Many of you know that I'm on the path to publishing my debut picture book. (Here's the post where I initially shared the news, which still has me reeling!)
In pursuit of this dream, I've stayed up many, many, many nights - reading, researching, writing and blogging. There's so much great information out there and so much I want to share. Twitter has been one of the greatest tools in my journey so far. I've connected with picture book thought leaders and podcasters, librarians and literacy advocates, published authors and new folks on the scene.
(Pssst, I'd love to connect with you there, too! Find me on Twitter at @anitraschulte)
It was through Twitter, in fact, that I heard about the 2017 Writing Workshop of Chicago, held June 24 at the Congress Hotel downtown on Michigan Avenue. Writing Day Workshops organizers are wise to warn event attendees that they don't serve coffee. If you "have a need for the bean," you are advised to pick up coffee in advance.
I do. So I did.
Writing conferences give you the opportunity to meet literary agents and pitch your projects. That's how I connected with my amazing agent Stephanie Hansen of Metamorphosis Literary Agency at the Kansas City Writing Workshop in March 2017. Now we are in submission. Pinch me, please!
When you attend a writing conference, you meet tons of other writers who are just as committed to and passionate about their craft. I've often read how instrumental these relationships can be to your career, and I'm already seeing how this is true.
The morning of the Chicago workshop, on my train ride into the city I set up a lunch outing (via Twitter, naturally) with a group of ladies I wanted to get to know better. Within that group: Holly Davis, a lovely young woman from the Windy City, who writes young adult fantasy novels. Holly and I are on the far right of this pic.
One of the best sessions I attended at the Chicago conference was on how to market yourself and publicize your book. The info shared by presenter and bestselling author Renée Rosen was too good NOT to share.
If publishing is your passion, hop over to Holly's blog for my guest post there: A round-up of book marketing tips (shared by Rosen). Hope you enjoy!