Authors of UtopYA Ultimate Giveaway

The countdown has been going on for months, and now it’s almost time! 

One of the most fun conferences of the year is about to happen, and some of your favorite authors attending UtopYA want to celebrate. 

We’ve gotten together, and have some amazing prizes so everybody can join in the fun!

2 ways to win prizes: 1 for those attending and 1 for those not attending.

1) Ultimate Swag Pack Giveaway (for those attending Utopya)

Some of your favorite authors have gotten together to give you their very best swag. I’m not talking about a signed bookmark (although those are included)—this prize pack includes the following:

·        Leather bracelet from Tiffany King

·        “Grant’s Cupcake” tee shirt from Sarah M Ross

·        Lavender/Spearmint bath salts from Heather Self

·        “Nick Rocks my World” mug and bath soaps from Ella James

·        Skull Necklace and other prizes from Amy Jones

·        Keychain from Morgan Wylie

·        Signed mini-poster and other prizes from Quinn Loftis

·        Custom USB loaded with books and Necklace from Laura Elliott

·        Modified Swag Pack from CA Kunz

·        Estilorian Swag Pack from Raine Thomas

·        Bracelet from SR Johannes

·        Archers of Avalon tote bag and coffee mug from Chelsea Fine

And that’s just part of the prizes you can win!  So now that you’re salivating and reaching out your “gimme, gimme” hands, you’re probably wondering how to enter. We’re giving you a few options:

1.   Make a video hyping UtopYA and the authors of UtopYA. Then, post this video on FB or Twitter and email it to sarah@sarahmross.com (so we don’t accidentally miss it in the Twitterverse. This video can be short and sweet – basically telling people that UtopYA is coming and about the amazing authors that are going.

2.   Make a FB banner or meme hyping UtopYA and the authors of UtopYA. This is the same concept of the video, but for the more camera shy folks out there. Then, change it to your banner and email it to sarah@sarahmross.com to have your entry counted.

*We’re not giving a whole lot of instruction on how to do this on purpose. We want you to be creative! Get those juices flowing! Want to make a Utop rendition of “Call Me Maybe”? Or post a video of you stalking your favorite authors before you stalk them in real life at Utop? A meme of Grumpy Cat at Utop with the authors? The possibilities are endless! But make it creative! All the participating authors will vote on the one that WOW’s us the most.  

And remember: This part of the contest is open to peeps attending UtopYA only! Prizes to be picked up at UtopYA!!

2. Signed Books (for those not attending)

Not able to make it to UtopYA this year? Don’t worry! 

We have a great giveaway for you too! Enter the Rafflecopter below to win some amazing autographed paperbacks! (Open to US residents only! Sorry!!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Can’t wait to see you all at UtopYA!!

Quick Recap of IndieReCon

Thank you to everyone one who visited us at IndieReCon last week!

We had almost 20,000 unique visitors and over 2000 comments in 3 days!! 

I'm so glad people found it valuable.

The conference posts and recorded chats will remain live on the site so if you are just hearing about it - you can catch up anytime :) Here is the schedule with direct links to each event.

Publishing Perpectives wrote a great article about it yesterday. (yay!)

And yes at this time, we plan on having a mini-event in summer and an annual event. So if you have any suggestions, feel free to fill out the survey.


Great nuggets I pulled from each speaker at the conference:

Bob Mayer: "Product is king... and series is key."

Jessie Harrell - "And where are Indie and traditional publishing equal?  Serendipity. So much in this business is timing and luck and that doesn’t change, no matter which path you choose."

SR. Johannes - "Self publishing is not the easy way out. It is just the fast way to publication. It should not replace writing a good book, creating a quality book, or everything  that comes with self publishing."

Colleen Hoover - "I make choices based on each manuscript that I write and how I feel that manuscript can best reach the readers."

Joanna Penn - "The long haul career of a pro-writer involves always working on the next book. Celebrating the last, but getting on with the next."

Miral Sattar - "Spending money on quality editorial services will already set your book apart from the rest."

Heather McCorkle - "The most important thing to remember is to ask for help, and pay for it if need be, rather than put out a book that is less than stellar."

Denise Grover Swank - "While creating a business plan may seem like an intimidating project, just take it slow and give it some thought. You’ll have much more insight into the business side of your writing and will hopefully help increase sales. 

Cheri Lasota - "Start with global issues and work your way down to the paragraph, sentence, word, and punctuation levels."

Alicia Kat Dillman - "Thinking you know more about design than a trained professional is down right foolish."

M. Leighton - "Enter New Adult. It’s got all the charm and innocence of Young Adult material, only it has teeth.  Sharp ones.  This stuff has some steam, people!"

Addison Moore - "There aren’t any hard and fast secrets to a successful series, there are only ideas that, through hard work and passion, can be plausible avenues to propel your private manifesto into a story that is wildly embraced by readers the world over..."

Hugh Howey - "Which is why it’s only natural for the freedoms inherent in self-publishing to make it the new indie. The word is short for independent. What could be more so than publishing on one’s own?"

Laura Pauling/Sybil Nelson regarding middle grade self-publishing- "Contacting librarians directly has done wonders in this aspect. School librarians are so wonderful and helpful."

Lori Culwell - "Put keywords into your website so that the search engines will associate your site with these words, with the ultimate goal of having your site pop up when people Google those words.  The words are the demand, your site is the supply."

Jason Letts - "Every service you use to connect with your fans is trying to make money from you off of that relationship. The mission is threefold: (1) play the game by their rules, (2) know when to spend, and (3) find a way to own access to your fans."

Brittany Geragotelis - "I respond to every single comment that a fan leaves on my wall...it makes them feel like they have a connection with me, which makes them more likely to follow me and what I do."

DuoLit girls - "Your mailing list, when grown and used effectively, can deliver 24x the results of the more traditional book marketing methods, such as social media marketing."

Ali Cross - "Remember being true to who you are as a writer, and as a person, is the essence of your brand."

Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi - "Without the backing and promotional support of a publishing house, we are on our own. Success or failure is up to us, and to capitalize on the buzz rush that accompanies a book launch, we must work hard, think creatively and have a wide reach to give our book the strongest start possible."

Amy Edelman - "As far as Award’s go, the point of getting chosen as a winner is the same as with reviews: you want to get people’s attention for your book in a crowded sea of other titles."

Susan Kaye Quinn - "Write the best book you can. Write a series. Write in a different genre. The sales will come or they won't. You don't have control over sales; you only control what you write next."

Nancy Holder - "We can also keep one foot in the more traditional publishing world. We don’t have to choose one or the other."

Orna Ross - "We own our rights and we can decide what we want to do with them. We are not bound by a publisher's overall policy and can do what seems best for each individual book."

Stacey Wallace Benefiel- "You’ve already written the book and you’ve gone to the trouble to format it for e-book and print – just think of this as another distribution channel."

Steena Holmes - "Not all agents are equal. Not everyone will work in your best interest. Just because you get an offer doesn’t mean you have to accept it."

Barbara Freethy - "If something isn't working, change it. Try a new cover, change prices. Explore the top and the bottom of your price point. Run sales. Do giveaways. Most importantly - enjoy the process!"

Richard Smith - "The target market for Book Apps is any reader with a device using an Android or an iOS operating system (OS)."

Mark Lefebvre - "Booksellers and book lovers – the main thing that attracts people to get into bookselling isn’t a love for being a retailer; it is a love of books."

LM Preston - "Authors are getting a lot smarter about the ‘business’ of writing. And the days of writing books and sitting back while someone else promotes you as an author is long gone."

If you attended, was there any nugget that stood out to you?

IndieReCon starts tomorrow

Hey guys

I'll probably not be back until next week as I'll be facilitating INdieRecon that starts tomorrow!!

It's been a lot of work for a team of us but I'm excited about the agenda and hope to help writers decide or learn more about the journey.

Here is the call to writers posted today.

And here is the instructions on how to participate.

Heres how to register or help spread the word at a chance for a KoBo ereader.

All events are on the indierecon site.

Hope to see you there!

2 ways to win 2 KOBO ereader - sponsor of IndieReCon

IndieRecon starts in 5 days.

For those who don't know IndiereCon is a free online conference inspired by WriteOnCon.

It is Feb 19 - Feb 21st. We have over 25 speakers and tons of prizes. This conference is online and free. It relates to any writer - traditional or self pubbed as it covers a variety of topics from the basics of indie publishing to how to market books into being bestsellers.

We recently had KOBO sign on as a partner/sponsor and they offered two ereaders up for grabs. yay! ;)

Two ways to win 1 of 2 Kobo ereaders:

1) Help spread the word for a chance at a KoboGlo. 

2) Register for the conference and get a chance at a KoboMini. 

Spread the Word! 
(ends midnight Thurs night/Fri am 2/21 EST)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Register for IndieRecon! 
(ends midnight Thur night/Fri am 2/21 EST)

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

To be clear on this one - we will draw from the registration list so if you have already registered, you will be included.

Good luck! And we hope to see you there!

20 reasons you should sign up for IndieReCon!

As you may or may not know, IndieReCon starts in less than 2 weeks from Feb 19-Feb 21.

The free conference features over 25 guests who will discuss the nuts and bolts of self-publishing from the pros / cons all the way through marketing and being a bestselling author.

Here it is - 20 reasons why you should register for IndieReCon Today!

1. Key note speaker Bob Mayer reveals the future of digital publishing.

2. Identify the biggest mistakes indie authors make and how to avoid them.

3. Find out all the nitty gritty details on self-publishing basics like pricing, distribution, and formatting.

4. Create a business plan and understand your costs.

5. Explore the elements of a great book and how to make your book stand out through editing and covers.

6. Learn the importance of creating a solid business plan and how to measure your success.

7. Discover everything you need to know about reaching your readers including: metatagging, blogging, and audio books.

8. Delve into marketing skills like building your community, utilizing social media and understanding your brand.

9. Learn how to throw a creative book launch by using events, blogging, and more.

10. Chat with some great bestselling authors and get the 411 you need to garner success.

11. It's FREE!

12. Since it's online, you can stay in your PJs and we won't laugh at you. :)

13. There are huge giveaways! Yeah... HUGE!

14. Learn about awesome organizations that support indie authors including: IndieReader, The Book Designer, Indelibles, World Literary Cafe, Fostering Success, Alliance of Independent Authors, Kindle Fire Department, Goodereader, and Bibliocrunch.

15. Discover some great new authors to read.

16. Walk away knowing what self-publishing entails and if it's right for you.

17. Did we mention it's FREE?

18. Find out secrets from bestselling authors like Bob Mayer, Hugh Howey, M. Leighton, CJ Lyons, Barbara Freethy, Colleen Hoover, RaShelle Workman, Darcie Chan, and Addison Moore.

19. Because it will be epic! (At least we think so.)

20. Did we mention it's FREE AND ONLINE?? Why? Because we like YOU :) (Just call us the Mickey Mouse club of indies.)

Every single blog post, chat, vlog will be packed with all the information you need to help you on the self-publishing path.

IndieReCon will help you learn all the dirty secrets about the indie pubbing industry and help you succeed.

February 19-21!!!

Tell your friends.

Hang out with us all day. Hourly posts. Check out the amazeballs schedule.

Just enter your email up in the left sidebar to receive updates and a drawing for giveaways so you don’t miss out!

See you there!

Announcing INDIE ReCon - free conference on all things indie!

First of things, big Happy bday to Elana Johnson!! To celebrate her bday, Christina Fonseca is giving away a PRINT collection of all three of her books (yes, even the last one once it is released), and ebooks of Regret, Possession and Surrender. The contest will run through 12/15.

Ive known her for years online, skyped with her, and online grouped with her in many amazing forums. She is brilliant and lovely and I adore her so give her a bday shout out!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

=============

In other news,

Do I have a surprise for you! :)

A small group of indie writers has pulled together and is hosting a FREE online conference on everything INDIE in Feb 2013!

Welcome to the first INDIE ReCon - Make Indie Publishing a Mission Possible

Are you curious about Indie publishing, but don't know where to start?  Or, are you already a published Indie author looking to boost your sales or expand your reach?  Then you'll want to attend a new exciting online conference happening in 2013 - INDIE Revolution Conference.  Or as we like to call it, INDIE ReCon.

INDIE ReCon is happening online from February 12-14, 2013.

INDIE ReCon is a FREE, ONLINE conference that is modeled after the awesome annual WriteOnCon. It is designed to help any writer or author who is curious about the ins and outs of Indie publishing. 

However any author or writer can attend because we cover topics all of you may want to know more about (marketing etc)

Everything from the pros and cons of Indie publishing, essential aspects in creating a high-quality book, successful online marketing, and expanding into International markets. 

We will feature over 30 guests that include industry experts as well as some of the bestselling adult and young adult authors in the publishing industry today including: Bob Mayer, Hugh Howey, M. Leighton, and Samantha Young (just to name a few).  

For three days, INDIE ReCon will highlight new topics every hour (sometimes every half hour) for 8 hours a day which will include interviews, blog posts, vlogs, and live online chats.  You'll receive advice from authors, bloggers, marketing partners, cover designers, editors, and more.  You can check out our line up of topics and guests on our website.

Did we mention it's FREE and ONLINE? Well, there's more. Tons of Giveaways! There will be awesome giveaways from each and every speaker and partner. This will include books as well as services like free book designs, free editing, book development services, marketing prizes, and more. 

So mark your calendars for Feb 12-14th!

But, more importantly, sign up now with your email and we'll be sure to send you updates, news, and reminders as the conference gets closer so you won't forget. 

You won't find this much information (or excitement) about Indie publishing anywhere else. The hosts, partners, and presenters are all giving their time and knowledge for free for one simple reason: they're excited about being Indie and they want to help you decide if it's right for you too.  

You can already sign up on the home page to receive updates and news.

We hope you join us at INDIE ReCon - where we'll help you make Indie publishing a mission possible!

See you there!

Founders/Hosts:

S.R. Johannes

Ali Cross

Laura Pauling

Jessie Harrell

Heather McCorkle

Cheri Lasota

Special thanks to our partners:

ALLi

Bibliocrunch

IndieReader

Kindle Fire Department

World Literary Cafe

SCBWI Carolinas - A pictorial essay

I'mmmmmmm back.

I know you all have been soooooo worried and lonely without me.

Sorry I was out of pocket.

I was on faculty at SCBWI Carolinas this past weekend. (BTW we are missing Laurent Linn and Elizabeth Dulemba in this pic :( Bummer) It was AWESOME! I had to drop off the blog b/c I had 2 presentations and I had to work on them last week. Hopefully they went well. (If it didn't, DON'T Tell me. If it did, toot my horn all you like!)

BTW - you should be following all of these people's blogs and twitters because they are great resources. I know because I heard them all talk.

I love going to conferences and finding those little nuggets that stick with you esp. when you don't realize it at the time. I love flipping back though notes until you find the ones that grab you - kinda like shopping on the racks at TJMAX for the perfect shirt. You go through a lot of basic everyday stuff, but when you find something - its totally fabulous.

Here are a few that touched me so maybe they will help you:

Alvina Ling (Sr. editor at Little Brown) talked about the difference between Literary vs Commercial. She said, "The difference between commercial and literary is language. We look for the sweet spot in the middle. If you get feedback you are 'too commercial' -it probably means you need work on your language and writing style. If you get feedback that you are 'too literary' - go back and focus on your pacing/plotting." She said you should assess - really scrutinize - every word and look for an even better alternative. Alvina also encouraged writers to query the more junior agents/editors b/c they are more willing to take you on and work with you on your book.

I must admit - I was a little scared (petrified) to meet Alvina. I know fro following her blog and twitter that she's brilliant and also has a list of amazing clients. I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep up with her. That she'd be so much smarter than me, it'd be like talking to a 6 year old for her. Ok - so how funny and cute is she? Not only does she love Karaoke (we even broke out into song a few times at the same time, singing the same song) but she also loves food - eating it AND taking pictures of it. You think I'm kidding? Here's a hot of her taking a picture of my delicious chocolate cake. And I had to wait until she was done to eat it!

She's also hilarious and so sweet and thoughtful. Oh yeah and she says "NEBULOUS" a lot. She even joked about it being a new drinking game.

Alan Gratz (author of new book Fantasy Baseball)
talked about Pacing and Plotting. He suggested dividing your book into 3 acts with the middle act being the largest (like 50% of your book). He said "You should always have 2 overarching plots in the book - the external (conquering something outside the character) and internal (growth)."

Alan rocks and is hilarious. One of those naturally funny people. He's smart and everything he says is interesting (well almost :) I loved hanging out with him and learning from him. Sharing tidbits we've learned along the way. I'm bummed he's not still living in
Atlanta b/c I think we could be great friends.

OH yeah and he has a new book coming out that is brilliant. Knowing him, it's probably funny too. Liz is his editor on it and she's as excited about it as he is. Its called FANTASY BASEBALL where a boy plays baseball with characters from literature. It's an adorable book for MG that comes out in March 2011 - so look for it!

Liz Waniewski (editor at Dial) talked about some trends she's seeing in submissions that she thinks are a bit oversaturated. PB - bedtime, monsters, going green, grandparents, love you books, boredom, first day school, and baby bird books. For novels - new kid at new school, popular vs outcast, high fantasy, divorce, sulky teen, ordinary kid discovers powers, paranormal.

Liz is adorable and sassy. She loves sports (esp softball) and fantasy, and sci fi. She is the editor on Incarceron, Lady Bug Girl, as well as several of Alan's books. Its amazing how fun and real editors are b/c we (or is it just me?) tend to see them as old fogies sitting in their offices, slashing through books, laughing in an evil way, while reading War and Peace over and over. Liz is so sweet and a brilliant editor. Not only that but I think if I was in NYC - we'd be buddies (right Liz, tell me we would! If not - just pretend and nod.) b/c we laughed a lot and talked about books - debating and discussing - over an entire dinner. So fun. Alan is very lucky.

Chris Richman (Upstart agent) talked about agent relationships. "If you have an agent (or an editor) that takes on you and your work. Know they really have to love it b/c we have to read the book at least 10 times so we better love it." He gets about 500 queries a week. In almost 2 years - Chris only has 10 clients so he has to connect with each book in a special way.

Now, this is the second or third time I've been on faculty with Chris and he cracks me up. The guys is so down to earth and funny. You should definitely query him b/c he has a heart of gold and seems to know this biz very well. he could list off all 13 imprints at Penguin! That's impressive. Oh yeah and his name is RichMAN not Richmond. That seems to be very important to his family so be sure to get it right when you query him. :) He loves board games - scrabble, balderdash - as well as sports. His cuff links are even scrabble letters. Though I'm not sure if they are worth triple or not.

Elizabeth Dulemba on Picture Books - I don't have any nuggets from Elizabeth's talk because we spoke at the same time. But she's always full of them. Elizabeth Dulemba is one of my favorite people who I never get to see enough of even though she lives in Atlanta. We went to high school together. But even though she was a little older and much cooler - she never holds that against me :) The special thing about Elizabeth is she is always looking out for other people. I even heard her pitching someone else's book to an editor b/c she thought the editor would like it. Seriously! She is so sweet and I'm lucky to have her as a friend.

Laurent Linn Art Director at S&S spoke about art illustrations (bummer I did not get a picture of him :( He's funny and brilliant and also worked on the Muppets, which was fascinating to me.

I love finding the nuggets at conferences

I was lucky enough to get to hang out with all these cool people b/c I was on faculty talking about Author marketing and Branding. I was also pleasantly surprised to have a standing room session with about 50-60 people. So thanks to all the Carolina attendees that took time out to listen to me. It makes me happy knowing I might be helping authors get on their way to promoting themselves and their books.

Somewhere along the way, I met Megan Miranda (author of Fracture - 2012 and repped by the amazing and brilliant Sarah Davies at Greenhouse who also happens to be one of my top 10 recommended agents and people to know) Megan just sold a 2 book deal to Bloomsbury/Walker in June. YAY Megan! You know how you meet someone and you just click? Like you've known them forever. That was Megan. We hung out the rest of the conference and laughed a lot. She's adorable and her book sounds amazing. So look for it Winter 2010. (This is the only pic I had of the two of us us but she doesnt like this pic - I think its so cute of her.)

FRACTURE, in which a girl survives a fall through the ice into a Maine lake and subsequent brain injury, only to discover that she now has a strange and frightening affinity with the dying.

Beth Revis (author of Across The Universe, Jan 2011)
I must say I was a tad nervous/excited to meet Beth. I've known her online for a couple years and we have been routing each other on this journey from the sidelines. At that time, neither of us was even agented and we both only had a few followers. She is also a fellow Bookanista and an occasional email cheerleader to me when I need a pep talk. We met for drinks Sat evening. She had been out of town at a Book show and was sweet enough to come by the hotel to meet me before embarking on a 2 hour drive home. Megan joined (crashed!:) our party and the three of us giggled for about 2 1/2 hours. Beth is just like she is online. Sweet, funny and so deserving of everything she is getting. I truly adore her (now - even more) and am so glad we got a chance to hang out. Not to mention, she gave me an ARC (which is AMAZING BTW!!!!!) of her book, Across the Universe, Jan 2011. Not that I'm bragging or anything :)

And last not certainly not least - Carrie Ryan, author of Forest of Hand and teeth.
Yes you heard me right. The CARRIE RYAN! I had lunch with Megan and Carrie on Sunday at a delish Mexican place before I left. I met Carrie over breakfast a few weeks ago at the Decatur Book Festival. After chatting some, she gave me her card and phone number. Said she'd love to meet me when I come to Charlotte. She too just flew into town - having finished the SmartChicks tour - and got in late Sat night. Let me just say - I have a BIG author crush on Carrie. I love her books, but more importantly - I love her writing. So this last week - when we were texting about meeting up - I was all giddy and jumping around my house. Drove my hubby crazy! Needless to say I was so nervous - ME meeting Carrie Ryan for lunch - WHAT????!! This world is crazy. I dragged Megan (like it was sooooo hard to convince her :) along with me so I didn't look like a total dork. Carrie is so funny and sweet and down to earth. We laughed, shared stories and tips for over 3 hours! I finally had to go b/c I had a 4 hour drive back to Atlanta in the rain. But I'm convinced the 3 of us would have sat there all night if I lived close by - chatting and laughing. I am so glad I met Carrie and got to know her better - again the instant click. (I hope she felt it too :) (Watch, she probably thinks I am a dork and I just don't know it yet :)

What a weekend right?

So try to go to conference, you NEVER know who you will meet or what will happen that can make it all worth while.

For me - I've listed at least 9 reasons here alone.

You should be at WriteOnCon 2 day!! Not here!!

As you know my dad is recuperating form major surgery so I have not been able to get my posts.

Look at the right side for the new schedule, including the upcoming agent pitch contest.

I'm sure you're not missing me since all of you are probably (or should be) attending WriteOnCon.

Is you can't afford to go to conferences like most of us, this is going on and its fabulous.

here's the schedule, so check it out!

*all times EDT, LIVE events are noted in blue and will take place here. Content will take place on the main WriteOnCon site. Click here for more info about how this will run. Click here for information on the live events.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010:

6:00 AM: Welcome Keynote by author Josh Berk

7:00 AM: Refining Your Craft with Each Book by author Janette Rallison

8:00 AM: Give Yourself Permission by editor Molly O’Neill

9:00 AM: Myths and Misconceptions by literary agent Holly Root, and editors Molly O’Neill and Martha Mihalick

10:00 AM: Illustrating Children’s Books by author/illustrator J.H. Everett and studio (series of 3, posted every 20 minutes)

11:00 AM: Bringing the Funny by author Rachel Hawkins

12:00 PM: Becoming a Career Author by literary agent Catherine Drayton

1:00 PM: Writing Middle Grade by author Jon Lewis

2:00 PM: Voice by literary agent Elana Roth

2:30 PM: Live chat with literary agent Suzie Townsend

3:00 PM: Writing a Query Letter by author Jodi Meadows

3:30: Joanna Volpe’s query critique

4:00 PM: In Defense of a Less Than Huge Advance by literary agent Michelle Wolfson

5:00 PM: Questions to Ask Yourself Before a Revision by editor Kendra Levin

6:00 PM: Pie in the Face (how characters react to situations) by author Rosemary Clement-Moore

9:00 PM: Panel of Professionals chat LIVE (Elana Roth, Kathleen Ortiz, Martha Mihalick, Paul Samuelson)

10:30 PM: Working with Agents and Editors, a live Workshop with literary agent Mark McVeigh

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

6:00 AM: Romance in YA by author Lisa Schroeder

7:00 AM: Plot and Pacing by author/literary agent Weronika Janczuk

8:00 AM: Using an Independent Publicist by author Lauren Becker

9:00 AM: The Revision Process by author Cynthea Liu (series of 3, posted every 20 minutes)

10:00 AM: Transition From Self-Published to Traditional Publishing by author Jennifer Fosberry

10:30 AM: Joanna Volpe’s query critique

11:00 AM: Live blogging event: Queries with literary agent Natalie Fischer

12:00 PM: Creating Memorable Characters by literary agent/author Mandy Hubbard

1:00 PM: Reaching Out to Schools and Libraries Before You’re Published by author Stasia Ward Kehoe

2:00 PM: Sex in YA: The ABC’s of Hooking Up by author Suzanne Young

Live chat with literary agent Natalie Fischer

3:00 PM: Keynote Address by author Lindsay Eland

3:30 PM: Writing Genre Fiction by author Julia Karr

4:00 PM: Do’s and Don’t’s of Querying by literary agent Kate Testerman

5:00 PM: Authentic/Edgy YA by author Kody Keplinger

6:00 PM: How to Make a Character Collage by author Tera Lynn Childs

7:00 PM: Live chat with literary agent Jennifer Laughran

9:00 PM: Panel of Professionals chat LIVE (Anica Rissi, Joanna Volpe, Suzie Townsend, Mary Kole)

10:30 PM: Building an Online Presence, a live Workshop with author Daisy Whitney

Thursday, August 12, 2010

6:00 AM: Writing With a Real Life by author Lindsey Leavitt

7:00 AM: Writing Advice from PJ Hoover and the Texas Sweethearts

8:00 AM: Writing Realistic, Captivating Dialog by author Tom Leveen

8:30 AM: Author Branding by author Shelli Johannes-Wells

9:00 AM: How to have a Successful Author Event at a Bookstore by Calondra McArthur

10:00 AM: Q&A by literary agent Steven Malk

10:30 AM: Writing a Complete Story Even Though it’s Part of a Trilogy by author Michelle Zink

11:00 AM: From Submission to Acquisition: An Editor’s Choose Your Own Adventure by editor Martha Mihalick

12:00 PM: Transitioning from Adult to YA by author Risa Green

1:00 PM: Rhyme in Picture Books by author Tiffany Strelitz

2:00 PM: The First Five Pages by Kathleen Ortiz

3:00 PM: Writing Thrillers for Young Adults by author Kimberly Derting

3:30 PM: Picture Books and Easy Readers by author Shelley Thomas

4:00 PM: Staying positive in the face of rejections by author Crystal Stranaghan

5:00 PM: Avoiding Character Stereotypes by literary agent Mary Kole

6:00 PM: Creating New Mythologies by author Aprilynne Pike

9:00 PM: Panel of Professionals chat LIVE (Michelle Andelman, Molly O’Neill, Kate Testerman)

10:30 PM: The Revision Process from Both Sides of the Desk, a live Workshop with literary agent/author Regina Brooks

The Magic of a Southern Breeze

NOTE: Fabulous Follower Winner Prizes went out today. I'm working packaging up the Mardi Gras Prizes tomorrow and will email you when it goes out!

This past weekend I went to the Spring Mingle for the Southern Breeze Region (SCBWI). It was here in Atlanta.

I must say at first I was not sure if I was going to go. I had alot of things I needed to do and I did not know if I could handle a weekend of writing. In a way, I felt like I needed a weekend - away from writing.

Not to mention, my "normal" possee was not going. I was going this one alone. Don't get me wrong, I knew people there and love everyone in my Region. But having the comfort of a few girls that know me, my journey, and my deepest fears and dreams is nice when you enter a room of 150 people.

I'm not very good in a large room. I'm a bit shy, definitely an introvert, and I really stink at small talk. I usually resort to bad jokes and probably put my foot in my mouth at least twice.

I'll even tell you all a secret.

Part of me kinda wondered if I would learn much. I mean, I have an agent so the agent talk would probably not apply to me and wondered if the sessions would help me at the stage I'm at in my writing process. (this embarressing because I have so much to learn! I dont' know what I was thinking~)

Anyway, I went to Springmingle.

And am so glad I did.

I think the BEST thing about the conference was hanging out and getting to know Jennifer Jabaley and Kristin O'Donnell Tubb. These girls are definately soul sisters of mine (I hope they thin so :). I adore them and can't wait to see them again. They made me laugh, listened as I cried, and gave me advice and words of encouragement that I needed at this stage in my writing journey. I felt like I had known them for years and found myself sharing things that I NEVER share with anyone outside my normal friend circle. (and most of my friends have known me for at least 10 years.) If I'd hung out with my normal "crew" - I would have missed kicking off these great friendships. And that would have been a true loss. Check out Kristin (author of Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different) at her blog/twitter and Jennifer (author of Lipstick Apology) at her blog!

I also hung some other great people. Karen Strong, Sheri Dillard, and Heather Montgomery (who knows everything there is to know about how to be safe during a earthquake!!)

The next thing that was Sooooo worth it was meeting and hearing Josh Adams from Adams Literary. He was funny and open and shared some secrets to agenting that helped me feel even more confident in my agent and her process. It also gave me critical insight into the submission/agenting/publishing world that we writers don't get to see very often. If any of you are looking for an agent, be sure to read what he is looking for and query him because he rocks!!! (from what I can tell, he also kicks ass and takes names for his clients).

Another highlight was seeing Cheryl Klein again. I was on faculty with her at MidSouth in the fall and had dinner/drinks with her. For those who don't know who she is...she is the continuity editor at Arthur Levine for Harry Potter. Not only is she the sweetest but she is BRILLIANT! She talked on the 22 steps to revising that gave so many great suggestions (and a few crazy ones :) - that my head was spinning. I had to skip the next session because I was going through my book in my head and figuring out more things I wanted to start working on. She also did an amazing discussion on character development. Check out her amazing talks and blog!

And then of course, Jane Yolen, bestselling author of Owl Moon and How Do Dinosaur Say Good Night? She is funny and brilliant and honest. But most of all, she is real and tells it how it is. She had ridiculous insight into the industry and a perspective that only someone who has been in the industry over 30 years could, which I guess is why her blog is called Telling The Truth.

For those of you who have not joined SCBWI, you are truly missing out on a great experience, on great friends, on learning more than you can imagine, and on finding a place where you truly belong. With writers. Writers at every stage. Writers that care about you. Writers that love books. When you walk into an SCBWI conference, it is a pool of magic.

2010 SCBWI New York Notes from across the Net

Hi guys.

I've been perusing and reading some great notes from the NYC conference. I thought I would lists out a summary of what I have found. Some of this is on the SCBWI Team Blog, but a lot of these I found on Twitter/ random blogs.

Jane Yolen

Write Up My Life

Berrie Green


Libba Bray

Beware of the Hot Pterodactyl

Story Makers

Libba Bray on Writing

Writing as an Extreme Sport

Libba Bray on Writing as a Sport


Jim Benton - Illustrator

Compulsive Creator


Viral Marketing/Promotion - Jennifer Bailey, Blogger & Graphic Designer

Jenn Bailey on Promotion

Viral Marketing


TV and New Media - Eddie Gamarra Agent, The Gotham Group

Your book as a Movie


Picture Books - Allyn Johnston, Vice President & Publisher, Beach Lane Books

Real Deal about Picture Books


Writing Fantasy - Arianne Lewin Editor, Disney/Hyperion

Writing Fantasy

Arianne Lewin on Fantasy


Literary Novels - Alvina Ling Senior Editor, Little Brown

SCBWI Aving Ling


Visual StoryTelling - Laurent Linn Art Director, S&S Books for Young Readers

SCBWI Laurent Linn


NonFiction - Brenda Murray Editor, Scholastic

Brenda on NonFiction


Contracts - Edward Necarsulmer Agent, McIntosh and Otis

Exciting world of Contracts


Writing For teens - Ben Schrank Publisher, Razorbill

Writing for Teens

Ben Schrank on writing


Series Fiction - Francesco Sedita, VP & Publisher, Grosset & Dunlap


Miscellaneous sessions: Intensives, Q&A Panel, Signings

Post intensives and Q&A

Networking NIght

Conference summary

Autograph Party

Agents on the Market


Other sessions

Sheldon Fogelman Agency

What's selling



General Round UPs

SCBWI Blog

Winter Conference

NYC SCBWI

Round UP

SCBWI Conference 2010

Conference High Points

Surviving NYC Weekend

Publishing tips from NYC

Conference Wisdom

Summary:
Part 1 - Friday
Part 2 - Saturday
Part 3 - Saturday
Part 4 - Sunday


Hope this helps!