"The notion that such persons are gay of heart and carefree is curiously untrue. They lead, as a matter of fact, an existence of jumpiness and apprehension. They sit on the edge of the chair of Literature. In the house of Life they have the feeling that they have never taken off their overcoats."
- James Thurber, My Life and Hard Times

Friday, September 26, 2014

Teaching savvy

I've been back from the Southern California Writers Conference for almost a week now, and I can only report what I always report: it was fabulous, energizing, inspiring, and fun. (Helpful hint: the way to tell you've been to a good conference is that you come away from it NEEDING to write.)

There will be another conference in February in San Diego (http://writersconference.com/sd/), and I'm already thinking of workshops I can propose that will benefit as many people as possible.

Although, frankly, if I can help one person, I'm a happy gal.

In the meantime, in a twist of being in the right place at the right time, I'm teaching a workshop about self-publishing at the Placentia Library. This is where it pays to be listening with an ear bent toward how can I add value to my community?

I attended the annual Author's Luncheon in March, held by our Placentia Library Friends Foundation. Marcia Clark was the speaker, and more than a few of the questions in the audience had to do with publishing, even though Marcia is not self-published. Afterward, I went to our library's adult services director and said, "I noticed these questions and I teach a workshop on self-publishing. I'd be happy to teach it at the library for free."

Notice I offered it for free. Why? Well, for one thing, I'm a library trustee, and taking any money might be seen as a conflict of interest. For another, I believe in the power of the win-win situation. I take great pride in the quality of my books. The stories may not be your cup of tea, but you can't say that my covers look cheap or the writing is full of typos, etc. When I share my knowledge with other writers, they may not buy my books, but they may recommend them to their reader friends. Why?

Because they trust me. They know I care about my brand.

So this Monday, September 29th at 6:30 pm, I will be teaching a workshop called "Self-Publishing Savvy" to whoever wants to show up at the Placentia Library. It's a basic course, designed to help people make an informed decision about whether self-publishing is right for them.

If you're in the neighborhood, stop in and have a listen. I'd love to have a full house! Here's the library schedule with the details: http://www.placentialibrary.org/sites/default/files/calendars/adults/september2014.pdf

1 comment:

Tameri Etherton said...

This is all kinds of awesome! I love paying it forward and you're in inspiration.

Win-win, indeed. I hope loads of folks in the area show up for your workshop. They'll be happy they did! And I speak from experience, having taken your workshop in the past. It's full of goodness.

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