Top SoCal Publishing Professionals to Speak at Ventura County Writers’ Weekend,

(Ventura, CA -) Thirty publishing industry figures are booked in Camarillo on Saturday and Sunday, November 3 & 4 to speak at the second annual Ventura County Writers’ Weekend. Saturday’s schedule presents the Business of Writing; Sunday the Craft of Writing. Sessions speakers include:

– Memoirists Diana Raab, and Reyna Grande whose new book The Distance Between Us was hailed by the Los Angeles Times as the Angela’s Ashes of the modern Mexican immigrant experience. This panel discussion will be lead by literary agent Toni Lopopolo, who when she served as executive editor in New York publishing, houses, signed and published many memoirs.

– Media experts on two different panels will discuss the basics that authors must master to promote their books to today’s book buyers. The panelists include Penny Sansevieri, CEO of Author Marketing Experts, considered the originator of the Virtual Book Tour, one of the many new ways to use social media and the Internet. Other media speakers include Laurie Hurley, the social media navigator who handles media for clients, Patricia Fry, author of numerous books for writers on promotion and marketing, and Kate Sexton, publicist and creator of the Author Promote Thyself workshops.

– Publishers from small presses who are gaining success with new publicity and distribution media including Caitland Alexander, author of over 100 children’s books who now publishes directly to eBook; Stan Corwin, former CEO of Pinnacle Books and now a small-press publisher, and Christopher Meeks of White Whiskers Publishing, a Southern California independent press.

– Three area editors who work with writers to develop publishable manuscripts, include Cheri Rae of Santa Barbara, Greg Elliot of Agoura, and Flo Selfman of Words a la Mode in Los Angeles. These speakers will discuss the most common errors writers make and how to prepare a well-edited manuscript.

Seating is limited to 40 people per panel. The event takes place at the Pleasant Valley Community Park in the Senior Center and runs from 9 to 5 on Saturday and 10 to 4 on Sunday.

Registration and full details for each class is at: www.VCWritersWeekend.com, or phone 805-633-1506.