Julie Wallace's Event Planning Tips

Welcome Julie Wallace, (writer, poet, editor, trainer, and event planner) Today, I’d like to pick your brain on planning an event.

First,, Julie, please tell us about your experience in planning programs and events.

I've worked on a variety of events from poetry readings to fashion shows to simple high school fund raisers. I also spent two years working for a large non-profit. Currently I work at a software company in sales, marketing, and training. And I've seen a lot of badly organized events, so I know what not to do! Being active in the Genealogical Society of Isabella County, however, has really given me the opportunity to wear many hats. I’ve used organizational and computer skills to compile a database of first families in the county, and also written all of the promotional pieces for our annual open house event.

How did your successful “Family History Detective Day” come into being?

Not long ago I dived into researching my family history and found a supportive group: the Genealogical Society of Isabella County, (MI). While the organization had enthusiastic members and had worked on a variety of projects, they were looking for a way to reach the community and share knowledge and resources. Someone suggested and open house and I volunteered to chair the event.. Our “Family History Detective’s Day” featured speakers, representatives from organizations, and prizes; it was a free event and open to the public. We had about fifty people attend – not bad for our first year. In four months the committee met, brainstormed, planned the event, and hosted it without any major catastrophes, and we’re getting ready to do another one this coming October 17. What are the most important pieces in planning an event?

Planning and promotion. You've got have a schedule and know who's going to be doing what and when. Spending time on the details will pay off on the day of the event. Then the actual event day, you don't have to worry. Your ability to control all of the details is gone, so you have to relax, and go with the flow of the day.

Promotion is crucial. Without it, you do not have people attending. And without people you have one sad event. So promotional ideas are perfect for brainstorming with the organizing committee. Get creative! Don't just stop at the local newspaper or radio stations and call it good. Get flyers out there at local businesses. You've got to reach people and entice them to attend. Check out Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies or The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Meeting & Event Planning for the basics.

Last week Deborah Schneider, who plans events for the King County (WA) Library System described Romance Extravaganza. If a group of authors wanted to do something like this, what advice would you give them?
Plan and promote. Pick a chairperson. Set your budget. Brainstorm and get creative. Have fun planning. I think the type of approach Deborah described could work for any genre - think about Crime & Punishment for mysteries/detectives/police stories), or Joke-A-Minute for a celebration of joke books. What about poetry readings or cooking demos? Hire local actors to dress & act as characters. Tie it in with other events happening around town, for example, 2009 is the 150th anniversary of Isabella County. There are many events scheduled throughout the year. The Genealogy Society is sponsoring two events this fall. First, there will be a Victorian Funeral Tea and Cemetery Walk. that features a fancy tea discussing Victorian Funeral customs; then participants stroll through a nearby cemetery and meet local actors dressed as ‘famous folk’ from the area who just happen to be buried in the cemetery. I’m also on the committee for the Historical Fashion Show, so we’ll be gathering authentic clothing from the past 150 years soon. How’s that for events for writers to love? I can feel historical romance plots thickening already!

Thanks for the tips and ideas to get authors thinking creatively. Besides events, Julie, what are you working on?
I’m writing a food-inspired memoir tentatively titled "Essays To Eat By." I'm becoming active in the online writing world, and would love to connect with other writers and editors.

Find me on Facebook and Twitter.

Photos: Genealogist Larry Noyes in costume as an undertaker, Julie Wallace (in red) at “Family History Detective’s Day”

Library Program Tips from RWA's 2009 Librarian of the Year

Welcome Deborah!

Deborah Scchnieder creates publicity for programs for 44 libraries in the King County (WA) Library System, the 2nd busiest in the U.S.) and promotes about 100 author events every year.

• AND her second novel Promise Me, an historical romance, is due out from The Wild Rose Press.
  

• AND she's been named RWA's 2009 Librarian of the Year!
• AND she'll be accempting her award and present a two-hour workship at the annual RWA Conference in DC in July.

So, here'a a preview:

Besides taking your librarian to lunch, what’s the best way to approach your local library to pitch a program, get some publicity, and hopefully sell books?

Most librarians don't have time to lunch with authors, (we're not agents or editors and library staff is spread very thin these days). Many authors call me to pitch a program, but to be honest they do it all wrong. They usually call it a "reading" and that makes me think they'll come to the library, read out loud from their book and let the audience ask questions.
That's a pretty boring program. I encourage authors to think about presenting a program, that is -- something specific around the research for the book, the setting, the premise or even a writing workshop. I want a program that is different and unique. I have to convince patrons to come in to the library after they get home from work, so they want more than the bookstore version of an author event.

What do you want to see in a print and/or online media packet?

I honestly wish more authors would create an on-line media packet. That should have several descriptions of their book, (long and short), the blurb for publicity, several versions of a jpeg cover, (at least 300 dpi) and a great headshot. There should also be an excerpt on their webpage. And speaking of webpages, I'm not impressed by Flash graphics, music or all the interesting stuff folks try. If you're a video game developer, then your website should be flashy, but as an author -- get to the important information. My biggest pet peeve is an opening that makes me wait and click to get to the homepage. I'm a VERY busy person, and I want information not entertainment. Music also makes me crazy, as I work in an open design office. I have to keep my earphones plugged in all the time to avoid shocking my co-workers with a blast of music.

Can an author sell books at a library event? How does that work?

We always try to have books for sale at author events, because our patrons want to buy books and have them signed. We allow an author to bring their own for sale, or we try to arrange for a bookseller to bring a supply. This is usually for bigger, better known authors, as bookstores don't have a lot of extra staff to send out in the evening for events. Our only rule is that library staff cannot be involved in book sales. In a few cases our Friends of the Library members have arranged to have a supply of books and they sell them. Usually they keep 10% of the sales. We do not ask for any portion of the sales when a bookstore or author is handling the sales.

What the best way for the library and the author to work together to promote an event?

In my case, give me all the information I need right away. I'm trying to promote a debut author right now, but he sent his bookcover image inside a Word document, (not as a jpeg as I requested). I've waited a week now to put his information on our Meet the Author page on the library website, (we get over 2 million hits per month). He's hurting himself by not responding. Overall, that's the biggest problem when I work with authors, they don't respond to my requests. I can't submit a request to our graphics department to create flyers either, so again -- the clock is ticking and he's losing promotional opportunities.

I'm also shocked when I visit an author's website and they haven't updated it with the library program information. Use all the free access, (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter if you must) to tell other folks where you'll be and what you'll be talking about. Also, create a program that is interesting.

Give us an example of a great romance author program held at one of your libraries?

Recently we had an event called, "Romance Extravaganza" and we had an entire day devoted to romance. We partnered with the Greater Seattle Romance Writers of America chapter, and they had their monthly meeting at our Covington Library. Then we had a major author as our keynote speaker, Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz. This was followed by a booksigning with 6 authors, and then panel discussions. We had over 145 people attend that day. You can see photos of the event on my blog at www.debschneider.com

Any other advice you’d like to offer?

Too many authors only consider the attendance at a program as a sign of success, instead of reviewing all the publicity efforts that happen around an author event. We always see "holds" go up when we feature an author event, and that can signal a "buy" for the collection. I'm truly surprised when authors don't ask for copies of flyers, bookmarks, posters, etc. after a program, because they can send these to their editor or publicist.

For more tips visit Deborah’s blog, attend her RWA program, or look for the CD after the conference.

Thanks Deborah for visiting and best of luck with Promise Me.

The Savvy Book Marketer's Guide to Selling Your Book to Libraries

Here today is Dana Lynn Smith, The Book Marketing Maven, to talk about her ebook, The Savvy Book Marketer's Guide to Selling Your Book to Libraries.

I liked Dana's The Savvy Book Marketer’s Guide to Selling Your Book to Libraries very much. I admire anyone who can explain how the inside of a library operates without having been locked up in one.

Seriously, there is so much the public does not see and often authors imagine how libraries work sometimes based on one or two examples. In another life as a librarian, I purchased books for a public library with multiple branches, a large research university library, and a medium-sized state university library and attended many, many trade shows as a buyer and as a seller.

Dana demystifies the process and offers a comprehensive guide to both new and long published authors. Welcome, Dana and thanks for writing such a needed book.

Dana, Tell me how did you the for research this book?

I spent 13 years with a business book publisher, where libraries were a primary market, so I learned on the job over a number of years. I did hire a research assistant to compile the lists of the top 100 public libraries and top 100 academic libraries that are featured in the book.

What’s the single most important thing an author can do?
Take the time to understand how libraries make purchasing decisions and place orders for books. For nonfiction, libraries are looking to fill a gap in their collection. They want good books on topics they think their patrons are interested in, that they don’t already cover in their collection. Fiction is more of a challenge for independently published authors. Try to find a local angle of some sort and promote any awards you've won and good reviews from well-known sources.

How important are distributors and wholesalers/jobbers?

Most library book orders are placed through distributors and wholesalers, because it’s much more efficient than dealing directly with hundreds of different publishers. If you don’t have a distributor, it’s very helpful for your book to be available through Baker & Taylor, Ingram, or one of the other wholesalers.

How important are print reviews to libraries?

Getting reviewed in one of the major book review journals is the best way to get the attention of libraries. They rely heavily on the journals in their purchasing decisions because there’s simply no way they can keep up with the flood of books being published each year. Your first priority should be to study the submission requirements for the major journals and submit your book to those that are a good fit. Submissions need to be made before or just after publication, depending on the journal. There’s a list of review journals on my website

Unfortunately, with such limited space in the review journals, many excellent books never get reviewed there. You can also reach libraries through direct mail, co-op advertising, tradeshows,, and phone calls or visits to libraries.

So Ms. Savvy, what’s next for you?

I have just released my second book, The Savvy Book Marketer’s Guide to Successful Social Marketing. To learn more about promoting through social media, follow my virtual book tour where I’ll discuss social media marketing on a dozen leading blogs, ezines and podcasts.
That sounds like information that all writers need. Please come back and tell us about that one.

Dana Lynn Smith is a book marketing coach and author of the Savvy Book Marketer Guide series at http://www.savvybookmarketer.com/. For a free copy of her ebook, Top Book Marketing Tips of 2008, use the sign up form on her blog at http://www.bookmarketingmaven.com/.
She also offers free podcasts about selling to libraries & using social marketing at

April Fools Sex?

What’s funnier that romance? Or sex? (Please don’t tell my dh ever said that.) But let’s face it (or not) the entire situation would be laughable if our chemicals and emotions didn’t fool us into taking it so deadly serious.

Ever wondered if the universe gave us romance as an April Fool’s prank? Think about the anticipation and longing, the excitement and the letdown, the pain and the utter madness. Romance makes sane people crazy and crazy people crazier. Who even needs a special day?

Seriously, I believe comic romance in all genres will become more popular during these uncertain economic times. The dark, though exciting and a great escape, may pale in comparison to a genuine chuckle and laugh out loud fun.

So how do I control my tendency to laugh while writing romance? Not well. I tried hard in my paranormal "Romancing Rebecca" and all the subplots came out funny. Romance writers? They’re a hoot. Sedona? I love the place, but it’s a parody of the new New Age. The sex? It slipped right over into silly.

"Wired for Love?" Using Cincinnati as a backdrop I created an quirky romance based on a theoretical database that any computer savvy woman looking for love would love to have.

"Latte for Love" has a softer, silly side, when two naive young writers meet in Starbucks. Watch their writing and their love grow.

"Christmas on Wherever Island" is more emotional traditional with a touch of magic and just one slapstick sexual encounter.

So, go off and have a great April Fools Day. Read something funny!

Previously published: GottaReadReviews.

Yoga and Writing

On Sunday, I'll begin my 4th Yoga as Muse workshop in Taos, New Mexico.

Five days of yoga, writing, and Taos spirit. Plus the wonderful food at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House, inspiration to spark creativity, stimulating company, and hope for a chance meeting with Georgia O'Keefe's ghost.

This year's weather will be cold, but the fires will burn hot with authentic words.

Jeff Davis, from Accord, NY, has created a space in New Mexico to recharge the imagination, reconnect to heart, and move writers from the Center to the Page.

Birthday Present!

Romancing Rebecca

3rd Place

Anne BonneyReaders' Choice Award

Ancient City Romance Authors, St. Augustine, FL

Most Humorous Category!

I'm thrilled my first novel did so well against

multi-pubbed authors

from mass market publishers!

See all the winners

And it's my Birthday!

Happy New Year!

Los noches de las luminarias in the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix is a warm and festive event with 7,800 candles and music. This year, mixed with the desert landscape,

Dale Chihuly's The Nature of Glass exhibit added a most magical glow.

To see more photos I took at Lumi and in the Arizona sunshine,

follow this link:

http://tinyurl.com/Natureofglass

"Awesome" and "amazing" are overused words but they describe
LUMI and the The Nature of Glass perfectly.