This weekend was the Kansas Writers Association "Scene" conference at the Wichita Hyatt. Friday night's event was a Pitchapoolsa, and it was unbelievable. Everyone who attended was given one minute to pitch their book. Some of our author attendees were awesome, dramatic, precise, and very well prepared. There are an amazing bunch of stories in the making. And the editors and agents were gracious, encouraging, and positive. Who could ask for more?
Saturday started early, the first speaker began at 8:00 AM. Some of the topics included:
- Story Structure to Rivet the Reader
- Ebook and Traditional Publishing, Advantages & Disadvantages
- Finding the Right Agent or Publisher
- The Art of the Pitch
- Promotion, Media, and Branding
Subjects were presented by a host of fabulous industry experts:
- William Bernhardt, Author & Teacher & Keynote Speaker
- Mark Coker, Founder of Smashwords
- Agent Helen Zimmermann
- The Book Doctors, David Henry Sterry & Arielle Eckstut
- Dan Case, editor AWOC.com Publishing
- Malena Lott, Executive Editor Buzz Books
- Amy Shojai, Author
- Andrea Feodorov, Silver Gear Web Design
I'm exhausted, jazzed, and ready to try the things I learned to better promote my novel FEISTY FAMILY VALUES, and find a home for my next novel, PATCHWORK FAMILY.
Like the cherry on top of the parfait I thoroughly enjoyed the great group of at
tendees from Kansas and surrounding states. Writers are readers and we know and share in the challenges and joys of being authors. No matter how much your family loves you if they aren't writers, they don't understand the writer's life. It's a bit of a roller coaster ride.
To find out about conferences in your area try Shawguides.com. I usually try to attend one conference a year, and if there are a couple in the Midwest that aren't too far a drive and I can share expenses with someone, then I try for two. They're intense and well worth a writer's time. Write on, my friends.
