In January, I signed up for the LDStoryMakers conference. The event has been an important part of my journey as an author and I have attended six times during the last seven years. Against all logic, this year I didn’t want to go. Fortunately, my wife urged me to go and I’m glad she did.
As always, the conference revitalized me. There’s something infectious about spending the weekend with hundreds of individuals who have the same drive to create that I have. It helps that the event organizers and the attendees are amazingly friendly. By the time I return home, I’m ready to plop myself down at my computer and crank out the next blockbuster novel. (Okay, I’m still waiting for that to happen, but at least I’m eager to work towards that goal.)
This year I pitched my first novel, Hellathon, to Marlene Stringer. I’m feeling good about my chances with Marlene because I believe there was a connection with her. Having an agent would take my writing career to the next level and that’s exciting.
Networking is a key aspect of any writing conference and thanks to the awesome Janette Rallison I was able to connect with several people in the industry. I don’t know if I can tell you how incredible it felt to hear her tell people, “Why don’t you publish Randy’s books? He’s an awesome writer.” Thanks Janette. With support like that I feel as if there are no limits to where I can go in this industry.
One of the most incredible things about the conference is that there are classes for everyone. No matter where you are in your career path you can learn something new and helpful here. And most of the time you’re going to be entertained during the process. I focused mostly on marketing since I intend to self-publish if I can’t land an agent. The instructors for my classes included Julie Wright, Annette Lyon, DeNae Handy, Dan Wells, Robison Wells, J. Scott Savage, James Dashner, Rachelle Christensen, and Dennis Gaunt. I learned something from every class I attended. My thanks go out to all of the instructors.
There’s much more that I could discuss, but I think I will finish with a few comments about my new business cards. From previous trips to LDStoryMakers I have learned about branding myself as an author. What I decided to do is incorporate the colorful shirts my wife has made for me into an image I hope people will find friendly and accessible. The back of my business cards has a cartoon image of me wearing one of my shirts. It worked. When I handed out my business card during the conference it received a positive result as soon as the person saw the cartoon and then a second even better response when they realized that I was wearing the shirt in the image.
That’s enough chatting about the conference for now; I have some writing to do.
As always, the conference revitalized me. There’s something infectious about spending the weekend with hundreds of individuals who have the same drive to create that I have. It helps that the event organizers and the attendees are amazingly friendly. By the time I return home, I’m ready to plop myself down at my computer and crank out the next blockbuster novel. (Okay, I’m still waiting for that to happen, but at least I’m eager to work towards that goal.)
This year I pitched my first novel, Hellathon, to Marlene Stringer. I’m feeling good about my chances with Marlene because I believe there was a connection with her. Having an agent would take my writing career to the next level and that’s exciting.
Networking is a key aspect of any writing conference and thanks to the awesome Janette Rallison I was able to connect with several people in the industry. I don’t know if I can tell you how incredible it felt to hear her tell people, “Why don’t you publish Randy’s books? He’s an awesome writer.” Thanks Janette. With support like that I feel as if there are no limits to where I can go in this industry.
One of the most incredible things about the conference is that there are classes for everyone. No matter where you are in your career path you can learn something new and helpful here. And most of the time you’re going to be entertained during the process. I focused mostly on marketing since I intend to self-publish if I can’t land an agent. The instructors for my classes included Julie Wright, Annette Lyon, DeNae Handy, Dan Wells, Robison Wells, J. Scott Savage, James Dashner, Rachelle Christensen, and Dennis Gaunt. I learned something from every class I attended. My thanks go out to all of the instructors.
There’s much more that I could discuss, but I think I will finish with a few comments about my new business cards. From previous trips to LDStoryMakers I have learned about branding myself as an author. What I decided to do is incorporate the colorful shirts my wife has made for me into an image I hope people will find friendly and accessible. The back of my business cards has a cartoon image of me wearing one of my shirts. It worked. When I handed out my business card during the conference it received a positive result as soon as the person saw the cartoon and then a second even better response when they realized that I was wearing the shirt in the image.
That’s enough chatting about the conference for now; I have some writing to do.
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