The literary track of FandomFest is now live. This weekend, authors will share their expertise on various panels, discussing the world of writing and publishing from craft to marketing. I'll be on three panels: Plotter or Pantser, Love and Sex for Geeks, and Screenplay Writing.
If you're in the Louisville, Kentucky area, FandomFest is this weekend, July 26-28. Celebrities include Adrian Paul, Gene Simmons, William Shatner, Gillian Anderson, and Stan Lee, although this is only a partial list. For more information, check out the
FandomFest website. Literary Track information is
here.
Below is a list of panels and participants. And a special thank you to Stephen Zimmer for bringing this together. You rock. :-)
FandomFest
2013 Literary Track Panels, Times, Descriptions, and Participants:
Friday Panels
2:00 pm
Meet
the Panelists
An informal meet and greet, where attendees at Fandom Fest can get an idea
of who’s who on the Literary Track!
3:00pm
The
Art of Being a Good Panelist
This special session is for those new to being panelists at
conventions, those with little experience, or even those with many conventions
under their belt who might want to gain some further insights into what makes
for effective panel participation. A
great orientation on participating on panels!
Featuring:
Lee Martindale (M)
4:00 Panels
Crossing
Genres A Forum
There will always be readers of particular genres, whether
it be steampunk or epic fantasy, but many storytellers are having wonderful
experiences bringing in elements of many genres. This panel will explore some examples of
cross-genre fiction, and also discuss why cross-genre fiction is growing fast
in popularity.
Featuring:
John Allen
J.H. Glaze
T.Lee Harris
Christian Jensen
Bethany Halle
Joy Ward
Dynamic
Dialogue
What are some approaches to writing effective dialogue? This
panel will contain a few surprises, as our panelists will demonstrate how
dialogue that might look correct on the page can be very different on the ear.
Be sure to catch this panel for some moments that are both instructive and
entertaining!
Featuring:
Marian Allen
L. Andrew Cooper
Scott Sandridge
Missy Goodman
Ian Harac
Ren Garcia
Developing
A Good Query
Whether looking for an agent, or perhaps a publisher,
writing a concise and engaging query letter can often prove the difference in
whether your work is taken into consideration.
This panel will break down query letters and offer advice on how to
write an effective one.
Featuring:
Ginny Fleming
Eric Beebe
Sean Taylor
Becky Hollada
5:30 PM Panels
Effective
Social Media
So many social media outlets and so little time. What is an author to do? This panel will feature several individuals
who are savvy and effective when it comes to social media, to offer their
insights on how to approach some specific social media outlets, as well as what
not to do. There is an art to being
effective with social media, and this panel will shed some light on that area.
Featuring:
Alicia Justice
Tony Acree
Marian Allen
RJ Sullivan
Missy Goodman
Jennifer Malone
Wright
Urban
Fantasy Today
The definition of urban fantasy has changed over recent
years, and it is the focus of this panel to explore the realms of urban fantasy
and where the genre is at today. What’s popular
in urban fantasy now? What kinds of
themes are being explored in today’s urban fantasy. This will be a fun panel for all who love
this genre.
Featuring:
John Allen
Chris Brown
Eric Garrison
S.H. Roddey
Georgia L. Jones
Brick Marlin
Putting
Together a Winning Anthology
Join a group of authors and editors with plenty of anthology
experience, as they talk about what goes into the assembly of a solid anthology
project. There’s more involved than
just picking some good stories, and if you’ve ever wanted to know how editors
think in approach to an anthology project, then this is the panel for you.
Featuring:
T.Lee Harris
Lee Martindale
J.L. Mulvihill
Michael West
Becky Hollada
Writing
a Series
Whether a trilogy or fifteen books in length, a series
involving several installments is very prevalent in the world of speculative
fiction. There are things to keep in
mind when creating and developing a series. This panel will involve a
discussion with several authors with active series, offering suggestions and
approaches to writing effective installments in a solid series.
Featuring:
Terry W. Ervin
J.H. Glaze
Mark Wandrey
Lisa Morgan
M.B. Weston
S.B. Knight
7 PM Panels
Choosing
the Right Path In Publishing
A special extended forum exploring the options of
self-publishing, small press, and major press.
The pro’s and con’s of each avenue of publishing will be discussed by
panelists who are personally experienced with one or more of those choices.
Featuring:
Janet Harriet
Lee Martindale (M)
Eric Beebe
M.B. Weston
SB Knight
Georgia L. Jones
The
Writing Business: A Forum
Yes, as much as writing is a creative endeavor, it is also a
business. Bring your questions on the
business of writing, ranging from contracts to sensible ways to planning your
year of activity as an author. Business
can be a dry topic sometimes, but this panel promises to include some wild
tales and anecdotes that will illustrate the importance of taking a serious
approach to the business of writing.
Featuring:
L Andrew Cooper
Charlie Kenmore
Sean Taylor
Brick Marlin
Michael West
Kayelle McClive
Writers
Guide to Drinking
What’s the easiest place to find authors at a Con? Just go to the bar! Yes, authors have been known to have a drink
or two, and we thought we’d include a fun panel featuring authors talking about
the topic of drinking! What they like,
whether they drink when writing, and more!
Should be a fun, light-hearted addition to the track!
Featuring:
Tony Acree
Mariah Allen
Chris Brown
Christian Jensen (M)
Scott Sandridge
Neil Sayatovich
Pitch
the Publisher Session One
Come and pitch your manuscript/project to an established
publisher. Grimoire Books is the
featured publisher for this first session of a popular Fandom Fest Literary
Track activity!
8:30 PM
Panels
Author
Karaoke
Just fun, informal Karaoke featuring Fandom Fest
authors! Who knows who else might be
there? Rumor has it that Selah Janel and
John F. Allen will be dazzling the audience with their hosting and singing
talents!
Pitch the Publisher Session II
Pitch your manuscript/project at the second scheduled session at
FandomFest, featuring the amazing Dave Mattingly of Blackwyrm Publishing!
Saturday Panels
10
AM Panels
The
Changing Landscapes of Publishing
This session explores how much publishing has changed in
recent years, where it is now, and what is just ahead. What kinds of adaptations have publishers
undertaken to survive, and even thrive, in today’s climate? What challenges are looming? Come and examine trends and speculation in
regards to the world of publishing.
Featuring:
Janet Harriet
Christian Jensen
Eric Beebe
Bethany Halle
Sandy Sullivan
What’s
Involved with Publishing a Quality Title
This panel will give
you a nice overview of the steps of the publishing process, ranging from the
editing phase all the way to the marketing and publicity phase. This panel will give authors a better
appreciation of what publishers have to do on their end, as well as provide a
clear perspective for authors pursuing self-publishing on how to do it right.
Featuring:
John Dawson Jackson
Charlie Kenmore
Travis Surber
Sean Taylor
Mike Patton
Becky Hollada
Approaches
to Character Development
What is involved in developing compelling, realistic
characters? This panel discussion will
explore the elements of character development that apply to all genres of
writing. Make your characters live,
breathe, and grow over the course of your story arc!
Featuring:
John Allen
Terry W Ervin
Mark Wandrey
Brad Parnell
Shon Jason Medley
Dave Creek
Cheap
Easy Cosplay
Are you an author that likes to “look the part” at
conventions, perhaps suiting up as one of your own characters? Are you simply interested in learning more
about Cosplay? This session takes a look
at Cosplay in the kind of light that does not require big budgets or high
expertise!
Featuring:
Selah Janel
J.L. Mulvihill
11:30 AM Panels
Authors
Interviewing Authors
Yes, the title says it all!
Authors will be interviewing Authors in this new addition to the
track! See 3 authors ask questions of
three others… and then the table will be turned!
Featuring:
L. Andrews Cooper
Selah Janel
Lee Martindale
Michael West
Georgia L. Jones
J.H. Glaze
Book
Blogging
Book Blogs have become quite a force in today’s publishing
climate. Book Blogs have propelled
self-published authors to the heights of the sales charts, and major presses
now place a great focus on the book blog community. This forum will discuss the world of book
blogging and why it has become so important for today’s authors.
Featuring:
Alicia Justice
Rachel Smith
Alexx Miller
Bethany Halle
Mike Patton
Evolution
of Steampunk
Steampunk has become a very popular area of speculative
fiction, and has crossed over into film, games, and much more in the mainstream
consciousness. This panel will offer you
an overview of steampunk, but it will also explore the directions that
steampunk is evolving, and what kinds of new elements are making their way into
steampunk literature now that it is fairly well established.
Featuring:
Eric Garrison
J.L. Mulvihill
Shon Jason Medley (M)
World
Building 101
World building plays a key role in all kinds of speculative
fiction, from steampunk, to epic fantasy, to science fiction and urban
fantasy. How do you go about creating
an interesting and compelling world to set your story in? There are so many considerations, from
geography, to sociology, to technology, and much more. What world-building elements can be used in
developing a story set in our world?
Come and explore the exciting topic of world building with our expert
panelists.
Featuring:
John Allen
Terry W. Ervin
Scott Sandridge
Mark Wandrey
Brad Parnell
Ian Harac
1 PM Panels
Contracts
An Overview
We can’t offer official legal advice, but we can explore the
common clauses to publishing contracts, and what to keep in mind when
evaluating whether a contract is fair or not.
This panel discussion will also give you some insight regarding red
flags to look out for.
Featuring:
Janet Harriet
Lee Martindale
Charlie Kenmore
Eric Beebe
Young
Adult Fiction: A Forum
YA is without question one of the strongest and hottest
areas of the publishing world, with many popular books series taking off as
major film franchises. Come and discuss
YA fiction, including what it is, what kinds of changes it has gone through,
and even how highly mature themes are worked into YA literature.
Featuring:
Ali Justice
Brad Parnell
Terry W. Ervin
Mark Wandrey
Brick Marlin
Plotter
or Pantser
When writing a short story, novella, or novel, there are
some who heavily outline, and some who largely go with the flow, as well as all
levels in between. This discussion will
explore the development of plot in regards to a new writing project, as authors
discuss what kind of approach they take.
Featuring:
Chris Brown
Jennifer Malone
Wright
Giny Flemming
K.B. Miller
Pamela Turner
Lisa Morgan
2:30 PM Panels
Working
Well With Editors
What do editors expect?
What’s the right etiquette when working with a professional editor? What are the editor’s expectations of an
author? This discussion will give you
insights that will help you improve your approach to editors as well as your
experience working with them.
Featuring:
Janet Harriet
Scott Sandridge
Sean Taylor
Shon Jason Medley
Dave Creek
Becky Hollada
Episodic
Fiction
The explosion of eBooks has brought along with it a great
potential for publishing stories as episodic fiction. This panel will give an overview of episodic
fiction, and also discuss why the digital media world makes episodic fiction
increasingly attractive for many authors.
Featuring:
Jennifer Malone
Wright
J.H. Glaze
K.B. Miller
RJ Sullivan
Travis Surber
Genre
Fiction as an Effective Aid for Those With Disabilities
From special literary programs, to themes in stories,
science fiction and other genre fiction has long been of help and comfort to
those with special needs or disabilities.
This panel will explore some of the ways in which genre fiction plays a
wonderful role in helping many who are contending with disabilities.
Featuring:
T. Lee Harris
Lee Martindale (M)
J. L. Mulvihill
Joy Ward
Marian Allen
4:00 PM Panels
Exploring Horror
Explore the realm of creating compelling horror with a
cross-disciplinary group of panelists!
Panelists with backgrounds in books, movies, and games will participate
in this special forum to examine what elements go into the foundation of
effective horror, in a way that’s relevant to all types of creative expression.
Featuring:
L. Andrew Cooper
Selah Janel
S.B. Knight
Michael West
Brick Marlin
John Mulhall
Alternate History
Alternate History is a very exciting genre that challenges
writers to explore the big “what ifs?”
What if a different side won a battle or war? What if a different president was
elected? What if a different choice was
made at a critical juncture in history?
All kinds of scenarios are explored by writers of alternate histories,
and this panel will take a look at the unique challenges and considerations
when writing in this genre.
Featuring:
Eric Garrison
J.L. Mulvihill
John Dawson Jackson
Shon Jason Medley (M)
Ren Garcia
Neal Sayatovich
Game
of Thrones
Be prepared for spoilers!
A panel discussion comparing the highly popular HBO series adapting
George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire Series. What do you like and not like about the
television version? Perhaps the
television version has some things that you liked better than the books? This promises to be a fun panel for fans of
the show, books, or both!
Featuring:
Tony Acree
Lee Martindale
Ian Harac
Lisa Morgan
Fan
Fiction
A panel focused on writing fan fiction, including the
reasons why it can be a useful endeavor for some writers, and why other writers
advise strongly against it. An honest
discussion of a very popular pursuit in the world of creative writing today.
Featuring:
Marian Allen
Alicia Justice
Kayelle McClive
S.H. Roddey
5:30 Panels
Improv
Storytelling
A fun and
entertaining session that will feature a number of our author guests
collaborating in a live, improve storytelling session! Sure to be one of the most popular features
on the literary track! Don’t miss this
one!
Featuring:
Tony Acree
L. Andrew Cooper
Selah Janel
Christian Jensen
Lee Martindale
J.L. Mulvihill
Susan Roddey
Avoiding
Scams in Publishing
There are more scams than ever, looking to prey upon new
authors. This panel will discuss what to
look for, in terms of red flags, when it comes to possible scams in the
publishing industry. Don’t be suckered
into a bad situation, especially when it involves the rights to your work!
Featuring:
Ginny Flemming
Janet Harriet
Eric Beebe
Charlie Kenmore
Sandy Sullivan
Heavy
Metal and Its Relationship With Speculative Fiction
Dio, Iron Maiden, Nightwish, Black Sabbath, Rush … the list
goes on and on of hard rock and heavy metal bands who have incorporated fantasy
and science fiction themes into their music and artwork. This panel will explore the relationship of
hard rock and heavy metal with speculative fiction,
Featuring:
Chris Brown
Scott Sandridge
Brick Marlin
Stephen Zimmer
Neil Sayatovich
Paranormal
Explorations
From the popularity of paranormal investigations, to the
popularity of paranormal-themed literature, the realm of the paranormal is
certainly at the forefront. Come and
join in a discussion of the paranormal as it applies to literature and
investigations!
Featuring:
K.B Miller
RJ Sullivan
Eric Garrison
Joy Ward
7:00 PM Panels
Book
Publicity
This session, featuring Jitterbug PR, will take you through
a survey of book publicity in all its forms, including traditional PR and
campaigns involving New Media.
Publicity is a critical component to book sales, and authors of all
levels would be wise to gain an understanding of the art of publicity!
Featuring:
Alicia Justice
Rachel Smith
Alexx Miller
Missy Goodman
John Mulhall
Mike Patton
Love
and Sex For Geeks
A panel of an adult-themed variety, led by Alexandra
Christian, exploring the topic of sex in the context of writing. Should be a highly entertaining and
informative panel if you are looking to write more effective romance, erotica,
or spice up other genre fiction.
Featuring:
Christian Jenson
Kayelle McClive
Pamela Turner
Bethany Halle
Sandy Sullivan
Pitch
the Publisher Session III
Come and pitch your manuscript/project to an established
publisher at the third session of Fandom Fest’s Pitch the Publisher. This session will feature none other than
Post Mortem Press!
Sunday Panels
9 AM
FandomFest Church Service
Come join us for a non-denominational worship service
co-hosted by the Christian Gamers Guild and Fans for Christ. We'll read
scripture, sing familiar hymns, hear a sermon, and offer an optional communion.
Stick around afterwards to meet fellow Christians and learn more about the
ministries.
10 AM Panels
Effective
Ebook Marketing
Explore the ways that authors with success in eBook sales
promote and market online. There are
things specific to different platforms such as Kindle and Nook, and there are
very cost-effective techniques for getting the word out there. Find out about things that are good to do,
and also what is a waste of time and money.
Featuring:
Jitterbug PR
Chris Brown
J.H. Glaze
Amy McCorkle
Bethany Halle
Sandy Sullivan
Beta
Reading
What is beta reading?
Why is it so important to an author?
What is involved in being a good beta reader? This panel will explore the world of beta
reading, from panelists with experience!
Featuring:
Terry W. Ervin
Eric Garrison
S.H. Roddey
RJ Sullivan
Alexx Miller
Screenplay
Writing
Come and find out what’s different about writing a
screenplay as compared to a novel. This
panel will show you why the movie and the book will inevitably have significant
differences. The approach to writing a
screenplay entails some special considerations and is an art in itself. You might even find yourself inspired to
begin writing one!
Featuring:
Ginny Fleming
Pamela Tuner
M.B. Weston
Lee Martindale (M)
Dave Creek
11:30 Panels
Successful
Self pub
Self-publishing
does not carry the stigma that it used to, but those who have bought many
self-published titles know that it can be quite a minefield in terms of the
range of quality offered.
Self-publishing successfully involves some key elements, and this panel
will explore them.
Featuring:
Janet Harriet
Amy McCorkle
John Dawson Jackson
Travis Surber
Lee Martindale (M)
John Mulhall
Challenges
of Co-Authoring
Co-authoring a book has many unique aspects, and this panel
features authors familiar with the co-authoring process. What should you expect? How do you develop an effective collaboration? How can you keep organized during a
project? Methods and tips on the
dynamics of co-authoring will take center stage in this session.
Featuring:
Jennifer Malone
Wright
K.B. Miller
Bethany Halle
Christian Jensen
Selah Janel
Susan Roddey
Animals
in Fiction
This panel
will explore the topic of animals in fiction, including animals that are
characters and the use of animals in stories.
Some of the most heartwarming stories in literature have involved
animals who have been main characters (Watership Down, for starters), or
important parts of the cast (Shadowfax in LOTR). Join this panel for a fun and interesting
overview of the use of animals in fiction.
Featuring:
JH Glaze
T. Lee Harris
Scott Sandridge
J.L. Mulvihill
Brad Parnell
Ren Garcia
1 PM Panels
The Future
of Physical Books
In a realm increasingly dominated by eBooks, physical books
and bookstores still have a very viable place in the literary world. This panel will explore the reasons why
physical books will continue to survive, and perhaps even thrive!
Featuring:
Eric Garrison
Janet Harriet
T.L ee Harris
Shon Jason Medley
M.B. Weston
Writing
Good Book Reviews
Whether
you are leaving a few sentences on Goodreads or Amazon, or run a regular book
blogging site, good book reviews are an art in their own right. This panel will explore insights and
techniques for writing engaging and effective book reviews.
Featuring:
Alicia Justice
Scott Sandridge
Rachel Smith
Alexx Miller