Thank you for your interest in presenting at the annual conference of Latter-day Saints in Publishing, Media, and the Arts (LDSPMA)! We are always searching for quality speakers from a wide diversity of backgrounds who can inspire and instruct our members.

Conference Details

• The dates and location for the 2025 LDSPMA Conference are not confirmed, but it will likely be the first, second, or third weekend of October at a venue in Utah County. The conference consists of several parts:
  • September–October:
    • Preconference virtual classes. These are 50-minute Zoom presentations to a live virtual audience and are included as part of the conference package.
  • Thursday:
    • Deep-dive, 4-hour workshops
  • Friday–Saturday:
    • 50-minute breakout sessions

Breakout sessions and preconference classes are recorded, with the recordings and slides made available to attendees until the end of February, 2026.

What We Are Looking For

See our 2024, 2023, and 2022 list of sessions for an idea of the kinds of topics we seek to offer.

• We want a blend of sessions that cover the craft/how-to side, sessions that cover the business/production/marketing side, and sessions that cover the faith/mindset/ethics side of the creation and publication process.
• We also seek for a blend of foundational and advanced topics.
• We are also looking for sessions that address topics related to diversity, inclusion, and global reach (as they apply to specific tracks).

High-quality sessions usually have the following:

• Specific, expert, and actionable information
• Examples drawn from your career and work
• Illustrative metrics and data, where possible
• Advanced information for those already familiar with the basics of the topic
• Tie-ins to principles and doctrines of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as appropriate
• Engagement with the audience through questions, exercises, humor, etc.
• Handouts listing specific resources or takeaways (if applicable)

What We Are NOT Looking For

• Turning the session into an infomercial on your latest workshop/program/book
• Generic information or advice that has been said before or that is easily findable on the web
• Reading text off of a slide deck for your entire presentation
• Advice that is vague, general, basic, outdated, or unstructured
• Slides that have small type, excessive text, or poor color contrast

Benefits of Speaking

As compensation, speakers receive free access to our conference, including the keynote sessions, breakout classes, lunches, pitch sessions, and networking opportunities. With over 80 other presenters, panelists, and other experts at the conference, attending is a wonderful way to connect with peers or potential collaborators.

Speakers also will receive free or heavily discounted offers for program ads, hallway exhibit tables, and tables at the Mass Book and Media Signing, as well as the opportunity to sell their books through the Conference Store.

Thursday Deep-Dive Workshop instructors will receive 30% of the registration revenue from their workshop.

Expectations of Presenters

• In the months before the conference, share about the LDSPMA Conference through word-of-mouth, email, or social media. (We will provide each speaker with a general-purpose media kit and with social media graphics specific to their session.)
• Submit slides in advance to be posted alongside the session recording after the conference (not applicable to Thursday Deep-Dive Workshop instructors)
• Deliver a high-quality, professional session at the conference.

Note: Preconference classes are recorded live when they are given. Thursday workshops are not recorded.

Session Proposal

We recommend typing your answers in a separate document and pasting them into this form, in case there is an issue with the form submitting.

To submit multiple session proposals, fill out the form multiple times.

If you encounter difficulties with this form, please email the requested information to info@ldspma.org.

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Invited to speak

• Check this box if you are filling out this form because you were personally invited to speak by one of our track organizers.

Who invited you? (To help us get this to the right person)

• Becky Willard
• Gale Sears
• Hannah Call
• Jason Jones
• Krista Isaacson
• Paul Schwartz
• Randel McGee
• Stacey Leybas
• Steve Piersanti
• Suzy Bills
• Tessa Hauglid
• Todd Hougaard

Name *

First

Last

Email *

Phone *

How did you hear about our conference/organization?

This proposal is for a . . . *

• In-person breakout session or preconference virtual session (50 min)
• Thursday Deep-Dive workshop (4 hours)

Only available virtually

• Check here if you are ONLY available virtually

Proposed title & subtitle of session: 5–20 words (be highly descriptive of the topic)

Hint: Boring but descriptive (“Seven Key Cover Design Principles”) is better than clever but vague (“Crafting Classy Covers”)

Indicate which category this session best falls under (for internal use)

• Business/Leadership/Finance/Entrepreneurship (how to master the business/finance/management/legal sides of your work)
• Editing/Design/Production (editing, typesetting, graphic design, etc.)
• Fiction Writing (including how to get published or self-publish a fiction book)
• Marketing (how to market and distribute books, art, music, and media)
• Media (producing films, TV shows, podcasts, short video content, and other multimedia)
• Musical Arts (songwriting, music production, music distribution)
• Nonfiction Writing (including how to get published or self-publish a nonfiction book)
• Performing Arts (public speaking, theater, musical performance, acting)
• Visual Arts (including graphic design, illustration, and fine art)
• Inspiration/Faith/Mindset (applicable to any creator)

Check ALL of the types of attendees that this session would appeal to (for tagging in our program) *

• General interest (ALL creators)
• Artists
• Designers
• Editors
• Entrepreneurs, small business owners, and leaders
• Fiction writers
• Filmmakers and actors
• Marketers
• Musicians
• Nonfiction writers
• Online/digital/social content creators & influencers
• Performers
• Podcasters
• Publishing professionals
• Speakers

Which label best fits this session? (For tagging in our program) *

• Foundational
• Advanced

Session description (30–70 words): Include a specific list of topics that the class will cover. *

Narrow and specific is better than broad and vague.

Workshop description (30–70 words) *

Bulleted list of learning outcomes ("During the workshop, you will:")

Visual Text

Prerequisites, if any ("This class will assume that you already know . . .")

Especially if you are teaching an Advanced class, being clear about prerequisites will allow you to not waste time in class explaining basic concepts that 90% of attendees already understand.

Pre-work, if any (things to bring to the workshop, or things to think about beforehand)

For example, “Bring song lyrics you want to workshop” or “Bring the first page of your manuscript.”

Your bio (30–70 words): Lead with your main qualification(s) for teaching on this topic. Write in the 3rd person. *

Please upload a professional headshot of you

Click or drag a file to this area to upload.

We will crop the image to square for our website and program. It should be at least 800 x 800 pixels.

Additional Information (for our internal use)

What previous presentation, teaching, or speaking experience do you have?

If there are any videos or audio recordings of prior presentations you've given, include the URLs here (e.g. a YouTube link, a podcast link, a link to a publicly shared Google Drive document):

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