July is conference season
A new connection on LinkedIn asked me what's keeping me busy. It’s an easy answer.
July is conference season
First up, the RSJ Virtual Romance Book Convention, hosted by Diverse Writers and Readers International, takes place on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, July 10, 11, and 12. This event has the best swag of any convention I’ve ever attended in person or virtually. But more than that, this event is FUN! The organizers love romance novels and writing, and they make sure we have plenty of opportunities to learn and laugh.
The following weekend, my husband, Jonathan, and I will be heading to Bowie, Md., for the first overnight stay we’ve had since 2019. Whereas I was just a visitor at the last edition of The Write Women Book Fest in 2023, this year I’m an exhibitor and a co-sponsor for the drag queen story time. My editing friend and I were planning to host a literary salon-type space where visitors and exhibitors could sit down, relax, and decompress, but they won’t be able to make it after all, so now I'm scrambling to rethink my setup. What would you want to see from an editor at an event for readers and writers?
On the second day of the fest, I’m slated to moderate a discussion about the publishing business with other service providers. Two other panels and a workshop on publishing wide, i.e., not exclusive to Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited platform, with Wide for the Win co-founder Erin Wright.
Finally, July will end with my biggest event: the Contemporary Romance Writers (CRW) virtual writing conference, which I’m chairing for the second time. Last year I had a co-chair. This year, I’m essentially on my own, with technology management from the CRW vice president of workshops, author Nicole R. Locker. I’m so glad Nicole has been able to take care of setting up the event webpage and has walked me through how to run webinars on Teams. I’m a Squarespace-and-Zoom person, but Nicole and CRW are solidly on Team Wordpress and Teams.
We had too many presentations last year because I struggled to say no. This year, I set a limit and stuck to it. I’m excited by author Deanna Roy’s participation. She’s prepared an incredibly rich masterclass, Building a Blockbuster Brand, and she’ll deliver the keynote address.
From her bio: Deanna Roy is a USA Today and Kindle-All Star author who has written 70 novels for both indie and traditional publishing under four pen names, including JJ Knight. She has been a full-time author for thirteen years and frequently teaches authors about marketing strategies and career sustainability.
Session info: Unique and memorable book branding can turn readers into dedicated fans. Thoughtfully connecting your novels with original merch as well as tapping into everyday experiences that link to your stories keeps your brand top of mind and opens new opportunities for engagement beyond the page and into merchandise, subscriptions, and a wider reach. I’m probably qualified to do a workshop in most topics surrounding self publishing, romance, marketing, author life, and career sustainability.
I’m looking forward to August and the chance to relax again. Oh, but I’m planning a trip to Philly to see my newest nibling…
Editing and coaching update: I have practically unlimited availability for the rest of the year. Now’s your chance to get on my schedule.
