A panel of expert, highly productive writers and editors share how they use AI tools as researchers, brainstorming partners, outliners, summarizers, and editors. It’s not about the prompt. It’s about how imaginatively you can exploit these tools – and how productive they can make you.
Moderator: Josh Bernoff, President, WOBS LLC
Panelists: Katia Walsh, Co-Author of Winning with AI: The 90-Day Blueprint for Success; Mike Long; Naomi Haile
What should you charge per project? When is it time to raise your rates? And how do you get over the fear of contract negotiations? Our panel of professional ghosts shares their experiences with setting and increasing (and sometimes decreasing) rates, navigating money conversations with potential and current clients, and how to negotiate and set boundaries with confidence and clarity. It’s time to make your money work for you.
Moderator: Pauleanna Reid, Founder, The WritersBlok
Panelists: Alice Sullivan; Jon Land; Joni Rodgers; Swan Huntley
Lunch is co-sponsored by Ideapress, Non-Obvious Company, The Limitless Company, and Krupp Agency. The lunch break will kick off with a short 60-second networking masterclass from Non-Obvious Company + Ideapress Publishing founder Rohit Bhargava where he reveals a technique to transform how you connect with others.
The Art of the Book Proposal: Pursuit of a traditional publishing deal requires a proposal. Ghosts who can master this skill can generate quick advances for their clients — and get an automatic edge in ghostwriting the whole manuscript. Learn what it takes to create proposals that win over publishers, how to price them, and how to master the tricky parts, like marketing plans and competing book analysis.
Moderator: David Moldawer, Agent, Writers House
Panelists: Howard Yoon, Agent, WME Books; Michael Signorelli, Agent, Aevitas Creative Management; Serena Jones, Vice President, Executive Editor, Henry Holt & Company
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Attaining a Sustainable Ghostwriting Practice: How do you turn occasional ghostwriting assignments into a consistent, financially viable business? The key is building an ever-expanding network of relationships—of authors, literary agents, publishers, PR agency executives, and others. It means being proactive with this network rather than reactive. And it means developing what the ad people call a unique selling proposition—something that distinguishes you from other ghostwriters. Discover how other successful writers have made the transition from part-time to full-time ghost and the specific actions that made it possible.
Moderator: Becka Oliver, Director of Talent, VP, Kevin Anderson & Associates
Panelists: Pauleanna Reid, Founder, The WritersBlok; Ryan Dempsey; Toni Robino, Founder, Windword Literary Services; Eve Adamson
Marketing and Closing for Ghostwriters: How will clients find you in a world where web search itself is turning inside out? And once they find you, how can you distinguish the time-wasting looky-loos from the serious buyers? Our panel of successful ghosts will share clever strategies for visibility, positioning, content marketing, publicity, lead generation, qualifying, and discovery.
Moderator: Kevin Anderson, CEO, Kevin Anderson & Associates
Panelists: Becca Grischow, Founder, Beegriz Writes; Jeff Raderstrong, Founder, Writestrong LLC; Marcia Layton Turner, Founder/Executive Director, Association of Ghostwriters
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The Hybrid and Self-Publishing Landscape: In last year’s survey of business authors, only one-third worked with traditional publishers; among hybrid-published books, more than half showed a profit. To realistically advise clients, ghosts need a solid grounding in traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing models. You’ll hear how to pick an effective publishing model, why hybrid publishing is exploding, and how to tell the dependable partners from the charlatans in a rapidly diversifying publishing landscape.
Panelists: Katya Fishman, Founder/Business Coach, EndeavorInk; Leslie Miller, Co-Founder/CEO, Girl Friday Productions; Naren Aryal, CEO/Publisher, Amplify Publishing Group; Rohit Bhargava, Founder, Ideapress Publishing
The most commonly asked question ghostwriters hear from aspiring authors is, “How would we work together.” They want to understand the process of structuring and writing a book. This panel will discuss some of the many ways a collaborative process can work. Hear from writers about the craft of writing and thinking in collaboration with your client.
Moderator: Dan Paisner, Collaborator/Podcast Host, As Told To Podcast
Panelists: Ellen Daly; Jodi Lipper; Lisa Dickey
Join small group sessions where you’ll have the chance to hear from agents about what kinds of projects they represent and how they work with ghostwriters. This session is suited to any professional ghostwriter who is i) looking for agent representation for their own work, ii) looking to be staffed on agented projects, or iii) looking to be better networked with agents in order to serve their own clients better. This event is not designed as a “pitch slam” but you should come prepared to talk about your work and practice.
Breakfast and the Agent-Ghost Networking event are sponsored by Kevin Anderson & Associates
Agents and ghostwriters must think of themselves as teammates. No one else in the publishing ecosystem has more closely aligned interests: successfully selling a proposal and in turn delivering an acceptable manuscript. This relationship must be properly nurtured so that it can support honesty and mutual understanding as well as clearly delineated lines of reporting. Addressing the potential for frustration and risk of lost income, this panel will be a candid conversation about how to optimize the crucial agent-ghost dynamic, ensuring positive outcomes for not only agents and ghosts, but also editors and authors.
Moderator: Becka Oliver, Director of Talent, VP, Kevin Anderson & Associates
Panelists: Anthony Mattero, Agent, CAA; Madeleine Morel, Founder, 2M Communications; Regina Brooks, CEO/President, Serendipity Literary Agency; Valerie Frankel, Agent, Aevitas Creative Management
AI could propel our world into a future where authoring is faster, more insightful, and more creative. Or, it could very well commoditize our writing and undermine the value of our intellectual property. To map this volatile future, we’ll hear from prominent and forward-thinking experts, including an author, a publisher, and a futurist. Insights from this panel will inform an upcoming statement on industry standards for ghostwriters in the age of AI.
Conference ends at 1 p.m.
Conference WIFI sponsored by Amplify Publishing Group
Refreshments sponsored by Endeavorink and Pubvendo
$499 Super Early Bird – SOLD OUT
$599 Early Bird – SOLD OUT
$799 Regular Bird – Limited tickets remaining
Publishers Weekly (March 5, 2025)
