Discover how to “Get the Most from Writing Conferences” at the St. Louis Writers Guild’s free, public workshop from 10 a.m. to noon, April 5, at the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 S. Geyer Rd. in Kirkwood.

Local publishers Lisa Miller, Kristina Blank Makansi, and Brad R. Cook will talk about what writers need to do before, during, and after conferences, such as:

• How to select the best conferences for you (location, genre, agents, cost, etc.)
• Benefits to signing up early & staying late
• “Agent etiquette” & your future career
• How to choose between sessions
• Networking opportunities

With author Peter R. Green as moderator, the three panelists will share their insider knowledge as organizers of these upcoming conferences:

• April 11-13–Missouri Writers’ Guild’s Fifty Shades of Writing conference at the Ramada Inn St. Louis, Downtown at Convention Center: www.missouriwritersguild.org.
• August 23–St. Louis Writers Guild’s Writers in the Park: FREE at Lions Amphitheater in Kirkwood Park www.stlwritersguild.org.
• Oct. 10-12–St. Louis Literary Consortium’s first annual Lit In The Lou: A festival of the book for St. Louis! In the University City Loop http://stllit.blogspot.com/.

Lisa Miller founded Walrus Publishing, Inc., in 2007. She expanded its mission beyond St. Louis by publishing books people enjoy reading, collaborating with writing groups and programs, and assisting writers to reach their publication goals.  Lisa Miller is the Conference Committee Chair for the Missouri Writers’ Guild 2014 Conference.

Kristina Blank Makansi founded Blank Slate Press in 2010, and has since edited and published several award-winning novels. As co-founder of Treehouse Author Services, she works with authors seeking representation and those who want to self-publish. A Young Adult dystopian novel she co-authored, THE SOWING, has garnered nearly 50 Amazon reviews and hit several Amazon best-seller lists.

Brad R. Cook, president of the St. Louis Writers Guild since 2011, leads author management, acquisitions, and marketing at Blank Slate Press. He writes historical fantasy and poetry, and is a founding contributor to The Writers’ Lens blog and The Write Pack, a weekly show on BlogTalkRadio.

Learn more about the St. Louis Writers Guild, a MWG chapter, at www.stlwritersguild.org.