New Agent Interview up on Spotlight

As my Hook Me Up! subscribers already know, there's a new interview live on my Spotlight page.

This time, we talk with Verna Dreisbach about her career and what she's looking for in the authors she represents.

Head on over to Spotlight and have a read!

Love,
Gini

Pardon the Mess...

As some of you may have noticed, it's looking a little different around the blog and the website. True, not that much different, but different, nonetheless.

We're doing some updating and a few minor changes that are supposed to make it oh so much easier for loyal readers to stay tuned and see what they want to see (whatever that actually is).

A new Creation Agent installment is waiting breathlessly in the wings. Once the site's stable again (oh, in a day or two, relax) it'll go live. Those who are already on Hook Me Up! will know first, of course.

Maybe you should join Hook Me Up!, too so that you know the nanosecond there are new things to read and explore. Just send your email address to gini@ginikoch.com with "Hook Me Up!" in the subject line, and I'll add you onto my email blast.

In the meantime, enjoy watching things move around in strange and different manners for a while. Hey, I think it's kind of cool...

Love,
Gini

15 Minutes of Fame

Got to do something really fun the other night -- I got to lead a table topic at my RWA Chapter (Desert Rose) meeting. And no, it wasn’t on how to properly pick the right Aerosmith album to listen to while writing (though I could do that one in my sleep).

No, it was about networking at writing conferences.

And, before you scoff and snicker, I’m actually very good at it. It’s how I landed my most awesome agent. Well, I had good books, too, but I got in a strong position to share them with her by utilizing my networking skills.

It was great fun to share my experiences with the gals at my table. They had a lot of good questions, too, which is always great when you’re a speaker -- no one wants to present to the Silent Zombies. So, I had fun and got to impart some actual wisdom, so a good time had by all and all that.

Of course the real test isn’t how well it went with a group of writers who are already dedicated to the art and professionals in their own rights.

No, indeed. The real test is going to come next month. When I get to present to a full classroom…of high school students.

I'm sure it'll be fine. After all, to paraphrase my favorite line out of "Real Genius", the young folks love it when I get down with them verbally.

And maybe I can convince some of the nice gals who were at my table at the Desert Rose meeting to come with me as plants in the audience...hey, they were all fun and youthful, it could work...

-- Love, Gini

Conferences ROCK!

Just got back from the Society of Southwestern Author’s Wrangling with Writing conference. Had a BLAST. And, um, well, that’s why I haven’t updated until today.

Not only did I get to hang with my most fabulous agent, but she had me in front of a really smart, savvy editor from a big house, so I could pitch some of my other books…which said editor wants to see. Way cool.

Got to meet other agents, editors and authors and just be with those who ‘get it’, get what the writing life, and the writing business, is like.

But it IS a business, and conferences are part of that business. I’ve had a lot of fellow writers tell me they can’t afford to go to conferences. My response is that you can’t afford not to. Learning how to pitch in person, how to network, how to just relax and be part of the writing group, are all things that successful writers know how to do, and wannabe successful writers need to learn how to do.

In later blogs I’ll parcel out some of the learnings…and some interviews with agents along the way. I’d do it now, but hey! Gotta keep dangling the good stuff to keep the readers coming back for more, right?

Per the conference -- of course right!

Love, Gini