Life Stories Australia regularly has forums where members can share expertise and experience in running their storytelling business.
Here are some of our previous forums, some sessions are missing the video but the audio is still available. Note that some of the dates do not correspond with the date of the meeting. If you have forums in either video or audio that are missing from here or slides from forums where only audio is available, please email com@lifestoriesaustralia.com.au.
April 2024 forum – Dr Bruce Powell
Dr Bruce Powell, former intensive care surgeon, talks about how life story tellers can work with people who have suffered a brain injury and his own experience after a life altering crash.
The introduction was not recorded. Please find it below.
It is my pleasure to introduce Dr Bruce Powell who has worked with our long-serving Western Australian member and former board member Rhuwina Griffiths.
From Bruce’s early days as a junior medic Bruce has been writing but his life story writing came completely by accident.
As a young medic, he wrote letters to the media on current events and became a press officer for the British Medical Association junior committee.
Moving to Fremantle, he worked as a junior intensive care doctor but continued a prolific writing pace, including 10-plus articles and opinions largely in the science field.
Then came his catastrophic crash and he set about trying to fill in the gaps the accident took away. Beyond that, he has attempted to put into context both his life before and after the accident. It was during this process he met Rhu.
He continues to work on articles and podcasts. He is a life-experience researcher at Monash University’s Department of Psychology, recently working in trials around post-brain injury and mental health.
His post-accident life has seen him become a supporter and advocate for other patients who have also suffered a severe brain injury which is largely why we have brought him in today. I’m personally looking forward to hearing some of his insights into how to work with people who have suffered a brain impairment when recording a life story.
November 2023 forum – Leon Furze – AI and the writer
Academic Leon Furze discusses the risks, use and impact of AI on writers and writing and gives a demonstration on benefits and limitations.
September 2023 forum – New York Biographers Conference and Overseas Learning
Past president Gabriella Kelly-Davies and president Deborah Gough share some of the tips, tools and advice on value-adding in an AI era. PowerPoint presentations can also be downloaded below.
June 2023 forum – Tony Wright on Telling a Yarn
Age and SMH career journalist, novelist and storyteller Tony Wright talks about how to find a narrative voice and those nuggets that bring the reader into the story.
Tony spoke too about a piece from the New Yorker about the value of narration over commas, find the link here. The material he quotes is in the second half of the article.
March 2023 forum – Guided Auto Biography with Dr Cheryl Svensson
Dr Cheryl Svensson from the Birren Center for Autobiographical Studies, Director co-author with Bonnie Bernell, Uncovering Treasures That Matter: A Therapist’s Guide to Asking the Right Questions discusses the benefits of telling life stories in the Guided Auto Biography format. Much of this also translates to other formats used by members.
The slide show from Dr Svensson’s forum is available for download above.
2022 Life Stories Australia Conference
Keynote speaker Jacqueline Kent
Jacqueline Kent, award-winning biographer talks about the challenges of interviewing sometimes reluctant narrators.
Panel Discussion: I’ve written my book – how do I get others to read it.
Precis by Susan Pierotti
Panel members:
Ellen Coates, PMI Victorian History Library
Tim Coronel, Small Press Network
Robbie Egan, Australian Booksellers Association
NOTE: The book-selling world changes rapidly. The information listed below is a guide only.
How to get your book sold in a bookshop
Develop a relationship with your local bookshop
- Knowing someone in the shop helps.
- Bookshops love events so organise one there (e.g. book launch, reading)
Have a good product
- Title and subtitle: simple and no more than a few words – think about what will fit on the spine
- A clear chapter hierarchy
- Clear, easy-to-read font for the vision impaired
- Must have a professional edit
- Well designed cover (don’t forget what the spine will look like stacked on a shelf)
- Preferably an index
- Endorsements on the back cover from readers in the field of your book’s subject (the more famous and qualified the better)
- Develop a 30-second pitch – be able to describe your book in a way that the bookshop will want to stock it. Sell its local interest (e.g. if your book is about someone in Bendigo, sell it there and not in Ararat).
- A good back cover blurb is crucial.
Blurb
- The blurb is your make-or-break sales pitch as this is what bookshops and libraries will search for and read to consider stocking your book
- No more than 150–200 words
- Insert keywords (short and long) into your blurb so your book will be easily found on the internet.
Time your sales pitch well
- Do not approach any bookshop between October and end of January.
- February to September is ideal.
Booktopia, Amazon and other online selling platforms
- Uploading your book to one of these platforms has pros and cons. Your book will be available to a much wider (possibly overseas) market, but it will have to compete with hundreds of thousands more titles to be seen.
Libraries
- National and State libraries require legal deposits of all books with ISBNs (each State has different requirements). Bookshops and other local libraries choose books to stock from National and State library lists.
- Other sources for bookshops and libraries are Nielson, Thorpe-Bowker (My Identifier) and Title Page.
- Take a copy to your local library and ask them to add it to their collection.
- James Bennett and ASL are library suppliers who will pay for copies of your book if you pitch it well.
- You can apply for and get paid lending rights if your book gets into more than 10 libraries and is borrowed a certain number of times. (Many well known authors survive on paid lending rights.)
Online presence
- Have a website with easy payment options.
- Use social media but be knowledgeable about when and what to post. Must be done frequently and consistently. Try Bookstagram.
- Be aware of trends in the book trade. Currently (end of 2022), non-fiction, trauma and health and wellness are popular.
Self-marketing opportunities
Festivals: Williamstown, Mt Macedon, Clunes…
Speaking engagements: Probus, U3A, Rotary, Royal Historical Society of your own state, local history society, other historical and genealogical societies, clubs associated with your book’s text, market stall.
Other paying options
- The Copyright Agency will pay if parts of your book are used as texts in schools, universities and other registered educational institutions. You need to let them know your ISBN.
- The Copyright Council will also pay if your book ends up in an educational library.
- Literary agents are expensive and extremely selective but they have sales avenues not open to the general public.
- Australian Society of Authors has excellent advice and training webinars.
- Refresh an old book (written more than 2 years ago) with an extra chapter and a new cover design. (It will need a new ISBN). Only do this if the book’s subject matter is perennial or still relevant.
2023 Board election
See the election of the new board for 2023 held on December 2, 2022.
September 2022 forum – Family History and Finding Facts When Memories Fail
LSA Board member Imelda Cribbin shares her passion for family history and genealogy and editing knowledge to give ideas on presenting family history information as well as research tools.
LSA president Deborah Gough also shares some great tools for finding facts when the narrator’s story just does not stand up.
Lists of useful websites discussed in this forum are now available on our Member Resources page.
June 2022 forum – Malini Devadas and the Marketing Mindset for writers and editors
March 2022 forum – Dealing with trauma
Experienced journalist and Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma Asia Pacific chair Karen Percy speaks about self care, boundaries and how to know when the trauma is getting to you.
AGM and forum 2021
The election of the board, minutes and treasurer’s report.
Libby Harkness on life story telling
November 2021 forum
Ruth Graham presents on the workings of the Society of Australian Genealogists and in particular, the challenge of managing a 60,000 (and growing) strong archives collection and the desire to expand its usage for research and writing. Also discussed is the synergies between genealogy and life stories.
August 2021 forum
Alistair Thomson, president of Oral History Australia, speaks about oral history and life story telling. Please ignore the note about not being able to scan this file as it is only because it is a large file. It comes from the trusted source of LSA’s Google Drive account.
June 2021 forum
Scoping a job: hints on how to work out just how much work that life story is going to be and tips for avoiding undercharging and keeping a job within the parameters, tailoring packages and spoken word to publication. Guest speakers Gillian Ednie, Susan Pierotti, Vicki MacPherson and Sally-Anne Kane-Watson.
March 2021 forum
LSA editors Heather Millar and Renee Otmar discuss the value of involving a professional editor and the top things you need to consider when hiring one. Annie Payne talks about the publishing platform Blurb for self-publishing and life story book designer and publisher Ian Davies explores a few design and publishing options. Writer and editor Susan Pierotti explores printing options with a wrap up from writer and editor Sally-Anne Watson Kane.
2020 AGM and forum
LSA held its AGM on Tuesday, November 10. The president’s report was delivered by the outgoing president, Paul English and the treasurer’s report by treasurer Heather Millar. The new board was elected, including new president Gabriella Kelly-Davies. We also had two guest speakers Author Lee Kofman on Structure in Life Writing and Lawyer Michael Easton on Legal Issues for Life Writers. Please use password LSA2020 to view the video.
Publishing Models
You are finished your client’s manuscript – what happens now? Do you offer advice on layout and print? Do you offer layout and design yourself?
Do you source quotes on design, covers, printing, ebooks on behalf of your clients? Gillian Ednie, of Your Biography and a founder of Life Stories Australia presents some models and draws on members experience of publishing.
Working in a pandemic
In 2020, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic shocked us all. Finding a way to work within the confines of this restrictive world can be tricky. Members here talk about suggestions on adapting to the change and what it might mean for our market. Presented by LSA board members Deborah Gough and Sally-Anne Watson Kane, plus members discussion.
Interview techniques and resources
Interview techniques – Deborah Gough, Stories to Keep, former Age journalist and Life Stories Australia board member.
Which resources do you use in your life story work? Member discussion led by Gillian Ednie, Your Biography, Life Stories Australia board member.
Or if you would like the slides only, here they are.
For those that mentioned they have written books on this topic, please email com@lifestoriesaustralia.com.au so we can promote it here.
Contracts and commissioning agreements
Setting up life story contracts /commissioning agreements with Gabriella Marie Kelly-Davies, vice-president, Life Stories Australia.
When things go wrong – a life story video case study with Paul English, president, Life Stories Australia.
Pricing guidance for storytelling
Putting a price on what we do is a vexed question.
Gillian Ednie, of Your Biography and Life Stories Australia board member, presents an overview of current methods and survey research on pricing from the former Association of Personal Historians. Plus members respond and share their own pricing methods, strategies and recommendations.
Marketing your storytelling
There are many ways to market ourselves. In this forum, members talk about some of the ways that have worked for them.
Traditional media-based promotions – Annie Payne, from History from the Heart. Written resources on our Member Resources page.
Networking – group presentations at community and business organisations – Paul English, from My Business, My Story, Life Stories Australia president.
Advertising online using available search engines – Michael Collins, from Michael Collins Memoirs & Writing.
2019 AGM and Forum
LSA held a live hook-up AGM and forum in November 2019 with guest speakers.
Truth in Life Stories – Gabriella Marie Kelly-Davies, Share Your Life Story, Life Stories Australia vice-president.
Vicarious Trauma in Life Story Work – Sally-Anne Watson Kane, On Time Typing, Life Stories Australia secretary.
Plus member discussion on the resources we all use in life story work.
This content is restricted to LSA members. If you are an LSA member, please log in. New users may register below by contacting com@lifestoriesaustralia.com.au.
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