Lady Lake Writer News

Recently I decided to take time off the computer for two whole weeks.  My excuse was that Sweetheart and I were gearing up to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversay.  Wow, who would've thought we'd make it this far.  We held true to our silly "early on " motto of  "Murder yes, divorce never!"  Well, that's a lot of water under the bridge, as they say.  I'm sure both of us could have thrown in the towel a few times along the way.  Life is unpredictable, but unlike my unrealistic dreams of a perfect marriage, (watched too many Doris Day -Rock Hudson movies as a teen) we both did lots of growing up along our journey.  It's been anything but dull and oh boy, what a ride it's been so far. We have so much to be thankful for during this Thanksgiving holiday.
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Okay, time to get back in the saddle.  Here is what's coming up with Lady Lake Writers in the near future. On January 26, 2012 we will be hosting a workshop which will be moderated by Christy Seiler and Mary Lois Sanders.  It will be for registered FWA members only, so if you haven't joined FWA yet and you'd like to learn a whole lot about how to publish using Create Space, you may want to join our association and not miss out on this one.  If you are an FWA member who already owns a publishing house, you may want to attend and perhaps get some new ideas for publishing packages for your clients to be more competative with this market that is gaining a lot of popularity.  The main thing about using Create Space is the amount of money you can save and still have a professional product to sell.  You can stretch your dollar by learning how to format your book for publication along with other tips that will allow you to make your book price more competative with today's market. Why fork out those extra dollars if you can do most of the setting up process yourself.  Stay tuned for future updates as time gets closer.

In the meantime, keep on writing and don't let those rejection slips get you down.  Remember, perserverance it the key to success.   

Making contacts at writer conferences

As we draw closer to our yearly writers conference, I frequently am asked how one makes contacts while at the conference.  We used to call it schmoozing but now it's called Networking. :)

Here are some suggestions from my own personal experience at writer conferences.

1)  In between your workshops, if time allows, go where the people are and plant yourself in that area.  If you notice someone with a conference name tag who is sitting alone, don't be afraid to strike up a conversation even if the are an attendee
like yourself and not a workshop presenter. This will give you a chance to practice your networking skills. They might be as terrified as you are, if this is their first writers conference and your "hello" will help you overcome your networking fears.

2)  Don't wait for opportunities.  Great business deals are made, not born.  For example:  While you're hanging out waiting for a workshop to begin you might just spot someone you're dying to meet.  Why not say hello?  The person you've targeted might simply return your greeting, but you may get lucky and they will actually chat a bit with you. If not, don't worry about it and remain gracious.  But lets say this person appears to be interested in conversing with you. You'll need to make a quick decision as to whether you want to attend the workshop you were anticipating, or continue this conversation with the possibility it could develop into something that could help your writing career.  Do you skip the workshop?  If you absolutely must attend, then ask this person if you could meet for a drink or cup of coffee after the class.  In my own experience, I met an author who was killing time by herself at one of the lunch tables.  I sat down at the same table telling her I finally had a break to rest from all the fun.  She laughed and we struck up a great conversation.  Turns out she had been interviewed on the Oprah Winfrey Show and told me all about her experiences there.  It didn't do anything per se for my career, but I listened carefully at the gems of information she dropped while chatting.  That in itself was well worth the schmoozing.

3)  Please remember that agents, publishers, etc. are human beings just alike yourself and there is no need to be terryfied at approaching them when the opportunity presents itself.  Even if the answer is "no" to your request for a chin wag after a workshop, take it graciously and move on.  My late father-in-law, who was a Fuller Brush salesman for many years, once told me , "If you knock on enough doors, law of averages will be on your side and sooner or later, one will open."  He proved that by his many successful sales. and awards.  So why not give it a go?  Perserverance is another name for success.

Note: Writer conferences are also a great place to meet other writers from your local area who write in your field.  It will also expand your contacts outside of your field of interest  - It's all good! 

(photo submission by my son Paul while at King Ranch, Big island of Hawaii)