2 Report from Attending ALA 16 in Orlando as an Author + #Giveaways

This past weekend, I had the extreme pleasure of attending my first American Library Association Annual Conference. I went with my publisher, Deep River Press, to promote the upcoming release of the new edition of A Writer's Guide to Harry Potter. I had a blast, and thought it might be fun to share some pictures and a report for other authors who may attend in the future.

First, I should say: Librarians are the BEST!! Seriously. Every librarian we met was so friendly, so eager to hear about our books, and so committed to providing the best services to get people reading. I've been to writer conferences, fan conferences, and publishing events, but none of them beat librarians for loving books across the board and all their readers.

Darker the Night at IBPA

While the conference offers tons of panels, meetings, and workshops geared specifically to the librarian's needs, of course, my editor and I spent most of our time in the immense exhibit hall at the Orlando Convention Center. Deep River Press' most current release, Darker the Night, was on display at the Independent Book Publishers Association booth, as they are a member. We hung out there to talk to interested librarians about DRP's whole catalogue, and I was able to show off the new ARC for WGHP. I was thrilled to see how much interest there was in the book.

But we spent most of our time walking the exhibits, meeting publishers, authors, and vendors...and picking up so many free books we had to check our luggage home. I'm giving some of these away here, so check out the books and the Rafflecopter below!

Writer's Guide to Harry Potter

As an author wanting to promote my book, I have to say that the best thing I did was to take the advice of my editor and have a T-shirt made with my book cover. I took it one step further and had the front cover on my front and the back cover on my back. I was a walking ARC!

Can you imagine how many Harry Potter fans there are at a library convention? I got to meet lots of people and share both our excitement and trepidation with the upcoming releases of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I also got to book lots of speaking events and workshops for book release events for both upcoming script books.

Here are some pictures and highlights:

I was thrilled to hear editor Zareen Jaffery speak on the Salaam Reads imprint from Simon and Schuster. This is the new Muslim-themed imprint that will be publishing 9 books a year starting in 2017. She spoke of the importance of positioning the books in a new imprint, rather than through existing imprints, for marketing and ease of finding the books.

Zareen Jaffery on Salaam Reads

Harry Potter Alliance: They are doing such wonderful work with their chapter organizations and projects like #Protego. Be sure to check them out.

The Harry Potter Alliance

Got to see Lemony Snicket signing! Alas, the line was too long for me to get a book.

Loved this lovely lady from the Bright Star Touring Theater. They provide literary and curriculum performances for libraries, schools, and other events.

Enjoying Happy Hour on the floor at the exhibit hall. So many good people to talk to!

Lisa London w/ QBO

And here is my editor, Lisa London, holding her newest release, QuickBooks Online for Small Nonprofits & Churches.








Finally, as any true Harry Potter fan would do at the end of a busy weekend in Orlando, we visited the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Can you believe it was my first visit? Time did not permit us attending both parks, so we enjoyed everything Hogsmeade had to offer.

My new home...

Off to have a chat w/ Dumbledore

And...my book made it into Flourish and Blotts! Almost.

Writer's Guide to Harry Potter

So, my advice to you if you're attending ALA or any other conference event as an author promoting your book:

• if appropriate, wear your cover!
• have bookmarks and business cards to pass out to anyone interested in your book
• walk the halls and meet people
• show genuine interest in what books they are writing and reading and loving as well
• and at the end of the day, have fun with other book lovers!

Giveaways!!

I didn't go overboard with the freebies because I knew, from experience, I'd have to haul them home. But here's what I got:

I'm giving away ARCs for Caraval by Stephanie Garber, One Was Lost by Natalie D. Richards, and Klickitat by Peter Rock. Sign up through the Rafflecopter below. The other books will be available for a giveaway in a couple of days on my personal blog.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Book:

5th year anniversary edition! Expanded and improved. Includes references to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Improve Your Writing with Harry Potter as Your Text!

Writer's Guide to Harry Potter

The Harry Potter magic lives on as J.K. Rowling expands her wizarding world into new stories and formats. For five years, writers and fans from all continents have used A Writer's Guide to Harry Potter to delve beneath her pages' surface to discover the skill and artistry which created a story that enchanted audiences across generations. In this newly revised and expanded edition, S.P. Sipal takes you even deeper than before, exploring new techniques, and even peering into the artistic and marketing vision behind the upcoming Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

No matter your genre, this guide will help you strengthen your writing by virtually apprenticing under a bestselling mentor. Through fourteen lessons, discover the expert techniques Ms. Rowling employs which makes her series such a phenomenal success and which will help improve your own craft and style.

Topics include:

• characterization
• world building
• backstory
• mystery plotting
• myths and archetypes
• fan interaction
• social media
• and author-driven publishing and promotion.

Amazon | Goodreads

About the Author:

S.P. Sipal

S.P. Sipal is best known as an analyst of the Harry Potter series, with essays discussing the alchemical and Egyptian metaphors. Susan has spoken on the writing craft and mythological underpinnings of the series at several fan-based and academic conferences in the US and England. Her most recent novel is Southern Fried Wiccan. Her short story, "Turkey: Where the Coffee is Strong but the Women are Stronger," has been shortlisted in the upcoming anthology: Sofra: A Gathering of Foreign Voices at the Turkish Table.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads