Monday, April 21, 2014

PubSmart Conference in Charleston, SC

I just got back from the PubSmart Conference in Charleston, and I couldn't wait to blog about the experience.  Why?  Because I came away inspired (and invigorated) by what I heard in the master classes, and by the writers I met while there. Some writers were in my genre, some not; but we all found we share a common theme--a passion for writing and getting our stories out into the hands of readers.

In retrospect, I know I went to the conference to get a better handle on how (and where) I fit in the scheme of the writing world; however I came away with so much more. I found out that I am ahead of some writers, but behind others. I found out that after the writing is done, a writer takes off the "creative" hat and dons the "business" one.  Marketing, PR, Strategic Planning--all become necessary to get the word out on your book. 

Am I comfortable with the "business" hat?  Not at all, but I'm smart. After all, if I can use my imagination to think up characters and wild stories, I can certainly use it to re-think how I can find a loyal fan base of readers. Will it be easy? Nope.  It will be a struggle, and defintely a challenge, but it's one I'm willing to take. In fact, I've already started my "to-do" list--which is growing longer by the minute, dammit!

So now that I'm home and back in "Rachel" mode, what's next? A lot of thinking. I realize the conference was named PubSmart for a reason. It was a chance to get smart about my writing and the publishing world as it exists today. Emerging Authors. Emerging Avenues. Those were the specific sub-headings of the conference, and it lived up to every bit of the hype as the two worlds collided for two days. Am I an emerging author? You bet! Are there emerging avenues out there for me?  Again, you bet! Am I going to merge the two worlds from here on out? Damn straight!