Join us at the Main Library for a free, day-long event devoted to authors who are ready to get their manuscripts out of the house and to the publisher. The Nuts and Bolts of Publishing and Promoting Your Manuscript will be held from 9:45 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 29 in the meeting room wing of the library. Not to be confused with a writer’s workshop, the day is geared to those who have actually completed a book and, dismayed by the rejection slips, are wondering what to do next. Here's what's in store:

• 9:45-10 a.m.  –  Welcome and introduction by Anne Owens

• 10:00 -10:45 a.m. – “Marketing and Promoting Your Book and Yourself for the Self-Published Author” with author Janice Higgins

• 11:00 a.m.-11:45 a.m. –  “Marketing for the 21st Century: Blogs and Beyond,” with Charles Jensen, the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University

• Noon – 1 p.m. – No-host lunch break

• 1:00-1:45 p.m. – “Straight Talk from the Editor: 18 Keys to a Rejection-Proof Submission” with Terry Whalin, author of “Book Proposals That Sell”

• 2:00-2:45 p.m. – “Marketing Plans Made Magical” with Patricia Brooks, Marketing Faculty at Arizona State University

• 2:00-2:30 p.m. – “Copyright Issues of Intellectual Property” with former practicing patent agent and SCORE counselor Don J. Flickinger

• 2:30-3:00 p.m. – “Bookkeeping Issues for Authors” with Dianna Maccree, The Bookkeeping Connection

• 3-4:00 p.m. – “Tales from the Front,” a panel discussing editing issues with Vijaya Schartz and Toby Heathcotte 

Presenter information:

Californian Janice Higgins is not a newcomer to the Glendale Main Library, having appeared at the Celebration of African-American Authors in 2005. The author, who spent many of her formative years in Phoenix, did not take the conventional route to becoming a successful author. She chronicled her tragic childhood and troubled teen years in her first two books, “From the Eyes of a Child” and “No Direction.” These titles are the first of five in the series “There Were No Parents Here.” Higgins acknowledges that she did many bad things, but she was sent to prison in ‘90s on a weapons charge that she maintains she did not commit. After she was released in 1999, family and friends encouraged her to write about her experiences growing up. The rest is history – her books have been optioned by Hollywood.

Charles Jensen is the assistant director of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University, where he oversees events and workshops for aspiring writers. He holds a MFA in poetry from ASU and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management. He is the author of three poetry collections, including “Living Things,” which won the 2006 Frank O’Hara chapbook award, and a soon-to-be published book, “The Strange Case of Maribel Dixon.” He received the 2007 Artist’s Project Grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts. His poetry has appeared in many publications, including ‘Bloom,” The Journal” and “New England Review.” He is the founding editor of the online poetry magazine “LOCUSPOINT,” which explores creative work on a city-by-city basis.

Terry Whalin wears three hats—writer, editor and literary agent. He has worked as a magazine editor of “Decision” and “In Other Words” magazines. Articles he has written have appeared in over 50 publications, including “Writer’s Digest,” “The Writer,” and “Christianity Today.” Whalin is also the author of over 60 books. For more than five years, he has been a book acquisitions editor, and now he is the president of Whalin Literary Agency LLC.

An author, speaker, coach and teacher, Patricia Brooks has been a university faculty associate for over ten years and is currently an associate faculty member for Arizona State University at the Polytechnic campus, East College, teaching undergraduate Principles of Marketing in the Business Administration Department. She earned a Masters degree in Organizational Management, the Advanced Toastmasters designation and was named to “Who’s Who Among America's Teachers.” She has been a featured preenter for the ASU Wellness Program, recently speaking on “The Journey from Grief to Gratitude,’ which features her book, “Gifts of Sisterhood.”

Don Flickinger is an Intellectual Property Counselor at the Phoenix SCORE® Chapter 105 and a registered patent agent.He counsels on Intellectual Property, Patents, Copyrights, and Trademarks.

Dianna Maccree has worked in the public accounting industry for more than 20 years. She obtained her Bachelor of Science Business Accounting degree from the University of Phoenix.

Born and raised in France, Vijaya Schartz has lived in India, Hawaii, Florida, and Philadelphia, before settling in Arizona. An extensive world traveler, she returns to Europe regularly to visit her family and do book research. Recently, she visited Luxembourg, Germany, Aragon, Forez and Brittany, to glean information related to her current medieval fantasy series. This award-winning author has done it all—from theater to television, to hosting “Authors Secrets Radio,” where she interviewed some of the greatest authors. With eight novels in print and electronic format, and one more scheduled for release in 2007, Schartz writes action adventure laced with sensuality and suspense, in exotic and futuristic settings. She was the president of the Arizona Authors Association for seven years, the talk show host of “Authors' Secrets Radio” for three years, and a book reviewer for several magazines. She speaks regularly at national writers' conferences.

Toby Heathcotte has written a series of novels that explore the impact of psychic experiences or past lives on our present lives and relationships. The series, the “Alma Chronicles,” includes “Alison's Legacy,” “Lainn's Destiny,” “Angie's Promise,” plus two more. She has served as the president of the board of directors of the Arizona Authors Association and coordinated the Arizona Authors Contest for seven years. She has self published two textbooks and a novel. Heathcotte taught high school speech, drama, and English for thirty years, as well as college writing for five years.