Ohio Readers and Writers Expo
Introduction
I attended Ohio Readers and Writers Expo on July 23, 2016, presented by Ohio Expos
This was the first year that this one-day event was held. There was a book fair and panel presentations at the Holiday Inn in Fairlawn, Ohio. I am a part of a writing group meet up sponsored by Cleveland Writers Press. Amy Joy and Marie, who are two of the organizers of this event, presented what they hoped to accomplish at this conference to our group. They were interested in creating an event where North East Ohio literary writers could showcase their work and point of view. There are not many opportunities in this area for writers to accomplish this, so they have found a good niche to develop by having this conference.
Over forty writers were available for book sales and signings. The reader’s room held eight talks and panels discussing different genres. The writer’s room held six talks and panels about different aspects of writing. There were also presentations in the writer’s room by Project Learn of Summit County, Cuyahoga County Public Library, and the Cleveland Writers Press. I spent the whole day in the writer’s room, so I will comment on what I learned there.
Summary One
The first panel was “Risk-Taking in Writing and Publishing.” What was interesting about this panel was that it featured four authors from different backgrounds. Their books were a memoir, a recipe book, poetry, and contemporary fiction.
Summary Two
Next was a presentation about “Overcoming Roadblocks to Writing Success.” The presenter had all of us in the audience introduce ourselves to each other and say one specific line. We all said, “I am a successful writer.” That exercise was great for me because it got me to think. I am a writer. Just because I have not published yet doesn’t mean that I am not a writer. If you write, you are a writer. The main thing I got out of her workshop was that it is important to set goals. Think about what your goals are and set mini-deadlines so that you can tell if you are progressing in your overall goals. She advocated the S.M.A.R.T goal setting. Goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound.
Summary Three
There was a lecture on “From Mind to Market: Five Steps to Bringing Your Book to Life.” He stated that everyone has a book inside of them. To do that you should set a goal, choose your topic, set a schedule, gain distribution, and market your book. Very informative.
Summary Four
“After the First Draft” was the next presentation. They handed out a nice folder titled “What’s Next” with a copy of their workshop paperwork. They did a media presentation as well. After your first draft, let the book rest and do the things you need to do to make the book successful. They suggest building your writer’s platform, build a following through social media, and create a marketing plan. Then you should edit your book and use beta readers to improve it. The best thing about the presentation was a link to writerswrite This is a writer’s blog with a large amount of useful content that I highly recommend.
Summary Five
A librarian from the Cuyahoga County Public Library introduced the new William N. Skirball Writer’s Center located at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch. I have registered for three events because of this presentation. The center holds a monthly self-publishing roundtable. There are fiction writing workshops held at the center. The center will host the 33rd annual Western Reserve Writers Conference on September 24th. I will write another post about this conference.
Link to the Cuyahoga County Public Library.
Summary Six
There were four panelists for “Writing & Publishing: Risks & Rewards.” They detailed their experiences with small press and self-publishing.
Summary Seven
The final panel was on Crime and Mystery Writing. The best quote from the panel was that a writer needs four things to write in the genre: mystery, surprise, suspense, and romance.
Summary Eight
The last talk was by the Cleveland Writers Press, the group that I am a member.
Conclusion
In Conclusion, I was pleasantly surprised by this event. All the panels were informative and the location was excellent. I hope that the organizers will hold a second Expo next year. If they do, I will certainly attend it.
Links
The Western Reserve Writers Conference 2016 was a writing conference like the Ohio Readers and Writers Expo Conference linked below.
I attended the 33rd annual Western Reserve Writers Conference on September 24, 2016. It was located at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library at the new William N. Skirball writer’s center which is located at the branch. It was a one-day event with an introduction, a keynote speaker, three breakout sessions and one Q & A panel.