It's all about marketing

OK. You probably won’t want to hear this—I know I didn’t—but it’s a fact that you must accept as a writer.

It’s all about marketing.

See…..I knew you wouldn’t want to hear it!

Writers aren’t generally gregarious marketing types, are they? We’re solitary folks who are satisfied to sit in front of our computer screens as long as people will let us. Some of that time we’re actually writing. The thought of putting on real clothes—you know the kind I mean, the ones that match and aren’t full of cat hair or holes—to leave the house and promote our work is….well, scary, and takes a lot of energy that is better used on Facebook, I mean writing.

No one else is going to do it for us, though. We have to make connections with others who can help us. It can become overwhelming, though, unless we have a plan.

One tactic that will let us wiggle our toes in the shark-infested waters of marketing is to attend one or two writer’s conferences in our immediate geographic area. Most conferences offer about two days of workshops and other opportunities to meet those who have some stake in the literary world. Local conferences are reasonably priced and you won’t have to spend money on a hotel room and a lot of over-priced food. Many colleges and universities put these events on every year, so check out the institutions near you as a place to start.

Another important reason to attend is all the editors, agents, and publishers that show up there, too. They have their own reasons for attending, but I’m not here to give tips to them. What YOU need to do is go and talk to everyone you meet. Everyone who sits in the bar like you, trying not to be noticed. All the people who gather outside by the pool and smoke. And most of all, those agents and other people necessary to our world that you run into during the day in workshops, in the banquet hall during lunch, and on the elevators.

Exchange contact information with anyone who is willing. This type of networking is essential in any business. You never know who knows someone who can help you. Create a distribution list for the conference after you get home. Follow up with a short email making nice comments about them, suggesting you all stay in touch, and generally being sociable. You can do this. You’re a writer.

For an additional fee when you register, you can sit at a tiny table and meet one-on-one with the editor, agent, or publisher you feel will be most useful to you and your career. It is true that these face to face meetings are VERY short, but you can maximize this time if you are well-prepared with your pitch, a proposal, and some samples of your work. If they suggest you follow up with them after the conference, DO IT. Remember, they are there for a reason, too. You might be their next big discovery. You can make them famous and they can make you rich, and vice versa.

While you’re choosing your workshops, pick at least one that stretches your limits a bit. You might fall in love with poetry or children’s literature, romance novels, or personal essay writing. This enlarges your writing opportunities. Plus, it makes you a better writer to struggle within a new genre.

Marketing means much more than attending conferences. But I don’t want to scare you right now with all the other stuff you should be doing to promote your work. We’ll worry about that later, as Scarlet says.

Start out small and then follow all the contacts and leads that you gather as you attend one or two conferences in 2010. It won’t hurt to pry yourself out of your comfy office chair and actually turn that computer off for a weekend! Commit to yourself and your craft that you will do it this year.

Here are some links to find conferences in your area:

http://writing.shawguides.com/

http://writersconf.org/

http://www.newpages.com/writing-conferences/


Have you attended any writing conferences? What has been your experience with them? Share your comments with the group below.

We can help each other choose good conferences and share ideas on how to make the most of our time and money.

Keep writing!

Charity

Charity is both an attitude and an action. And in reality, the attitude alone is not enough. We can have the best intentions to help others, but those intentions are empty unless we follow through in some way.
Children learn empathy and a sense of community through lessons in charity. Parents can instill this altruism in their families in a number of ways:
• Begin by discussing the concept of charity toward others, and start within the family unit. How can we each be “generous and helpful” to one another every day? Make a poster and put it in a visible location, Refer to it often, especially when sibling rivalry takes over.
• If your children receive an allowance, ask that they put a portion in a “Service Jar.” Allow them to decide the recipients of the money and distribute it periodically. Include them in taking the fund to the charity so they can see the results of their generosity.
• Organize a “Closet Clothing Drive” every few months—in their own closets! Children can sort through clothes and toys that are too small or no longer wanted, and donate them, even if it is to a younger sibling. Parents should do the same.
• Discuss the needs in your neighborhood. Are there elderly or disabled residents on your street who could use a helping hand? Children can pull garbage cans out on pick-up day, mow and rake or walk pets, for example. These tasks are perfect for instilling a helpful attitude followed by action. The immediate feedback children get from the recipients of their charity will encourage them to continue.
• Finally, your family can get involved in a community service project at least once a year. Food baskets, holiday gift trees, and baked treats are part of many local charities’ needs on a seasonal basis.
No matter what your family’s spiritual framework, charity is a traditional virtue and an integral part of many religious traditions. Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and many other faiths revolve around charitable works. Incorporate some of these suggestions into your family routine, and the results will help not only others, but your children as well.


Discuss the following with your children:
Is it necessary to identify yourself to those receiving your charity? Why or why not?
Book that build charity:

For children:

Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
Abuelita Full of Life by A. Costalese
See You Tomorrow, Charles by M.
Cohen
Gift by H. Coutant

For teens:

Life Is Not Fair by G. Barger
Willie Bea & the Time Martians by
V. Hamilton
Rabbi’s Girls by J. Hurwitz
Animal Family by R. Jarrell

See http://charactercounts.org/resources/booklist_search.php for more choices.


Further Reading on teaching children charity:

Character Matters by Thomas Lickona, p. 19-20.

Raising Good Children by Thomas Lickona, p. 407.

Helping Your Children Become a Responsible Citizen, by US Department of Education, www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html, p. 1- 2.
(This is a free publication that can be ordered at the above named website.)

What Teens Need to Succeed, by Peter L. Benson, Judy Galbraith, Pamela Espeland, see references to Volunteerism.

Books of Responsibility by Young People’s Press, http://youngpeoplespress.com/home.php?cat=315

Lessons in Character by Young People’s Press http://youngpeoplespress.com/home.php?cat=299

Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, http://www.actsofkindness.org/


Quotes to live by:

“Charity sees the need, not the cause.”
German Proverb

“In charity, there is no excess.”
Sir Francis Bacon

“Be charitable before wealth makes thee covetous.”
Sir Thomas Browne

“Charity begins at home.”
Terence

“The charity that hastens to proclaim its good deeds, ceases to be charity, and is only pride and ostentation.”
William Hutton

“The life of a man consists not in seeing visions and in dreaming dreams, but in active charity and willing service.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Olympic dreams

I can’t help it. I watch the Olympics and get choked up every time.

There is something about people from all over the world coming together to compete that appeals to my sense of community and belief in the inherent dignity of men and women regardless of national origin.

We know that opportunities for athletes differ widely from country to country. But when the Opening Ceremony begins and the flags are held high, carried by young men and women who are the best in their sports in the world, my eyes well up and any modern-day cynicism falls away.

During the 16 days of competition, I watch the events I like the most, such as figure skating and skiing. But I always learn about other sports that I have never paid attention to before, and I enjoy the segments that highlight the lives of some of the athletes. It is amazing to learn about the obstacles that many of them have overcome in order to pursue their passion.

My daughter and I travelled to Atlanta to attend the Olympics in 1996. I couldn’t let the opportunity pass us by, so we stayed with a friend while there and attended what we could afford. We still talk about that trip with fond memories all these years later.

I also used the Olympics as a teaching tool when I was a geography teacher. What better way to symbolically travel around the world than through the spirit of the Olympics, with its focus on all the countries, their cultures, land, and history? I can’t help but think those lessons might have also taught a bit of respect for those who are different from us.

So, here I am again, watching the Opening Ceremonies and trying not to weep in front of the cats. I hope we can set aside our national rivalries for the duration (I don’t even like the medal count) and bond as human beings who revel in excellence, sacrifice, and hard work.

Let the games begin!