Jacquie and Wendy are both authors of multiple book series' (between the two of them, they have over 2 dozen books!), with twenty years of experience in the business of being authors. They're also veteran Chanticleer Award winners and know how to use awards, ribbons, book stickers, reviews, and all kinds of things you never even considered before, as TOOLS to enhance their success as authors.
"Success is a Process, not a Goal" Susan Colleen Brown CAC17 Speaker, Author & Creative Writing Instructor - Learn more about Susan in this installment of our professional success series.
Meet Nicole Evelina, author and historian. At last year's conference she was awarded the 2015 Overall Grand Prize at last years authors conference. And you can find her at the upcoming Chanticleer Author Conference—CAC17—March 31st to April 2nd where she will be teaching How to Use Pinterest to Develop Your Story and Career. As part of our spotlight series, we asked Nicole our five questions to get her perspective on professional success. 1. When did you know what you really wanted to be? I finally started taking my writing seriously in 2008, so when I was 29. Before then, it was just a hobby, something I did to entertain myself when I was bored. I always had a drive to tell stories, but I didn’t think that being a writer was something real people actually did. That is until I read Twilight. (Go ahead and laugh if you want.) Stephanie Meyer was the first average person I’d ever seen “make it” as a writer. I thought to myself “well, if she can do it, there is a chance for me.” At the time, I was about ¾ of the way into the first draft of what would become Daughter of Destiny, my debut novel, so I decided it was time to act like a professional writer. It took another eight years for the book to be published, but I did it! 2. What was the biggest challenge you faced? My biggest challenge was getting my book into the hands of readers. It [...]
You wrote a book, you sent it out to some editors and agents...and it wasn't accepted. Are you feeling like giving up? Are you wondering if its possible to do it all on your own? Do you need some inspiration and encouragement? Meet Susan Conrad, someone who knows a little bit about persistence and going it alone after her 1,200-mile solo kayaking journey to Alaska, as well as how to get out and tour with her book in unique ways that reach today's audiences. And you can find her at the upcoming Chanticleer Author Conference—CAC17—March 31st to April 2nd where she will be teaching My Life as an Unconventional Book Tour and be around to talk about the many things she has learned and experienced. As part of our spotlight series, we asked Susan our five questions to get her perspective on professional success. 1. When did you know what you really wanted to be? Well... I'm 55 now and I'm still pondering what I'll be when I grow up. When I was a little girl, my best friend and I had these reading contests to see who could read the most books in any given week. She always won, but I devoured every adventure book I could get my hands on: Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, The Hardy Boys, you name it! That same friend and I also had feverish letter-writing contests. That was back in the day when people actually wrote letters, with a spiral notebook and [...]
You've written a book, or maybe you're writing a series or two. Your mind is full of questions. What lies ahead? How do you sell more books? How do you decide between traditional and Indie publishing? Do you get an agent? How? Wouldn't it be nice to hear from someone who has been through all of it before? Meet Pamela Beason, the multiple award-winning author of 4 fiction series, 9 novels, 2 non-fiction books...and still more to come. She's been both Indie and Traditionally published. Her agent has sold her books internationally. And you can find her at the upcoming Chanticleer Author Conference—CAC17—March 31st to April 2nd. She will be on hand to teach authors what she has learned from her years of successful publishing. Pam will be talking on How to Pitch Your Story and Writing in Multiple Genres. As part of our spotlight series, we asked Pam our five questions to get her perspective on professional success. 1. When did you know what you really wanted to be? As a kid, I wanted to be something different every week--a spy, a wildlife photographer, an astronaut. My"what next?" attitude has pretty much continued into adulthood: I've worked as a translator, mechanical/architectural drafter, palynology technician, a teacher, technical writer, managing editor, and a private investigator. But through it all, I have always loved reading and writing, and all my experiences flow together beautifully in the world of mystery fiction. For now, I have definitely decided to be a professional author [...]