Why are you speaking at a writers' conference?

I mentioned the other day that I’m going to be speaking at the Dallas Writers’ University on Saturday, May 4 — and someone wrote to ask, “Why are you doing a writers’ conference?”

The fact is, I rarely do many conferences these days. I’m busy with the authors I currently represent, and aside from RWA and ACFW, I don’t do many — certainly not many smaller conferences (I may go to Bouchercon later this year, but after that my dance card is filled up). But when the folks at the Writers’ University asked me about this, I liked the idea right away. It’s a one-day writing conference, focused on some one-to-one face time with authors, so it feels more personal. I’ll be talking about “Creating Your Publishing Strategy” and “Developing Book Proposals that Sell.” Other speakers include Jeane Wynn of Wynn-Wynn Media (a fabulous freelance marketing specialist who I’ve worked on numerous books with) and Michelle Borquez (who runs Bella Publishing and will be talking about “Building Your Author Platform”). There’s also going to be an attorney there, Gary Ashmore, talking about publishing contracts. It’s a great group, and I love the fact that they invited me to participate.

So last week I mentioned the big news: anyone who registers for the conference and mentions my blog gets a big discount. The normal price is $199 for the full day (that includes all the sessions, your lunch, a face-to-face meeting with me, and access to the other speakers). But if you want to come and you mention you saw this on Chip’s blog, you  can attend for $159. If you’re in the area, I hope you’ll consider coming. They tell me space is limited (I believe they have about ten spots left), and I’m doing this one because there are always a bunch of good writers in the Dallas area.

AND if you decide to register and let me know in advance, I’ll offer a full review of your book proposal. Fiction or nonfiction, I’ll give it a review and we’ll talk through it face to face. So if you live in the Dallas area, or can get there easily enough next Saturday, please come join us. The event is held at the Ashmore Law Firm in downtown Dallas. You can find out all the details by going to www.dallaswritersuniversity.eventbrite.com

Again, I’m not doing many conferences these days, so for those who have wanted to know how you can meet an agent face to face, this is your chance. I hope some readers of this blog can participate. I look forward to meeting you.

As always, feel free to ask me questions about the conference if you have them. I would love to meet you in Dallas!