Junior Authors Writers Conference & Market Canada
“Get Published” is our 2015 THEME
As much as I love meeting young writers face-to-face, this is the last time I will be hosting a Junior Authors Conference. Registration numbers are too low to continue. I think the online world has truly supplanted the need for brick-and-mortar events. – Laura
A big thank you to everyone who attended today. Your support and enthusiasm was deeply appreciated! – Laura
Conference Date: Saturday, October 17, 2015
NEW LOCATION!
Newly Renovated Ladner United Church
Special thanks to Ladner United Church for donating the use of their beautiful conference facility.
Located in the heart of historic Ladner Village in Delta, British Columbia
View on Google Maps
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Check in starts at 8:30 am
Please arrive before 9:00 am
9:00 am to 2:30 pm for the Conference - WILL PROCEED AS SCHEDULED
3:00 pm to 5:00 pm for the Market - CANCELLED
#jawc2015
NEW FORMAT includes:
- Working with Laura all day in a blend of workshops, lectures, and writing sessions from 9 am to 2:30 pm.
- A much lower cost of $35 per writer ($26.25 for members)
- Registration and payment by Credit/Debit will be through the LTC store. Cash and cheque payment options are available by emailing Laura at laura@laurathomascommunications.com.
- There will be an optional Junior Authors Market from 3 – 5 pm which will be open to the public. Tables will available for a $10 fee ($7.50 for members) and writers keep all the money from their sales. The market will be advertised. If you have a vendor table you can sell your work. If you do not have a vendor table, you can shop, but you cannot sell your work.
- All conference attendees are encouraged to try the market experience and sign up for a vendor table. This is a unique opportunity for young writers to gain valuable sales experience (something writers need to have!) and introduce themselves to new fans. You don’t need to have traditionally published material to sell. You can make photocopies of any of your work to sell.
- We will have a theme for the day. This time it’s GET PUBLISHED!
- A special conference fiction contest. Details and the writing prompt will be sent to registrants on October 13th. The prompt has been emailed. Check your inbox!
- Door prizes.
- Bring your own writing materials.
- Bring your own lunch, but Laura will provide some homemade goodies for snacks.
- Still open to writers between the ages of 9 and 21, but writers will workshop in small groups by age for part of the day.
TOPICS Laura will cover include:
- editing basic and guidelines
- self-pub v. traditional pub
- marketing basics for writers
- productivity and goal setting
- amateur v. professional writers and where the jobs are in creative writing, marketing and communications
- introduction to copyright and selling/optioning your work to publishers or film makers
ABOUT The Market – CANCELLED DUE TO LOW REGISTRATION
- Vendor tables cost $10.
- Vendor tables are not sold separately from conference tickets. Only conference participants may purchase a vendor table.
- The market is open to the public and there is no admission fee for shoppers.
- What can you sell? Your self-published books, good quality photocopies of your poetry, essays, short stories, etc. Anything you have written and that is ready for readers! However, your work must be your own and you must have the right to sell it (as in you have not sold the rights to anyone else or a company). You cannot sell literature written by other authors. You cannot sell artwork or other crafts, only your writing.
- When you purchase your conference ticket and vendor table, you will receive an information sheet with suggestions on what to bring to the market, what you cannot sell, and suggested prices for unpublished or self-published poems, stories, novels, etc.
How to REGISTER
Registration and payment (via Pay Pal) for the conference and the market is available in the LTC store. Seating for the conference and tables for the market are limited. If you wish to pay by cash or cheque, please email Laura at laura@laurathomascommunications.com.
DISCOUNTS for Members
If you would like to take advantage of the member rates, you must sign up for a an LTC Insider Plus+ membership and receive a personal 25% discount code before purchasing a conference ticket with or without a vendor’s table.
Refund Policy
Refunds must be requested in writing to laura@laurathomascommunications.com
Before October 15th – Amount paid less 25% administration fee
After October 15th – Non-refundable
*
For more information about the 2015 Junior Authors Writers Conference & Market, please contact Laura at laura@laurathomascommunications.com or leave a comment below.
The conference was awesome!!!!!
Hey Laura! I’m extremely excited for the conference! Just wondering if I could sell an article I wrote that was published on Jablog?
Hi Yasmin. Sure, but somewhere on the page, near the title, please put the following:
This article was first published in jaBlog! by Laura Thomas Communications.
Okay, thanks!
And…we are only at 4 tables booked so far. I need 8 by tomorrow to have the market go ahead.
Dear Ms. Laura, Are teleconference and video conference available for this or we need to be physically present in there?
Hi Guhan. I don’t have video conference options available. It’s a local conference, which is the crux of the problem with my conferences as the LTC community is truly global. That’s why I will be letting those go.
Does a laptop count as writing materials, or would you prefer a notebook and pen?
Hi Brooke. Whatever you like. Laptops are fine. Make sure to fully charge the battery that morning in case the outlet is hard to reach from where you are sitting.
Do you ever think about maybe doing one in the USA?
Hi Brooke. Yes, I have considered it, but it’s not an option. The cost is simply too high for me when you factor in my travel expenses and the rental of a space.
It Cool if sometime the conference could be held word wide !!
It would be really cool if one day the Junior Authors Conference could be held in Shanghai, China.
Hi Elsie. You bet it would!