February is a busy month. I’ve signed on to take part in several educational efforts aimed at authors who want to self-publish, and self-publishers who want to improve their business.
San Francisco Writers Conference: Self-Publishing Boot Camp
This is a terrific event staged by Carla King of Self-Pub Boot Camp fame. I’ll be presenting a section on “Book Design for Print and Electronic Books: Tricks and tips to visually rise to the top.” It’s one hour in a day filled with instruction by Alan Rinzler, Karen Leland, Mark Coker and other experts. This looks to be a great event to get you up and running.
Monday February 21st (President’s Day)
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Mark Hopkins Hotel, Nob Hill, San Francisco
For information and registration, use this link: SF Writers Conference Self-Publishing Boot Camp
BAIPA: Author Blogging 101
This Saturday, February 12, I’ll be giving a presentation for the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association (BAIPA) on Author Blogging 101.
When I was asked to be a presenter, I polled numerous BAIPA members about what they felt would be most useful to them in building their business as self-publishers, and the response was almost unanimous: blogging.
In this one-hour presentation, I’ll be giving a rundown on the nuts-and-bolts of building a blog and using it to attract readers, establish relationships, and build community. We all know that the social environment of the internet is giving big rewards to people who use it well. We’ll have Q&A at the end.
Saturday, February 12th
9:00 am – 12:00 pm (presentation at 11:00 am)
(There is a $5 charge for all BAIPA meetings for non-members, $3 for members)
First Congregational Church
8 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael, CA 94903
For information use this link: BAIPA Meeting: Author Blogging 101
BookBuzzr Webinar: Using Twitter to Market your Book
To top it off, next week I’m really pleased to be sitting in with Laurel Marshfield, Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Phyllis Zimbler Miller and Penny Sansevieri on a Webinar panel talking about Twitter Marketing for Authors.
There’s no doubt that Twitter is the leading edge in social media, where trending topics can go viral in minutes. Your ability to contribute to the discussion and bring value to others often determines just how much you get out of this amazing utility. I’ll be concentrating on using #hashtags but this panel is full of expertise and it will run for 90 minutes.
Using Twitter to Market your Book – An Online Round Table
Wednesday, Feb. 16th, 2011, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm EST
To register for the free webinar, use this link: BookBuzzr Using Twitter to Market Your Book
There are more and more opportunities to cut your learning curve short by taking advantage of educational opportunities like these. I hope you’re able to take advantage of one that’s convenient for you. See you there!
Photo by Taqi