Kansas City Public Library writer-in-residence Ann Hagedorn presents four talks intended to help aspiring writers research, write, and publish a book.

Hagedorn is an award-winning author of four narrative nonfiction books – Wild Ride, Ransom, Beyond the River, and Savage Peace – and is currently working on a book for Simon & Schuster with the working title Murder, Mayhem and Business As Usual. A former Wall Street Journal staff writer, she is a graduate of Columbia University and has taught writing at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, at Xavier University, and at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism.

Each talk covers a different aspect of authoring a book.

Talk # 1 – Welcome to the Country of Writing – offers an introduction to the course, tips for choosing a topic, and guidance on how to find your hidden writing talent.

Talk # 2 – The Writer's Toolbox – focuses on the more technical aspects of writing, including a comprehensive list of the literary tools a writer should have at his or her disposal.

Talk # 3– Your Map to the Country of Writing – instructs attendees on how to best structure their story, an element of story telling that is often neglected with disastrous consequences.

Talk # 4 – Your Final Destination – features tips on pitching your book and finding a publisher, including five criteria for a good book idea and a proven system for writing a book proposal.

Audio reused with permission under Creative Commons License.