Her first time attending a writers’ conference was last February’s SD24. Net result, three agents requesting her memoir, Drop Dead Life: A Pregnant Widow’s Heartfelt and Often Comic Journey through Death, Birth, and Rebirth. Then a funny thing happened. Hyla discovered the social reading and publishing website Scribd.com and amassed 80,000 reads prompting two of New York’s Big Six to contact her directly requesting the manuscript. Numerous speaking requests and interviews followed. Just how she built such a singular, massive platform — and you can too — is what she’ll be addressing in February.
Another former conferee joins us for SD25. Karen Ronney, author of almost countless awards-winning Proud Parents’ Guide to Raising Athletic, Balanced, and Coordinated Kids: A Lifetime of Benefit in Just 10 Minutes a Day, the original proposal which was snapped up at SD21 and sold in a high-figure deal, is back. This time with a muchly needed workshop on crafting the non-fiction proposal that will sell the book before you actually write it.
Deadline for discounted hotel lodging is Jan. 28. Got a call today from the hotel and it appears they’re filling up a bit earlier than usual. If you’re planning to stay at the Crowne Plaza during the conference — who isn’t? — and you haven’t booked your room, do it now.
Deadline for advance submissions is Jan. 28. We absolutely must receive your material by no later than Jan. 28. Jan. 28 is the day to get your advance submission material to us. Remember, if you’re submitting to multiple readers you can stuff all your submissions into a single envelope addressed to the SCWC to save postage. So long as we receive it before — you guessed it — Jan. 28, you’re good.
Finally, agent Gordon Warnock, announced to be a last-minute addition to SD25 last update, will not be in San Diego, but in fact attending September’s LA9 conference in Newport Beach. Call it crossed wires or just plain doofusness, I take full responsibility for the error and will be in touch with all conferees that submitted to him based on my inexcusable oversight. I suck.
More soon.
