The 14th San Francisco Writers Conference & Classes—Feb. 16-20, 2017

SAN FRANCISCO - Jan. 18, 2017 - PRLog -- The San Francisco Writers Conference attracts more than 300 writers and more than a hundred bestselling authors, literary agents, publishers, editors, and publishing professionals from across the country. Agents and editors look for new talent and share their expertise. Aspiring writers rub shoulders with insiders who help build careers.

The keynoters are New York Times bestselling authors Heather Graham, John Perkins, and William Bernhardt. The conference will be held President's Day Weekend, February 16^th-20^th at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel. The goal of the conference is to help writers understand what they need to know about writing, publishing, and how to succeed. The program, list of presenters list, online registration for the conference and classes are available at: www.SFWriters.org.

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC SESSIONS: The conference will have nine free, open-to-the-public sessions. On Friday night (Feb. 17) WRITING THE RESISTANCE: Authors as Activists will feature Stephen Dinan, Jewelle Gomez, Susan Griffin, Alan Kaufman, Brenda Knight, John Perkins, and David Talbot. On Saturday night (Feb. 18), OPENING THE HEART AND MIND is a session about opportunities for writers of color.

  New York Times Bestsellingchildren's author/illustrator Jon Agee will show his young fans and children's book writers How to Use Your Imagination on Saturday morning, (Feb. 18).

  An Evening of Poetry and Jazz, on Friday (Feb. 17) beginning at 7:30 p.m., is free and open to the public, and the SFWC Exhibit Hall with companies offering services and products for writers—is open to the public most of the conference hours. A list of free events can be found at http://sfwriters.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/2017-SFWC-Free-Events.pdf.

A La Carte Classes on February 16^th and 20^th are open to everyone, not just SFWC attendees. The classes are taught by presenters and designed for in-depth learning. Details are at http://www.sfwriters.org.

Writing a book is just the start of a career. Turning a manuscript into a bestseller takes determination, collaboration, and knowledge about the industry. The conference provides a wealth of information to help writers succeed.

  Attendees have access to more than a hundred sessions covering fiction, nonfiction, children's, middle-grade, and young-adult books, poetry, publishing, and marketing; keynote lunches; social events where attendees can mingle with presenters; and pitch sessions where they receive feedback on their work.

Twenty agents will take pitches at the optional Speed Dating with Agents. Editors from top publishing houses—Simon & Schuster, St. Martin's Press, Viking/Penguin Random House, Mira/Harlequin/HarperCollins, Ten Speed Press, Chronicle Books, Algonquin—are always a highlight of the program.

The self-publishing track helps attendees learn from leaders in the field, including Carla King, PBS MediaShift; Steven Spatz, BookBaby, Kevin Tumlinson, Draft2Digital; Jennie Nash, Author Accelerator; and Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords.

For a complete 2017 San Francisco Writers Conference presenters list, go to: www.SFWriters.org.

2017 SAN FRANCISCO WRITERS CONFERENCE REGISTRATION INFO:

GENERAL: Attendance is limited to 320 attendees and there will be more than 100 presenters for optimum interaction. REGISTRATION FEE: $795 while seats remain. The conference sells out, and seats will most likely NOT be available at the door. Register on-line at www.SFWriters.org

PRE & POST CLASSES: Writing Intensive Workshops are scheduled for Thursday, February 16^th and Monday, February 20^th. These classes feature SFWC presenters and are open to non-attendees. Registration and details on these sessions is available at www.SFWriters.org.

The San Francisco Writers Conference is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. To learn about San Francisco Writers Conference programs and events, go to the website at www.SFWriters.org or call 415-673-0939.

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SHORTER VERSION OF RELEASE

2017 SAN FRANCISCO WRITERS CONFERENCE & CLASSES. A Celebration of Craft, Commerce and Community on February 16^th-20^th at the Mark Hopkins Hotel. Featuring keynotes by NY Times bestselling authors Heather Graham, John Perkins and William Bernhardt. Quality interaction with 100 literary agents, editors, publishers and bestselling authors at over 100 sessions. Exhibit hall, bookstore, and special presentations open to the public. In-depth A La Carte Classes are open to non-attendees. Get details—including a list of presenters and registration—and opt-in for the newsletter at www.SFWriters.org.

SPONSORS OF THE 2017 SAN FRANCISCO WRITERS CONFERENCE INCLUDE:

Ingram Spark, BookBaby, Author Accelerator, The Writer—Bestseller Sponsors

Smashwords—sponsor of Self-Publishing Track, Writer's Digest—Speed Dating for Agents sponsor Women's National Book Association, California Writers Club and TriValley Writers. Harvey Pawl, Book Expo & BookShop West Portal (SFWC onsite bookstore).

Scholarship Benefactors: Dr. Ellen Talliaferro, Kevin Smokler