Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

By Danielle Dresser  It’s that time of year when romance authors take flight and gather together over the next few months to meet with readers, industry professionals, and other authors… yes, it’s conference season! There are so many different ways for authors to interact and meet readers and others, and Sourcebooks will be at a bunch this season: Public Library Association Conference; Indianapolis, IN Wednesday, March 12-Friday, March 14 (yes, I’m here RIGHT NOW) I’m attending my first PLA conference this year, and couldn’t be more excited. Public Librarians do a great job of getting the word out about all books, but they are also among the most romance-friendly librarians in the business. Along with some fabulous marketing and sales colleagues, we’re going to have a busy booth with signings each day, book giveaways, and a lot of fun. Chicago-North Spring Fling Conference; Hoffman Estates, IL Friday, April 25-Saturday, April 26 This is one of my f...

by Danielle Jackson Something I get asked quite a bit about at conferences and when I give presentations on publicity and marketing for romance is what authors can do before they are published. And you know what? It’s a tough question, because I don’t really know too much about what authors do before they are published aside from writing because I’m put in contact with authors after they’ve been signed! Recently I attended the Chicago-North Spring Fling Conference in Illinois and I had to give the Sourcebooks Spotlight all alone—and it wasn’t as terrifying as I thought it would be!—but as I started preparing in the week prior what I would say and what I should be prepared to answer, I thought about what I like for authors to have when they come to me for the first time. Many of you here know that process; our publicity manager sends you an email with some general info and then I send you a follow-up email, usually with too many exclamation points at the ends of my sentences, but with a...