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The Conference Crush

Simply Romance Posted on by

One of my friends posted in our local Romance Writers of America chapter’s loop about how enthused and reenergized she was after coming back from the RWA conference in San Antonio, Texas.

Me? Not so much. It’s been over a week and I still have that feeling that I need to take great gulps of air.

Bulle_Gif_Rose

There was so much going on, and this year’s conference included a whole track of workshops to meet the needs of self-publishing authors, a trade show for purveyors of services related to self-publishing, and a splashy meet-greet-eat evening reception hosted by Amazon. Jami Gold discusses this in depth on her blog, and here’s an NPR radio segment devoted to the RWA conference and the growth of self-publishing.

Amazon Reception at RWA 2014

Amazon Reception at RWA 2014

That’s not to say that traditional and the newer e-publishers weren’t present. In spite of reported financial troubles, Harlequin was present in a big way, and the Big Five held their usual book giveaways, where I got to have fan-girl moments with two of my favorite authors, Madeline Hunter and Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

There were craft workshops also, including a terrific presentation on Motivation by Madeline Hunter and one on Conflict by Sarah MacLean, as well as an opportunity to pick the brain of marketing guru Penny Sansevierde.

I also got to spend quality time with Debby Gilbert and her staff. Debby is the founder and chief of Soul Mate Publishing. She and two of her editors took forty of us Soul Mate authors to dinner, and it was lovely to have a chance to match faces to names and discuss the industry. One of the things I like about Soul Mate is their willingness to take on unusual projects–for example, Catherine Castle’s The Nun and the Narc, and Deanne Wilsted’s Untangling the Knot two wonderful inspirational romances that would never have been accepted by the usual publishers because the heroines are Catholic.

Soul Mate Publishing Dinner

Soul Mate Publishing Dinner

And speaking of Soul Mate, my edits are in for Bella’s Band, and a cover design is underway. I’ll keep you posted on my progress there!

 

Photo Credits: Wikimedia Commons (bubble gif) and the author’s photos from RWA 2014

 

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Comments

The Conference Crush — 6 Comments

  1. Thanks for the link to my blog! I was at the Motivation and Conflict workshops too. 🙂 They were both fabulous, weren’t they?

    • Jami, I loved your blog about the conference so much I had to include the link. And yes! I loved the Motivation and Conflict sessions. It was great to get training from two amazing and very successful authors. Thanks for stopping by, Jami!

  2. The conference was a bit overwhelming, wasn’t it? Thanks for sharing your experiences. I also keenly felt the presence of self publishing, which I wasn’t expecting for some reason.

    • I think this is the most confused I’ve ever been after a conference! Thanks for stopping by, Libby.

  3. Enjoyed your post a lot.

    I also have a crush on Susan Elizabeth Phillips. One of my all-time favorite books is “What I did for Love.”

    • Hi, Joyce. I really liked that book too. I saw a very famous couple in Georgie’s ex-husband and his new partner, and I wondered how SEP got away with that! I think I have to say my very favorite SEP book is “Natural Born Charmer”.

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