Main Group (RB Library)

Building a credible presence on the web is critical for any author, regardless if they intend to self-publish or pursue the traditional agent/publisher route. For our January meeting, small-business consultant Bo Folsom will discuss what you need to know in order to establish your own website as an integrated component of your author platform.

For those that attended the December session "Building Your Online Presence," this meeting will focus specifically on developing and enhancing your website & blog.

Whether you'd like to build your own site(s) or pay a provider, you should possess the basic knowledge needed to make it happen. Learn the essentials in this interactive, informative session. Topics will include:

• Acquiring your domain name(s), such as www.BoFolsom.com or writing.SouthBayHQ.com;
• Selecting a hosting provider (the servers where your code resides);
• Considerations for building your site and/or blog (e.g., WordPress, HTML, etc.);
• The three elements of a quality site (content, functionality, and appearance);
• Search engine optimization (how Google, etc., directs people to you);
• How to make your web site work alongside Facebook, Twitter, and other social media tools to coordinate your online presence as an author.

Calling all writers for an opportunity to get together with like-minded others in a casual setting to maintain motivation and productivity.

Our monthly large-group meeting typically convenes on the 1st Saturday morning of each month at the Redondo Beach Main Library. It is free and open to the public, constrained only by room size.

Explore writing topics that would help further your efforts as an author. Have thoughts on what you'd like addressed during 2016? Contact the organizer directly: Bo@SouthBayHQ.com .

Group organizer Bo Folsom brings 18-years of aerospace experience in systems engineering and project management to the South Bay Creative Writers Group. Additionally, Bo is a self-published author and served as a magazine editor/publisher in two of the nations top 15 markets, as well as providing small business consulting expertise. Currently, his supportive writer workshops provide an opportunity to share knowledge & fuel his own creative work.

Stanton Swafford, the local writers group's founder, is a Los Angeles native and world traveler, US Navy Veteran, former undercover intelligence officer and jazz musician. He successfully self-published an espionage thriller, China Sea, as his debut novel in the Summer of 2015.

Don’t miss Redondo Beach resident Shannon Hammer as she discusses “How I Lost 100 Pounds and Became a Published Author.”

Published by Fairview Press in 2010, Shannon’s book Positive Portions Food & Fitness Journal is based on her experience of losing 100 pounds and keeping it off (now for over 12 years). Her appearances on TV, radio, web and print publications include Fox News, Talk One Radio, Prevention and Better Homes & Gardens.

Learn how Shannon started from scratch and transformed into a published author, navigating the challenges of obtaining a traditional publisher, building her book's website, developing and maintaining a social media presence, generating blog topics, and turning her story into public speaking engagements… all while working a demanding full-time job.

Calling all writers for an opportunity to get together with like-minded others in a casual setting to maintain motivation and productivity.

Our monthly large-group meeting typically convenes on the 1st Saturday morning of each month at the Redondo Beach Main Library. It is free and open to the public, constrained only by room size.

Explore writing topics that would help further your efforts as an author. Have thoughts on what you'd like addressed during 2016? Contact the organizer directly: Bo@SouthBayHQ.com .

Group organizer Bo Folsom brings 18-years of aerospace experience in systems engineering and project management to the South Bay Creative Writers Group. Additionally, Bo is a self-published author and served as a magazine editor/publisher in two of the nations top 15 markets, as well as providing small business consulting expertise. Currently, his supportive writer workshops provide an opportunity to share knowledge & fuel his own creative work.

Stanton Swafford, the local writers group's founder, is a Los Angeles native and world traveler, US Navy Veteran, former undercover intelligence officer and jazz musician. He successfully self-published an espionage thriller, China Sea, as his debut novel in the Summer of 2015.

For our March meeting, join in a roundtable discussion as a panel of “Local Authors Share the Real-World Stories of Their Path to Publication.”

Moderated by group organizer Bo Folsom (Twenty Years Ago, self-published in 2013 as a free short story to Apple's iBookStore), the panel will address each individual's journey to realizing their goal of seeing their first book made available to the general public, as well as their plans and "lessons learned" as they prepare to publish their next book.

Following an initial introduction to each author and their work, the panel will respond to questions and engage the group in a roundtable discussion.

Shannon Hammer’s book Positive Portions Food & Fitness Journal, traditionally published by Fairview Press in 2010, led to appearances on TV, radio, and in web and print publications. She also built her own book's website. In support of a new novel, Shannon recently garnered interest from 7 agents at the SF Writers Conference just three weeks ago.

Katharine Blossom Lowrie has published two novels (Penelope Pan and Hasherazade), including one under a pseudonym supported by a dedicated website. She is actively working on her next publication.

Robert Downs has published three mystery novels (Falling Immortality, Graceful Immortality, and LaCour's Destiny) and will release his next two later this year with Black Opal Books.

Calling all writers for an opportunity to get together with like-minded others in a casual setting to maintain motivation and productivity.

Our monthly large-group meeting typically convenes on the 1st Saturday morning of each month at the Redondo Beach Main Library. It is free and open to the public, constrained only by room size.

Explore writing topics that would help further your efforts as an author. Have thoughts on what you'd like addressed during 2016? Contact the organizer directly: Bo@SouthBayHQ.com .

Group organizer Bo Folsom brings 18-years of aerospace experience in systems engineering and project management to the South Bay Creative Writers Group. Additionally, Bo is a self-published author and served as a magazine editor/publisher in two of the nations top 15 markets, as well as providing small business consulting expertise. Currently, his supportive writer workshops provide an opportunity to share knowledge & fuel his own creative work.

Stanton Swafford, the local writers group's founder, is a Los Angeles native and world traveler, US Navy Veteran, former undercover intelligence officer and jazz musician. He successfully self-published an espionage thriller, China Sea, as his debut novel in the Summer of 2015.

Our April main group meeting features guest speaker Jennie Nash, author and book coach, sharing "How to Get the Right Agent: Identifying, Pitching, and Landing the Best Agent for Your Book."

Among the topics Jennie will cover:

• How to write an excellent query letter;

• How to know when you're ready to pitch;

• What makes a good pitch;

• What to include;

• What to leave out;

• Which agents to select for your pitch list;

• How to develop a pitch strategy; and

• How to interpret agent feedback.

She'll also discuss her role as a "Book Coach."

* * * * *

Jennie Nash's latest book is The Writer's Guide to Agony and Defeat. She is the author of four novels, including Perfect Red, The Threadbare Heart, The Only True Genius in the Family and The Last Beach Bungalow. She is the author of three memoirs, including The Victoria’s Secret Catalog Never Stops Coming and Other Lessons I Learned From Breast Cancer. She has been an instructor at the UCLA Extension Writing Program for eight years and is the founder and chief creative officer of Author Accelerator, an online program to help writers get from inspiration to publication.

Jennie (jennienash.com) runs a  private book-coaching business. Her clients have landed top New York agents, and had books published by Scribner, Simon & Schuster, Norton, Ten Speed and SelectBooks. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two daughters.

Our monthly large-group meeting typically convenes on the 1st Saturday morning of each month at the Redondo Beach Main Library. It is free and open to the public, constrained only by room size.

Our main group meeting for May features guest speaker Nutschell Anne Windsor, discussing The Different Paths to Publishing (Yes, There’s More Than One!).

Writers may think that there is only one road to publication, but the truth is there are many paths to becoming an author. Traditional-publishing with the Big 5 in New York is no longer the only option. Advances in technology, and the expansion of the web and internet, have brought about many changes in the publishing industry. Now more than ever, getting published is a matter of choice, and not of time.

CBW-LA Founder and President Nutschell Windsor discusses the many different paths to publishing besides Traditional Publishing and Self-Publishing; their pros and cons; and how writers can decide which route to take.

About the Speaker: Nutschell Anne Windsor is a middle grade/young adult fantasy writer, the Founder/President of CBW-LA (Children’s Book Writers of Los Angeles), and the LA Region's Assistant Regional Adviser of the SCBWI (Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators). She is also the Creative Writing (Online) and Events Rep for the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program.

After earning a BA in Psychology from the University of the Philippines (Diliman), Nutschell became an English teacher at Miriam College High School. Nutschell’s experiences have turned her into a detail-oriented, organized planner, and she uses these skills to teach and facilitate workshops and critique sessions for CBW-LA. She is also an active member of the blogging community, sharing writing tips, techniques, and reports on various writing events at www.thewritingnut.com and on Twitter @nutschell.

Nutschell co-organizes and facilitates the annual CBW-LA  Writing Day Marathon (coming up on May 14), as well as edits and publishes the resulting Story Sprouts anthologies and novels, available on Amazon and at our May 7 meeting.

Our monthly large-group meeting typically convenes on the 1st Saturday morning of each month at the Redondo Beach Main Library. It is free and open to the public, constrained only by room size.

Our June main group meeting features guest speaker Eve Porinchak of the Palos Verdes Peninsula-based Jill Corcoran Literary Agency (JCLA).

JCLA is currently looking for Adult Non-Fiction; Young Adult Non-Fiction; Middle Grade Adventure; Adult Literary Romance; and YA Fiction (commercial concept with literary writing style).

Eve has eclectic literary tastes and is open to everything from picture books to young adult novels. She is currently looking for contemporary realistic fiction for teens that features unusual love stories with badass protagonists and cinematic writing.

From Eve: "Dark, edgy, psychological thrillers, gang-lit, realistic contemporary, mostly YA, but am open to anything... I am not a fan of fantasy; however, I love the Hunger Games, so that is the closest to fantasy-ish I will read. Also a huge fan of true crime."

Our monthly large-group meeting typically convenes on the 1st Saturday morning of each month at the Redondo Beach Main Library. It is free and open to the public, constrained only by room size.

PitchFest! 

or, "Selling Yourself to Sell Your Story,"

or, "How to Tell Your Story to Sell Your Story"

The August main group meeting combines a roundtable discussion featuring published authors Robert Downs ("LaCour’s Destiny," "Graceful Immortality," and "Falling Immortality") and Bo Folsom ("20 Years Ago") – sharing their experience on the value of "the elevator pitch" – and an interactive workshop in which participants will be coached in developing (and enhancing) their own concise pitch.

Whether you are looking to land a literary agent, sell the movie rights to your book, or simply tell a friend about the project that's been consuming your time, your ability to quickly convey the essentials of your story will be critical to your success as an author.

This session will give you the tools needed to effectively answer the two fundamental questions posed to writers:

• Why this book?

• Why are you the right author for this book?

For a preview of one aspect of the topic to be covered, visit group organizer Bo Folsom's blog:

writing.southbayhq.com/the-20-second-elevator-pitch/

With three traditionally-published fiction books to his credit, author Robert Downs is working to complete three more. Self-published author and editor Bo Folsom anticipates releasing three new books by the end of the year, ranging from a historical non-fiction collaboration with Akira Tsurukame ("The Enemy Was War") to a comedic memoir to a collection of short stories.

Our monthly large-group meeting typically convenes on the 1st Saturday morning of each month at the Redondo Beach Main Library. It is free and open to the public, constrained only by room size.

Our September main group meeting tentatively features guest speaker Sheri Fink.

Sheri is an inspirational speaker, a #1 best-selling, award-winning author, and the creator of “The Whimsical World of Sheri Fink” inspirational brand.

She creates books, products, and experiences that inspire and delight kids of all ages while planting seeds of self-esteem. All 5 of her children’s books were #1 best-sellers, including The Little Rose, which was adapted into a stage play.

Sheri has expanded her brand with books, live experiences, beauty items, and music all designed to create magical experiences for her Fans.

Sheri’s newest adventure is a contemporary romance. She was inspired to write Cake in Bed, her debut novel, to empower women to be their authentic selves and to not settle for less than they deserve in life or in love, because everyone deserves to have their cake and eat it too … preferably in bed!

Our monthly large-group meeting typically convenes on the 1st Saturday morning of each month at the Redondo Beach Main Library. It is free and open to the public, constrained only by room size.