San Diego Writers and Editors Guild upcoming events

April 22, 2026 Marketing Support Group Meeting (22 Apr 2026)

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 02:00:00 GMT

The Author’s Website: Your Home Base for Visibility, Connection, and Discoverability
April 22, 2026

Your website isn’t just a digital business card—it’s your author headquarters.

In this session, Jeniffer Thompson of Monkey C Media walks you through the essential elements of a successful author website. You’ll learn what every high-functioning author website must include, how to guide readers toward action, and how to avoid the most common mistakes that cost authors visibility and sales.

Jeniffer will break down:

The core pages every author website needs
How to position your homepage strategically
Where and how to collect email subscribers
What makes a book page convert
How to align your website with your broader marketing strategy
Real examples of author websites — what works and why

Whether you’re building from scratch or refining what you have, this session will help you create a website that supports your long-term goals—not just something that looks pretty.

Bio:

Jeniffer Thompson is an author branding coach, book marketing strategist, and publishing consultant who helps authors clarify their message and build sustainable visibility. She co-founded Monkey C Media in 2004, an award-winning book cover and website design studio, and hosts The Premise podcast. Jeniffer is also co-founder of the San Diego Writers Festival and a founding member of the International Memoir Writers Association. She is passionate about helping authors, speakers, and entrepreneurs elevate their authority and grow their platforms with clarity and purpose. Subscribe to her book marketing tips at JenifferThompson.com.

April 2026 Monthly Membership Presentation (27 Apr 2026)

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 01:30:00 GMT

Member Meeting: Pitch Witch:
What’s Your Book About?
April 27, 2026

“What’s your book about?” We get asked that question all the time, but most of us spend very little time figuring out how to effectively answer it. Pitching your book idea is key to selling it—whether you are sending query letters to agents or publishers, or marketing your self-published book. Knowing how to summarize your story in a quick “elevator pitch,” makes writing a query much easier. Jennifer Silva Redmond, long-time acquisitions editor/editor-in-chief for a small press and popular “Pitch Witch” will lead a hands-on workshop on pitching your book.

Bio

Jennifer Silva Redmond is a freelance editor and a popular writing instructor and speaker. Her award-winning memoir Honeymoon at Sea: How I Found Myself Living on a Small Boat was published by Re: Books of Toronto. Long-time editor-in-chief and acquisitions editor at award-winning Sunbelt Publications, she is now their editor-at-large. She is on staff at the Southern California Writers Conference, San Diego Writers, Ink, and Story Circle Network.

May 2026 Monthly Membership Presentation (18 May 2026)

Tue, 19 May 2026 01:30:00 GMT

DIALOG IS CHARACTER
with Corey Fayman
May 18, 2026

Dialogue is an important, and sometimes overlooked, technique for defining your characters, entertaining your reader, and advancing your plot. Don't settle for flat and boring exposition when you can use more lively and interesting conversations to get the job done. In this presentation, award-winning author Corey Lynn Fayman will discuss how he uses dialogue to entertain readers and create memorable characters.

Bio

“A powerful new voice on the crime-fiction scene” (ForeWord Reviews), Corey Lynn Fayman was born in La Jolla, CA in the same hospital where Raymond Chandler died. He holds a B.A. in English, with a specialization in creative writing and poetry from UCLA, and an M.A. in Educational Technology from San Diego State University. His creative career includes work as a musician, songwriter, sound designer, multimedia developer and college professor. He is the author of seven novels, including the San Diego Book Awards 2021 Geisel award winner Ballast Point Breakdown and the 2024 Shamus Award finalist Gillespie Field Groove.

NOTE: This meeting will be on the third Monday of May because the fourth Monday is Memorial Day.