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Tips from the Pro's! 8/7/2006 9:11:12 AM
Information gathered at the Romance Writer's National conference. Hello Gentle Readers!
Wow, a whole week has passed since I made it home from Atlanta and I can hardly believe it. I can't say that I attended many of the workshops, but I did glean little bits of information here and there and I thought I'd pass them along.
First, I went to the PAN retreat this year and they had an awesome speaker from the Author's Guild. She gave a very interesting talk about contracts with print publishers. While I can't give you verbatim what she said, I will pass on that as a past employee of the A.G. she highly reccomends writers join this prestigious group, or at least check outtheir website. Although we all really want to be published, we shouldn't lose our shirts, (and potential rights and royalties) in the process.
Also, there was big news about promoting yourself as an author:
Websites! Keep 'em simple. No music, bells, whistles, or heavy graphics. Stuff like that will more than likely turn readers away. Keep to simple, elegant style, make links easy to use, and give the readers a hint about your voice. Smart and Sexy? Contemporary and fast paced? Historical and high action... you get the picture. Also, when blogging, don't write about yourself, but more to things that might interest readers, books, publishers, writing craft, or whatever focus your work takes. Oh, and contests are a great way to draw reader interest.
Author Branding! Every writer has a unique voice. Capitalize on yours. If you write fiction with strong romantic elements, or contemorary single title, or even light to medium paranormal, give the readers something to identify you with. Think about your favorite authors and what their themes are, then think about how they promote themselves. Very important.
I did order the MP3's of the conference, which I totally recommend to anyone serious about writing in general and romance writing in particular. I loaded mine onto my IPOD, and then I listen to them in the car. It's an excellent way to learn the biz. and to stay focused and motivated. Also, they have tons of information about what draws editors and agents as well as current trends. You can find them available at the RWA website, www.rwa.org, (I think is the site address, otherwise just google the romance writers of america for the link). The cost is about $199.00 per set, or you can choose individual workshops for much less.
Oh, and one of my favorite places to get information about the craft of writing and all things about the industry is author Stephanie Bond's website. This awesome author, (a RITA finalist from this year as well), has wonderful pages called: MYOB, or mind your own business! Tons of information there. Check it out at www.stephaniebond.com. You won't be sorry.
Finally, I should also say that the word out this year is that publishers are really paying attention to a writer's professional affiliations. Things like contest finals and e-pub books are drawing their attention. Way cool.
Finally, mega congrats to my friends who have finaled in the Georgia Romance Writers' Maggie contest. Yay Catherine Kean, Karen Potter, and Sophia Johnson! Fantastic!!! (I have read every one of their books and they truly are phenominal!)
Well, that's it for now. Happy reading and writing everyone!!! Take care, Pam.
