CONFERENCES & CONTESTS - Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers

NOTE from my desk: While I have not attended most of the conferences I showcase, I have heard excellent comments regarding their offerings. Please check their website thoroughly and if you have any questions, use the contact information on their page. While some may be short-dated, I encourage you to check out their site and plan for next year.

Also, keep in mind that by the time you see the conference info here, hotels may be already filling up. When you call the hotel for reservations, check to see what hotels are within walking or uber distance if you need to stay off sight. Being on location always offer the best conference experience but sometimes it's just about being there when you can.

If you attend any of the conferences or enter the contests I list, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please share your review in the comments section of that conference's post.

Know of a great conference you'd like me to share? Please use the contact form on the right to drop me a note.

Thank you!

ROCKY MOUNTAIN FICTION WRITERS

September 8-10, 2017

This is another one of those conferences that have been around seemingly forever - and with good reason.  

I really like the layout of their website and all of the information they provide ahead of time. The brochure is beautiful and well-laid out. The list of Agents and Editors to be in attendance is astounding! 

If you're interested in signing up for the bookstore and author signing event, you will want to go HERE  There is also great information on their BLOG, which appears to be kept updated well. 

If there was any way for me to make the conference this year, I would be there in a heartbeat. Downtown Denver offers a myriad of shopping opportunities between workshops and the Renaissance Hotel is high end for a reasonable price ($109 plus tax and fees per night) 

This looks to be THE conference to attend this year. I hope you'll come back and share your experience.

Creative Blessings!

Angela

MARKET MONDAY - Twitter Part 5

While working on some of my own promo stuff at the time of this writing, I realized I left out a very important part of Time Management when it comes to Twitter -  or any other Social Media. The use of an auto-posting service such as HootSuite can be invaluable!

There are several different 'purchase' levels for HootSuite but I've been using the FREE level for three years and haven't found a need to spend money. While the paid for levels do offer additional usage options, for the most part, the free level works for what we do.

Basically, you log into Hootsuite using your Twitter account. From there, you can schedule tweets several weeks out... such as author signings, speaking engagements, cover or book releases. I spend one day doing nothing but loading hootsuite for all seven of my blogs and  now our Oghma account.

You can set the date and the time you want a tweet to go out. In the fall when things are quieter around here I'll be talking more about 'timing' of tweets. For now, think about when you think the majority of your readers are on twitter. That's the time slots you want your tweets to go out.

Also.. you can set a tweet to run more than once a day... say to catch people before they head out to work in the early morning (those city commuters) or a lunch hour.  Don't spam with more than two a day. However, each tweet must be worded slightly different or Hootsuite will not allow the second tweet to go out.

There really isn't a learning curve to Hootsuite. Like anything else you find your footing then you'll sail from there.

Another thing Hootsuite (and there is another but I can't think of it at the moment) does is allow you to connect all of your social media platforms together so when you post something one place, it goes across the board to all of your social media outlets.

I do NOT recommend this.  Read my lips - I do NOT RECOMMEND this avenue. While it can be a time saver, this also takes away the 'personal' side of connecting with your readers. Also, if something happens to one account, you'll be locked out all the way around. Ask how I know :-D

Social Media platforms do not take long to connect on. Just sign in with a purpose, take care of business then move on.  If you don't think you can do that, I'm sure there's a high schooler in your neighborhood who'd love to earn a little extra cash.

There are also marketing services out there. They offer packages for doing different aspects of the marketing you do not want to do. I recommend Jar O Marbles. Annette's link is on my sidebar.
That said, You CAN do your own marketing. You just have to be smart about how you spend your time.

Okay, for the rest of the month, we'll be talking about Facebook and how to use the platform effectively.

Happy Writing!
Angela