Here I am in Scottsdale—just over the border from Phoenix. I attended the WOW Wizards of Words Writers Conference yesterday. It was a full day of back-to-back workshops, networking, meals, more networking AND I participated in a lively panel discussion along with four other authors including David Morrell, author of the Rambo series. He was also our keynote speaker.
It was a friendly group of conference attendees who were eager to learn and receptive to new concepts. I told my audience that I might be bursting some bubbles with my facts, recommendations and ideas. I asked them to do their part during my presentation and listen with an open mind. I believe that most of them took my advice because they asked good questions.
I seemed to leave one young woman behind, however. At the end of my 2nd hour with them, during the question and answer period, she asked me, “Why do you say we have to write a book proposal? What’s the purpose of that?” It was a rare moment for me—I was speechless. I had just spent nearly two hours giving a carefully orchestrated and organized presentation explaining What, Why, When and How. Everyone else seemed to “get” it. How did I fail this one hopeful author?
I guess we all learn in different ways and at different speeds. While one hopeful author may be ready to soak in the material and act on it, another might be completely resistant to new concepts at the moment and simply not ready to accept the information.
I can’t wait to share with you some of the ideas I picked up at the conference. These include such things as why this may be a good time to go ahead and complete your book, how to take advantage of the economic downturn to sell books, what I learned from representatives of large and small publishing houses about how they do business—what they expect from their authors, how major PR people recommend you sell books without spending a dime, little-known facts about the Kindle, Amazon Shorts (what is it, how can you benefit monetarily), how publishers feel about authors with a platform (no big surprise here), explanation of “Viral Marketing,” how to work with a writing buddy, and more.
Stay tuned. And, while I’m traveling, do yourself and me a favor by ordering my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book from my website,
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html
If you are thinking about writing a book, you are in the process of writing a book or you are promoting a book, this is a must read. In fact, you will continue to benefit and your book will spiral into greater success if you will refer to this book often. How do you get involved with distributors and wholesalers, do you need an agent, what is the best publishing option for you, what can you do to establish a platform for your book, what’s the best way to market a book, what’s the best way to ship books, how do you get your book on Amazon, how can you improve your speaking skills, where can you find out about book festivals and writers conferences, how can you watch out for scammers and sharks, how do you choose a good editor? You’ll learn all of this and so much more.