Recently, I got the opportunity to attend the 2025 Wayne State University Press Spring Book Publishing Conference! This is my first ever writing/publishing conference I’ve attended and this day-long event was a fun day of information filled sessions, gaining new insight about the publishing industry, and networking with other writers.
Held at the McGregor Memorial Conference Center this conference had programming featuring local writers and is designed to help writers understand and happily navigate the publishing process. In between panels there was time to connect with others and during this discussions with Q&A sessions. Though I’ve been writing since high school and have dabbled in publishing from writing a book to working with publishers for reviews on my blog, I took away so much from this conference. It was interesting to hear takeaways from authors and publishing professionals about the inner workings of the publishing industry as a whole and how to navigate its various obstacles.
The Publishing Process Explained
This 45-minute session with time for audience questions at the end explains the publishing process step by step with Wayne State University Press staff discussing their roles in publishing a book from proposal to publication and beyond.
In this opening session, the WSU staff went over their acquisitions process and how they transform the manuscript into a published book for readers. Usually 30 books are accepted per year and they each go through a lengthy process of copyediting, cover art design work, typesetting, and proofing. Some aspects I was familiar with but it was interesting to learn about how much work each team does into creating the final piece. Even after the book is published there is still much work to be done from tracking sales, working with authors for events, and press coverage. WSU Press has a backlist of 1,200 titles currently.
Made in Michigan – A World of Readers
The Made in Michigan Writers Series (MMWS) is where most of WSU Press’s literary books—poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction—are published. In this session, three of the series’ editors share what drew them to the series, the kinds of manuscripts that most excite them, and advice on shaping a great proposal.
MMWS began in 2005 in order to focus on diversity and inclusion. In this session they discussed the differences between being a Michigan writer vs. a Detroit writer along with Detroit’s strong poetry scene. In one quote one writer stated, “Michigan is the United States is what Detroit is to Michigan”, which I agreed with. As a writer based in the Metro Detroit area, I can definitely feel that there is a special, unique vibe to the writing community.
They authors also talked about their “submission cravings”: recognition of places, non-fiction/essays that have hybrid forms (lyrical writing), and new stories to be told. They put a heavy emphasis on paying good attention to your proposal and the relationship and the reader. You need to have a vision, plan, and remain open to the relationship with your publisher.
Six Degrees of Promotion: Utilizing Your Network
Authors often feel like they’ve been promoting their book for a long time when it finally arrives on store shelves. For the rest of the world, this moment is only the beginning. How does an author utilize their network to promote a new book? WSU Press Publicist Kelsey Giffin guides this discussion with three WSU Press authors who have done it successfully.
This session discussed networking for your book and who should be in your network. It was best said that, “If you have a book, you have a job.” No one can promote a book like you can and you have to be ready to use all avenues to promote your book. The authors talked about constantly being in the process of writing to keep eyes on your work and trying to generate out of the box ideas to garner attention for your book. Essentially, they recommended going to places that have access to community, obtaining reviews, traveling to bookstores, and so much more!
The Anatomy of a Book Event
Book events are an inevitable part of promotion. Many of us have found ourselves at crowded events that are highly successful, but many have also found ourselves at very lightly attended events. How can the “team” around a book help ensure the success of an event from conception and scheduling to programming and outreach?
This session went over the various types of book events such as: festivals, store signings, library visits, etc. They discussed what elements can make a strong book event and trying to foster strong connections with the book community. As for bookstores, more foot traffic leads to a better audience, but they also reminded us that “a bookstore cannot guarantee an audience”. It’s important to look at the trends, having an active internet presence, and reaching out to different venues. The main point the panel expressed was “planning seeds for future events”. Rely on the people hosting the event to tell you when to be there and to invest in your personal brand overall.
Some snippets of Author Readings from Desiree Cooper, Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, and Nandi Comer sharing pieces of their work to conference members.
Shonda Buchanan is the author of five books, including the award-winning memoir, Black Indian. Shonda is also a faculty member in Alma College’s MFA Program in Creative Writing. She was one of the attending authors at the conference and I got the opportunity to purchase her novel and have her sign it. She was great to talk with and gave me some encouraging words about writing and we also chatted about various books. Thank you again Shonda!
I had a fantastic time and am so gracious for Wayne State University Press for putting on this conference. I’m looking forward to going to more writing/publishing conferences going forward.
Rachel Moulden 