As this year’s conference
approaches I remember my first – Sheffield 2013. Who could forget the breakdown
of the air conditioning in the midst of an amazing heatwave, much like the one
we’re experiencing at the moment. Even the discomfort didn’t detract from my
pleasure, and the extra knowledge and advice I took away with me were
immeasurable. So when I made my booking last year for Telford it was with the
expectation of (a) having a wonderful time and (b) experiencing another steep
learning curve. Two years down the line I’ve come to appreciate that a huge
amount of work goes into preparing and ‘staging’ this event so I asked a few
questions and some advice…from some who know and from one who, as yet, doesn’t.
Eileen Ramsay – RNA
Chair: How
many conferences have you attended in the past and in what way, as incoming RNA
Chair, has your approach to this one been different
I have attended several RNA conferences and enjoyed each
one. Most are marked, not by the sessions I attended - although I still benefit
from much that I learned – but by the friends made and still treasured. One or
two conferences were marked by events. 2005 when there were the London bombings
and I missed almost two days and the one when, with feelings of disbelief and
delight, I won the Elizabeth Goudge trophy.
I must be honest and say that I’m looking forward to
attending the 2015 RNA conference with a feeling akin to pure, unadulterated
terror. This year I am Chairman of this wonderful organisation and my head and
heart are full of the ‘hard acts’ I have to follow.
Having judged all sixty-three entries, I do, however, look forward to
presenting the Elizabeth Goudge trophy to this year’s winner. Whoever you are,
WELL DONE!
Jenny Barden – Conference Co-ordinator: Having received
my information pack for the Conference, I’m wondering how you manage to find so
many interesting speakers and panellists, and how long before the event does
your work begin?
Finding speakers is part seeking out, part being receptive. It’s a complex process
that I’ve done for so many years now for various literary organisations that it’s
become almost second nature. Enjoying parties and networking is a help! At every literary function I go to I’ll be making
new contacts and putting out feelers. Once I come across someone, whether an
author, editor, agent or other professional with something interesting to
offer, then I’ll make a mental note and try and obtain contact details unless
the means of contact is obvious. The details are then banked and followed up as appropriate,
often several months down the line. The important thing, I find, is to jot down
particulars quickly but unobtrusively, so for me at parties there’s quite a lot
of scribbling on the back of business cards in the ladies! In my experience, people, particularly publishing industry people,
are generally much more inclined to be amenable to approaches if they’re made
informally and convivially in an unpressurised way over a drink. A lot of my
first introductions are made with a glass of wine in hand (or my favourite, a G&T!).
I confess to enjoying it – I like finding out what people do, what makes them
tick, who they know and how they relate to one another – and generally I find
authors and those in the publishing industry to be very good company.
The result of all this is that I now have an extensive list
of first rate people I know whom I can call on to appear at literary functions.
For this year’s RNA conference the job was made much easier by the past success
of RNA events and the magnificent work of conference supremo, Jan Jones. Pretty
well every author and publishing professional with a serious interest in
romantic fiction is familiar with the RNA and their conferences, and that
awareness is now extending globally. For example, this year we have Jim Azevedo,
marketing director of Smashwords, one of the largest world-wide distributors of
self-published ebooks, talking via Skype from the US about ‘How to Top the
Charts with ebook Preorders’. Jim was one of those speakers who came to us rather than
being sought out, and I would say that a significant proportion of authors on
the cast list are there for the same reason – because they have made an
excellent pitch for a programme place. This is what I mean about ‘being
receptive’. You have to be prepared for the unexpected! – ready to make
room, jiggle and balance for those who come forward with good ideas, as well as
seek out those with special expertise who are new to RNA events so that
delegates always have fresh faces on the agenda. Sometimes you have to jump
very quickly. The process becomes much more intense in the closing stages of
finalising the programme, and inevitably there are those who come forward late
with great suggestions who then have to go on the list for next year. A sure
sign of a tip-top conference is a strong waiting list!
The work begins before the last conference even starts! To
give you an instance of this, in May, at the RNA’s summer party, I met the
lovely Helen Bryant, founder director of Cornerstones, and invited her to the
next conference in 2016. It was too late to ask her to this year’s conference,
but she’ll be coming to Lancaster. The work never stops. I’ve now stepped down
from conference co-ordination, though I’ll still be advising and helping behind
the scenes, and I expect I’ll always be keeping an eye open for interesting
speakers, glass in hand!
Jan Jones – Conference
Organiser: Is
there any particular advice or are there any tips you could offer conference
first-timers?
Enjoy.
Take the golden opportunity of the conference weekend to be yourself. Soak up
the
empowerment that comes from being surrounded by writers and writerly talk -
and then remember that feeling when you go home and are enmeshed by ordinary
life again.
I'd also say go to as many sessions as you can, because you will always learn
something, even if it's not what you expected.
Above
all, don't stress, don't worry, talk to people and they will talk back to you.
And yes, enjoy.
Elaine Everest –
Pitch Session Manager: Many of the delegates will have been hoping to gain
one2ones with industry professionals. Can you give us an insight how you
organise this aspect of the conference?
I love RNA conferences and have
learned so much over the years. This is my second year as Pitch Session Manager
as part of the Conference Team. Jenny Barden and Jan Jones keep me in the loop
with news of industry professionals and as soon as the schedule of Industry Appointments is created I make my charts and lists. The week leading up to Conference pack
going out I will try to prepare myself. This will mean making sure I have no
outstanding articles to file for my journo work, class notes are up to date for
my teaching work and the dog is groomed if there is a dog show in June – I
failed this year and Henry is happy he escaped the bath tub!
The day packs hit doormats my
inbox goes mad. I answer each request in the order they arrive and reply with times
and dates by return. I also request that the first chapter and synopsis is
returned to me as soon as possible. As submissions arrive I complete my lists
and send those magical chapters to publishers, editors and agents. Towards the
end of June I have to chase those who have not been so quick off the mark with
submissions.
I love to meet delegates at the
conference with updates of how they got on in their interviews. News of
successes later is fabulous as I feel as though in a small way I’ve helped them
gain publication.
In the middle of June edits arrived from my editor at Pan Macmillan for The Woolworths’ Girls. My husband came home to find me hiding in the corner hyperventilating. He pointed out that I love my job and all it entails. I realised he was right and carried on…!
PS did I mention we also have to keep the RNA blog afloat as well?
Wendy Clarke – Delegate
Conference First-Timer: How do you feel being a member of the New Writers’
Scheme at her first Conference?
Less than two weeks to go, and
already I am thinking about it… with a mixture of trepidation and
excitement.
Questions go round and round in my head… What shall I take? Which workshops
should I do? Will anyone talk to me? I am sure that I am not alone in feeling a
bit unsure – I am, after all, a newbie and it’s beginning to feel a bit like my
first day at school! So what made me decide to go to the conference? Well, many
things – most importantly that Natalie, among others, told me I had to!
Seriously though, as I passed
the halfway mark of my first novel, I realised that the chance to hear great
speakers, pick people’s brains and generally share experiences would be far too
good an opportunity to pass up. I am very excited to hear what the agents and
editors I am seeing think of the chapter and synopsis I’ve sent them. Will they
like it? Will they give me tips to improve it? Will they notice that I am
petrified? There’s only one way to find out.
The conference will be a chance
to dress up in the evening, meet people I’ve only ever spoken to online and
make new friends… oh, and I’ve also been told there’s wine and chocolate! What’s
not to like?
I can’t stress enough how grateful I am to all those above who
contributed to this post. I gave each of them very little notice and every one
has come up trumps – giving truth to the saying ‘If you want something done,
ask a busy person’. I look forward to seeing them and (hopefully) you at what
to me has become the main event of the year.
Natalie
It’s late July,
ostensibly the middle of summer here in England though you wouldn’t know it
looking out of the window. It’s been raining
persistently with more to come. Several of my writing friends are even now
travelling to Fishguard in Wales to attend the annual Writers’ Holiday. While I’ve
always thought ‘holiday’ was a bit of a misnomer, Ann and Gerry Hobbs have
consistently maintained that delegates are there to enjoy themselves. This much
is true as I can testify, having joined them on three consecutive years (the
first two at the Caerleon Campus near Newport). In blazing sunshine last year
we did indeed manage a couple of outings and a walk on the beach. One of us
actually paddled – it wasn’t me! That said, we attended courses and talks,
learned a huge amount and left with a strong desire to learn more…there’s
always more to learn, isn’t there? A holiday? Not entirely; maybe more a
combination of work and play. A wonderful week and one I can thoroughly
recommend to anyone who hasn’t been before, and indeed to those who have.
My favourite event of
the year. There is little time (read that as no time) to do any actual writing.
I have recently returned from this year’s Conference which took place at Queen
Mary University in Mile End Road, London. It’s a wonderful campus on the Regent’s
canal and I was astonished to find an old Jewish cemetery situated within the
grounds. I’m sure many of you reading this will also have been there. Much has
been said already on various forums so I will not expand here other than to say
that I came away with my usual regret of not being able to attend two sessions
at the same time. There is such a wide choice and so many opportunities to
extend one’s knowledge. Ah well; it would seem the only solution is to go again
next year and play catch up, while at the same time missing others – so obviously
I’ll have to go again the year after, and so on.
