When your event requires inspiration . . .

You hire a Professional Speaker to bring something new to your audience. Carolyn Howard-Johnson is a speaker who believes in content as well as inspiration.

You hire a Professional Speakers who educate. Carolyn Howard-Johnson has been an instructor for UCLA Extension's famed Writers' Program for five years.

You hire a Professional Speaker who entertains. Carolyn Howard-Johnson uses anecdotes to help her audience remember her points.

You hire a Professional Speakers to energize. Carolyn Howard-Johnson is passionate about her subjects.

You hire a Professional Speakers to inspire. Carolyn Howard-Johnson's experience, passion and her story are inspirational. She commands attention. She makes an impact. She delivers.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is a professional speaker with over 400 radio and TV programs to her credit, experience in the classroom, she is coproducer of MP3 audios, and actor for TV commercials.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson creates personal connections that ensure the message will endure long after the speech has ended.

Howard-Johnson will customize a presentation for your event or you may choose from those offered below.

Contact her today to reserve her time for you event.

Scroll down for a mini biography, recommendations and endorsements from conference directors, a slideshow, a video of Carolyn being interviewed, a current calendar of her events and ideas for subjects she might speak on.

Mini Biography

Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s first novel, This Is the Place, won eight awards. Her second book, Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered, creative nonfiction, won three. An instructor for UCLA Extension’s world-renown Writers’ Program, her book The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won’t is recommended reading for her classes, was named USA Book News’ “Best Professional Book 2004," and was given the Irwin Award. Her second book in the How To Do It Frugally series is The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her chapbook of poetry Tracings, was named to the Compulsive Reader's Ten Best Reads list and was given the Military Writers' Society of America's Silver Award of Excellence. She is the recipient of the California Legislature’s Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award, and her community's Character and Ethics Committee awarded her work promoting tolerance with her writing. She was also named to Pasadena Weekly's list of 14 "San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen," and was named outstanding woman by the American Business Women's Association, Her website is www.HowToDoItFrugally.com.

"Publishers & Writers of San Diego offers high quality programs for its members, but one equal to Carolyn Howard-Johnson's dynamite talk on promoting your book, is mighty hard to imagine!" ~Jim Whiting. Cartoonist/Author of Analecta

    Available Seminars/Workshops

Carolyn Howard-Johnson has nearly three decades’ experience planning and implementing trade show seminars. She has appeared on more than 300 radio and TV programs. She speaks on subjects related to This Is the Place, Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered, Tracings, and the Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't. Some of the ideas below are modeled on classes she has taught for UCLA; some are modeled after seminars she has done for book fairs, writing clubs, retail tradeshows and more.

       On publishing and promotion:

Savvy Marketing for Authors: It’s Never Too Late—or Early—to Hone Your Promotion Skills Because they don't face the realities of today's publishing world well before their books are released, even authors with superbly written books and prestigious publishers may face unpleasant marketing surprises. This seminar helps writers brand themselves rather than "sell books." Carolyn Howard-Johnson shares her experience as a former public relations professional and as the primary promoter of her own five books. Learn to construct the marketing framework to help you land an agent and publisher. Your plan may be used later by you--the author--your publisher or the PR professional you hire. Even seasoned authors will learn promotion techniques they never knew existed.

Polishing A Novel Involves More than Removing the Blemishes   Carolyn shares nifty little tricks of the trade for tweaking a novel that come from articles she has written like “How to Make Leaden Adverbs into Metaphorical Gold” for Span's national newsletter.

Use Your Writing Skills to get Free Publicity   Carolyn was a publicist for Eleanor Lambert Agency in New York and did publicity for her own retail chain of stores. She is the author of THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T and has written articles on publicity for Home Décor Buyer and others. She’ll share secrets about how writers can use their own writing to garner publicity.

Jump-start Your Credibility: Publish a Book! Entrepreneurs and professionals are finding it harder to get the exposure they need to grow their businesses. Ta Da!! Enter the world of publishing. It is easier and more important than ever before to use the prestige that accompanies "Being an Author" as an entree to FREE print space and air time. Carolyn Howard-Johnson will convince you that you must publish, put you on the road to making intelligent choices for your book and help you assure its success and that of your practice/business with new approaches to FRUGAL promotion

      On writing:

Bring the Dead Back to Life Using Your Genealogy and New Publishing Technology   Now you’ve done the research, what next? Carolyn gives 10 quick and easy ways that anyone can turn family history into bedtime reading for kids from 1 to 100.

Toward Writing Poetry that Editors Will Want to Publish: 10 Tips that Work   Many writers are intrigued by poetry but never learn the secrets for making it work for them.

Writing Dialogue that Sparkles and other workshops on the elements of writing both fiction and nonfiction.

Editing Your Query and Cover Letters: Avoid humiliation! Ensure Success and other seminars to help writers submit professionally.

                     On Culture:

Fighting Cultural Division with a Pen   The most recent census made “cultural division” the newest buzzword. Carolyn talks about her life’s passion, fighting subtle prejudice before it explodes into news-making destruction.

Danger Ahead: Losing Women’s Rights in the New Millennium   California voted to rescind their affirmative action statutes. US foreign aid was withdrawn from countries that offer family planning services to their under privileged. Recent studies showed that the gap between salaries for men and women has improved little since the 50s. Carolyn reminisces about what it was like to nurture a career against political and cultural odds, and shares her concern that women under 30 may forget women’s history and let their new rights disintegrate.

How You May Be Wrong About Mormons    There is widespread misunderstanding about the Mormons and the state of Utah because people hesitate to ask. With Mitt Romney in the spotlight, many want to know more. Carolyn lovingly shares questions she has been asked about her home state and takes questions from the audience. Since "Big Love" began to air this topic has been popular with talk-show hosts.

Humor Writers Need Dialogue, Too! Ten Tips for Making Yours Spark

Workshops and dramatic readings are also available.

Carolyn will also tailor presentation to the needs of your audience with seminars like

Endorsements/Blurbs from Conference and Program Directors

"Carolyn Howard-Johnson is a wonderful addition to any writers' workshop. Her knowledge and enthusiasm make her an attendee favorite!"

Tim Bete, Director, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop, University of Dayton

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"Carolyn Howard-Johnson was invited faculty for our recent writers' conference. While it's small and intensive, the Las Vegas Writer's Conference attracts authors, agents, publishers, and editors from all over the country. While we were confident that Carolyn's sessions would be good, I'm delighted to report that they were really superb! As a forty-year veteran of book and magazine editing (and myriad writer's conferences), I wondered what I would take away from her "Writing Sparkling Dialog" session. What a pleasure to hear the authors, both published and aspiring, madly absorbing and responding to some truly excellent advice. Her two-part session on frugal book promotion was wonderfully informative on an instantly practical level, with very useful handouts. Here in Southern Nevada I am editing a number of brave self-publishing authors, and this information is invaluable to them. Given the staffing and budget cuts of commercial publishers these days, this knowledge is also essential for those with good book contracts and advances.

"Carolyn is also generous with her non-session time, willing to participate on panels and speak at length with participants. She will most certainly be invited back to our conference."

Trudy McMurrin

Editor and Co-planner, Las Vegas Writer's Conference

Conference sponsored by Henderson Writers' Group

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"You were a hit!"

Author of the novels Jumping the Green and Angels Crest

Director of PEN USA's Emerging Voices Program

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" . . . brilliant, ebullient, and on point [on the Be The Star You Are radio program.] WOW! Excellent interview." ~ Cynthia Brian, Radio Host, Starstyle®-Be the Star You Are! www.star-style.com .

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"You may think you know everything you need to know about promoting yourself, or that you don't have to know anything about it because your publisher will handle it, but Carolyn Howard-Johnson provides affordable common-sense strategies for getting your work the attention it deserves, and her energy is contagious." ~ Donna McCrohan Rosenthal, program director of the East Sierra Branch, California Writers Club

Carolyn's Appearances and Speaking Engagements

Carolyn appears on hundreds of TV and radio programs—both national and local—expos, book fairs, panels and more:

TV: “Coffee Break” WLTZ-NBC, interviewed by Kathy Anderson; Tape Available. “Gateways,” Glendale Cable, Interviewed by Ann Ransford, tape Available. Nationally syndicated “Connie Martinson Talks Books;” ”Edna Talks,” Local Cable. Interviewed by Peter Kulevich, CBS2 Nightly News, Palm Springs, CA. TV “Gateways,” Glendale Channel 15, ½ hour interview, 2004": National Armenian TV, poetry reading. Also national commercial ad for Time Life CDs.

Radio: “Joe Mazza Show” Syndicated 430 stations, 1 hour interview, return invitation to discuss my cookbook. “Jane Prince-Jones Show,” KFZO, Lubbock, TX and several return engagements. “The Don Russell Show,” WSTC/WNLK, Norwalk, CT. “Book Crazy,” KCTK960, Phoenix, AZ, Debbie Neckle Reviewer. KDSL Talk Radio, Salt Lake City, UT., Lyle Morris, interviewer, tapes Available. “Chuck Baker Show,” hottalk1460, Colorado Springs, CO. “The John Taylor and Jay Bailey Early Morning Show,” WORC1310, Worcester, MA. “The Nick D and Garry Lee Show”, WGN, Chicago, IL. “The Jim Robey Show,” WCBC, Cumberland, MD. “The Evie Ybarra Show,” KVTA Ventura, Ca. 3 appearances. “The Demitri Vassilaras Show,” WWVA, West VA. “Prime Time Drive,” hosted by Steve Bowers, News-Talk 101.5 FM, Jackson, TN. “Talk with John Quintaine,” WJCW 910AM, Jonesborough, TN. Lee Mirabal Show, WSRadio. “News/Talk” with Harrell Carter, WNWs 101.5 FM, Jackson, TN, and more. The Maxine Thompson Show, streamed on ArtistsFirst.com, VoiceofAmerica, archived at VoiceAmerica.com. "Lubbock in the AM," KFYO, multiple appearances, Business Dialogue, with Barry Allen, KFNX 1100; Beyond Words with Fran Halpern at NPR affiliated NPR affiliate, 88.3 in Ventura County & 102.3 in Santa Barbara County, and more than 100 online streaming shows.

Trade Shows and Expos: Featured author/signing, SPAN booth; Book Expo, Chicago; Featured Speaker, Great Salt Lake Book Fair; and San Bernardino Book Fair; LA Times/UCLA Book Festival; Panel Moderator at Call to Arts Expo, 2004, Pasadena Convention Center; Panelist at UCLA’s Fall Book Faire. Signing author, Biblio booth, BEA, 2007.

Small Publishers of North America College (SPAN), Atlanta, GA; Romance Writers of America, Orange County Chapter, 2001, San Diego Chapter, 2007; Authors and Arts Series, Glendale City Public Library; The Monrovia City Library Speaker Series, American Women in Business, and numerous book discussion groups. Retail Seminars, The California Gift Show, The LA Mart, California Marketing Center, Book Publicists of Southern California, American Board of Hypnotists Conference, Nevada's Writer's Conference, Dayton University's Erma Bombeck Writers' Conference (two separate conferences) , San Diego State University's Writers' Conference, West Hollywood Book Fair, 2005, 2007, Duarte Book Fair, Diamond Bar Book Fair, American Board of Hypnotists, Sinclair Lewis Writers' Conference, Vroman's Bookstore (Panel); Publishers and Writers of San Diego; Pen & Paper Symposium, Dayton, OH; Southern Book Fair, Nashville, TN, California Writers Club, Sierra Branch, Ridgecrest, CA.

Featured Readings: Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Griffith Park, LA; The Great Salt Lake Book Festival, SLC, UT; Vroman’s Bookstore, Pasadena, CA, Frugal Frigate, Redlands, CA, Penelope’s Book Café Gallery, LaCanada-Flintridge, CA, Inland Empire Bookfest, San Bernardino, CA. The Desert Woman Newspaper Annual Book Lovers Luncheon, Palm Desert and return visits, Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club Reading for Literacy Day, Palm Springs and Cathedral City, CA; “Three Faces of Tolerance” presented by The Glendale Coalition for Human Equality and The Friends of the Glendale Library;

Teaching: UCLA Extension's Writers’ Program Instructor; Awarded UCLA Extension's Instructor Development Program certificate March, 2005; founder/facilator of Glendale Library Critique Group. Workshops, Panels at bookstores like Vroman's in Pasadena; Produced Audio Cass Series for Double Dragon Press, Amazon to Your Advantage Audios for Authors' Coalition, Pen USA Fellows, Antioch University, two years.

Awards

Carolyn's Promotion Campaign for The Frugal Editor won the New Generation Indie Book Award for Marketing and The Frugal Editor was a finalist in the How-to book category in that same contest. The Frugal Book Promoter was also a USA Book News Best Book and Irwin Award winner. Her fiction and poetry have won more than a dozen awards between them including the Military Writers Society of America Award of Excellence, Readers Choice awards. Find a a list.