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From Manuscript to Marketplace: Exposure

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Diné writer and filmmaker Ramona Emerson joins us to discuss her second novel, Exposure, a follow-up to her National Book Award–longlisted Shutter. The thrillers are informed by Emerson’s years of experience as a crime scene photographer in Albuquerque. Emerson will be joined by editor Nick Whitney to discuss the path from a successful debut to the acquisition of the second book, polishing the manuscript, and building Emerson’s readership. With moderator Lily Philpott, we’ll hear about Emerson’s approach to fiction and how her publisher, Soho Crime, supports her work.

As a case study of the path to publication, From Manuscript to Marketplace offers candid talks between an author and members of their publishing team about each step of the publication process: acquisition, editorial, marketing, and more.

Panelists

Ramona Emerson is a Diné writer and filmmaker originally from Tohatchi, New Mexico. She has a bachelor’s in media arts from the University of New Mexico and an MFA in creative writing from the Institute of American Indian Arts. As a police department photographer in Alberquerque, New Mexico, she spent 16 years documenting crime scenes before becoming a novelist. She is an Emmy nominee, a Sundance Native Lab Fellow, a Time-Warner Storyteller Fellow, a Tribeca All-Access Grantee and a WGBH Producer Fellow.

Nick Whitney is an associate editor at Soho Press. Previously he worked at the Feminist Press at the City University of New York. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Moderator: Born in Santiago, Chile and raised in New England, Lily Philpott is an Indigenous transracial adoptee. She has worked in the nonprofit sector in New York City for close to a decade, and is a member of the Starlings Collective, a group supporting BIPOC adoptee writers; a co-chair of the International Literature Committee at the Brooklyn Book Festival; and she volunteers as the Director of Programs with Singapore Unbound. She received her MFA in Fiction from the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). 

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With support from the National Endowment for the Arts and our donors, the Authors Guild Foundation is pleased to offer this program free to the public.