by Danielle Jackson
Next week, 2,000+ avid romance readers, writers and
publishing professionals will descend upon Atlanta, GA for the 2013 Romance
Writers of America National Conference! One of the biggest romance conferences,
RWA is the perfect place to find out more about this genre. And while all types
of authors and readers come to the conference, we all have one goal:
CELEBRATING romance!
RWA is what I refer to as my “BIG” conference of the year. I
start planning it months in advance, and I think my schedule is full weeks
before I even book my flight... and yet, I’ve still found places to fit in
meetings, even this week. It’s busy, it’s tiring and totally worth it to meet
authors, readers, booksellers, librarians and other industry professionals face
to face. And you never know, you might end up in the elevator with your
favorite author, or sitting in a workshop next to a senior editor, or waiting
for a very early cab with who appears to be the only man attending the
conference this year ;-)
This year, Sourcebooks is keeping busy this year, with a
variety of events:
Wednesday, July 17,
5:30-7:30pm: “Readers for Life” Literacy Signings. Open to the public, you
can see over 20 Sourcebooks authors (along with 400 of their closest author
friends!) signing books. All proceeds from book sales going to literacy
organizations, including ProLiteracy Worldwide, Literacy Action, Inc., and
Literacy Volunteers of Atlanta.
Friday, July 19,
2:00-3:00pm: The Sourcebooks Spotlight will be presented by Sourcebooks CEO
Dominique Raccah, Editorial Manager Deb Werksman and Editorial Manager Leah
Hultenschmid, which will give a company overview, what our editors are looking for, and of course--we get to brag about how awesome our authors are!
Friday, July 19, 3:15-4:15pm:
What Traditional Publishers Offer Their Authors Panel, featuring
Sourcebooks CEO Dominique Raccah, along with Dianne Moggy (Harlequin) and Liate
Stehlik (Avon/William Morrow) **open to PAN authors only**
Saturday, July 20,
8:30-9:30am: It Takes a Village Workshop, presented by Editorial Manager
Leah Hultenschmidt, New York Times Bestselling Author Julie Ann Walker, Agent
Nicole Resciniti and Senior Publicist Danielle Jackson :-)
Saturday, July 20,
3:00-4:30pm: Sourcebooks Sponsored Author Signing, where 24 of our authors
will be singing and all the books are free!
And as always, on Friday evening, there’s the Sourcebooks
author dinner, but that is open to authors only, where we mingle, eat great
food and treat our authors to a fabulous night out!
When we come back from RWA, and everyone in the office asks how it went,
we always describe it as a sorority retreat for romance authors. And think what
you will of sororities, but there’s definitely a huge sense of comradery and
support from authors of all levels. Publishers and industry professionals are
willing to answer your questions, and everyone is there to celebrate one of the
most successful industries on the planet. I’m looking forward to what will
happen at this year’s conference!
Any questions about
the conference? Ask them in the comments. And authors, tell us what workshops
and events you’ll be attending!
Last year I went to one workshop on police procedures and meant to go to other workshops but between meeting with Sourcebooks authors, FF&P members, signings, meeting up with reviewers, the Sourcebooks highlight, From the Heart members, Romance Veterans, the beautiful dinner out with SB, that was it! And I had a ball!
ReplyDeleteIf you feel a little extra static in the air, that's the excitement and energy of all those 2000 Plus authors, agents, publishers, readers and publicists gearing up for RWA...and I'm one of them!
ReplyDeleteHey Carolyn ! Will I need a surge protector? Will there be a map where all the authors will be at, or am I on my own?
ReplyDeleteAka Kim Cornwell
ReplyDeleteCan't wait! Reading this post got me super psyched!
ReplyDeleteJust got my new book marks delivered to my door step. Packed them in my suitcase! :)
ReplyDeleteZippy, it might not hurt to pack one in your tote bag...it's usually by alphabetical order but if they change it, they'll most likely provide a map. Can't wait to see you there!
ReplyDeleteGreat thanks for the info! I'll be packing the surge protector!
ReplyDelete