The virtual Writing Workshop that I attended on Saturday was packed with useful information and helpful contacts. Not only did it provide the deadline for completing Birthday Ranch that this Procrastinator needed, but I pitched my manuscript to three agents and all three asked to look at it! 🙌
Of course, I wanted to send the agents my manuscript immediately, but one of the tips I learned at the workshop is that these requests don’t expire. If an agent thinks you might be marketable, they are going to still think that in the future, and they would rather receive a product (because that’s what a book is) that is polished and ready to go.
So I hired a literary editor (another contact I made at the event) to read over Birthday Ranch before I submit it for representation. And that’s where it is today.
I worked so hard to prepare for the event that the day after kind of felt like the day after Christmas. I definitely had a What now? feeling. And then I remembered something else that was shared at the workshop: using Twitter is a great way to connect with and learn about people in the literary publishing space. In fact, Twitter seems to be the social media platform of choice in the writing world.
As with all businesses, networking is crucial to success. Writers are typically solitary creatures by nature, and a pandemic adds another layer of difficulty when it comes to meeting the people who can help you get published. But with social media, the whole world and most people in it can be accessed right from your phone.
So, it’s time to start Tweeting. Check me out on Twitter @birthdayranch. I’d love to hear from you, and to share more about the best holiday: Your Birthday!
If you have a story to tell, I highly recommend signing up for a conference or workshop. The one I attended was produced by Writing Day Workshops, and they did a great job pivoting to a virtual platform since we are all basically still in quarantine.