Welcome Back!
Have you ever gotten home from a writing conference and all you wanted to do was unpack and sleep? Sorry. Your job just started.
Don't believe me? Consider these:
Thank You Notes
Send a hand-written note instead to every editor, an agent or mentor you met, even those who turned you down. Consider sending a note to the workshop or continuing education instructors, too.
If you really want to show your appreciation, include specific things from your conversation. List the follow-ups that they suggested and tell them how you are going to do them.
Last year, award-winning author, James L Rubart, suggested that your thank-you note echo the theme of your book. My book is set on a bee farm, so I sent a small jar of honey with my handwritten note. If you met in the coffee shop where an agent ordered tea, send them a small box of their fav. Details show that you care.
3-2-1 Contacts!
Are you wondering what to do with all those business cards? There are several apps that will pull the information from them to import directly into your Contacts program.
Be sure to note where you met them and how you connected. Did you sit beside them in a workshop? What did you talk about? Put that information in the Notes section
Why bother? These are new members of your writing tribe. Everyone needs new friends.
Facebook: Like, Follow or Friend?
Should you “Like” their business profile or send a friend request to their personal profile? The answer to that question is this: how well do you know them?
If someone asked to see your work, go to the agency or publisher website for submission requirements and follow them. If you can’t find enough information there, check out the requester’s personal website. You may be able to find what you need there.
If “No” was the Answer
What if the agent or editor declined? Don’t worry, the answer could have been, “Not right now” instead of “No.” Check out Wendy Lawton’s blog post, Fatal Submission Fails or Steve Laube's Even the Best Get Rejected for real encouragement if your interview was a disaster.
There you are. You have plenty to do. What are you waiting for? Get busy!
Angela Arndt writes women’s fiction with a thread of romance. Stories of strong, independent women in difficult situations set in small Southern towns are her favorite. She and her husband live outside one in the middle of a big wood with thousands and thousands of honeybees. Visit her at www.angelaarndt.com or connect with on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Have you ever gotten home from a writing conference and all you wanted to do was unpack and sleep? Sorry. Your job just started.
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| Angela Arndt |
Don't believe me? Consider these:
Thank You Notes
Send a hand-written note instead to every editor, an agent or mentor you met, even those who turned you down. Consider sending a note to the workshop or continuing education instructors, too.
If you really want to show your appreciation, include specific things from your conversation. List the follow-ups that they suggested and tell them how you are going to do them.
Last year, award-winning author, James L Rubart, suggested that your thank-you note echo the theme of your book. My book is set on a bee farm, so I sent a small jar of honey with my handwritten note. If you met in the coffee shop where an agent ordered tea, send them a small box of their fav. Details show that you care.
3-2-1 Contacts!
Are you wondering what to do with all those business cards? There are several apps that will pull the information from them to import directly into your Contacts program.
Be sure to note where you met them and how you connected. Did you sit beside them in a workshop? What did you talk about? Put that information in the Notes section
Why bother? These are new members of your writing tribe. Everyone needs new friends.
Facebook: Like, Follow or Friend?
Should you “Like” their business profile or send a friend request to their personal profile? The answer to that question is this: how well do you know them?
- Business Page - if they are multi-published authors with followers in the thousands and the only interaction you had with them was to ask them to pass the pepper, you should probably "Like" or “Follow” their business page.
- Friend Request - if the two of you had long discussions and he or she said, “Here’s my card, be sure to friend me on Facebook,” then do it.
If someone asked to see your work, go to the agency or publisher website for submission requirements and follow them. If you can’t find enough information there, check out the requester’s personal website. You may be able to find what you need there.
If “No” was the Answer
What if the agent or editor declined? Don’t worry, the answer could have been, “Not right now” instead of “No.” Check out Wendy Lawton’s blog post, Fatal Submission Fails or Steve Laube's Even the Best Get Rejected for real encouragement if your interview was a disaster.
There you are. You have plenty to do. What are you waiting for? Get busy!
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| About the Author |
