Published Authors Teach Secrets to Success

RICHMOND, Va., Dec. 10, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Business executives, professional speakers, coaches, consultants and other aspiring authors who have a nonfiction story to tell can soon receive expert advice on how to outline and sell their books for publication.

Nationally published authors Stacy Hawkins Adams and Maya Payne Smart have launched a six-week workshop called Book Proposal Boot Camp™, which will teach writers interested in landing an agent, securing a publisher, or self-publishing a book how to organize material to grab an agent or editor's attention and effectively sell their story.

The boot camp will be held on Tuesdays from Jan. 18 to Feb. 22, 2011, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at a nonprofit training center in Richmond's Willow Lawn area. The modest course fee (just $50 per session) will include:

• Six weekly instructor-led classes with audio recordings for review
• A notebook of lessons, activities and supplementary materials
• A copy of a noted book proposal guide that has sold more than 100,000 copies
• One 30-minute private coaching follow-up session with Stacy or Maya
• Free admission to one 60-minute Author In You™ teleseminar

"We'll take students step by step through the process of completing their proposals and give them a better understanding of today's publishing industry," said Adams, an award-winning inspirational author whose credits include six nationally published women's fiction novels (such as Watercolored Pearls and The Someday List) and one nonfiction book, all of which were sold through proposals. Adams is also a long-time journalist and freelance columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "Our goal is to support participants as they transform their book ideas into agent-ready proposals."

Book proposals are crucial business plans that can help writers develop commercially viable book ideas, pursue literary and financial goals with focus and accountability, build strong relationships with agents who can help them navigate the marketplace well and negotiate better fees and contracts.

"Beyond learning the nuts and bolts of book proposal writing, students will benefit from the live community of fellow writers and the sense of confidence and accomplishment that comes with setting and attaining ambitious goals," said Smart, an experienced trainer who teaches the business side of writing for numerous groups including the Society of Professional Journalists and the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism. She also has been a freelance journalist for CNNMoney.com, Fortune Small Business and Black Enterprise and a contributing author for Princeton Review books such as 120 Jobs That Won't Chain You to Your Desk.

Aspiring authors interested in enrolling in the boot camp can register online at http://www.writingcoach.com/book. The registration fee is $250 for those who pay in full by Jan. 14 and $300 for those who pay in two installments. For more information, email [email protected].

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SOURCE WritingCoach.com