WHEN Monday, July 31, 7-10 p.m. WHERE Beverly Hills Bar Association Conference Room 300 South Beverly Drive Beverly Hills, Calif. MORE INFO Email learnwest@mediabistro.com, or call (310) 659-5668. PRICE $65 ($50 for ) more info

Course Details

Are you a writer? Yeah, so is everyone else in this city. Writers living in Los Angeles are automatically placed in the television/film group by mere association with the silver screen city. Why? Because L.A. is the entertainment capital and New York is the publishing capital. But just because you aren't in New York doesn't mean that you can't turn your nonfiction tale into a hardbound book. But first, you have to summarize your story in a succinct attention-grabbing proposal that will convince overwhelmed agents and publishers that your idea is worthy of their time. This seminar will show you how.

• Trends in the non-fiction book publishing industry
• The basics of writing a nonfiction book proposal
• How to differentiate your idea from the hundreds of thousands out there
• How to find an agent that fits your expertise.
• How to make your book idea more appealing to publishers
• How to manage your own PR

Instructor Bio

Laurel House's Courses

Laurel House is the West Coast Editor for Fit Magazine and Fit Yoga Magazine. Additionally, her writing has appeared in Playboy, Men's Journal, Women's Health, Elite Traveler, First for Women, Spa, Healing Lifestyles and Spas, FHM, Alive, Vegetarian Times, L.A. Daily News, and Men's Health. Her first book, The Gurus' Guide to Serenity; A Me-Time Menu of Celebrity Stress Reducers was released in December 2004 by HarperCollins. She also co-wrote Raise the Barre; The Revolutionary 8-Week Program for Total Mind/Body Transformation (HarperCollins January 2006), has been hired to ghost-write several books on various topics ranging from interior design to fitness, and is currently co-writing another book that has yet to be publicly announced. In addition to her writing, Laurel has also appeared as an expert on The Today Show Weekend, Life and Style, Modern Girl's Guide to Life, and Soap Talk, as well as on ABC, FOX, and CBS morning shows.

Testimonials

I've taken writing seminars for 20 years from some of the top instructors in Los Angeles. Laurel House is one of the best. She speaks from a basis of hard-won, real-world experience about the esoteric field of ghostwriting. She provides both a broad knowledge of the realities of the publishing industry, and a shrewd sense of the writer's relationships with agents and book subjects alike. She's also completely candid about everything from 'How much money can I make?' to 'What are the hidden pitfalls to watch out for?' Highly recommended. -- Marcus Webb, President, Executive Speechwriter


"The seminar I attended was taught by Laurel House who was very informative, entertaining, and insightful. She gave the basic information without being long-winded, and she really focused on the information that a novice needs to know about. She was very realistic in her view of the industry and what an author or those aspiring to be one should expect of the publishing world. The time and money spent on the seminar was definitely worth it. Laurel is a wealth of information." -- Karen T. Gardoce, mortgage broker and aspiring author


"I thought Laurel was a doll, excellent speaker, knowledgeable (especially for her age -- she looked young). She was very energetic and enthusiastic and a picture of health. Her wealth of ideas was a bit intimidating and it seemed as if she had many fortuitous events that led to her success. Overall, I'd give that one an A+." -- Darcy Kimatian, freelance writer and former newspaper editor