Still in California

Here I am...still in California. Though I was a bit iffy about making a Monday departure day, yesterday was so much fun I'm glad I stayed the extra day!

So I'm behind! LOL

To say the least.

So...What news do I bring from the conference?

I guess that's kind of hard to say. It's not really news that editors are looking for "super good" books. Anybody who's been in the industry for more than a year knows that editors have the same goal you do...to put out great books in order to achieve great sales.

I think what made this seem "newsy" is that lots of authors had the mistaken impression that ebook quality wasn't quite as high as print books. Not true. ebook are a viable competitor with print and a market in their own right. Cream rises to the top. Your "book that was rejected by NY" made fit an epublisher because it's wonderful and the print pub editors somehow missed it. But don't think your "junk" will find a home in e...Send your best work.

Editors were sort of firm (unhappily firm to this author) about authors having to self-promote. I agree. Actually, I do a lot of self-promotion. I think I began self-promoting long before other category authors, so you don't have to tell me to self-promote! I am on board with that! LOL But...

Publishers can't forget that they have bigger ##s when it comes to newsletter subscribers and facebook likes/friends. They still have a little more clout than we do...so we still need their help. :)

Lots of authors very generously shared crafting information. A dude from Amazon ran through the basics of how an author can use Amazon effectively. :) Good stuff.

Both lunch speakers were wonderful. Inspirational. And let's face it ... with more choices, come more chances for overwhelm. A little inspiration goes a long way in this biz. So I thank them both.

And I leave you with a challenge for the week...

There are a lot of pitfalls in this industry. There are disappointments. So think through why you write. Why do you want to tell the stories you're working on? Do you have goals that will carry you through the tough times? How about a vision for who you want to be as an author?

That's what I'll be working on in the planeride back to PA...Who do I want to be 5 years from now? What do I want to accomplish...and Why? There's nothing like a good "why" to motivate me into action...

Hey, wait! The same is true for characters. Whys motivate. Hum. Chew on that for awhile! LOL

So this week do a little bit of thinking about yourself. Where you fit. Why you want to fit there. Be ready to motivate yourself through good times and bad!

Happy Monday

susan