The 10th Annual 805 Writers Conference Returns on November 5 & 6 to Ventura, California

(October 7, 2022 – Ojai, California) Declaring the Covid hiatus over, the 805 Writers Conference returns from hibernation on November 5 & 6 to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ventura, with in-person and zoom sessions, a Book Expo, and half-day workshops. This will be the tenth annual conference, which started in 2011.

“No more hiding behind our keyboards,” said Kathleen Kaiser, president of the Writers & Publishers Network (WPN), a national literary nonprofit based in Ojai, California, and sponsor of the conference. “By November, everyone can be boosted against Covid, a virus that is becoming the new flu. We must learn to live and thrive with Covid, and coming to a writing conference is a great way to get out and back on track.”

There are more than just great sessions and speakers this year; the return of the Book Expo. Local indie authors will be selling and signing their books each day. Plus, all author speakers will be in and out of the expo through the weekend, chatting with everyone and signing their books. Talk about networking. The Book Expo is free for the public to attend, making sure you can go pick up your winter TBR stack. So even if you haven’t bought a ticket to the conference—there is still a way to meet all these amazingly talented humans at the Book Expo. Register in advance for the expo and have a chance to win one of four Bags of Books worth over $100 each.

Every writer needs community, and attending writing conferences is the best place to build one by meeting other writers and learning from successful authors, agents, editors, and book marketers. Face-to-face meetings, talking during breaks, and finding like-minded people—it’s the best way to keep on track, learn new ways to market your book, finish your book, and get published.

The 805 brings together top authors from all genres to discuss their process or specific craft elements all writers need to know. In addition, book marketing experts discuss how to launch a book and understand how to sell books on Amazon. Small publishers looking for direct submissions will discuss their search for new writers and be ready to meet them at the conference. Plus, there will be literary agents, book editors, and more. And one session showcases successful indie authors from the 805 area code.

“As the conference director,” said Kaiser, “I’ve found the best experts to talk with writers of all ages. Hear how they started, the obstacles they overcame, their process, and the joy of writing, which should inspire everyone to go home and get back to work on that manuscript.”

(Pictured above are keynote speaker, author Wendelin Van Draanen, left, and author William Bernhardt.)

New York Times bestselling mystery author William Bernhardt is flying in to speak and teach a workshop. He is the author of over forty books, including the blockbuster Ben Kincaid series of novels; the historical novel Nemesis: The Final Case of Eliot Ness, currently being adapted into an NBC miniseries; and a series of books on fiction writing. He is the founder of the Red Sneaker Writing Center.

The Saturday keynote speaker will be Young Adult author Wendelin Van Draanen. She is the multi-award-winning, bestselling author of more than thirty novels, all published by Knopf/RandomHouse. Her titles include the long-running Edgar Allan Poe Award-winning Sammy Keyes mystery series and Flipped, which became a Warner Brothers feature film directed by Rob Reiner. Keeping with the 805 theme of highlighting authors in the region, Ms. Van Draanen lives in San Luis Obispo County.

To learn more about the speakers, sessions, and book expo, visit https://805writersconference.com