Colts Neck, NJ – August 22, 2018 – Representatives from several ECPA member companies played leadership roles at the inaugural Publishing in Color conference, the first spiritual writers’ conference specifically targeted at increasing the number of books published by writers of color. The conference took place June 19-20 at the New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Keynote speakers included Joyce Dinkins, Executive Editor at Our Daily Bread Ministries and Dr. Cheryl Price, Executive Vice President at Urban Ministries. And Kelsey Bowen, Acquisitions Editor at Revell Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, led the publishing discussion at the pre-conference retreat. The conference was organized by Brian Allain, former Director of the Frederick Buechner Center and owner of Writing for Your Life. In addition to Baker Publishing Group, Our Daily Bread, and Urban Ministries, conference sponsors included Christianity Today and InterVarsity Press.
Additional ECPA member companies participating included:
- Credo Communications
- HarperCollins Christian Publishing – Thomas Nelson
- HarperCollins Christian Publishing – Zondervan
- Penguin RandomHouse – Waterbrook & Multnomah
- Simon & Schuster – Howard Books
- Tyndale House
“I was thrilled with the turnout of African American writers, and their enthusiasm for this event. At Our Daily Bread we are following up with several promising attendees,” said Joyce Dinkins, Executive Editor, Our Daily Bread Ministries. “Praise God!”
“From the perspective of a publishing house, I could not have been happier with the quality and diversity of the attendees and with conference overall,” offered Jenny Baumgartner, Editorial Director and Acquisitions Editor, HarperCollins Christian Publishing.
“Christianity Today made a significant commitment to this conference, sending four top editors. We were not disappointed!” said Andy Olson, Managing Director, Christianity Today. “It was such a valuable opportunity to connect with both seasoned and up-and-coming writers of color, writers whose voices need to be heard.”
Publishing in Color is a series of conferences for under-represented groups of spiritual authors such as African Americans, Asian Americans, Latino/a Americans, and Native Americans. The goals of these conferences are to:
- Foster relationships between under-represented groups of prospective spiritual authors and representatives of spiritual book publishing companies, literary agencies, and spiritual magazines
- Provide networking and educational opportunities so that prospective authors can learn more about how to work with these publishers, agencies, and magazines
- Result in an increased number of books and articles published by under-represented groups
The next Publishing in Color conference will take place November 8-9, 2018 in the Chicago area at the Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church in Elmhurst, IL. Additional information about the conference can be found here: https://publishingincolor.com/publishing-in-color-conference-november-2018-elmhurst-il/
Keynote speakers for the conference include authors Dominique Gilliard and Sharon Koenig, and publishing industry veterans Joyce Dinkins (Our Daily Bread Ministries) and Cheryl Price (Urban Ministries). In addition to these keynote speakers, the event will feature many publishing house representatives speaking about various aspects of “how to get published” and will include ample time for networking and relationship building.
Publishing in Color has established a scholarship fund that will pay for selected individuals to attend this or future Publishing in Color conferences at no charge. The fund is currently accepting donations, and profits from the Publishing in Color conferences will be donated to this fund.
You can learn more about the Publishing in Color conference series at: https://publishingincolor.com/
About Writing for Your Life
Writing for Your Life is committed to offering a comprehensive set of useful resources and services to support spiritual writers. We offer in-person writing conferences and online webinars featuring leading spiritual authors and publishing industry experts. Authors discuss and teach about various aspects of spiritual writing. Industry experts offer advice on how to get published and how to market. We also offer a variety of writer support services including book development, editing, book proposal review, marketing, and platform development. https://writingforyourlife.com/
About Publishing in Color
Publishing in Color is a series of conferences for under-represented groups of spiritual authors such as African Americans, Asian Americans, Latino/a Americans, and Native Americans. The goals of these conferences are to: foster relationships between under-represented groups of prospective spiritual authors and representatives of spiritual book publishing companies, literary agencies, and spiritual magazines; provide networking and educational opportunities so that prospective authors can learn more about how to work with these publishers, agencies, and magazines; and result in an increased number of books and articles published by under-represented groups. https://publishingincolor.com/
For additional information contact Brian Allain at brian@writingforyourlife.com
