Saturday 1 September 2012

My First Conference!

Hi everyone!
Well, as you know I attended the RWA Diamonds are Forever conference, on the Goldcoast. And what a weekend it was!

Between pitching, panels, seminars and parties, I got to meet the wonderful writers I have meet over the last year and many more.



Now, when they said there would be giveaways and such, I did not expect to come back with this!


A big box of goodies!

Yep, with these and the shoes I brought, I struggled to get off the plane. But I was smiling. Who wouldn't? A woman who is depressed about owning a bag full of romance and shoes? Unheard of.

Anyway, I had a great time. I pitched my novel 'What Happens In Ireland' to two publishers and had much success with two full requests! I was very nervous about my pitch, even after attending a seminar on pitching hosted by Belinda Byrne. But if there is one piece of advice I can give it is this:
When you're pitching, remember who you are. What links you to the novel you've poured all that hard work into? When you sell your book, you sell yourself. So be yourself, be straight forward, honest and tell it how it is. :)

Well, for those of you who haven't been to a conference before, I cannot express how important it is for you to attend. There are so many opportunities. New friends, new publishers, agents and the panels are a great and in the case of the panels I attended, a humorous way to check out the market, to see what everyone is looking for.

Well, that's my much delayed conference post, but I really do recommend every writer who wants to get serious about their career go. Writing, in my opinion, isn't a solitary profession. You need a support group and you need people who are going to take you to the top. All those people, you are sure to find at the RWA conference.

In the next few weeks, I'm hoping to host a few new interviews and if you went to the Rural panel at the conference, you're going to love what I have in store for you in a few weeks time. I'll be hosting a discussion with some of your favourite RuRo writers on what makes Rural Romance. So keep your eye on this blog.

Whitney

2 comments:

  1. Hey Whitney

    It was lovely to meet you at Conference, and best of luck with your submissions, agents,editors etc

    Take care of you, and remember Eloise James words: 1/2 Business women first, 1/2 authors second!

    You can navigate this path with style!

    Bye 4 now
    Tina

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    1. Hi Tina!
      It was wonderful meeting you and thank you muchly for your help :) I was lucky to have been sitting next to you.
      Appreciate you stopping by,

      Whitney

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