Hi Writers,

I've returned from Los Angeles where I attended the Writer's Digest Writers' Conference as well as Book Expo America. Before I go into details I must apologize. I fully intended to post some entries from LA and give you updates about all the happenings there. Unfortunately I was just way too busy and wasn't a very good blogger. I hope you'll forgive me. Now on to the details

The Writers' Conference was great! Over 400 writers attended. The conference was packed. The day kicked off with a keynote address from Jaquelyn Mitchard, bestselling author of Deep End of the Ocean and throughout the morning there were workshops and lectures by Lisa Lenard-Cook (Mind of Your Story), James Scott Bell (Write Great Fiction: Revision & Self Editing), Bill O' Halon (Write is a Verb), and many others.

I spoke with Writer Mama author Christina Katz who writes the popular Writer's on the Rise newsletter for writers. Her forthcoming book Get Known Before the Book Deal (November) deals with growing your author platform. Christina is great at self promotion and I'm hoping to share more insight from her on this blog very soon.

Author and literary agent Donald Maass and I discussed his popular Writing the Breakout Novel Workshop series and his upcoming book The Fire in Fiction (Coming Spring 2009). Don has a lot of great insight about what makes good storytelling and makes a story really stand out. As Don points out, almost everyone has a good story to tell, but creating a great work of fiction requires passion and developing a compelling narrative voice. Check out his book Writing the Breakout Novel and the corresponding workbook.

The most popular event of the conference was the pitch slam where writers have the chance to pitch their story idea to agents. I moderated a room with seven agents and got to listen to writers giving their pitches, some good and some... well, not so good.

A successful pitch is concise and to the point. You should be able to explain your book idea and unique hook in under one minute. It's important to remember that agents are busy and may be turned off of a book idea when it takes too long to explain. If you attend an event where you expect to connect with agents or editors it's a good idea to practice your pitch. A short lead in (25 words or less) works well. If they want to know more, then you have your chance to go more in depth. Think of your pitch as a teaser. Give them just enough to get them interested.

Hi Writers,

Writer's conferences are great places to network with other writers, get a chance to talk with editors and agents, and meet successful authors.

Next week I'm headed to the 2008 Book Expo America Writer's Digest Books Writers Conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center. 

The conference is on Wednesday (May 28). It runs all-day (including lunch), with workshops and panels throughout the morning and afternoon. The day concludes with a unique 2-hour pitch slam session, featuring the largest gathering of agents and editors of any conference.

For full details, visit www.writersdigest.com/bea

There's still time to sign up, and I highly recommend this conference if you can make it. The Pitch Slam is a great opportunity to get your book in front of an agent and land a book deal.

I'm planning on posting coverage from the conference and from the subsequent book expo, so keep checking the blog for news.

Until then, I hope everyone has a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend.

Hi Writers,

Today I was reading a chapter on "Positioning" in a book called Write as a Verb by author and motivational speaker Bill O'Hanlon.

O'Hanlon writes about how important it is for a book to "occupy a unique position in the marketplace" and that it not "appear like too many other books already out there."

This is an important thing to consider when you first set out to write your book. Even if your book is about a subject that is of wide interest, you need to find an interesting and unique approach to the topic. This act of positioning your book in a crowded market is also important when you go to market your book. Make sure to communicate the ways in which your book is different. What is the unique stance your book takes on your subject? What sets it apart from the crowd? Conveying that message in your marketing, whether you are putting together a mass email or letter to a potential reviewer, is crucial to your success.

Check out more great advice from Bill O'Hanlon on his website www.getyourbookwritten.com

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. Mine was great. The weather was awesome. My wife and I spent some time working in the yard. I began power washing the fence around my back yard. It's a pretty big fence and the job is one I've been putting off for some time now because it seemed so daunting. But, yesterday I was in the right frame of mind and approached the project one board at a time. Pretty soon I had completed a whole section and it looked great. The results were amazing and I kicked myself for having waited so long.

I don't want to sound trite, but I began thinking about how this approach might help with other tasks. As a writer, marketing your work may be a job that seems incredibly daunting, or just not very fun. After all, you're a writer, not a salesperson... right? But, spreading the word about your work is crucial to your career. Why not apply this "one board at a time" approach to marketing your work? Start by making a list of ideas you have for spreading the word: start a blog, compile a list of email contacts, approach your local newspaper about writing an article about your area of expertise, send out copies of your book to a review list and so forth. Next set aside some time to work on each thing on your list. If it takes less time than you've alotted move on to something else. You'll gain momentum and before long you'll have checked off a large chunk of your list. Plus, if you're anything like me, by setting aside managable segments of time for promoting your work, you'll be able to focus on your writing better knowing that your "chores" have been taken care of.

In previous posts I've mentioned marketing yourself by building a "platform". Your platform is basically the things you do to publicize yourself, to get your message out there. Obviously, we can't expect to just write a book or article and expect publishers to come knocking at our door or snatch up the work we send them and go to press with it. Publishers want to know why we should be considered a voice of authority on the subject.

As mentioned in the article "Building a Writing Career" by Sean Murray (excerpted from The Craft & Business of Writing from the Editors of Writer's Digest Books), "Teaching or giving talks on your subject can be an invaluable way of broadening the platform for your writing career, sharpening your own craft, and building an audience." A great place to start is with community organizations, rotary clubs, churches, recreation centers and local media. If you've already had an article or book published, even better. As Murray points out, this makes you an "instant expert."

Hello fellow writer.

My name is Scott. Like you, I’m a writer. I’m also fortunate enough to have a job working for Writer’s Digest Books. While I always imagined myself working in writing and editing, I am not an editor. I’m a Marketing Manager.

Now… before you run away thinking I’m some sort of smarmy used-car salesman type of guy, please give me a chance. Let’s talk about what marketing really means. For many writers marketing is almost a dirty word—an ugly truth that must be dealt with in order to make money as a writer. I understand where you’re coming from.

In today’s world it’s difficult to go anywhere or do anything without being asked to buy something or sign up. It’s a fact of modern life. The result? Lots of people begin tuning out. They ignore most of the advertising that they see. So what does that mean for marketing? It means it doesn’t really work to push a product into someone’s face and ask him or her to “buy now!” Instead, successful marketing involves connecting with an audience by informing, educating and entertaining them. Now… doesn’t that sound like why you got into writing in the first place?

Writing is essentially a conversation with the reader, so think of marketing as striking up a conversation with someone you’ve only just met. Having that interaction with a stranger happen as naturally and genuinely as it might in a pub or on an airplane is the trick. If you can learn how to do that then you’ll not only be more successful, but you might actually enjoy promoting your work.

And, that’s what this blog is all about. Working for a publisher, I get to interact with editors and authors on a daily basis. I’ll pass along bits of advice I learn from them and also give you some ideas about how you can go about promoting your work.

Thanks for reading, and best of luck with your writing.