Thursday, July 22, 2010

PNWA Conference

I'm at the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Conference in Seattle for the next few days. Typical Seattle weather - cloudy and drippy fog but the atmosphere inside the hotel is animated. Just emerged from an all-day workshop on the nuts and bolts of novel writing coupled with an overview of the changing publication industry.

NEWSFLASH!! Small presses have gotten the green light! In fact, they're on the cutting edge of a changing industry. Just thought Chalet would like to hear the good news. There was a considerable amount of discussion about promoting one's work and the use of Social Media and other formats.

Branding is still big news. If you're going to be successful, it appears you need to become a household name - like Pepto Bismol or Burma Shave. That's branding yourself. Hint from the seminar: Don't put your book cover as your avatar on FB or Twitter. Use your name and picture. Brand yourself. More tomorrow.

2 comments:

  1. Karen, I, recently, heard the same thing. Don't put your book cover as your profile picture - rather put your picture. However, (and I do agree with this)a good example of NOT doing this is Rick Chesler, "Wired Kingdom", a popular FBer and my friend. He keeps his cover up all the time and it is easily recognizable.

    But, if you have a little savy, you can do the same with your photo, I think. Your name is the most important commodity. Also, don't change profile pics often. People get used to looking for certain faces (I know I do) and sometimes give up when they have to "hunt" for you.

    Learn more tomorrow, Karen. And ENJOY!

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  2. Thanks for the great on location reports! I can't wait to hear more tomorrow!

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