Calm in the Hoopla

From the moment you walked into the room at Mega Book Marketing University, the conference was unlike any other that I've attended. The large ballroom wasn't set up with simply chairs. It included tables in a classroom like environment. When you registered, everyone was given a large three-ring binder notebook which became a tool throughout the three-day experience. Each keynote speaker had their own section of the notebook. Some speakers included fill-in-the-blank types of notes while others simply included their powerpoint and space for notes. Others had blank pages for notetaking.

Each major session began with loud inspirational music combined with cheering and applause. Each of the speakers had a unique perspective on the book business and different insight about it. Over 650 people registered for this conference. Two key facts emerged to me from the overall conference. The first point is one that I've emphasized repeatedly in these entries about the writing life: the book business is just that--a business. Yes, people have inspiration and creativity but they also need to be using the best and latest business techniques to enhance and improve their business. A second key was meeting some extremely successful people in the business. Each of them had a commitment to giving back to the community from their abundance. At the speaker dinner on Thursday night, Mark Victor Hansen, co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books (over 144 million in print), talked about eradicating world poverty. Now there is a major goal.

Besides the speakers, I met a number of remarkable people one on one. After the hoopla, the key will be the follow-up and results which happen from such a conference. How will I apply the information into my daily living? Will I be one of the small percentage of people who do more than have a great experience? I want to be one of the people who apply the information to my writing life. There are some terrific conferences which are happening in the months ahead. I'll be attending several of them and participating in various ways. The key from my view will be in the application.