The Greater Los Angeles Writer's Conference (www.glaws.org) in conjunction with LOSCON, asked me to moderate a panel on finding and working with an editor. On this panel, with writer Leslie Ann Moore and editor Deanna Brady, we talked about why hiring an editor is important, what to look for in an editor, and how to work with an editor once you find one that you like.  AUDIO

Los Angeles Comic Con asked me to put together and moderate this panel. I filled it with fantastic creators including Lynly Forrest (http://hexcomix.com), Mom Comix (http://momcomics.org), Bryant Dillon (http://www.fanbasepress.com), Joie Foster (http://heyjoiecomics.com), and Neo Edmund (http://www.neoedmund.com) to talk about how to use social media, conventions, and local communities to build an audience. AUDIO

Palm Springs Comic Con asked me to moderate this panel that I filled with my good friend Justin Kirkman (www.calicomics.com). He and I talked about how to build worlds, choose projects, and  fit writing into an already hectic life. AUDIO

Santa Clarita Valley Comic Con asked me to host this panel with artists JD Correa, Bobby Timony (http://www.twincomics.com), and Dave Olbrich (http://spacegoatproductions.com). We talked about how to build a career, find a publisher, and the most important thing artists can do immediately to improve their career. AUDIO

I hosted this panel at Emerald City Comicon about building a portfolio for artists and writers, and pitching an editor. I brought together experts from all walks of creative life including Pia Guerra (artist, Y: The Last Man), Tom Hutchison (publisher, Big Dog Ink), Laura Neubert (artists, Action Labs), Greg Smith (writer, Oni Press), and Margot Atwell (publishing director, Kickstarter).

I hosted this panel at Comic Con Revolution because tabling at any convention is expensive. Exhibitors are in a deep hole before they even step foot onto the convention floor. Most creators don't break even on their costs. It doesn't have to be that way though. Creators can make a nice living from working the convention circuit if they know the secrets to manning a booth. I brought convention experts Neo Edmund, Karl Altstaetter, and Cathleen Abalos to show creators how to turn a profit at conventions.

Before Ken Levin was an executive producer of Preacher, he was the owner of First Comics/Devil's Due Publishing. Before that, he was a creator. Before that, he was just a guy trying to catch a break. I moderated this spotlight panel at City of Indio's Fantasia Comic Con about how Ken Levin built his writing career, his business, and how he's sustained them all throughout the years.

I put together this panel with Mike Wellman (www.thecomicbug.com) and ran it at two different conventions. Once at Long Beach Comic Con and a second time at Los Angeles Comic Con. I found a different moderator for each event. Mary Bellamy (http://www.marybellamy.com) moderated the Long Beach Comic Con event and D. J. Kirkbride (http://www.djkirkbride.com) hosted the Los Angeles Comic Con event. LBCC AUDIO LACC AUDIO

I sat on this panel at Awesome Con about the pitfalls of Self Publishing. Most of my panels have a positive bent, but this one was heavily geared toward the negatives of self publishing. We talked about legal issues, how not to get screwed by editors, and how to sell more copies of books at conventions.

Palm Springs Comic Con asked me to put together a discussion about Kickstarter, so I created a panel and filled it with Madeleine Holly-Rosing (http://bostonmetaphysicalsociety.com) and Melissa Kirkman (www.calicomics.com). Not only did we talk about Kickstarter, but we also discussed how to publish comics, what to look for in a publishing contract, and where to print books to get the best deal. AUDIO

The OTIS College of Art and Design instructor Jim Higgins asked do a Q and A session for his class about how to build a publishing empire. Jim interviewed me about my work and then opened the floor up to the class, who asked pointed questions about how I built my brand and created by projects from nothing into a sustainable business.

Visionaries and authors discuss future literature in light of societal shifts because of the virus, politics, policies and recent events. What happens to dystopian, science fiction and fantasy when we already feel like we’re living in a zombie apocalypse?  How will creatives be inspired? What does this panel of visionaries see for the rest of 2020, 2021 and beyond?

• Maria Alexander, Award-winning author of adult and young adult dark fiction, writer of comedy crime fiction under her own name and Quentin Banks
• Scott Brody, Author of political thriller The Org, radio station manager and political activist
• Johnathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author, 5-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, and comic book writer. His vampire apocalypse book series, V-WARS, was a Netflix original series.
• Russell Nohelty, USA Today bestselling author, publisher, and founder of Wannabe Press
• Edgar Scott, economist turned computer scientist, futurist, and author of the forthcoming 418
• Jenna Busch (M) Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Legion of Leia (now part of Vital Thrills) and has hosted and written for sites like SYFY Fangrrls, Nerdist, ComingSoon.net, Metro, Birth. Movies. Death., IGN, AOL, The Washington Post, Huffington Post and more. She co-hosted Cocktails With Stan with the legendary Stan Lee

I did this panel for FSK Day about Kickstarter with Hailey Dennis, TJ Sterling (Okemus) Lonzo Starr (Genesis), Kathryn Calamia (Like Father, Like Daughter), and Newton Lilavois (Crescent City Monsters).

VIDEO

A conversation with successful creatives about agility and opportunity. Find motivation from several writers and creatives who are sure to inspire. How can you build or even rebuild your brand? Tap into these creative genius’s secrets and be empowered. 

• Kevin J. Anderson, Publisher of WordFire Press with 56 international bestsellers, author of novels in the Star Wars and The X-Files universes, co-author of the Dune Prequel Series with Brian Herbert 
• Echo Chernik, Renowned commercial artist, clients include: Celestial Seasonings Teas, Dave Matthews, Disney, Mattel, Penguin, Random House, and more.
• Debra Eckerling, Author of Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning, and Achieving Your Goals and founder of the D*E*B METHOD®.
• Russell Nohelty, USA Today bestselling author, publisher, and founder of Wannabe Press.
• Jeff Sweat, Author of The Mayfly and Scorpion, journalist, social media pioneer, and public relations expert.
• Moderator: Brandie June, author of the forthcoming Gold Spun, a Writers of the Future finalist, and playwright of an award-winning Oscar Wilde dark comedy. 

The Scriptwriter's Network asked me to host this workshop for their seminar series. Since I was about to run my third Kickstarter, they asked me to talk about what I learned from raising over $10,000 on Kickstarter so that their members would have the best chance for success.

The Digital Media Educator's Conference saw me speak at the Greater Los Angeles Writer's Conference and asked me host a workshop for their attendees about social media. We talked about the different social media networks, how each can be used effectively, and how to combine them together in order to create a cohesive brand that builds authority with the right people.

EagleCon, hosted by California State University- Los Angeles, invited me to host a conversation with a more academic perspective than my usual fair, so I created this workshop where we discussed the supply and demand of creativity, how creative work differs from other types of businesses, and most importantly, how to be successful in a creative career.

I hosted this workshop at Long Beach Comic Con and Long Beach Comic Expo a total of three times. (2 at LBCCs and 1 at LBCE) about the secrets of Kickstarter, and how to take Kickstarter funding and transition it into real world publishing success. AUDIO

I ran this workshop for Ontario California Comic Expo all about how to build a rabid fanbase. I talked about building an audience from scratch and making them committed to your brand.

I ran this workshop for Wyrdcon where I broke down in detail the mindset shifts that need to happen before you can build an audience, and how to scale an audience rapidly once you have built a solid foundation.

I hosted this teen workshop for the Long Beach Public Library System where I talked about how to write a graphic novel, dealing with structure, characters, pacing, and many other factor that determine the quality of a good book.

Learn how to go from having no internet presence to a network of raving fans, even if nobody knows who you are right now.

In this workshop, you will learn how to find the right groups to join, how to create your brand, and how to get people talking about you as an author.

The Greater Los Angeles brought me in to speak about Kickstarter during my massively successful $39,000+ campaign for Cthulhu is Hard to Spell. I broke down what it really takes to be successful on Kickstarter, and in life, including internet marketing, mailing list building, and more.

Live events are incredibly important for a successful author. They are a way to get out in front of your audience and make a connection. Unfortunately, most authors lose money at live events. Not Russell Nohelty, though. He is an expert at working the convention circuit and has tabled at over 100 shows since 2014. Join Russell as he shares the tips and tricks he's learned to always make money at live events.

Social media is often seen as the bane of a writer's existence. However, done correctly, social media is an amazing way to connect with fans and people who will grow to adore your work. The problem is that the social media landscape is enormous and rife with pitfalls. Join USA Today Bestselling author Russell Nohelty as he simplifies social media and gives you a very simple way to make it an enjoyable and productive use of your time.

Are you having trouble connecting with people on social media, building quality friendships, and getting people excited about your work? Join USA Today bestselling author Russell Nohelty as he guides you through the easiest, most impactful, and most fun way to go about building your social media account in less than an hour a week, and have fun doing it. These are the secrets that Russell has used to build engaged accounts for himself and dozens of other authors, raise over $125,000 on Kickstarter, and launch books successfully again and again.

Readers need to believe in the writer’s characters; care about their plight; share in their joy. Join USA Today bestselling author Russell Nohelty as he discusses how he crafts compelling characters that create layers within a story, and how to drive conflict within your story that creates a world that readers don’t want to leave.

Your script is fantastic. It’s tight, it’s filmable, and it’s ready to go right now. You KNOW it’s going to be the next big thing, but you send it out…and crickets. Nobody cares, not because your script isn’t awesome, but because nobody’s talking about it.

I felt that way too. What I found is that when I turned my script into a novel a world of opportunity opened up to me. I was able to start getting the reaction directly from fans I KNEW my work deserved. I got my work read by producers, optioned, and people started to see me as an authority in my field.

It never would have happened if I didn’t take my first scripts and adapt them into novels. Those scripts would still be sitting in a drawer and I would still be wondering what to do next. But I know what to do now, because I’ve done it. And I want to show you exactly how to do it too.

Because I know you have an awesome story, and I know I can help you tell it to the world. Writing a novel isn’t that scary. Not when you have somebody lay out exactly how to do it.

Artists don’t need to starve and this is not going to happen as long as they are authentic, have the right mindset, love their craft and their audience. When it comes to success, pouring your soul into your creation and being passionate about what you’re doing is equally important in handling self-publishing as a business.

In this session, find out:

How you can build a business as a self-published author

Why your book is a product and how you can approach it as such

What triggers book sales

How giving your book away can help you be successful

I ran this workshop for the Finding the Writer Within conference all about how to build your audience from scratch.

I ran this workshop for the Productivity Mindset Summit all about how to increase your productivity, do more with less time, and increase your bandwidth.

This week's ColorworldLIVE features our favorite authors Rachel Kelly, Lance Conrad, and Russell Nohelty! It will be full of fun and hi-jinx! We'll laugh. We'll cry. We'll say things that everyone can't believe they heard. Buckle UP for fun!

VIDEO

Russell Nohelty is a LEGEND in the comics industry. He IS the who's who of writers. He's worked with top talent and brand new artists. He's produce all sorts of his own work and helped other people market their work. Russell is here to tell us what in the world Real writing have to do with Comics.

VIDEO

Due to the current pandemic uncertainty, we are in the process of moving the Greater Los Angeles Writers Conference to a virtual environment. Without getting into the technical aspects right now, we felt it is appropriate to educate our members and all writer as to how they can benefit from attending a virtual conference from the safety of their home.

Social media is often seen as the bane of a writer’s existence. However, done correctly, social media is an amazing way to connect with fans and people who will grow to adore your work. The problem is that the social media landscape is enormous and rife with pitfalls. In this webinar session, join USA Today Bestselling author Russell Nohelty as he demystifies social media and gives you a very simple way to make it an enjoyable and productive use of your time.

Are you a writer who's sick of agonizing to make enough money? Have you spent years banging your head against a brick wall, trying to make it work with little success to show for it? Are you struggling to connect with a fan base of excited readers? Join this USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR as he teaches you how to grow a rabid audience hungry to buy your products, without feeling gross about it!

Kickstarter is a cruel mistress. On one hand, it's given creatives the ability to launch products directly to their audience. On the other, the competition is fierce and launching a successful project gets harder each and every day.

Even worse, every minute you waste is a minute you fall further behind your peers.  Luckily, there's a ton of information on how to succeed on Kickstarter. Join USA Today bestselling Author Russell Nohelty, who has raised over $180,000 for publishing projects on Kickstarter, as he goes through the ins and outs on how to crush it on Kickstarter.

As of early 2021, there are over 2 million podcasts that have produced a combined 48 million episodes. More and more listeners are finding podcasts every day, and readers love audio. This is a huge opportunity for authors, especially since the biggest demographic for buying books is also the biggest demographic that consumes podcasts. Whether you write non-fiction or fiction, there are tons of ways to engage readers on a deeper level. Join USA Today bestselling author Russell Nohelty as he shows you how to create a great podcast from scratch.

As of early 2021, there are over 2 million podcasts that have produced a combined 48 million episodes. More and more listeners are finding podcasts every day, and readers love audio. This is a huge opportunity for authors, especially since the biggest demographic for buying books is also the biggest demographic that consumes podcasts. Whether you write non-fiction or fiction, there are tons of ways to engage readers on a deeper level. Join USA Today bestselling author Russell Nohelty as he shows you how to create a great podcast from scratch.

I organized and co-hosted this 14+ hour live streamed convention which included panels from Marv Wolfman (co-creator of The Teen Titans), Kevin Eastman (co-creator of TMNT), Richard Starkings (Founder of Comicraft), Sandy Carpenter (publisher of Storm King Productions), Jimmy Palmiotti, and more. In total, 50+ creators took part in the panels, AMAs, and Facebook group, with over 700 registered attendee and a Facebook group we built to over 1,100 in just two weeks.

Watch