Desiree Holt on EPICon 2014

This week I am interviewing Desiree Holt, who is currently planning EPICon 2014, coming up next March in San Antonio, TX.

Disclaimer: Larry and I have attended every EPICon since 2006. They are our favorite conferences, and we often present workshops. We never fail to learn new things!

Desiree, thank you for being my guest today. You have been very active in planning the past two EPICons and you will be in charge of the next one. What do you like about this particular conference?

Desiree: First and foremost I’d have to say the number and variety of workshops. We have many new presenters this year and many new topics. We are offering everything from the mechanics of social media—not why you should do it but how to. We’ll have everything from “Painting the Picture—How to Make Your Readers ‘see’ Your Characters” to a workshop about prisons for people who write thrillers and suspense. We’ve added some spice to eFiesta. Authors will sign cover flats or cards or whatever they choose to bring, and we will also have a Google chat set up so readers who can’t attend can talk to their favorite authors. And finally, “Speed Dating with Editors” for both published and unpublished authors, a chance to pitch your story to a variety of editors.

What special events are planned for EPICon 2014?

Desiree: We’ll have the popular river cruise we did two years ago and we’re adding a one hour ghost tour. You now, The Menger is a haunted hotel and we wanted our attendees to know all about the ghosts that haunt that place as well as surrounding areas.

Who may attend the conference?

Desiree: Absolutely anyone. There is something here for everyone involved in digital publishing—authors, editors, publishers, designers. You name it. We especially encourage aspiring writers and readers to attend. But I encourage all industry professionals to join EPIC if they have not already. The membership fee is a very, very reasonable at $30 per year and offers a lot of benefits.

What makes this conference different from all the other writing conferences?

Desiree: First and foremost, it deals strictly with all things digital. You can learn everything from how to prepare your manuscript to how to format it for self-publishing to how to promote yourself on the Internet. We have workshops that explain the uniqueness of digital publishing and promotion and presenters who will explain how to do it.

Can unpublished writers attend? How about readers?

Desiree: Yes. And everyone you will sit next to, have coffee or a drink with, attend workshops with, is involved in the world of digital publishing so you have a unique opportunity to share and absorb information pertaining just to this industry.

What are the dates and location for the conference?

Desiree:

March 13-16, 2014, The Menger Hotel, San Antonio, Texas.

And it’s always bigger and better in Texas, you know!

How can people find our more information?

Desiree: Simply go to www.epicorg.com and click on the Lone Star Flag. The schedule is still a work in progress but we will be updating it constantly.

When can we start signing up?

I am hopeful that the registration from will go up no later than May 15.

Thank you, Desiree, for joining me today. I, for one, can’t wait to go to EPICon 2014!