Author Platform Essentials for Writers Who'd Rather Be Writing
Building an author platform can feel overwhelming. Writers are often told they need a newsletter, social media presence, podcast appearances, events, a personal brand, and a marketing plan—often before they've even finished their manuscript.
The good news? 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.
Think of this as Author Platform Essentials: the easy, effective, paint-by-numbers version of platform building. A clear, actionable roadmap for creating visibility, community, and career momentum—and ultimately selling books—that still leaves plenty of time for what you actually love: writing.
By the end of this presentation, you'll have a better understanding of the platform-building options available to writers today, which activities deliver the greatest return on investment, and how to create a sustainable strategy you can begin implementing right away.
This presentation will cover:
• What an author platform consists of and why it matters more than ever
• The most high-value components of a strong author platform
• How to identify your existing strengths, assets, and opportunities
• Email newsletters, social media, podcasts, events, and other platform options explained simply + tips for each
• How to build genuine relationships that lead to collaborations and community
• A simple, sustainable platform plan you can maintain long-term
• Q&A
Finding Your Niche: Buck Trends to Build a Career with Purpose
Most filmmakers are told to “stay open”: to write anything, direct anything, be everything. But in today’s industry, that approach often leads to a pile of scripts with nowhere to go.
In this Pipeline Symposium, writer/director Zach Bandler challenges the myth of the generalist filmmaker and makes the case for something far more effective: finding your niche. Drawing from his own shift into storytelling at the intersection of healthcare, empathy, and neuroscience, Zach will share how this evolution led to partnerships with medical institutions, an artist residency, and new pathways for funding and distribution outside traditional industry channels.
Zach will offer a practical framework for identifying the thematic lane you’re uniquely positioned to explore, and connecting that work to communities, institutions, and ecosystems that are actively seeking those stories.
Attendees will learn how to move beyond chasing traditional industry pathways and instead build a personal storytelling identity that attracts collaborators, funding, and audiences. Because the goal isn’t to do everything. It’s to do something that only you can do, and build a career around it.
Commercially Driven Decisions: Being Intentional with Story Choices
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. By understanding how scope shapes audience reach and how emotional relatability fuels momentum, attendees will learn how to intentionally design stories that resonate on a larger scale.
Through clear frameworks and memorable examples, this session equips writers to move beyond instinct and into purposeful craft. Attendees will gain insight into aligning character wants and needs, building meaningful opposition, and creating stories that feel both deeply human and widely accessible. The result: writing that not only matters—but moves the commercial sales needle.
Takeaways for Attendees:
How to balance scope and plot to increase the commercial reach of a story
A practical understanding of wants vs. needs and how they drive transformation and reader satisfaction
Tools to build compelling opposition (physical, emotional, systemic, or relational) that strengthens narrative impact
Live Q&A
Building a Powerful Query Letter
A strong pitch is only the beginning. Once you can succinctly articulate your story, the next step is transforming that short pitch into a compelling query letter that captures and holds an agent or publisher’s attention.
In this practical session, author Angela Douglas will show you how to take the key elements of a strong pitch: your logline, comparable titles and bio and turn them into a clear, engaging query letter that stands out in a crowded inbox. Writers who attended her pitching workshop can build on what they’ve already created, but this session also stands on its own.
You’ll learn the essential elements of an effective query, including the opening hook, story summary, comparable titles, and author bio, along with guidance on personalization, what metadata to include, and finding those strong comps.
Beyond the letter itself, Angela will walk you through the querying process: how to research and choose agents; whether to query agents, publishers, or both; and strategies for submitting via QueryTracker and email, organizing batches, and following up after pitch sessions or when deadlines pass.
Because querying can feel daunting, Angela will also talk honestly about rejection, expectations, and how to maintain momentum and positivity throughout the process.
Whether you’re preparing to query soon or just starting to explore the submission process, you’ll leave with a clear framework, actionable strategies, and the confidence to turn your pitch into a polished submission.
What attendees have said ...
"Very impressive. Thorough. Well researched and presented. A lot of info and all good and practical."
"Very informative in a simplified way which I appreciated."
"Loved her answer to my question about a book series. Full marks and glowing marks. Really can't think of how she could have done a better job. Highly recommend this seminar and others she may offer."
The Anatomy of Representation: Everything You Need to Know
For most writers, getting repped represents a critical career step aimed at building that all important bridge into the industry that will lead to becoming a bonafide working industry professional.
To pursue representation effectively and get your work the exposure and advocacy it deserves, it’s important to understand the industry landscape, what reps are looking for, and how to get their attention in order to land meaningful representation that will help push your career to the next level.
In this symposium, we will explore the representation landscape, determine what type of representation is right for you, and identify the requirements and all-important next steps you should take to build a lasting career-spanning relationship with the right rep that will help make the difference in your career.
Better Your Chances of Getting an Agent, Manager or Mentor
We all know the struggle. It feels harder than ever before to find an agent, or even a mentor to help with a little advice or guidance. On top of that, we send out a million polite emails hoping for a nibble. Ghosting's getting worse. And 9 out of 10 of our emails aren't even read or responded to.
It's frustrating and exhausting. But something can be done about it. You just need the right insight and tools to find someone who is a great fit for you.
This session will give you that insight and those tools. It'll be equal parts irreverent, fun, and really useful. Packed with practical things you can do to differentiate yourself from the masses, and make yourself more of an undeniable catch.
We'll be covering things like:
Biggest mistakes people make during the quest - the biggest problem with their early decisions about reaching out, why not doing a little secret research on them works against you, the things writers and artists do that makes them an instant "no"
Why the expectations between agents/managers/mentors and us have changed - how the industry works now versus a few years ago, why the opportunity squeeze is not all it seems and how you can get around it, what their day-to-day lives are like now, and the things they think make an attractive client/mentee
Figuring out exactly what you need to do - Understanding where you are in your career, what you have to offer, your past attempts to get an agent/mentor, and your challenges.
The biggest question - What's in it for them? - How to flip the "I need you to help me get what I want" to "I am here to help you meetyour goals and here's why." How to learn what motivates an agent/mentor and give yourself a huge advantage.
How to write that first email that will get their attention and get an actual flippin' response - Learning how to structure an email from the subject line to the sign-off so that your email will get read and responded to. And how to follow-up once that happens.
You'll leave the session with the tools you need and stronger confidence in finding an agent or mentor. You'll also leave with multi-level insight that most people don't have.
What attendees have said ...
Amanda’s session was really informative, actionable and funny, too. There was plenty of practical advice I can put into practice straight away.
I'm a playwright, trying to go to the next level and this symposium gave me some steps toward getting an agent.
Ms. Graham did a fantastic job and offered a LOT of very helpful insights.
The Art of Pitching
Pitching your book isn’t just for landing agents, it’s a skill that carries you through every stage of your writing career. Whether you’re approaching an agent, publisher, bookseller, or reader, a confident, polished pitch can open doors.
In this practical session, author Angela Douglas will break down what pitching really is, why it matters, and how to craft a clear, compelling hook that works whether you’re drafting your first novel or preparing for a major pitch event.
You’ll learn the core elements of effective pitching, the different types of pitches you’ll encounter online and in person, and how to make the most of the elevator pitch and the typical three minutes you’ll get to sell yourself and your manuscript.
It is never too early or too late to learn how to pitch with confidence. Angela will walk you through the exact criteria she uses to prepare for agent or publisher pitch sessions, giving you tools you can use immediately to talk about your book with clarity and impact.
You’ll leave this session with a deeper understanding of hooks, loglines, and short verbal pitches and practical strategies to reduce nerves.
Bring something to take notes with, and your questions. This is a session you won’t want to miss, no matter what stage of writing you’re at.
What attendees have said ...
"Angela Douglas was an excellent speaker. Knowledgable, relatable and empathetic. Angela came prepared. Her pacing was great. I enjoyed her talk very much."
One-on-One with Literary Agent Cecilia "CeCe" Lyra
*NOTE: Zoom played tricks with CeCe's calendar, so we got the party started a little late. You can watch the first 10 minutes of Jeanne's impromptu AMA, or skip to the 10-minute mark when CeCe's genius starts.
If you're a listener to the podcast "The Shit No One Tells You About Writing," you already know the amazing literary agent CeCe Lyra. To say we're thrilled to have her on Symposium is the understatement of the year.
At Symposium we have one important rule: To tell people what they need to hear not necessarily what they want to hear. Hard truths will get you farther in your career than false hope, and CeCe politely puts her Grinch hat on to deliver the honest advice you need to improve your odds at publication.
We'll dive into the world of a lit agent, the advice writers need to improve, and you'll even get to ask questions, too!
Cecilia “CeCe” Lyra is a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates representing adult fiction and non-fiction. She is drawn to books with strong hooks and smooth writing, told with originality, nuance, and authenticity. A long-term strategic thinker, CeCe prioritizes the creative reach and sustainable longevity of her authors’ careers, and she is especially looking for clients with whom she can build fruitful, lasting relationships.
Both a storyteller and a storyseller, CeCe believes that stories are empathy-generating machines capable of healing, connecting, and enacting true change. As a mixed race Latinx immigrant, CeCe understands the power of seeing oneself reflected in books, hence her passion for championing under or misrepresented voices and narratives that contribute to a larger cultural conversation. CeCe is a member of the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA). The popular podcast The Shit No One Tells You About Writing, for which CeCe is a co-host, has over four million downloads. CeCe is also a recovering lawyer, but asks that you do not hold that against her.
“The Shit No One Tells You About Writing” Substack
Screenwriting Success: Start Your Year with a Plan
A new year brings with it new opportunities. By our estimation, and the estimation of the Script Pipeline staff fulfilling the requests of industry, it's critical to make a focused, dedicated push to start your screenwriting year with a strong strategy, building momentum as the year progresses.
Lee Jessup, a seasoned career coach and a Business of Screenwriting professor with the David Lynch Graduate School of Cinematic Art, will walk you through meaningful, actionable steps that you can take for your screenwriting career in the year ahead.
In this focused session, we'll explore how to best strategize for the screenwriting year, with the aim of creating and building meaningful opportunities and forward motion that every writer wants to see for themselves.
The 2-hour event will include:
Assessing your body of work
Developing supporting materials
Exploring brand and your writer identity
Unique strategy for every pilot and/or screenplay
Your submission plans
Query tips
Literary representation
Seeking producers
What attendees have said ...
"Lee was so helpful!! I've watched all her videos and just signed up for the consultation. Can't wait for her to come back for another symposium."
"The speaker was knowledgeable, covered all the topics and answered questions, is a wealth of knowledge which I look forward to working with in the future."
" Valuable Information on many facets of the business."
Demystifying Audiobooks: A Workshop for Authors
How to Bring Your Book from the Page to the Aural Stage
If you're an author who's ever thought, "Should my book be an audiobook?"—the answer is probably yes. Audiobooks are one of the fastest-growing segments in publishing, and if you’re not tapping into that market, you might be leaving money (and listeners) on the table.
In this live webinar, professional audiobook narrator and producer Megan Tusing of Little But Fierce Productions®, LLC—who brings nearly a decade of industry experience—will guide authors through the essentials of audiobook creation. Whether you're looking to hire a professional, understand the audiobook production process, or make informed decisions about your audio rights, this workshop will give you the clarity and confidence to move forward.
In this session, authors will learn:
Why audiobooks are an essential part of your book’s journey
How audiobooks are made—including the full production process
Key audiobook terms and lingo every author should know
DIY vs. hiring a pro vs. selling your audio rights: which path is right for you?
What “narrator approval” means, and why it matters
Tips for marketing your audiobook once it’s published
How to avoid common mistakes new authors make in audio
There will also be time for live Q&A, so come with your questions!
Whether you're just getting started or already exploring audiobook options, this seminar will help you move forward with confidence.
What Attendees Have Said ...
"Megan was very articulate in explaining the process and used specific examples. She shared the names of service providers and pricing as well as tips for researching narrators. Though i had an audio book included in my publishing package, I never knew how much was involved."
"I like that she shared so many details of creating an audiobook. I'm looking forward to watching it again."
