Deep Dive into Publishing: Creating Income Beyond the Page

Join us on Zoom at 7 pm ET on Sunday, November 13, as three authors take a deep dive into life beyond their novels and walk attendees through the variety of opportunities that writers have to package their expertise and passion to reach a wider audience and add revenue streams to their income. Panelists will discuss pitching major conferences, teaching workshops, selling programs, and writing articles for publications.

Rocky Callen (she/her), daughter of an Ecuadorian immigrant, is a former behavioral coach and the author of the young adult novel A Breath Too Late, which was named a 2020 Kirkus Best Book of the Year and a Chicago Library Best Teen Book of the Year. She is the co-editor for the forthcoming YA mental health anthology Ab(solutely) Normal (2023) and has another YA novel coming out in 2024. Apart from writing, Rocky has sold international writing retreats, digital programs, writing workshops, and 1:1 writing mentorships on her own platform. Her passion for mental health and creativity led her to establish HoldOn2Hope Project, an initiative that unites creatives in suicide prevention and mental health awareness.

Nora Shalaway Carpenter has successfully pitched and co-pitched panels and workshops for YALSA, NCTE, Highlights Foundation, the Summit on the Research & Teaching of YA Literature, and SCBWI regional conferences. She is the contributing editor of the critically acclaimed anthology Rural Voices, which was named an NPR Best Book of the Year, among numerous other honors. Her novel The Edge of Anything was named a Bank Street Best Book, a Kirkus Reviews Best book, and A Mighty Girl Best Book of the Year.  She is co-editor of the Ab(solutely) Normal anthology, forthcoming April 2023. Her next novel, Fault Lines, is forthcoming September 2023.

Leah Johnson is an eternal midwesterner and author of award-winning books for children and young adults. Her bestselling debut YA novel, You Should See Me in a Crown, was a Stonewall Honor Book, the inaugural Reese’s Book Club YA pick, and named a best book of the year by Amazon, Kirkus, Marie Claire, Publishers Weekly, and New York Public Library. In 2021, TIME named You Should See Me in a Crown one of the 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time. Leah’s essays and cultural criticism can be found in Teen Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Cosmopolitan, among others. Her debut middle grade, Ellie Engle Saves Herself, is forthcoming from Disney-Hyperion in 2023.