Behind the Scenes

Thanks for stopping by to visit the SCWW Blog! I’m glad you’re here and I hope you find this blog entertaining and informative. If you ever have a question about SCWW, our annual October conference or anything else related to SCWW, please stop by here or go to our website: http://www.myscww.org. If you can’t find the answer to your question, please feel free to email any board member. Our email addresses are on the website.

As you know, we are an all-volunteer board. Most of us spend the majority of our time either working to pay the bills or writing to feed our souls. The hours we spend doing the business of SCWW are those “extra” hours that come at the end of a 40-hour work week or at the end of a day spent writing. We volunteer the hours we do because we are devoted to making this the best organization for writers that we can.

So, right now there is a lot going on behind the scenes; the new and improving website, the conference, tracking down grants to help with SCWW costs in a tough economic year and trying to build membership to name just a few.

The conference is high on my list of things to do. We’re working hard to line up faculty members and vendors. We’ve talked with the nice people at the Hilton. There are so many things that go into planning this three-day event and we are trying to get everything just right.

Last year we made some adjustments to our exhibitor area and I think the changes worked quite well. Traffic flowed much better and the vendors who joined us had front-row seats where they got to see and interact with the attendees.

We’re excited about some new additions to our vendor/exhibitor list and hope to continue to add to that list. If you’re interested in getting an author table or a vendor area, get in touch vial email at kiagoins@yahoo.com.

Stay tuned here for more hints and suggestions about the conference and all things related to SCWW, the art and craft of writing as well as the business of writing. And as always, if you have a question or concern about SCWW, please feel free to contact me: scwwveep@gmail.com.

Equity in Book Signing

This year's conference will be a little different when it comes to the Book Signing we traditionally have on Saturday evening. In 2009, ONLY faculty will be included in the signing. I was responsible for organizing the event in 2008 and I saw several things that made me think about the best way to approach it in 2009.

Now, wait, before you tell me how unfair this is, let me explain the logic behind the decision.

Most of the authors that participated in the book signing last year fell into several categories: newly published, self-published or published with a small press. By putting them into the same time slot, and in the same room, with more established and well-known authors, I felt I'd done them an injustice. People were flocking to the known, best-selling authors and simply chatting with the non-faculty authors on their way to front of the line. I think this did several unfair things to our non-faculty authors.

1. It killed confidence. It's not easy to be new in this business and being in a signing with people like Lee Goldberg and Michael Connelly does nothing to ease new author jitters. It was loud and crowded and hard to talk to people who might be interested in your book. Plus, the potential reader already had his goal in mind: A personalized signed copy of The Brass Verdict.

2. This conference is for writers first and readers second. Let's be frank---The room was filled with wanna-be authors. It's hard to get their attention onto your book when they're scouting out their dream agent and trying to get tips from established pros.

3. It did nothing to highlight the accomplishments of non-faculty authors. Let's face it, this is a hard business to break into and you don't want to be completely overshadowed by the veterans. Your project, be it a novel or a board book, is unique and special and worthy of attention---specialized attention that was impossible to get in such a crowded place.

So, what's the solution?

This year, for a modest fee of $100 (most of which goes straight to the hotel), you can get your very own AUTHOR TABLE. It will be yours for the duration of the conference (Friday-Sunday). You can man the table as little, or as much, as you want. You can sign books, give out bookmarks, and hawk your book(s). It's a great opportunity to meet new readers and you won't be competing with NYT#1 Bestsellers. It will give you a chance to SHINE.

We want to celebrate each accomplishment of our members and I think this is an excellent way to do it.