White Plains Resident Julie Trelstad to Teach Two Courses at Sarah Lawrence College

Two new writing courses at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville will be taught by Julie Trelstad, a White Plains resident; the registration fee for each course is $400.

The five-session course called “Successful Self-Publishing” will be offered by the Writing Institute on Tuesdays from March 1 to March 29, 2016, from 7 to 9 p.m.

A second five-session course will follow, called “Crafting a Personal Online Marketing Plan” on Tuesdays from April 5 to May 3, 2016, from 7 to 9 p.m.

In the first course, Trelstad will cover factors that authors should consider in determining whether or not to self-publish. Attendees will also learn how to find and hire a freelance publishing team and the steps to take to turn a completed manuscript into a high-quality e-book, a paperback, or an audiobook. Effective pricing strategies will also be covered along with promotional strategies for the self-published author.

The second course will address author branding and the use of creativity in formulating a unique message. The elements of an effective, affordable personal marketing plan will be explored including strategies for author websites, e-mail marketing lists, and social media.

Trelstad will serve as one of the moderators at the third annual “Publish and Promote Your Book Conference,” to take place at the Bronxville campus on Saturday, June 25, 2016, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost to attend is $425 which includes a buffet lunch.

A $50 early-bird-discount is offered for conference applications received before April 1, 2016. Registrants also have the option to pitch their work to agents and editors during the program at a cost of $60 per 15-minute pitch session. Guidance in preparing and presenting a pitch will be offered to authors on June 24 — the day before the conference. The fee is $75.

Julie Trelstad is the Director of Digital Rights at Writers House, a Manhattan literary agency that provides authors with self-publishing, online marketing and other publishing-related services. Before joining Writers House, Trelstad was an acquisitions editor at various publishing houses including The Taunton Press, Reader’s Digest, and John Wiley and Sons, where she specialized in architecture and home design books.

A resident of White Plains, she is also the founder and publisher of Plain White Press of White Plains, a boutique non-fiction publishing company, which she sold to Fox Chapel Publishing in 2011. She earned a BA degree at Columbia University and received an MA from the Parsons School of Design in New York City.

For more information, call 914-395-2205 or send an email to sorefice@sarahlawrence.edu.