Navigate the Path to Publish at ASJA 2025 Conference Book Sessions

ASJA’s mission is to help independent writers survive and thrive, and we’re dedicated to being the best resource in the business for professional nonfiction authors and those who wish to join their ranks.

That’s why ASJA: Always in Fashion, NYC2025, Feb. 24-26 at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, features a total of six sessions about writing nonfiction books that feature influential leaders in the publishing world.

Find more on the books sessions, see the full ASJA 2025 conference schedule, and register here.

Complete List of 2025 Conference Book Sessions

Here’s an in-depth look at all the book sessions:

Books Pitch Slam with Literary Agents. ASJA has offered pitch slams at national conferences for more than a decade, and they’ve become some of our most popular events. This year’s books pitch slam features one of the most high-powered slates of literary agents yet: Mark Owen Gottlieb, Anna Sproul-Latimer, and Rita Rosenkranz. If you’re feeling brave, get in line to make a one-minute book pitch to the panel. Or sit in the audience and watch as the agents discuss the pitches. Book pitch slams are an invaluable opportunity to learn how literary agents think and gain insight into what makes a book pitch great–and not so great!

Secrets of a Bestselling Amazon Book Page. Want to sell books like crazy? Don’t miss this session on setting up an Amazon book page, led by book marketing guru Penny Sansevieri, a bestselling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. Sansevieri, a longtime friend of ASJA, will discuss how to harness the power of book descriptions, relevancy scores, Amazon ads, taglines, keywords, Author Central, video, and more.

How to Land a Big Book Deal: The Scoop from Publishing Insiders. Learn how to navigate the road to success at this two-part session moderated by ASJA member Susan Shapiro, an educator and bestselling author. Panelists include literary agent Ryan Harbage, Legacy Lit editor Amina Iro, Abrams senior editor Zack Knoll, literary agent Anjali Singh, and literary agent Samantha Wekstein. Shapiro is an award-winning writing professor who has taught at NYU, The New School, and Columbia University, and has long been one of the most popular speakers at ASJA’s national conferences. In this two-part session, she’ll guide the panelists through an in-depth discussion of the ins and outs of book publishing in 2025. The session will be presented in two consecutive parts in the same room–feel free to attend one or both parts.

Ask the Expert: Tableside Chats with Top Publishing Gurus. Got questions? We have answers! In a first-ever session of its kind at an ASJA national conference, attendees have a chance to chat informally with top experts in multiple book-related topics. No appointments are necessary for this informal session. Feel free to roam around the room and drop in on a conversation to ask questions or just sit and listen! Topics and experts include:

• Research, with Barbara Gray, an associate professor and chief librarian at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY
• Book narratives, with Amy Klein, a book doctor, freelance writer, and author
• Book marketing, with Penny Sansevieri, founder and CEO of Author Marketing Experts
• Book contracts, with literary lawyer and ASJA partner Joseph Perry, who counsels authors, publishers, agents and editors. Read ASJA member Holly Rizzuto Palker’s Q&A with Perry on contracts, ChatGPT, and more.

The Fearless Researcher: 5 Strategies to Tame the Powers of the Internet. If you’re working on a book project that requires research, we have just the ticket. In this session, Barbara Gray, a former director of news research at the New York Times and an expert in investigative research, will lead a friendly, in-depth discussion about the best ways to find information online, from deploying smarter search techniques to hunting through valuable online databases and archives.

Danger Zone: What You Must Know Before You Sign a Publishing Contract. Book contracts can be mighty intimidating–and potentially risky to your future publishing prospects. That’s why it’s crucial to know what you’re doing before you sign on the dotted line. Legal experts and knowledgeable journalists lead this can’t-miss discussion. ASJA member and freelance writer Debbie Abrams Kaplan, our go-to expert on libel insurance, will moderate the chat, which includes literary agent and attorney Marisa Corvisiero, Association of Ghostwriters founder and ASJA member Marcia Layton Turner, and literary lawyer and ASJA partner Joseph Perry.

Register for the ASJA 2025 Conference Today!

Conference registration is $559 for ASJA members and $659 for nonmembers through 11:59 p.m. ET on Feb. 14, and $659 for members and $759 for nonmembers from Feb. 15 until the conference starts.

Client Connections 2025, ASJA’s signature client networking event for professional members, takes place Tuesday, Feb. 25, from 1-4 p.m. Eastern time. As of mid-January, more than 40 publication editors, literary agents, and content marketing agency reps have signed up to participate in short one-on-one meetings with ASJA professional members. Client Connections 2025 is open to professional members attending the conference only. Registration for both the conference and Client Connections 2025 is $708. Registration for Client Connections 2025 closes at 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jan. 22.

Find the full ASJA 2025 conference schedule and register here.

To stay up to speed with news about the 2025 conference and other ASJA events, subscribe to the ASJA Weekly newsletter, read ASJA Confidential blog or follow ASJA on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok.

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Randy Dotinga has been a full-time freelance journalist for 25 years. He is a former president of ASJA, former board member of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, and current board member of the Association of Health Care Journalists.