Although I am sure that all my readers and followers know of and have probably already signed up, I will be participating in Authors Alley this weekend at Cleveland Concoction.
Not only will I be participating, at this year's event I will be releasing my newest book!
Build Your Authors Alley is a hybrid work. This “Tales from” crossed with a “How to” not only gives a look into how some improvising led to an annual literary event, but how you can create your own.
"After a few minutes, security arrived, opened the door, and asked the crowd, “Could the authors please raise their hands?”
In that moment you could hear crickets chirp. I glanced around, much like the other attendees, but no hands stood over the crowd. Thinking quickly, I hesitantly raised mine.
“Great,” he barked, motioning me forward. “Just you?”
After a quick explanation that I wasn’t supposed to be running the panel, he shrugged, said, “It’s all yours,” and walked away.
I was astonished, but now the crowd was staring at me. Leading them into the large banquet room, I introduced myself and took the stage to talk about my books and experiences. The panel went well, considering it was completely improvised, and I followed up with a Q and A session. None of it was planned or orchestrated, for I hadn’t even met the convention volunteers, aside from security, but my experience speaking in front of classes allowed me to slip into the role."
And now from the "How to" aspect:
"Networking is a task many people find arduous or simply don’t understand, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. When you network, you are simply getting to know new people in the industry. Authors, publishers, and editors—no matter who they are—are people. Just treat them respectfully like you would anyone else and build friendships. If you are running an Authors Alley, networking needs to become second nature. You will deal with people of varying levels of celebrity, and connecting with them on social media can prove beneficial down the road. You never know who is friends with someone else, whose recommendation could change your convention overnight, or what the future holds. However, if you are outgoing and friendly and maintain an online connection with your panelists, it can open unexpected doors."
As you will read in BYAA, things do not always go as planned. Such is the case with this release.
That being said, for the time being BYAA with only be available in E-book format.
You can get your E-book
on Amazon today.
For those who prefer to have a physical copy, preorders can be requested with me at Authors Alley.
As a thank you for those who do, I will autograph your copy when it becomes available.
As always, I look forward to seeing and interacting with you all.
Just in case you haven’t signed up yet, tickets are still available.
You can check prices and details
here.