On April 5 and 6, a small army of writers will converge on Newnan as eTreasures Publishing and West Central Technical College present the first annual Southern Writers Conference.

The conference will include workshops, panels and discussions by publishers, authors and editors. Areas to be covered include writing for magazines, writing news releases, author self-promotion and advice on e-publishing as well as traditional publishing.

“Seating is limited,” said conference organizer Vickie Kennedy. “We can accept only 100 attendees at this event.”

In conjunction with the conference, eTreasures Publishing and Jawbone Publishing Corporation are sponsoring a writing competition with a March 1 deadline. First place winners in each category will receive an award and professionally published paperback copies of their winning entries. Submission details are available at www.etreasurespublishing.com.

Presenters include Christina Barber, an editor, award-winning author and monthly contributor to The Muse Marquee, an online magazine. Barber will be sharing her knowledge of the urban fantasy genre as well as tips on book promotion.

Genie Bernstein will be speaking on the art of writing for magazines. A resident of Athens, Ga., Bernstein has published numerous articles, stories and essays in both magazines and periodicals.

Forrest Schulz will explain the procedure for writing news releases. Schulz, who holds degrees in engineering and theology, is past president of the C.S. Lewis/J.R.R. Tolkien Society of Philadelphia. A resident of Coweta County, he writes news releases covering local arts activities. Leader of the Coweta Writers Group, Schultz coordinated the Coweta Authors' Book Signing Extravaganza in September 2007

Vickie Kennedy, EPPIE award winning novelist and owner of eTreasures Publishing, will explain e-publishing. Her writing course will be available on CD-ROM at the conference.

A newcomer to Coweta County, Swanee Ballman, president of Jawbone Publishing Corporation and an editor and award-winning author, will offer a workshop on the good, the bad and the ugly aspects of book publishing. Ballman is a former board member of the Florida Publishers' Association and former writing consultant for Charlesbridge Publishing Company (Watertown, Mass.). Since 2000 she has assisted authors in the publication of more than 150 paperback and hardcover books.

“Jawbone is a complete printing facility, capable of producing perfect-bound and case-bound books,” said Ballman. Additional information on Jawbone is available at www.JawbonePublishing.com.

The conference is open to writers of all genres. Authors with published titles will have the opportunity to participate in a book signing/sale during the conference. Contact eTreasures Publishing for details.

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