Publishing

Tune into live conversations with authors, editors, and literary agents sharing their journeys and expertise in the world of publishing.

Screenwriting

Watch live panels featuring screenwriters as they break down their techniques for crafting compelling scripts and navigating the entertainment industry.

Filmmaking

Discover live streaming events where directors, producers, and cinematographers discuss the creative and technical processes behind their films.

Author Platform Essentials for Writers Who'd Rather Be Writing

August 12, 2026
Building a platform doesn't have to be complicated, time-intensive, or soul-crushing. In this practical seminar, author and podcaster Courtney Kocak will help you cut through the noise and focus on the platform-building activities that actually matter. Rather than trying to do everything, you'll learn how to identify the handful of activities that best align with your strengths, goals, and bandwidth.

Book Pipeline

Book Pipeline connects writers to publishers, agents, and the film industry through competitions and workshops, providing hands-on support to bridge the gap between emerging authors and the industry since 2014.

Script Pipeline

Script Pipeline connects writers with producers, agents, and managers, facilitating over $8 million in sales through competitions and ongoing industry support, helping launch major films and secure high-profile representation since 1999.

Film Pipeline

Film Pipeline connects filmmakers and writers with agencies and executives, focusing on diverse storytelling and playing an active role in developing and promoting projects, reviewing thousands of submissions annually since its launch in 2018.

Self-Publishing: The Fundamentals and Beyond

Recorded

August 24, 2022

Duration

2 Hours

Cost

$35

Subject

Publishing

Topic

Business

The most robust self-publishing resource, jam packed with information.

Congratulations, you wrote a book! Maybe it’s your first. Maybe you’ve been published before—traditionally or on your own. Perhaps you’ve been planning to self-publish from the start. Or you’ve been discouraged by publishers’ responses to your submissions or lack thereof.

Whatever your reasons, goals, or level of experience, you’d like to know more about self-publishing. 

At the end of the day, your book is a product. Readers, booksellers, and librarians will consciously or unconsciously compare it to those released by the Top 5 publishers when making their buy-decisions. In this presentation, you will learn how to avoid the telltale oversights that secretly undermine self-published books’ potential for success from the get-go.

Whether you want to use subcontractors or completely DIY your printed or digital book, this presentation provides a roadmap to attaining professional—yet cost-effective—results through: 

  • Copyediting and proofreading
  • Cover design and interior layout
  • SEO, keywords, and other tools for discoverability
  • Writing a compelling book description
  • Getting your book in libraries
  • Choosing printers and distributors
  • Pricing your book and understanding royalties
  • Plus, detailed instructions on working with Kindle Direct Publishing
  • Q & A

Host

Karen Richardson
Karen Richardson manages the Mentoris Project, a nonprofit that publishes biographical novels and biographies about inspiring historical world-changers. Through that and her work with private clients at her own company, Indie Pub Solutions, she has published over 100 paperbacks, hardcovers, e-books, and audiobooks. She is the author of Harvesting the American Dream, a novel inspired […]

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Upcoming Events

Author Platform Essentials for Writers Who'd Rather Be Writing

August 12, 2026
Building a platform doesn't have to be complicated, time-intensive, or soul-crushing. In this practical seminar, author and podcaster Courtney Kocak will help you cut through the noise and focus on the platform-building activities that actually matter. Rather than trying to do everything, you'll learn how to identify the handful of activities that best align with your strengths, goals, and bandwidth.

Mistakes Comedy Writers Make and How to Fix Them

August 19, 2026
Dive into the world of comedy writing. Amanda Graham explores the biggest mistakes in comedy scripts and how you can avoid them. For new and seasoned writers.

Professional Screenplay Formatting and Structure

August 26, 2026
Timothy Cooper walks you through everything he wishes he’d known when he started: the principles behind why formatting matters, his tried-and-true steps to building your story from logline to outline to script, and exactly what differentiates professional pages from amateur ones.

Latest Streaming

Symposium Community Writing Sprint Night

August 5, 2026
Join us for two hours of writing on Zoom (free), with breaks to discuss our progress and struggles. We'll be using the Pomodoro method (25 minutes of writing, with a 5-minute break). You can choose to have your camera on or off. No judgment! Just a community of writers to support each other. You don't need to participate for a full two hours. Pop in and out, as needed.

Screenwriting Essentials: Improving the Read

July 29, 2026
Professional screenwriter Tom Vaughan (Winchester, starring Academy Award-winner Helen Mirren) shares critical advice to elevate your writing to a more pro level.

Commercially-Driven Decisions: Being Intentional with Story Choices

July 22, 2026
The Commercially Driven Choices session by Court Stevens reveals what separates stories that are simply well-written from those that truly connect and sell. This dynamic session unpacks the strategic decisions writers must make to increase reader engagement—focusing on transformation, satisfaction, opposition, scope, and consumability as the core drivers of commercial storytelling.

Symposium, presented by Pipeline Artists, is a year-round virtual conference empowering creatives with honest, no-nonsense guidance across the arts. Through seminars, industry panels, and Town Hall discussions on screenwriting, filmmaking, publishing, and career-building, Symposium offers grounded advice from working professionals to help you forge your own unique path.

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