Monthly Programs
The
Writers' League 2010 Third Thursday Series Building Your Buzz7
PM the Third Thursday of the Month Writers' League Office Free!In
the ever-changing publishing world, it's no longer enough for writers to simply
write-they also need to work just as hard at promoting themselves. But where do
you start and how do you make sense of all of the tools available? The WLT's Third
Thursday program for 2010 will answer all of these daunting questions. Each month
the Writers' League will address a specific "buzz building" topic by
bringing together experts in publicity, marketing, social media, and networking--as
well as authors who've been there and done that. |
| March 18, 2010 |

Nettie
Hartsock 
Jimmy
Flannigan 
Thomas
Umstattd Jr. | "Establishing
Your Online Identity: Building a Web Site and the Importance of Blogging"
Nettie Hartsock, Jimmy Flannigan and Thomas Umstattd Jr.Location:
Writers' League Office, 611 S. Congress Ave, Suite 130, AustinNettie
Hartsock is a digital strategist who helps artists, musicians, authors
and companies focus on creating, conveying and connecting their message to the
world. Her work as a "connector" is highly regarded, and she creates
successful programs that establish a powerful base for attracting both bloggers'
and journalists' attention. Jimmy Flannigan is the owner of Site
Street, Inc., a web design and hosting company in Austin. Founded in 1997,
it is one of the oldest web companies in Austin still locally owned and operated.
With a degree from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA in e-Business,
Mr. Flannigan brings enterprise-level consulting and expertise to small businesses
and independent publishers in Austin and across the country. Site Street's suite
of services includes web design, custom development, web hosting, search engine
optimization, and email marketing. Thomas Umstattd Jr. loves technology.
He built his first website at the age of 13 and taught his first web design class
at only 16 years old. He has been helping authors and small businesses use the
web ever since. His blend of youth and experience give him a unique perspective
that can help you use the web in a whole new way. As an award winning speaker,
Thomas teaches all over the world. His friendly speaking style blends multimedia
and audience participation. Thomas is the CEO of Umstattd Media, a company that
helps authors use the Web to sell books and win contracts. He also runs AuthorTechTips.com
a resource for authors timid about technology. Before the program, join
us for WLT's Sidewalk Book Sale from 1 - 6:30
PM in the WLT parking lot at 611 Congress. |
| April 15, 2010 |
| | "What
Social Media Can Do for You: Facebook, MySpace, and Other Emerging Online Media"
with Omar L. GallagaLocation: Writers' League Office, 611 S. Congress
Ave, Suite 130, Austin Omar L. Gallaga is a technology culture
reporter for the Austin American-Statesman and a regular contributor to
NPR's "All Things Considered." He is also a blogger on NPR's "All
Tech Considered" blog. He writes and produces videos for the Statesman's
Digital Savant blog, NBC/Universal's Television Without Pity Web site and his
own sites including Terribly-Happy.com, People Dancing At Concerts and "Space
Monkeys!" a Web comic he created with his brother, Pablo. In addition to
his tech journalism and Web writing, he's also worked as a writer and performer
with Austin's award-winning Latino Comedy Project and ME TV's "The Almost
Late Show With Bobby Bones" and has also written for Hispanic magazine,
the Tulsa World and the Wall Street Journal. Before the program,
join us from 5 - 7 PM for Happy Hour at Doc's
Motorworks, 1123 S. Congress Ave., a few blocks down the street from the WLT
office. | | May
20, 2010 | |
| "Who
You Know DOES Matter: Mailing Lists, Endorsements, and Networking" with
Debra MonroeLocation: Writers' League Office, 611 S. Congress Ave, Suite
130, Austin Debra Monroe
is the author of four books of fiction: The Source of Trouble (1990),
A Wild, Cold State (1995), Newfangled (1998), and Shambles (2004).
Her forthcoming memoir, On the Outskirts of Normal, about being the white
mother of a black daughter in a small, rural Texas town, will appear in June 2010.
Her books have been widely reviewed and won many awards, including the Flannery
OConnor Award, the John Gardner Fellowship, The Violet Crown Award, the
Quarterly West Novella Competition, and more. They have appeared on Best
Ten lists in Elle and Vanity Fair magazines, and in Borders
Bookstores Original Voices series, and she has been nominated
for the National Book Award twice. She has published poems, stories, and essays
in many magazines and journals. Debra was born in North Dakota and raised
in Wisconsin. She has since lived in Kansas, Utah, North Carolina, and Texas,
where she lives now, and she teaches in the MFA program at Texas State University.
Before the program, join us from 5 - 7 PM for Happy Hour at Doc's
Motorworks, 1123 S. Congress Ave., a few blocks down the street from the WLT
office. | | June
17, 2010 |

Stephanie
Barko 
Sheila
Allee | "How
to Become an Expert: Getting Your Name Out There Through Freelance Writing, Speaking
Engagements, and Media Appearances" with Stephanie Barko and Sheila AlleeLocation:
Writers' League Office, 611 S. Congress Ave, Suite 130, AustinStephanie
Barko is a Literary Publicist and co-owner of The Authors Assistant.
Her award-winning clients include 2009 Spur Award Winner John Nesbitt, 2008 Southwest
Book Award Winner Paul Cool, Christy & 2008 Willa Award Winner Jane Kirkpatrick,
and 2008 Book of the Year Winner Sandra Worth. Publishing partners include Random
House, Penguin, Tor/Forge, Henry Holt, Dorchester, McFarland, Texas A&M Press,
Truman State University Press, iUniverse and more. Stephanie was invited into
the publishing industry after many years in high tech marketing. Her education
includes a BBA in Marketing from The University of Texas at Austin and a BA in
Sociology from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. She is a member of the
Writers League of Texas and Story Circle Network. In addition to serving
clients, she presents at national conferences, moderates a book group, and participates
in several writing circles. Her own writing has been published in Western
American Literature, Roundup Magazine, Hill Country Sun, The Animal
Companion, Releasing Times, Story Circle Journal, Scribe,Kundalini
Buzz, Book Marketing MattersTM and Texas Book Marketing Directory.
A native Texan, Stephanie has made Austin her home since 1990. Sheila
Allee has been a speechwriter for almost 20 years and has produced speeches
for a wide variety of speakers. Sheila spent 12 years as a journalist and has
extensive experience writing for and editing magazines. She has written for Reader's
Digest, Business Week, Texas Business, and USA Today and
others. Her book, Texas Mutiny, a Texas crime novel, is now in its third
printing. She has also written Seven Steps to the Podium, A Handbook for Speakers
and Speechwriters. Before the program, join us from 5 - 7 PM for Happy
Hour at Doc's Motorworks, 1123 S.
Congress Ave., a few blocks down the street from the WLT office. |
| July 15, 2010 |

Phil
West 
Jennifer
Hill Robenalt 
Marika
Flatt | "Your
PR Campaign: Setting You Goals and Expectations" with Phil West, Jennifer
Hill Robenalt, and Marika FlattLocation: Writers' League Office,
611 S. Congress Ave, Suite 130, AustinPhil
West runs Luminaria Media & Public Relations, a PR firm in Austin,
with a special emphasis on authors, entrepreneurs, and non-profit organizations.
In addition to his PR work, Phil is a veteran arts organizer, most recently co-directing
the 2006 and 2007 National Poetry Slams in Austin. He is a graduate of the Michener
Center for Writers MFA program at the University of Texas at Austin. Jennifer
Hill Robenalt is a twenty-year communications pro and the principal of Hoopla
Media & Communications specializing in digital media strategy, media/presentation
training and professional writing. She graduated from Emerson College in Boston,
MA, with a degree in Writing, Literature and Publishing and currently produces
four blogs including www.currentliving.wordpress.com,
www.hooplamedia.wordpress.com,
www.jenniferhr.wordpress.com
and www.bisforblog.wordpress.com.
Marika Flatt launched PR
by the Book, LLC in 2002, combining her love of the media and public relations.
After garnering experience with her own cable television show, her college newspaper
and TV station, and the NBC affiliate in Dallas, Flatt spent seven years with
an Austin-based book publicity firm. She was the director of the publisher services
division, managing key publicity campaigns and serving as the companys spokesperson.
Marika is a regular speaker at conferences around the country, educating audiences
on topics related to publicity and overall promotion tactics. She was awarded
a 2004 Gold Bulldog Award for her publicity campaign for Revolve: The Complete
New Testament (a Bible for teen girls that looks like a fashion magazine).
In 2003-2004, Marika served as the president of the Austin chapter of the
Association for Women in Communications. Flatt is the recipient of the 2005 Austin
Public Relations Society of America Outstanding Mentor Award, the 2002 Anne D.
Robinson Creative Initiative Award and was a nominee for the 2004 "Profiles
in Power" award. Before the program, join us from 5 - 7 PM for Happy
Hour at Doc's Motorworks, 1123 S.
Congress Ave., a few blocks down the street from the WLT office. |
| August 19, 2010 |
| "Building
Your PR Team"Location: Writers' League Office, 611 S. Congress
Ave, Suite 130, Austin | | September
16, 2010 | |
| "Press
Kit Basics"Location: Writers' League Office, 611 S. Congress
Ave, Suite 130, Austin | | October
21, 2010 |
Sue Bilich | "Making
Media Work for You: Video, YouTube, and the Importance of Media Training"
with Sue BilichSue Bilich
has studied acting and singing in Austin and New York City. She has taken
several master classes in acting and singing, and recently returned from a master's
performance program, "The Cabaret Conference at Yale University," and
was the only participant from Texas. Other performers were from the United States
and Europe. The master teachers were working professionals from New York City,
Los Angeles, and England. Sue appeared as Fraulein Schneider in the Theater at
the "J's" production of Cabaret. She has also appeared in
film, T.V. national and regional commercials, local theater and does voice-over
work. She was one of several actors who recently narrated the audio book "Texas
Wisewomen, Let Me Tell You What I've Learned" by P. J. Pierce. She is a born
storyteller and loves to narrate. Before the program, join us from 5 - 7
PM for Happy Hour at Doc's Motorworks,
1123 S. Congress Ave., a few blocks down the street from the WLT office. |
| November 18, 2010 |
Dana Lynn Smith | "Give
Yourself a Longer Shelf Life: Marketing for the Long-Term" with Dana
Lynn SmithDana Lynn Smith
is a book marketing coach and author of The Savvy Book Marketer Guides.
Drawing on her 15 years of publishing experience and degree in marketing, she
specialize in developing marketing plans for non-fiction books and helping authors
learn how to promote their books online. Before the program, join us from
5 - 7 PM for Happy Hour at Doc's Motorworks,
1123 S. Congress Ave., a few blocks down the street from the WLT office. |
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