SCBWI Intros Authors to Professional Publicists
Planet-sized kudos to Melissa Stewart who puts together stellar events for published authors here in New England. Saturday’s event at The Eric Carle Museum was no different! It was a program about working with a professional book marketing consultant.
First up was Deborah Sloan of Deborah Sloan & Company who did a panel with her clients Patricia Intriago and Deborah Heiligman. Deborah is a seasoned author while Patricia is a lucky debuter like those of us on 2k12. I enjoyed their different perspectives being in completely different places in their careers. It’s evident that Deborah Sloan knows how to navigate the waters of publicity. One of her gifts seems to be the online world, knowing how to make the best use of the internet. She has an online program entitled Kidsbuzz that sounds fantastic! Clearly a publicist is able to reach places that an author is not on his/her own. Also, I like Deborah very much. We only had a short conversation but she’d clearly be a wonderful person to work with.
Kirsten Cappy of Curious City was there with clients, Cathryn Falwell and Anne Sibley O’Brien. Kirsten discussed some of the projects she has done to promote books for her clients. She is an over-the-top creative person who described one events that she had organized that sounded more like something you’d see on Nickelodeon. She also talked about the materials that she and her clients had created to reach out to the nooks and crannies that word of a book wouldn’t normally reach. I have had the opportunity to talk with Kirsten at a couple of SCBWI events lately, and I have to say that I adore her. She is good people. She really is.
There were lots of pearls of wisdom on Sunday, but the one that sticks with me the most is this: There are only so many hours in the week, so as a self-promoter, you should stand back and figure out what your real strengths are. What you enjoy doing. Do those often and well and let go of the things you don’t really enjoy because that lack of enthusiasm will shine through. Besides, this is supposed to be fun! I think there is much wisdom in this advice.
Thank you, SCBWI, for another stellar program! I love that SCBWI-NE does these events for published authors. SCBWI does so much to help us get the contract; how wonderful it is that they take our hands to show us the way post-contract as well. I found Saturday’s program to be informative and entertaining. I do love to get out and see other writers, too! I hope that more programs like this are on the horizon; I’ll be the first to mail in my registration!
Picture caption: L to R: Deborah Sloan, Deborah Heiligman, Patricia Intriago, Anne Sibley O’Brien, Kirsten Cappy, and Cathryn Falwell
STRONG SHOULDERS 
You were a great contribution, too, Lynda. Thanks for YOUR peaarls of wisdom. More PAL events coming, I promise.
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Sounds great, Melissa! Thanks!
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Great recap! Thanks so much!
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Thanks, Linda! And thanks for YOUR hard work on the day! Much appreciated!!!
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Boy is your point about there be only so many hours in the day needed, we have to hear that everyday. I recently heard a motivational speaker say that time management is less about what we do hour by hour and more about getting our goals right in the first place. OK, thanks and good luck, Edward Smith.
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