Fiction Marketing Seminar in Dallas

Me? Marketing? It's not an endeavor that I thought would be critical in my writing career, let alone my life. Apparently it is. And I think it’s something I’m going to love once I get the hang of it. I took a step of faith this past weekend and went to The Master Seminars first fiction marketing workshop taught by Chip MacGregor and Jim Rubart. They not only have expertise in both publishing and marketing, but are really nice and easy to relate to as well.

Our group for the two-day seminar

All six of us who attended write vastly different things, but I’m glad to say I’ve made new friends who were fun to brainstorm with and discuss my favorite topic – writing. We also got to know each other during free time and at meals.

Without going into a lot of detail, here are some of the highlights.

• Basic marketing concepts – Know yourself and your target market. Be unique. Be first with the great idea. Be intentional.
• Know your strengths and the roadblocks that hinder you. Build a marketing plan around your strengths and execute it.
• Listening to other novelists talk about their work was really beneficial in seeing how personality and message depends on the individual and must be an integral part of a marketing plan that works.
• The last day of the seminar, we each formulated a specific market plan for our books. We did this in a group with Chip and Jim giving their thoughts and helping us think through the ideas. Some were revolutionary. Some were daunting. But all were specific for each of us.
  

Other subjects were covered as well – branding, writing great copy (websites/blogs), and working with publishers and publicists. I’d rather leave the nuts and bolts to the experts. Both Chip MacGregor and Jim Rubart share their wisdom about publishing and marketing around the web. Chip’s blog is straightforward with emphasis on current trends in publishing. Jim is currently doing a three-part marketing series on agent Rachelle Gardner’s blog. And you can learn more about The Master Seminars here.

Jim Rubart, Tiffany Colter (seminar coordinator and the one who took good care of all of us), and Chip MacGregor

Stay tuned. I’ll be sharing some of the exciting things I’ve planned for the launch of Chasing Lilacs. I also invite you to take a look at some of the editorial reviews recently posted on Amazon.