In about two
and a half weeks, Mr. Ashbury and I will be leaving, destination New Orleans and
the RT Booklovers’ Convention. This will be my 7th, and my final,
attendance at this event.
The first time
I went to RT, I was an aspiring author, with an appointment to pitch my
novel—the first I had written specifically to sell, but in fact the
10th novel I had written—to the publisher of Siren Publishing. I was
by turns excited and nervous. I had never pitched a novel before. My husband and
my daughter made the trip with me, and once there in Daytona Beach, I was in the
company of good friends, including Kelley Armstrong.
This was at the
‘dawn’—or within a few years of it—of e-publishing. E-books hadn’t yet taken
off. But I thought, here was an opportunity for me to realize my life-long dream
of becoming a published author.
Of course,
after getting home, sending my manuscript, receiving it back and fixing
something known as “head hopping”, and then returning it again, Siren offered to
publish it.
A lot has
happened since that first RT. The publishing industry continues to evolve and
change, and those involved in the industry—either directly or on the
periphery—must change with it.
When I first
attended this convention as a published author I had only that first book and I
felt on top of the world (that feeling lingers). With every subsequent
convention, my backlist has grown, as has my readership. And as an author, I
began to notice subtle differences between my career in e-publishing, and what I
could see of the careers of the traditional “print published” authors that I
knew.
I think the
biggest difference would have to be the readers we attract, themselves. My books
are published on line, as it were—and are available not only through my
publisher but also through Amazon and Barnes & Noble and other e-book
sellers. One can read my novels on their PCs, kindles, nooks, kobos, ipads, and
tablets and even on their phones!. They are also available in trade paperback,
and I do have some loyal readers who prefer the printed book. But even those
wonderful souls found me on line. I have a Face Book page for me, and my “alter
ego” Cara Covington has a “fan page”. I have a street team, which is a “secret”
Face Book group.
I am blessed to
be able to tell you that I have an active, and caring relationship with many of
my readers, and that happens on line. They ask me questions, and I answer them.
We chat, and while I don’t spend a lot of time doing that, it’s a vital part of
being an author of e-books— and a vital part of my program.
In the
beginning, I attended RT in order to make contact with readers. This convention
was in fact major “promotional” effort of the year. Attending this convention is
not for the faint of wallet. And while I can write the expenses off my taxes, it
is still a considerable amount of money to come up with. Those first few years,
we traveled there on my husband’s vacation pay. It’s not just the cost of
registration, which is about mid-range for a convention of it’s kind. There’s
also the cost of the hotel room, our meals, and my scooter which I rent so that
I can get to where I need to be during the event.
This year, in
New Orleans, we’ll finally be meeting face to face with some of my fabulous
readers who are on my street team. We’ll have dinner, and hang out, and I will
cherish every moment of that. These are people who are coming to RT so that they
can meet me. How incredibly cool is that?
But this will
be my last time to attend RT as a function, because it no longer, on its own,
accomplishes the purpose of bringing me to my readers. The average attendee
still tends to read only, or primarily print books.
I have a global
online presence and it is there—in the hallowed halls of cyberspace,
where my readers and I connect. There may be other conferences and conventions
for me down the road at some point. There will most definitely be more trips to
Texas, and more writing retreats. I am open to new experiences.
I’m grateful to
the organizers of the RT convention, because it was attending that first one
that brought me to my publisher.
But the time
has come to say good bye to traditions that are no longer working for
me.
Love,
Morgan
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