books, and an author coach that helps writers become best-selling authors with strategic marketing at www.FromBooks2Business.com .  She has 7 online courses, 3 YouTube channels, and 2 podcasts. She currently teaches for BYU-Idaho online and writes movie reviews at www.MovieReviewMom.com. Trina received the CA Young Mother of the Year Award, which completely amuses her 4 sons.  A popular international keynote, she has gone on many speaking tours in China, Colombia, Spain, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.  She was a political correspondent for KPBS in San Diego before moving to Las Vegas. If she told you what she really does, she’d have to kill you.

The Art of Podcasting Workshop: Design, Launch, Marketing, Brand Building

Christine Baird

In this class, participants will discuss how podcasting is becoming a mainstream brand-building strategy for personal brands and creatives. The class will cover the basic requirements to get a podcast launched, how to effectively network through podcasting, and how to build an audience through this medium.  During the workshop, participants will:

• Learn the high-level podcast launch strategy that will set them up for success
• Identify the top 5 critical steps for building a podcasting audience and network
• Map out and receive feedback on specific strategies for using podcasting to increase their social media influence
• Learn the success strategies to develop their brand’s voice through podcasting
• Develop a personal long-term growth strategy to build their brand’s influence through podcasting

Bio: Christine Baird is a professional podcast producer and consultant who has worked with a variety of top wellness and business influencers, growing their shows from initial launch to millions of downloads. She has been working in podcasting, event production, and influencer branding since 2014. She worked on Lewis Howes’ brand, The School of Greatness, for four years, where she got to grow his top-ranked podcast from less than 1 million downloads to over 80 million. Now she’s pivoted to supporting more influencers create and grow their shows and impact. She consults, strategizes, and launches top podcasts in wellness, business, and lifestyle.

Your Map to Successful Book Publishing: Navigating the ever-changing world of book publishing from initial book idea to a successful launch

Heather Moore

Participants in this workshop will learn the ins and outs of the publishing industry, both in the traditional and the indie world. 

How will you choose the path that’s right for you? With pertinent information at your fingertips, you’ll be able to navigate through your own journey and find success. This workshop will discuss the parameters of writing a bestselling book to a chosen market; whether to submit through an agent; how to determine which publishing path to choose; and the editorial, design, and presentation that’s involved; marketing a book whether it’s traditionally or indie published; building up a core audience through pre- and post-marketing; and building a foundation in order to build a career.

Bio: Heather B. Moore is a 4-time USA Today bestselling author, 6-time Best of State winner in Literary Arts, and 4-time Whitney Award winner. She runs the indie press, Mirror Press, and is the co-creator of the Amazon bestselling Timeless Romance Anthology® series. On the traditional side, Heather writes fiction and nonfiction for Covenant Communications, historical fiction for Shadow Mountain, thrillers for Thomas & Mercer, and speculative fiction for Kindle Press. Heather has contracted audio publications with Brilliance Audio, Tantor Media, as well as co-produced several indie audiobooks. Five of her titles are in foreign translations.

Developmental Editing for Fiction

Suzy Bills

Participants will dive into the principles of developmental editing for fiction. In particular, they’ll learn to analyze and address issues regarding character development, head-hopping, pacing, dialogue, setting, description, and story arc. At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will be prepared to help novelists improve their writing so their novels will be more appealing to literary agents, publishers, and readers. The target audience is editors who would like to increase their skills in developmentally editing novels. Fiction authors can also benefit from the workshop. During the workshop, participants will

• Identify and address head-hopping
• Understand when pacing needs to speed up or slow down
• Determine how to make dialogue more believable and engaging
• Identify and address issues regarding character development
• Identify and address problems related to setting and description
• Address issues in a novel’s story arc

Note: This is an intermediate-level workshop. Participants should have a basic understanding of fiction and the elements required in a novel.

Bio: Suzy Bills is an assistant teaching professor of editing and publishing at BYU and was formerly a lead editor at the Joseph Smith Papers Project. She also owns an editing and writing business. After completing a bachelor’s degree at BYU in 2004, she worked as an in-house editor and also completed an MBA in preparation for starting her own business. She’s worked with individuals and companies on everything from fiction to video scripts, website content, 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.

Power Storytelling Techniques to Captivate Readers: The Hero’s Journey, Writing Juicy, and the Three-Act Play

Bridget Cook-Burch

Participants will learn clear, effective ways to use three of the most powerful storytelling techniques in all of writing history. By building upon one another, these remarkable techniques will make your storytelling stronger, make your narrative more compelling, and take your personal growth off the charts! Bridget makes the information clear and inspirational and gives real-world fiction and nonfiction examples as she works with participants hands-on to incorporate deepest conflicts, dark-night-of-the-soul drama, and climaxes that will have your readers singing! 

This workshop is for fiction and nonfiction authors with a “Mighty Message”—something they are so passionate about writing that they can’t sleep at night but haven’t gotten onto the page as big as their passion declares is possible. Whether their book is meant to entertain, educate, motivate or inspire, participants in this workshop will address

• How techniques used to write the most epic stories of all time helps authors understand the power of their own story naturally and organically, guiding them to become leaders in their profession and passionate enough to create more than readers but movements;
• How to write using both left brain and right brain for “master brain” outlining and writing for their most powerful book—particularly useful in nonfiction for compelling memoir, autobiographies, narrative nonfiction, DIY, and self-help books as well as creating robust fiction, regardless of genre;
• All twelve steps of the Hero’s Journey—laid out as easy, understandable pieces of the story (no matter who the character is), cutting months or even years off their writing process by seeing the patterns for what they are; and
• Why they are smack in the middle of their own Hero’s Journey—and how to use the dark night to turn their mess into their message, their misery into their ministry and career path—and, in fiction, to create very saleable stuff too!

Participants are invited to

• Come ready to learn, open to new possibilities in their lives and careers as authors,
• Have a rudimentary one-page outline of your book if possible,
• Bring scratch paper, pens, and markers in two diverse colors.

Bio: Since the world of writing can be crazy and overwhelming, Bridget loves to guide writers into completing manuscripts and becoming published authors and leaders. A New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author, transformational speaker, writing mentor, and leader of writing retreats in Utah and Ireland, Bridget has had books showcased on Oprah, Dateline, Good Morning America, Today Show, 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. Knowing how profoundly storytelling affects quality of life, Bridget’s challenge to you is to believe in the power of your story to change the world.

Website Design, Branding, and Social Media Workshop

Brett Parson

This workshop gives an in-depth look into what to do or not to do when it comes to brand, website, and marketing. How does your brand look? Does it impress? Does it bore? Get professional advice and tips on how to make it attractive. Apply the  “Look the Part—Be the Part” strategy to your website, social media, and marketing.

The workshop is open to all business types, beginner to advanced: authors, bloggers, actors, speakers, publishers, media companies, and influencers. Beginners, come prepared with a company or product name and an idea of your purpose and goals. For intermediate to advanced participants, come prepared with all the above, plus your website and current marketing strategies. 

Show your own website for a detailed review to find out

• How it looks and feels to your target customers
• How it illustrates who you are and what you do
• How it “converts” your audience to purchase, engage, and so forth 
• How it is built (is it a dinosaur or sporty and new?) and what type of platform it is on. What types of servers, load speed, and so on. Yes, this stuff all matters!
• How it ranks on Google
• How it uses social media
• How it aligns with your overall purpose and strategy

Bio: Brett Oliver Parson has been telling stories for as long as he can remember; especially stories that rhyme. He is the author of several children’s books, including the award-winning The Twelve Hats of Christmas (Gold Medal Winner—Moonbeam Children’s Books Awards).

He comes from a long line of professional artists, yet he is the first to admit he can’t draw like the rest of his family. He is also the creator of several successful businesses that use the industry’s best for online marketing and branding to improve client image and increase revenues. Using the World Wide Web, Brett leverages resources across states and continents to develop teams of strategists, web programmers, and graphic artists to create effective marketing and aesthetic design, which some of their work has been published in TV Guide, Jet Setter Magazine, duPont Registry, and SkyWest Magazine.

Brett is a guest speaker who trains clients through the brand image and marketing processes that focuses on obtaining the best results.  Whether a client wants to be found first online or needs an improved brand image, he has the resources to exceed client expectations. He lives in Utah with his gorgeous wife and four children. When he’s not working, you can find him spending way too much time with his family at Disneyland.

Business and Intellectual Property Development in Media and Publishing

Nate Olson

In this workshop, participants will create a development process for intellectual property in entertainment (including movies, shows, video games, novels, graphic novels, comic books, children’s books, and so forth) and learn how to exploit that intellectual property to generate revenue. Participants will also practice techniques for evaluating the market viability of entertainment media ideas and raising investment from various sources, such as crowdfunding, traditional financing, and pitching to companies that commission content. During the workshop, participants will

• Gain tools to evaluate the viability of their ideas
• Understand the media landscape, the gatekeepers and players, and the pitfalls
• Create a map for a go-to market strategy for their ideas
• Gauge when to bring in the investors and attorneys

Bio: Nate Olson has twenty years’ experience in media design, sales, marketing, distribution, and monetization. He has spent the last decade or so working with entertainment companies, primarily in the animation industry but also with video game and toy companies, and he is directly involved in licensing intellectual property as both licensee and licensor. Nate graduated with a degree in media arts from BYU and pursued graduate studies in instructional technology at Utah State and digital media design at Georgia Tech.