Getting back to SFWC after a couple of years away was quite enjoyable for me. Representing the Editorial Freelancers Association at a table there with EFA colleague Chris Rose (we also went to graduate school together and interned at the same literary agency), we talked with conference attendees about how an editor might be able to help them with their current writing projects.

One particularly memorable conversation was with a woman who mentioned that her website content and blogs often fall short when it comes to simple proofreading. She was extremely receptive to the idea that for just a little money she could hire someone to proofread her content before she puts it out there to represent her business. If only I could get the ear of restaurant owners about their menus!!

I attended just one conference session. It was “Creating a Marketing Plan for your Novel” presented by Cynthia Frank. I came away with a better understanding of how brick and mortar bookstores and libraries discover what they put on their shelves, and why it is still important not to have Create Space™ be the publisher of your book. (The right thing to do if you’re self pubbing is to create your own publishing brand. You can look back at my posts from 2012 and 2013, and also the story of this client to learn about the right way to self-publish.)

Speaking of the right way to self-publish, I had an opportunity to catch up with the marvelous Carla King of Self-Pub Boot Camp and the Self-Pub Boot Camp Guide for Authors, 3rd edition (which I downloaded for free just last week!). She is such a neat woman who is very generous with her wealth of experiences and knowledge and it’s always a pleasure to see her. I had the opportunity to present at her boot camp once and hope to be able to do so again.

It was also fun to see the many SFWC regulars with whom I worked in prior years and missed last year (too much on my plate) and the year before (broken from a bike accident). Until next time…