D.G. Martin, a columnist and host of “North Carolina Bookwatch,” was the keynote speaker at the conference, offering advice to writers and sharing lessons he has learned through talking with authors.

Former N.C. Poet Laureate Joseph Bathanti (left) led his workshop participants through writing about memories that tie to their families or

Around 50 people attended the Carolinas Writers Conference to participate in workshops, hear from speakers, and get closer to their dream of being a published author.

D.G. Martin, columnist and host of UNC-TV’s “North Carolina Bookwatch,” was the keynote speaker. Martin reflected on the lessons he has learned through his talks with over 250 North Carolina authors through his program.

His most difficult lesson? Learning when to simply listen. “To ask somebody what they’re interested in and then shut up,” he said. “That’s been the hardest lesson for me, to ask my subject something and then shut up.”

Preparation before hosting each episode was another. “People ask me, ‘How do you organize all of your interviews with authors?’ The main thing is to be prepared,” he said. “The main gripe I get from you as authors is when someone wants to talk to you about your book and they haven’t read it.”

Martin also cited having fun, warning authors about potentially difficult questions, and showing interest in subjects outside just the authors’ stories as other lessons he has learned during his time on “North Carolina Bookwatch.”

He offered the conference attendees some advice in their own pursuits. “For some of you who are struggling to write a book, try to think of a way to get a piece of it in a small newspaper, magazine, or newsletter,” he said. “Get people to comment on it.” He also suggested sharing information on blogs, talking to book clubs and schools, and more as ways to stay involved in the subject and get people talking about the writer’s work.

Workshops

Joseph Bathanti, the 2012-14 North Carolina Poet Laureate, hosted a workshop entitled, “Where You Live: Writing about Yourself and Your Family.” The poet encouraged participants to bring family photos or other objects to the workshop as they wrote about memories triggered by certain locations.

In the workshop, participants read short stories and he and the rest of the audience offered feedback. The writers recalled both tragedies and happier moments that left a lasting impact on them. Among the stories, one woman remembered the death of her beloved dog, and another wrote about memories of her mother cooking delicious meals in her kitchen while she was growing up.

L. Diane Wolfe, owner of Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C., and author of seven books, also presented two different workshops, one on publishing and printing, and the other on publishing and promoting. She instructed the aspiring authors in how to get their books published and distributed, and how to market the product before it was even released.

Some ways she encouraged writers to promote their book included sending review copies to bloggers, Goodreads.com users, and others to get feedback and reviews that could be used to market the book. “Even if you have a review that’s kind of lackluster, you can use a constructive line or two, just don’t change the essence of it,” she said.

She also suggested that authors find their market. “Where does your target audience go?” she said. “You want to go where your target audience is.” The audience may be on a blog, message board, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, book fairs or more.

Martha Reed Johnson, an award-winning storyteller hosted a workshop on oral communication. She opened by telling her audience a story about being unhappy when her family moved when she was 8 years old. When she decided to run away, her father joined her, and the two spent the day in the state park behind her house before returning home for bed, when she remembered that you aren’t supposed to bring your parents with you when you run away.

Johnson then gave the written version of the story to conference participant Rufus Getzen, who read it to the rest of the workshop. That version contained more detail and a deeper reflection of what the experience meant to her: “When life piles up, going into the woods soothes me,” she said. She pointed out the differences in the written and oral version to her students.

The workshop members used those principles to swap stories and receive feedback from the rest of the workshop on their strong points and possible areas for improvement.

Ruth Moose, author of the novel “Doing it at the Dixie Dew,” in addition to several short stories and poems, hosted a workshop on writing engaging flash fiction, short stories told in 300 words or less. Participants were shown award-winning flash fiction and encouraged to write their own.

Susan Sloate, author or co-author of over 20 books, offered two workshops, “Screenwriter’s Tricks for Killer Novel Structure” and “Marketing on Amazon.” Sloate’s own book, “Forward to Camelot” (written with Kevin Finn), was a #6 bestseller on the popular website.

She told her listeners her tips for pushing a book to the top of the bestsellers list, including setting up an Amazon information page as soon as authors are published, creating lists her book relates to using ListMania to reach viewers, creating an author’s profile on Goodreads, and listing books in the narrowest possible categories on Amazon in order to reach the most people.

The process takes time, but since an author is considered a bestseller if their book breaks into the top 100 listed on Amazon, it is worth it, she said. “If you’re a bestseller for one hour, you can call yourself a bestseller for life,” she said. “I don’t know about you, but I think that’s a pretty damn good investment.”

To see keynote speaker D.G. Martin’s show, “North Carolina Bookwatch,” tune in on Fridays at 9 p.m. on UNC-MX or on Sundays at noon and Thursdays at 5 p.m. on UNC-TV. Episodes are also available to watch at www.unctv.org/content/ncbookwatch.