“We will offer a wide variety of topics, such as: getting started as a writer and the easiest articles to sell, … devotional and personal-experience articles,” said Murphey, who is author or co-author of more than 100 books including the NY Times bestseller, 90 Minutes in Heaven.
“Dr. Michael Brewer (Presbyterian pastor and published author) will offer a class on going from sermon to print and print to sermon,” Murphey said. “We’ll provide classes on nonfiction books and novels. Conferees can learn how to get an agent, and Twila [Belk] will teach on how to promote or publicize our books.”
The faculty includes Brewer and Murphey; Vince Patton of Westminster John Knox Press; Jerry Van Marter of the Presbyterian News Service; James Clinefelter, a freelance writer; Mitali Perkins, a young adult novelist; Patrick Borders, a ghostwriter; Belk, a writer/speaker/publicist; Deidre Knight of the Knight [literary] Agency. The Knight Agency has five agents and handles most types of books, including young adult, fantasy fiction, romance, all types of nonfiction, and screenplays.
“Make this your big step to becoming a published author,” a flyer beckons. “Speak with a literary agent. Learn about the needs and opportunities in Presbyterian publications. Learn from successful writers who have published with Thomas Nelson, Tyndale, Bethany, Penguin, Harper-Collins, Random House and others.”
The conference will be held at the Harrington Center on the seminary campus, where limited housing is available. Rooms are also available in nearby hotels. The fee is $200, with a 10 percent discount for Presbyterian Writers Guild members. Meals are available on campus for less than $20 per day.
To register, call the seminary at 404-687-4578, or go online at https://www.ctsnet.edu/LL/Events.aspx and scroll down to April 23. The conference will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 23, and end at 5:00 p.m. Friday, April 24. For more information or questions, contact Steve McCutchan, conference liaison, at steve@smccutchan.com or Twila Belk, conference director, at twilabelk@mchsi.com
