Update from L.A:
Brief round-up from my goings on here in the Southland:
*The Book Promotion 101 Workshop went beautifully: 8 smart, committed authors, great speakers and a ton of enthusiasm and ideas being launched into the air. My speech was at the end of the day so I had to cut it a little short. But the consensus seemed to be that I hit all the major topics and the author left feeling like online identity and publicity is an essential component of the publicity process. I may even be consulting with some of them in the future.
Mad props to Bella Stander who puts the whole thing together. I’d say if you’re an author with a book coming out, it’s damn near indispensible.
*Had a great time at a salon hosted by Lynn Isenberg, whom I met at Book Expo America last year. She had me delivering a talk called “The 21st Century Audience” where I covered topics like blogs, rss readers, and other ways to release media from its box. Exchanged vicious ideas and enthusiasm with guests from Rhino Films, “humble strategic advisor” Carl Bressler and director Mark Travis. Your average really really smart people in one room chucking the crap around. Which is my absolute favorite kind of evening.
*Brunch with Mark Sarvas of The Elegant Variation on Sunday was nonstop book chatter, business and gossip for 2 hours. I felt like cat let loose in a yarn store.
*Visited with my younger brother Dan and my sister-in-law Beth (who had me over for Shabbat dinner), cousins Rhoda, Riley and Lawrence (who just got a job at CAA doing music contracts and turned me on to the Kings of Leon) who all ate together at Pace’ in Laurel Canyon. Laurel Canyon is the Haight-Ashbury of Los Angeles, with trees and hills instead of Victorians. It’s still 1968 in both places though.
Learned what the word “Prolix” meant.
Not bad for three days. I’m home tomorrow.