Preparing for Atlanta has made me very much aware of the need to market myself. Everyone talks about having a pitch for your novel in case you meet an agent or editor in an elevator and they ask you what you write. Most people have business cards to hand out. And let's face it - we're in a business. If you want to succeed at this whole business, you have to treat your writing like a profession. Of course, you have to make sure you have a balance. You need to love to write to make a job out of it, in my opinion.
In that vein, I have coordinated my blog and my business cards to match my writing - a classic marketing strategy. Even though I'm not published, I want to give myself a "brand" that people will remember.
More Preparations for Atlanta
I re-did my business cards last night - just printed them on some fancier, nicer-looking paper. I think they turned out well. I also printed out my flight and hotel info and information on the places I want to visit. It's all in a nice folder, along with my daughter's homemade Pirates of the Carribbean notepad that she insisted I take with me. :-)
In reading the blogs of those going to Atlanta, I'm not too sure about my clothing choices. Are jean capris completely not the thing to wear to the workshops and luncheons? (Moonlight Madness and other fun activities not-withstanding). Is it comfortable and casual, or business casual? (and the definitions of this are all over the board!) Or does everyone have their own opinion on this? That seems to be the consensus. So I guess I'll just wear what I feel comfortable wearing.
Rene suggested that those of us who are blogging buddies should wear a ribbon or another marker to identify each other. Not a bad idea. Any suggestions?
Thanks for all the "kudos" on the new design. I am very pleased with how it turned out.
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All right. Enough with the down-in-the dumps posts. I realized that I had way too many of them in the past few weeks and I am bumming myself...
LOVE the new design, Melissa and think it's totally cool you have family pics on the header :-)
ReplyDeleteAs for what to wear, I think you have to be comfortable and jean capris with a nice shirt and shoes sounds just fine to me. Everyone has different styles at National - I've gone from comfy casual like you to more dressed up - it all depends on my mood. And my wardrobe *g*.
So cute your daughter made you a POTC notepad!
Oh, and my first FR book is already done :-)
**big frowny sourpuss face**
ReplyDeleteAwww! I wanna go and wear a ribbon!
Great new design - lots of punch and pizzazz!
ReplyDeleteI like the new blog design! And I think that's very wise to be building a "brand" image.
ReplyDeleteI love the new design!!
ReplyDeleteAs for jeans, I don't really wear them to Nationals though I wear them all the time at home. Just me.
Nice design Melissa :) Lovely photos!!
ReplyDeleteI only saw one person in jeans for Nationals at an 'event', easier to wear them on your own time :)
smart casual is good :)
I love the new look in here
ReplyDeleteMelissa, I just came back from the stores -- I bought ANOTHER dress and pair of shoes for Nationals because your post made me think, "Gee, do I really have enough clothes?" I'm taking several pairs of capris, one of which a jean-type, and I think that's fine.
ReplyDeleteAs for the marketing thing, well, after buying the dress I went to Staples and hummed and hawed about, "Should I order business cards?" I know many people are doing it, but I'm wondering how often I would use them. I'm still debating. Might get some printed tomorrow.
The marketing thing is the hardest, especially for us unpublished writers. There are so many of us and we want to stand out, but how do you brand yourself when you're still finding your writer's feet, so to speak??
As for the ribbon, I'm wearing a nametag that says Bosey (my e-Harl name). So you'll know me : )
Whaaa..... I wanna go... I'm so envious... boo hoo
ReplyDeleteI've heard, only newbies wear business suits. And everyone else wears what ever they want. If I was there, I'd be in jeans.
Love your new look, Mel! The site is fab-u-lous!