Write in Atlanta

Ken Atchity, based in L.A., California, USA

Literary manager-producer, brand-launcher, film financer, as well as editor, author of fourteen books, including four books for writers; former professor of comparative literature and writing at Occidental College and UCLA Writer’s Program, Dr. Ken Atchity is CEO of two companies:

(1) Atchity Entertainment International, Inc., strategic representation and motion picture production (www. aeionline.com.)

 Sold hundreds of books. Including nearly 20 bestsellers
  Produced over 25 films (both studio and indie), with “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” (Paramount; starring Jim Carrey) , “The Lost Valentine” (Hallmark Hall of Fame),  and “Boobytrap” (currently in preproduction); as well as numerous television programs, with “The Kennedy Detail” (Discovery) and “The Evans Bros” (Sundance) in preproduction.

(2) The Writer’s Lifeline, ghostwriting to get your story told;  and mentoring aspiring career writers to be ready for representation (www.thewriterslifeline.com)
 

 7 bestsellers

Dr. Atchity is looking for storytellers/authors to launch who are good at art and business equally.

He is especially looking for:

Brandable storytellers whose story works in more than one medium, and whose approach to their brand is based on business as much as art. 
High concept YA, comic books, graphic novels, franchises, action, broad comedy; and  true stories with underlying rights attached.
Stay updated with his companies by sending an email to inspire@storymerchant.com

He’s here to help you, so don’t be afraid to ask for help! http://kenatchity.blogspot.com/

[read more on Ken's extensive achievements]
 

Peter Bowerman, based in the Atlanta area, USA

Peter is a veteran freelancer and business coach, is the self-published author of the award-winning 2000 Book-of-the-Month Club selection, The Well-Fed Writer, its 2005 companion, TWFW: Back For Seconds, and the award-winning 2010 updated compilation of both (as The Well-Fed Writer; www.wellfedwriter.com). His books have become how-to “standards” on lucrative commercial freelancing – writing for businesses and for $50-125+ an hour – his successful chosen profession since 1994.

Peter can show you how to profitably self-publish your book and make it a business. He can help you if you want to start up as a commercial writing freelancer for corporations. He can help you write advertising copy for yourself and your book.

With no industry experience, no previous paid writing experience and no writing background, Bowerman built a commercial freelancing business in 1994, from fantasy to full-time in less than four months. His corporate client list has included Coca-Cola, BellSouth, IBM, UPS, Cingular, American Express, Mercedes-Benz and many others.

He chronicled his self-publishing success (52,000 copies of his first two books in print and a full-time living for eight-plus years) in his third book, the double-award-winning 2007 release, The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living. www.wellfedsp.com.

He’s had over 300 articles and editorials published, leads seminars on writing and publishing and is a professional coach on both commercial freelancing business start-up and self-publishing. In 2010, he launched a specialty book titling/ back cover copy writing service at www.TitleTailor.com.
 

Proudly sponsored by 

Carmen Agra Deedy, based in the Atlanta area, USA

Carmen is an internationally renowned world traveling storyteller and award-winning author of children’s books.

Carmen is also an acquisitions editor for Peachtree Publishers in Atlanta. She hopes to discover a couple of picture books and new authors to introduce as possibilities to the publisher! 

Born in Havana, she immigrated with her family during the Cuban Revolution to the Atlanta metro area. She brings a humorous cross-cultural perspective to her writing and to her speaking.

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach, re-tells an old Cuban folktale. The book was simultaneously released in English, Spanish, and bilingual audio versions in 2008 and has garnered many awards, most notably the prestigious Pura Belpré Honor, an international Latino award for best children's picture book, and the Odyssey Award honor book. She adapted one of her most beloved books, The Library Dragon, for the stage and that theatrical production has been performed in English and Spanish for school and family audiences in metro Atlanta.

Another notable book is The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark, which recounts the legend of the Danish people and their king’s bravery during World War II.  The author was recognized for her work on The Yellow Star with more than two dozen awards including the Christopher Award, Bologna Ragazzi Award, and the International Reading Association Notable Book for A Global Society. In addition to numerous other books, she has also released an audio collection of her stories, Growing Up Cuban in Decatur, Georgia, which was named a Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winner and named Best Audiobook -- Storytelling by Publishers Weekly.

Carmen continues to share her stories with children and adults at festivals, schools, conferences, theaters and museums across the nation and around the world. She has presented her stories on National Public Radio’s “Weekend All Things Considered ” and performed at Beyond the Border International Storytelling Festival at Donat’s Castle in Wales; the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC; the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.; the Disney Institute in Orlando, Fla.; the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tenn.; the New Victory Theater on Broadway; and at the 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2007 National Book Festivals in Washington, D.C. www.carmendeedy.com 

Proudly sponsored by 

Luis Giffoni, based in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Luis is an internationally acclaimed author, editor and former publisher in Brazil and is the winner of the prestigious Jabuti and APCA Literary Awards. Once Editor-in-Chief of Pulsar Publishing House, he is a lecturer in the USA, Europe and South America. He is an acting member of the most culturally relevant literary foundation on the Brazilian scene, Sempre Um Papo, which unites the top-notch contemporary writers in Brazil.

Mr. Giffoni can help you with the process of getting published in Brazil:  with everything from telling you if your work is marketable there, to translating, editing, to making connections for you, to helping set up book signings.

According to World Literature Today, his narrative "raises Brazilian modern literature  to new heights of talent." Of his 20 published books, 8 are novels, 4 short story collections, 2 essays, 6 children's books and one of his books has become a play now touring South America and another play has been staged by the famous Oficinão Galpão Group. He has translated texts from English and Spanish into Portuguese and has received some of the most prestigious literary prizes in Brazil such as:  the National Award For Novels, the National Award for Short Story Books, Minas Gerais Cultural Prize, Henriqueta Lisboa Prize, APCA Award, Jabuti,  and the Bienal Nestle Award. There have been many university works about his novels and he is in much demand for speaking across Brazil and abroad.  He is looking forward to his novels becoming bestsellers in America! For American authors interested in publishing good novels and short-stories,  poetry and juvenile literature in Brazil, he can help provide what they need, from pitching to translation, from publishing to distribution at an affordable price and even organizing book signing sessions. giffonis@terra.com.br.

Proudly sponsored by 

Mark Victor Hansen, based in Newport Beach, CA   , USA

Focused solely on helping people from all walks of life reshape their vision of what’s possible, no one is better respected in the area of human potential than Mark Victor Hansen. Creating powerful change in thousands of organizations and millions of individuals worldwide for over 30 years, Mark delivers proven messages of possibility, opportunity and action.
 
“You can easily create the life you deserve.” – Mark Victor Hansen

You may know Mark as “that Chicken Soup for the Soul guy”  and as "America's Ambassador of Possibilities."

Established as a cultural icon in 1990, Mark and his business partner Jack Canfield created what Time magazine called, “the publishing phenomenon of the decade,” with over 110 million Chicken Soup for the Soul books sold worldwide – one of the most successful publishing franchises of all time.

Mark will share with you his strategies for building a business around your book and for successful marketing. He can also help you in his ongoing writers' mentoring workshop, "Wealthy Writer's Wisdom." He now runs a publishing company. Do you have a book that is a match for his company?

Best Sellers

While the Chicken Soup series has achieved phenomenal success, Mark’s other bestselling books include The One Minute Millionaire, Cracking the Millionaire Code, How to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life, The Aladdin Factor, Dare to Win and The Power of Focus.  Mark has recently written Richest Kids in America and You Have a Book in You.  He has also co-written Cash in a Flash with Robert G. Allen. Mark has also developed an extensive library of audio and video programs in the areas of big thinking, sales achievement, publishing success and personal and professional development.

Entrepreneur

Through his library of audios, videos, and articles in the areas of big thinking, sales achievement, wealth building, publishing success and personal and professional development, Mark continues to create a profound influence. Coaching and teaching aspiring authors, speakers and experts on building lucrative publishing and speaking careers through his MEGA seminar series, Mark produces top-notch, results oriented annual conferences. Recipient of numerous awards honoring his entrepreneurial spirit, philanthropic heart and business acumen Mark was inducted into the Sales & Marketing Executive International Hall of Fame and accepted the Horatio Alger Award for extraordinary life achievement in the area of free enterprise leadership.

http://markvictorhansen.com

Proudly sponsored by 

Richard Krevolin,  based in LA and NY, USA

Richard is an author, playwright, screenwriter, and professor. He earned his undergraduate degree in History at Yale University, a Master’s Degree in Screenwriting at UCLA’s School of Cinema-Television, and a Master's Degree in Playwriting and Fiction from USC.  For 10 years, he was an adjunct Professor of Screenwriting at USC Cinema/TV School. He has several screenplays under option and in development in Hollywood  including SAFER with Tom DeSanto Productions (X-Men, Transformers). He has authored the books, Screenwriting From The Soul (St. Martin’s Press), Pilot Your Life(Prentice-Hall), How To Adapt Anything Into A Screenplay (Wiley & Sons). He is also the author of the Young Adult book series, Tales of the Truly Grotesque, Max Holt, Ultra-Mega-Super-Secret-Stunt-Boy, and Doug P MountainDog & The Golden Bone.

Professor Krevolin can help you get your project into shape for the NY publishing world or the Hollywood film world. He specializes in analyzing stories, workng with writers developing great ideas into great manuscripts and scripts, and works with writers on shaping stories that aren't working. He can help you develop your story into a book and/or a screenplay. If he loves what you are writing, there's a possibility he might refer you to buyers in the industry.

He was a finalist for the $500,000 Kingman Screenwriting Award, the Chesterfield Contest, the Klasky-Csupo Writing for Children Contest and the Nicholl Fellowship Screenwriting Award. He won the USC One-Act Play Festival for his comedy, Love is Like Velcro. His play, Trotsky’s Garden, was a finalist for the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights' Conference. His one-man show, Yahrzeit, a finalist in the HBO New Writer’s Project, was a huge hit at the Santa Monica Playhouse, running for five sold-out months; under a new name, Boychik , it opened Off-Broadway at Theater Four in New York City in 1997 and is still touring the country. His play, King Levine opened in Feb. '99 at the Odyssey Theater under the direction of Joseph Bologna and after receiving rave reviews, transferred to The Tiffany. It was also nominated for an Ovation Award as Best Adaptation. His plays have been performed with Ed Asner, Allen Arbus, Jean Smart, Mackenzie Phillips and Richard Kline. In 2009, his new play, Lansky opened Off-Broadway at the St. Luke’s Theater and was nominated for an Outer Critics Award.

Richard has taught at UCLA, Pepperdine University, the University of Redlands, Ithaca College, Los Angeles Community College and the University of Georgia. Under his guidance, his students have sold film scripts and TV shows to Fox, Nickelodeon, Universal, Sony-Tri-Star, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Dreamworks SKG and numerous other studios and production companies.

His consulting work has affected hundreds of TV commercials produced all over the world, many of which have won awards including Golden Lions at Cannes and The People Choice Award in China. He conducts writers’ workshops and corporate storytelling seminars throughout the world. www.ProfK.com  

Proudly sponsored by

It's about telling good stories 

James McSill, based in Yorkshire, UK

Event Co-Director, James is a multi-lingual, Anglo-Brazilian book and story doctor/ lecturer/ mentor/ coach for English, Portuguese, and Spanish-speaking writers; a  specialist in novel structuring and creative use of language, acclaimed by an ever-growing number of authors as the 'bridge" between the Latin and Anglo-Saxon literary worlds. He is  entertaining, thought-provoking, and is recognized by top professionals in the industry as a leader in pioneering exciting changes in publishing. 

James is respected by aspiring and professional writers alike in Brazil, Portugal and Spain and the "McSill Magic" is known for taking the work of his authors to higher levels in literary worth and in sales -- by giving them a truly unique perspective on their work, not only from a creative standpoint, but also from James' broad-based experience:  as a master in Linguistics, Business and Materials Design (Catholic University of Pelotas, Brazil; Jordan Hill College, Scotland; Chichester University, England). To the benefit of all, he has never flinched from weaving all his fields of knowledge into his private consultations and public talks and courses.

James McSill can help you get your writing to a higher level in English, Portuguese, or Spanish and help you with the marketing of yourself. He can guide you on the marketability of your projects for the UK, Brazil, Spain and Portugal and help you get published in those arenas.

Amongst his extensive experience, James has travelled the world spearheading TBL (Task-based Learning) as a consultant for the CoBuild Project (Birmingham University/ HarperCollins), whilst doubling as a director of the British House Group of schools and a member of the board of directors of LAURELS.

Most recently, he has turned his attention to Brazil. His tremendous success has attracted dozens of authors to his online consultation sessions. Not a stranger to technology, James has used the very latest innovations from conference calls to live online webspaces to assist aspiring writers as well as some of the best-selling Brazilian writers. Amongst his many triumphs, last year’s highlight was the Write in Rio event, which was the inspiration for the forthcoming Write in Atlanta.  In the words of the participants, (see videos here) it was not only a professional, but also a life changing, experience.

Unknown to many, James was a child actor and a playwright and enjoys dabbling with writing of his own.   www.mcsill.com 

Proudly sponsored by

You write. I help.  

Mardeene Mitchell, based in Atlanta, USA                  

Mardeene, event Co-Director, brings 27 years in the publishing and film industries as a writer, writing coach, publishing/literary consultant, inspiring teacher and speaker, and writing collaborator on a selective basis.

Her talent and company, www.VisionariesToLight.com, have attracted forward thinkers of the times. She has helped writers at all levels of writing, including initial story and book ideas, structuring and development of nonfiction books, book proposals, novels and synopses,  screenplays and treatments, through the polishing and editing processes, to guiding them through the pitching and marketing phases. She is known for her “penetrating perspective on humanity,” being a “master at reading souls and pulling people’s stories out of their deepest parts and communicating that powerfully out into the world” in their own voices. Nonfiction is a specialty and she’s expert at mainstreaming esoteric and intellectual material, collaborating with psychologists, intuitive healers, medical doctors, and visionaries, often being the bridge between prevailing wisdom and pioneering thought and writing.  She was co-author on Dr. S.Z. Kramer's book on Kabbalah, Hidden Faces of the Soul, endorsed by Deepak Chopra, M.D. She helped Linda Kenney Miller writer her first novel, Beacon on the Hill, that has won 3 national book awards for historical and African American fiction.

Mardeene can "show you the ropes" in the industry--guide you through the maze of getting published or produced in the U.S. and how to present yourself and your material in a way that will be received by Americans.She can help you write query letters, pitch, and write nonfiction book proposals. She is also on top of visionary trends and, with her ability to tune into people and their goals and dreams, can often guide you in a forward thinking direction that might prove very timely in the market. She collaborates with writers on a selective basis.

Mardeene's background is in Literature, Fine Art and Education and she started out as a language teacher, painter, photographer and photojournalist before writing books. She was former Executive Director of California’s Writer Connection, and helped produce many writers’ events, including the renowned Selling to Hollywood conferences. One of her original screenplays was a finalist in a screenplay competition and was optioned by a producer. She has served on the Board of Directors of Women in Film and Television/Atlanta and is Associate Manager in Atlanta for AEI (Atchity Entertainment International, Inc), a literary management and theatrical motion picture production company in Los Angeles, which is producing Ripley’s Believe It Or Not starring Jim Carrey. (www.aeionline.com). She is currently working on books with authors on personal growth, parenting, an energy medicine book with an M.D. and an intuitive social scientist, a children's fantasy novel, and a memoir. 

Proudly sponsored by

and 

Marisa Moura, based in São Paulo, Brazil

Marisa is nicknamed "The Legend" amongst Brazilian writers for her successful book placements. She is the senior agent and manager of her own Página da Cultura, one of the most respected literary agencies in Brazil and across the Portuguese speaking world. Página has brought a new market posture to the book trade as an agency not only focused on the publishing business per se but also on managing its writers' careers, and the advantages that brings.

Marisa can look at your book manuscript and tell if it is marketable in Brazil and also which publishers would want to buy it. She just may be looking for new clients, so find out!

Marisa served on the Counsel of the Câmara Brasileira do Livro, Brazil's leading advocacy organization for publishing and literature and on the Câmara's events committee and has been an international speaker on new publishing initiatives in Brazil (Frankfurt Book Fair). Through Página she has promoted courses and seminars on how authors should position themselves in a market in which one is expected to sell and be profitable as well as preserve rich literary Brazilian culture. She loves to work with both fiction and nonfiction.

Pagina da Cultura's looking forward to making connections with great American professionals. 

Proudly sponsored by 

Paula Munier, based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA

An acquisitions editor by day and writer by night, Paula Munier is the author/co-author of several books, including Hot Flash Haiku, 101Things You—and John McCain—Didn’t Know about Sarah Palin, On Being Blonde, and the young adult novel Emerald's Desire. Her first memoir, Fixing Freddie, pubs in August 2010.
 
As the Director of Acquisitions and Innovation for Adams Media, she acquires and develops nonfiction and fiction series as well as stand-alone titles for the trade market. She is looking for almost all nonfiction categories (except religion and politics). If she likes your project, she will pitch it to her company. In the pitching session at the event, she will help you slant your idea to what Adams would like to see. She is Director of Innovations, which means she is open to new ideas for book series, new titles, new imprints. She also can help you as a freelance consultant to critique and edit your work. 

A former reporter and content developer, as at home in the newspaper, magazine, and online worlds as in book publishing, she’s also worked for such media giants as Disney, Quayside, and Gannett. Her short stories have appeared in such anthologies as My Dad Is My Hero, A Cup of Comfort for Writers, Raging Gracefully, Letters to My Teacher, HerStory, Angel Over My Shoulder, Tour of Duty, and Horse Crazy.

The creator of the bestselling A Cup of Comfort series among others, she also conducts Cof C webinars, in addition to creativity and writing workshops, and is a popular speaker at writers’ conferences. As the President of the New England chapter of Mystery Writers of America and member of the MWA national board, Paula is an active participant in her local writer’s community as well as the larger world of book publishing. She is co-chair of the New England Crime Bake Committee, which runs an annual writer’s conference devoted to the craft of writing. She’s currently at work on a modern retelling of Red Riding Hood called Ruby Red. The mother of three, she now lives south of Boston in a lakeside cottage with her family and two dogs. Her passions: books, boxing, and travel. And writing, naturally.

 Proudly sponsored by

Vanda Teixeira, based in Atlanta USA/ South Africa

Vanda Teixeira, former award-winning Entrepreneur, Portuguese fashion designer in South Africa, sits on the board of a boutique investment firm in Atlanta ,GA, USA, as a Senior Marketing Director, of Paragon Global Advisors and is the  Founder and CEO of The Magic Ribbon, a global campaign to empower and feed the women and children of the world.

Vanda can give you powerful insights into you, your work, your purpose, and how to market yourself.

The intuitive innovator was a guest speaker on "The New Psychology of Money" and empowerment of women for the Top CEO’s and business leaders of Southern Africa in August of 2009, celebrating excellence in corporations. She was featured and nominated for Top Woman in Business and Government in South Africa and went on a 3-city tour of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban which resulted in her opening of her South African headquarters.

Read her article in a South African magazine for CEO's:  (link to the pdf file). Her book, The New Psychology of Money, will be published by Fall 2010, and she is writing two other books, the first of her  of Tools for the Soul series. vanda@vandaconnect.com. 

Adoración Couñago, Oporto, Portugal

Bestselling Spanish  author, magazine writer, fashionista and supermodel, Adoración has been defined by Spain’s Royal Academy of Languages as a cult, one to be revered, to be admired.

 As a super model, from the age of 15, she's been photographing and parading down the catwalk for the most prestigious European designers. Despite her hectic schedule, Adoración got a degree in Hispanic Philology, and specialised in Semiology (symbols and myths). She speaks Italian (after four years in Milan) and perfect Portuguese.

Adoración is an image/ behaviour consultant with an extended network in the fashion and publishing industries in Spain – where networking does count. She can show both Brazilians and North Americans how to best approach the Iberian market. She is also happy to talk privately to authors who are considering having their careers managed by a professional as a means of reaching for the world markets.

As an author, Adoración is to publish her 6th book this year. To date she can count two best sellers amongst her prolific production, “BELLA POR DENTRO Y POR FUERA” and “EL PODER”.

Proudly sponsored by

Get to know me

   Proudly sponsored by 

        Proudly sponsored by 

Lygya Maya, based in Bahia, Brazil

Well-known U.S./Brazilian coach, author and motivational speaker, Lygya is a co-host of our exciting Self-Help Books Day in Atlanta.

An award-winning Toastmaster speaker, Lygya Maya is a former mentor/coach, inspirational/motivational speaker with Anthony Robbins Companies helping thousands of people around the world. She has been featured in the New York Times, on many television and radio programs, and in magazines in the U.S.A. as well as Brazil.

Lygya is an outstanding resource for helping you capitalize on your unique culture and at the same time do well in America. She can help you overcome doubts and adopt attitudes for success!