Role Mommy University
Role Mommy University Workshop - How to Land a Book Publisher
This week, we tackled an important topic for budding authors...I've written my proposal, I've landed an agent and now...who is going to publish my book??? Well to answer all your questions, we've got Julie Trelsted, a former acquisitions editor for Wiley and Sterling Press who now runs her own publishing imprint, Plain White Press (publishers of See Mom Run)!
Before you set your sights on a major publishing house, listen in and get some great advice from a publisher who has worked on both sides of the spectrum and lived to tell about it! If you missed the call, no worries, here's the playback number!
Playback Dial-in Number: 1-218-936-4703 (Midwest)
Playback Access Code: 759024
Julie's full bio:
Julie Trelstad is Publisher of Plain White Press of White Plains, NY, a laboratory for publishing ideas. She publishes illustrated non-fiction books, journals, and boxed kits that help busy women simplify some aspects of their busy lives. The press markets books through social media, and explores ways to use new publishing technologies and techniques to produce, market, and sell books within our highly visual and interactive culture. Named a Make-Mine-a-Million micro winner, the Press also provides innovative book packaging, marketing, and publishing services. Before founding Plain White Press, Julie spent 15 years as an acquisitions editor, acquiring books for Sterling Publishing, John Wiley & Sons, Reader's Digest, and the Taunton Press.
If you'd like to attend, please email us at and we'll make sure you're on the RSVP list!
Posted in: Events, Role Mommy University on 10/08/2009
Role Mommy University: How to Write a Killer Book Proposal
If you missed our latest teleconference call and online chat with Karen Kelly, a best-selling author, ghost writer and book proposal writer extraordinaire, well have no fear! We've got the replay number available now for one week so listen in an find out how you can turn a book idea into a publishing deal.
How to Craft a Killer Book Proposal
Playback Dial-in Number: 1-218-936-4703 (Midwest)
Playback Access Code: 551600
Obviously, the road to becoming an author is not easy and Karen was on hand offering her insight on what publishing houses look for in up and coming authors and how you can build your platform while following the steps that most editors look for in a great proposal. For more information visit our Community Page and register today!
Posted in: Events, Role Mommy University on 09/19/2009
Listen in to Our First Role Mommy University Session!
Recently, we kicked off our first online Role Mommy University workshops. If you have an idea for a book but don't know how to build a platform, write a book proposal, land an agent or a publisher or self-publish your work, here at Role Mommy, we're going to feature all the experts and help you on the road to pursuing your dream.
Stacey Kannenberg, author of Let's Get Ready for Kindergarten (which has sold more than 70,000 copies!) was on hand to share the ins and outs of building a platform so that you can become a bestselling author!
Listen in to our interview with Stacey on Blog Talk Radio and get ready to start building your platform to land that book deal or self publish and sell books!
We will be kicking off an entire semester of Role Mommy University this fall and will be alerting our subscribers shortly of all our fabulous participants. In the meantime, if you would like to be considered as a speaker or if you'd like to enroll in the program, please email us at and we will be in touch in the coming weeks with details!
Posted in: Role Mommy University on 08/17/2009
The Ins & Outs of Events
In the past week, I've spoken with a lot of bloggers on a topic that has been weighing on their minds. The topic du jour is events for bloggers. If you've been blogging for a while and your site is receiving lots of traffic, you have probably been on the receiving end of several invitations to attend events. These events range from conventions to events in your area to online teleseminars. When all you're trying to do is blog, how can you make sense of the events that are right for you?
Well, as someone who hosts events for moms, I've had a lot of time to reflect on the events that work, the ones that don't, the ones that moms love and the ones we can do without. So here's an overview and if you have a story to share, please send it my way.
INTIMATE GATHERINGS: Some of my favorite gatherings are the ones where I am invited to a breakfast or lunch with a limited number of bloggers in attendance. After I was invited to a breakfast sponsored by Subway, I got the chance to finally meet Katja Presnal and we've been friends ever since. What I loved about that breakfast was that Subway wanted to hear from the bloggers - getting a sense of what would interest our respective communities. When a company reaches out to you at the beginning of their campaign, it's pretty cool to be on the ground floor of helping them shape their media and marketing plans. If they want you to participate in a focus group, you should also ask for compensation. Time is worth money - consider yourself a social media consultant and do not let them take advantage of your expertise.
EXPERIENCES THAT YOU KNOW YOU'LL LOVE: If you're invited to an event where you're totally going to have a great time along with other fun bloggers, there really is no downside if you have time in your day to swing by. Some of my favorite experiences (thanks Nintendo, Disney, Glamour and Suave) have taken place because I've accepted invites to events for products and services I would love to try and feature on my blog. Plus, some of my favorite bloggers attend these events too, so it gives me a chance to catch up with friends. When I produce events, I always plan them with bloggers in mind - giving writers plenty of time to network while attending an event that will be enjoyable and entertaining at the same time. One of my favorite event hosts is Barbara Jones at One2One Network, a former music executive who knows how to combine fabulous workshops with amazing entertainment.
NETWORKING EVENTS: While there seem to be meet-ups, tweet-ups and conventions taking place all the time, your time is valuable. Pick the meet-ups that make sense for you. And since conventions can be pricey - speak to blogger friends about the events that truly made the best use of their time. If you're looking to learn about blogging, enhance visibility to your site and meet new people, then Blogher or Blissdom might be great for you. If you're already an expert blogger, then you should either be a speaker at these events or you might want to try smaller gatherings where you can connect with other like-minded women who might offer great insight or leads to help you build your platform.
ONLINE EVENTS: Since my expertise is media, I usually participate in Twitter's Journchat every Monday night. These events are spearheaded by PR guru Sarah Evans (follow her on twiiter at #prsarahevans). I love seeing the comments and questions fly and for me, I find it incredibly valuable to get a sense from journalists and publicists about what pitches work and which fall flat on their face. For moms, there are plenty of parties going on each week. Twittermoms hosts wine tasting events, Resourceful Mommy hosts Sitewarming Parties with tons of giveaways and Katja Presnal offers chats and in person meet-ups on mastering Social Media. I'm not saying you should be online all day but determine the chat that suits your interests best and attend when you can.
Bottom line - your time is valuable and while it would be great to say yes to every invitation you receive - you should be selective and decide which events will truly interest you and make for great material on your blog or lead to a valuable networking opportunity.
If you have a story to share about a positive event experience, then send us your comments today!
Posted in: News, PR 101 for Moms, Role Mommy University on 02/28/2009
