Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Behind the Scenes



Whenever I run an event at a conference or luncheon, I’m always asked about the behind the scenes planning. After conversing with several readers, I decided this would be an awesome topic for Sweet Romance Reads. :)

First, I should explain that there are two different processes based on if you are attending an established conference, or if an author is running a private event. Let’s look at the conference events first.

I decided to review an actual recent event, so that I could be specific. Here is the process for Scrapbooking Mania 2016 at Romantic Times convention:
Assemble Scrapbooks
  1. Develop a project plan. This includes, but is not limited to brainstorming and developing event, organizing participating authors, budget plan for supplies, etc…
  2. Apply for the event. This requires a written proposal or submission via a form on a website or email. I was lucky to have previous experience with grant writing for special needs children, so I was able to apply these skills.
  3. Wait to hear if the event is approved. There are usually dozens, if not hundreds, of applicants for Romantic Times convention.
  4. It’s approved! Yay! Now, we need to send correspondence to all authors to organize supplies, shipping, event details, time and date of event, etc…
  5. Order supplies.
  6. Assemble and ready supplies.
  7. Ship supplies to event, or plan a 13 hour drive across country. Yes, I drove from Georgia to Texas this year. :)
  8. Send reminder emails to authors about the event.
  9. Communicate with hotel, or on-site event volunteer, to make sure all necessary set-up is planned appropriately.
  10. Have all authors show up early to help with set-up for the event.
  11. Enjoy the event!!


Of course, each event can be run slightly different, but this shows the basic process. 

Have you attended Romantic Times? If not, have you attended any reader event? If so, did you enjoy it?

Next month, I'll post about Love Our Readers Luncheon planning. In the mean time, I thought I'd share a different type of product that required some planning, a boxed set. I'm excited to announce that our own Melinda Curtis joined me for this fantastic group of novellas. 

For my Sweetwater County fans, I've included a novella for a spin-off series, Riverbend! I'm excited about this new adventure. :) And Then He Kissed Her will release on July 14th. Check it out now at any major online retailer, or click here.


Ciara Knight writes ‘a little bit of edge and a lot of heart’ with her bestselling young adult speculative fiction and romance stories. Her books have secured four stars from RT book reviews, awarded Night Owl Top Picks, five stars from InD’Tale Magazine and Paranormal Romance Guild, topped the Amazon charts, featured on USA Today Blog, and named book of the month by Long and Short Reviews.
At the moment, Ciara lives in suburbia with her husband, three boys, two cats and a dog, but she believes it’s a farce. In reality, her home is a castle in disguise and she's living happily ever after with her husband Nathan Fillion.

8 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your release. I have never been to an even. I going to remedy that at the end of July. I am so excited. My husband just rolls his eyes at me. He doesn't get it. It's like meeting a super movie star only better.

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  2. Congratulations on your release. I have never been to an even. I going to remedy that at the end of July. I am so excited. My husband just rolls his eyes at me. He doesn't get it. It's like meeting a super movie star only better.

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  3. I love the title. That was the title of one of my favorite songs growing up. Thanks for the information.

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  4. Hi Lola!

    I think that's awesome that you'll be attending your first event! Which event is it?

    Margaret - I love that title, too. I remember the song!!

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  5. I've not been to RT but the scrapbooking event sounds like fun! Great title for your new bundle. What a neat sounding collection. Congrats! :)

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  6. Thanks, Ginny. RT is overwhelming the first time you attend. LOL It's so huge!

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  7. I've only gotten as far as collecting goodies to scrapbook with. Just not enough time!

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  8. I hear you, Aileen Fish! I have so many supplies, but haven't worked with them at all. I only seem to scarpbook for events. ;)

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