U.P. Publishers & Authors Association to hold 23rd Annual Conference June 6, 2020

In its constant commitment to informing regional authors and publishers of the latest changes in the publishing world and offering effective marketing and writing innovations, the Upper Peninsula Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) will hold its 23rd Annual Conference on Saturday, June 6th in Marquette at the U.P. Masonic Center from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

This year features a special pre-conference Fiction Writing Workshop on Friday, June 5th, at the Women’s Federated Clubhouse in Marquette from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Participants will review key concepts, engage in writing exercises, share pages for critique, and edit their own writing with support from author and educator Bethany Leonard of Red Ore Writers (Crystal Falls, MI). To attend this workshop, you must be a member of the UPPAA.

This year’s conference includes a variety of topics relevant to writing, publishing, and marketing. It will be of interest to beginning as well as seasoned writers, and published authors.  Keynote speaker Carolyn Howard-Johnson (Glendale, CA) brings her experience as a publicist, journalist, marketer, and retailer to the advice she gives in her “How to Do It Frugally” series of books for writers. She will share her story and tips she learned from launching her own sixteen books in several genres, many of them multi-award winners. Howard-Johnson also taught for nearly a decade as instructor for UCLA Extension’s world-renowned Writers’ Program.

Other sessions to be held are “Self-Publishing 101” with Jansina Grossman, “Writing and Researching Historical Fiction and Nonfiction” with Tyler Tichelaar, “Crafting the Self Published Picture Book” with Aimee Bissonette, “Romance Writing” with Donna Winters, “Social Media for Book Promotion – YouTube and Beyond” with Steve Lehto, and “Diving into Character Development” with Naomi Rawlings. All the speakers are members of UPPAA or authors who live in or write about Upper Michigan.

A business meeting will also be held, the highlight of which will be the presentation of the 3rd annual Dandelion Cottage Awards for its student short story contest. For more information about the annual Dandelion Cottage short story contest, visit www.DandelionCottage.org.

In addition, the release of the 4th volume of U.P. Reader, UPPAA’s own annual literary anthology featuring short stories, poetry, and essays by its members, will be celebrated. This new volume includes works by 33 authors from around the U.P. including all of this year’s Dandelion Cottage Award winners.  For more information, visit www.UPReader.org.

The conference provides networking opportunities for anyone wishing to learn more about writing, publishing, and book marketing. Additionally, the final session of the day will include “Birds of a Feather” discussion groups to meet on topics of interest which the attendees nominate during the business meeting. An exhibition area will showcase U.P. authors who provide services to other authors such as illustration, editing, book design, and marketing.

The general public may attend the Spring Conference for a $45 registration fee. UPPAA members attend free of charge. Space is limited, so advanced registration is recommended. Membership details, benefits, and registration are available online at www.uppaa.org. A lunch buffet will be catered by Border Grill and is included with the conference fee. For questions or to register offline, contact membership secretary Brandy Thomas at uppaa.membership@gmail.com. Registrations online or by mail must be received no later than May 25.