RWA Newbie questions

Hi Robin,

I cannot answer all of your questions, but I would recommend that for now you just do a simple business card with your name and contact info. You'd use them for people you'd like to stay in touch with, or get in touch with you later. You can even get a small quantity for free from vistaprint.com.

I've never done a pitch, but you might want to reconsider doing it with the wrong publisher. They're there to look for potential authors to publish, and if you're certain your work is not a fit with them, then you would be wasting both of your time. IMHO.

Others will no doubt be along shortly to add their perspective. Best wishes!

Business cards -- Um, truthfully I chucked all but like two that I received, both years I went. Didn't give any out either, but a couple people "found" me afterward to keep in touch. Emailed or twitter or whatever. As for name + writing as, I guess it'd depend how much you care about people knowing your real name. A few authors I met intro'ed themselves as the pen name and I've only learned their real names much later, through subsequent interactions.

Publisher appointment - You say you're not sure if it's a fit? So maybe it is? If it's not a match at all, I'd say pass on the appointment. I agree with San Remo, it's a time-waste.

If you're willing to kill a morning hanging out around wherever they set up the meetings, there's usually slots that pop open for both agents and editors. People not showing up, etc.

Get the business cards. They costs about $20 for more good quality cards than you'll ever use. Everybody should have business cards anyhow so they can drop them in the bowl at the local Chinese restaurant to enter for a free lunch.

Real name, not pseudonym. Say, 'writer' on the card and you'll be able to lay them on folks in any field of writing. Put a contact e-mail on it.

I'd say to go to the editor appointment unless it is ludicrously unsuitable. You never know if the company is changing directions and wants something new.
It's good practice. Since you're not expecting to sell a book to them, you can be relaxed about the whole thing.

The editor you meet may someday be working for a company you DO want to submit to. She won't remember you, of course, but you will remember her and know whether you'd want to work with her.

Wear walking shoes and, I would suggest, business-casual pants. Carry water. Have a big, comfortable shoulder bag. Go to breakfast early.

Orlando is sweltering and bright. Consider sunglasses.

Some interior spaces will plunge to the temperature of Buzzard Bay, Alaska in March, while others will be claustrophobic pits of three hundred sweaty bodies. A light cotton jacket you can stuff in your shoulder bag is useful.

If you know people on the net, make a point to meet them in person. Set it up for breakfast, the first day of the conference, and encourage everybody to bring their roommate.

Bring a camera and take good photos of authors you admire. Just the author. Send them copies with permission to use.

Seek out Romance bloggers and reviewers you admire. Check to see if they have room parties. Bloggers do good work for the genre and get relatively little recognition.

Check the list of the Literacy Signing. Some of them will be first-time pubs. Pick some new writers who write in your field. Read their work. These guys may have a lull in their signings. Go up and talk to them. Having just read their stuff, you'll have something to say. Or ask them about their website design. That is a subject of much interest to all.

The Big Names are honestly busy. The new guys, not so much.

Get simple FREE cards from vista print. I think business cards are important - I give mine to everyone. When I was still working the title on my business cards was: Supreme Commander. People remembered me, not my company, not my name, heck half the time not what I was selling but...they sure remembered the Supreme Commander!

Carlene
Still Supreme Commander

Business cards are good! You can hand them out to anyone that you chat with, and they're good for exchanging email addresses too - keep the information basic, though. Your name, your pen name (if that is what you are using), email address and contact info. Nothing that will be out of date within a short period of time.

Also, if you feel Red Sage is not right for your ms, cancel your appointment. I know I had a friend that went to pitch appointments and signed up for the slots that vacated when people didn't show up or cancelled. If there's another agent/editor you're interested in seeing, try to squeeze in on the schedule - there are ALWAYS cancellations.

My suggestions - go to all the luncheons for sure. They give out free books, free meals, and you get a great mix of people sitting at your table that you actually get a chance to sit and chat with. The panels don't usually offer a lot of 'discussion' time.

If you're looking to score free books, look and see when the publisher signings are, and hit as many of them as you can. EVERY book is free at the publisher signings (but not at the Literacy Signing). My first year, I shipped an enormous box of books home and it was so worth it.

Hit the goody room early or skip it. if you go mid-afternoon, the line will be hideously long and everything will be picked over. If you go early, sometimes there's free books or choice goodies.

Chat with EVERYONE you can.

And have fun! I'm so envious - I can't go this year.

I will make it to RWA someday, but for now, I only have experience at a small conference. I only handed out a few business cards, and those were to fellow writers.

As far as the pitch appointment, I don't know. If they remotely publish what you write, give it a shot. Maybe you will blow them away and even if it's not exactly what they want, they might like it enough to offer a contract.

I don't have much to add...others have already said it so well! This will be my second National convention and I had an absolute blast last year! Looking forward to meeting more AWers in person this year! =)

Robin Jenson said:

Thanks everyone. I'm so excited to be going.

Jill...I ordered one of your books from Amazon just before joining up here at AW. I'm so star-struck that you responded to *my* post!

Thanks again.

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Oh gosh - you are too nice! I am just a dork that likes to write, same as everyone else. Er, not that I am calling anyone else a dork...

I think you will have fun - it's impossible not to! RWA is just amazing and it never feels like there's enough time in the day. And I find everyone there is so darn friendly that it's amazing. I remember at my first RWA, I passed Gena Showalter in the hallway and nearly had an excited fit. GENA SHOWALTER WAS BREATHING THE SAME OXYGEN AS ME!

It was a very exciting moment.

If y'all are going to breakfast, let me know. I've been lurking on your site, but Orlando is my first conference as well. I'm getting very nervous as I'm close but not staying at the hotel. I would love talk to people on here, though I just check the place out without speaking.

I wrote my first romance novel ever, and I'm working on my second as I type this. It will be more than halfway done at the convention. Talking to others who have the same goals would be amazing!!!

(And on Tuesday I'm off to Universal to check out Potter.. now JK Rowling is quite the visionary!)

greta2242 said:

If y'all are going to breakfast, let me know. I've been lurking on your site, but Orlando is my first conference as well. I'm getting very nervous as I'm close but not staying at the hotel. I would love talk to people on here, though I just check the place out without speaking.

I wrote my first romance novel ever, and I'm working on my second as I type this. It will be more than halfway done at the convention. Talking to others who have the same goals would be amazing!!!

(And on Tuesday I'm off to Universal to check out Potter.. now JK Rowling is quite the visionary!)

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Hi Greta

Welcome to AW --glad you decided to de-lurk!

We'll be bumping around all over the place, but if things hold from last year, the main bar will be a great place to land and meet folks. My badge should have both my pen name and my login ID, so if you spot me I sure hope you'll introduce yourself. But be sure to introduce yourself to everyone --you'll be pleasantly surprised by how friendly folks are.

If we haven't met before then, the one workshop I definitely plan to attend is our very own Sandy James' workshop on Saturday, so you can be sure to meet several of us there!

See you there & be sure to pack comfy shoes!

Irysangel said:

Er, not that I am calling anyone else a dork...

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That's fine. I'm definitely a dork!!

Have fun, Robin. Just be sure to give yourself some "down time." Everytime I go to RWA -- especially if I pitch -- I have to give myself some time to let all those wound up nerves calm down.

Or maybe that's just me... There's a lot of emotional...energy at National, and I sort of get overwhelmed by it sometimes.

FWIW...

san_remo_ave said:

Hi Greta

If we haven't met before then, the one workshop I definitely plan to attend is our very own Sandy James' workshop on Saturday, so you can be sure to meet several of us there!

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You're such a sweetie. I'm looking forward to having some friendly faces there, even if I'm not sure WHICH faces are friendly!! Be sure and introduce yourselves!!!!

shameless said:

Or maybe that's just me... There's a lot of emotional...energy at National, and I sort of get overwhelmed by it sometimes.

FWIW...

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*snort* The first time I went to Nationals, I skipped the second session of panels one day and went up to the room to "edit". An hour an a half later, my crit partner was asking if I still wanted to go to a cocktail party we'd planned on. She'd found me face down on my manuscript, snoring.

Thanks for the welcome. I'm Victoria, and my handle will not be on my badge. It's my online name for years. I used to write alot of fan fiction online, before stepping up my game to create characters and write a novel to sell. Alot of what's online for me is utterly horrible, but now looking back I believe it was good training.

Either way I have friends in Orlando, so financing the trip was easy. It's a fifteen minute drive to the hotel. And I'm looking forward to meeting y'all!