Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

I just came from a conference with the Florida Romance Writers, and I’m looking forward to a very busy year. I’ll be attending the RT Booklovers Convention and RWA Nationals of course, also Book Expo America. In addition to those mega conferences, I’ll be going to Heather Graham’s Writers for New Orleans conference, and to the Orange County RWA later in the year. Asa Marie Bradley and Deb Werksman at Florida RWA conference   Here’s what made the conference in Florida so great: The authors were well prepared The chapter had run a pitch training session, so everyone was prepared with a smooth and effective pitch. I could tell they had worked on them, shared them with others, and polished their pitches. BTW, I don’t have any problem with an author reading her pitch to me. It shows a level of preparation and polishing that I can appreciate. Another thing that was great is that the authors understood the difference between a pitch and ...

This year, for the first time, I'm attending the national Romance Writers of America conference. But I'm not going to talk today about how excited I am to meet my editors and agent in person (for the first time ever!). Or how many authors I'll be fangirling over. Or the workshops, or the chance to talk with author friends, or the books galore. Nope, today I'm just going to talk about getting there. I live in the Midwest, but not near any travel hubs. So flying can take quite a while, especially since I can make flights get canceled with my mere presence. (It's a gift.) But with relatives at each coast and to the far north and south, travel is a necessity. I just prefer to go by car when I can. So I'm road-tripping to RWA--today, actually. I've scheduled this post ahead of time, because when you read it, I'll be cutting my way southward to San Antonio. I'm bringing music, snacks, and--courtesy of my library--a few audiobooks. My hope is that ...

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 As Leah mentioned last week , conference season is upon us. This weekend, I’m heading to the University of Wisconsin/Madison Writers’ Institute to give a couple of workshops, speak on a panel and give 1-on-1 consultations—should be a great time! After that, in May I’ll be at the RT Booklovers Convention, then in June I think I’ll be making an appearance at ALA and in July I’ll be at the RWA National Conference. At all of these conferences, one of the questions I get asked the most often is “What do you do?” So, I created a little quiz that gives some insight into what my fellow romance publicist, Beth, and I do every day. I’ll post the answers to the quiz on Monday, April 15. Whoever has the most correct answers will win a prize pack of the March and April Sourcebooks Casablanca romance novels. The next two runners-up will receive a copy of The India Fan by Victoria Holt (part of our Casablanca Classic line).    1. Which tr...