A major literary gathering with a focus on connecting authors with the publishing world is coming to North Vancouver in June.
The Vancouver International Publishing Conference (VIPC) will be held at the Wallace Venue at The Shipyards in North Van on June 8, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
With panellists from major publishing houses, literary agents and authors from across North America, this is an event to be on the calendars of both publishing professionals and aspiring authors.
Megan Williams, North Shore based CEO and founder of the Self Publishing Agency, Inc., is organizing the event with members of her team. She’s hoping to provide information and expertise not typically accessible in the Vancouver area.
“We’ve got speakers from all over the world, and it is very exciting because it is rare to have a publishing event of this size on the West Coast of Canada,” she said, adding that the intent of conference is to give writers access to information and opportunities that can be hard to find.
“The information online can be outdated, and it can be quite guarded,” she said.
The conference will have an illustrious panel featuring publishing leaders, acclaimed authors, top agents, and marketing experts from Penguin Random House, DoubleDay, Scribd, Douglas & McIntyre, and more, uniting to share industry insights and ignite literary inspiration.
Some of the panellists from the publishing and marketing world are Nicole Brand, Charlotte Nip, Anna MacDiarmid, Tammy Kung, Anna Comfort, Donald Maass, Anna Mullens, and Justin Chevrier. From the author’s world, the event will feature Eileen Cook, Eddy Boudel Tan and Tara McGuire.
Panel discussions will cover topics such as 2025 publishing trends, how to sell a story, how to write tough stories, and innovative strategies for book marketing and publicity.
Each one-hour panel session will have a host and three panellists.
“It will be a full day of education, network, information and sharing,” Williams said. The agenda with full details on panellists and hosts can be viewed here.
The conference aims to provide something different than other writing conferences in B.C. such as the Surrey Writers’ Festival, the Whistler Writers’ Festival, and the Vancouver Writers’ Festival, Williams said.
“This conference is different because it is about publishing and not on writing,” she said.
Culminating in the Literary Lounge, a post-panel networking reception, the conference aims to foster broader networking and knowledge exchange.
“Allowing the two worlds of writer and publishers to collide in a really open, transparent, and inclusive environment makes this conference one-of-a-kind,” said Williams.
The VIPC released only 100 tickets for the conference and, as of May 21, only 30 seats were left. Tickets are currently priced at $239 plus tax. Ticket information can be found at eventbrite.com.
Shobana Shanmugasamy is a student intern reporting for the North Shore News. She can be reached at [email protected].
