West Hollywood weekend

West Hollywood Book Fair was very good this weekend. I'm thinking of doing a manloveromance booth there next year. I met the treasurer of the West Hollywood library and I'm checking to see what it'll take to get print books into the library.

I met a producer/screenwriter doing the current Stephen King horror film and she gave me tips about were to promo my vampire stuff and walked away with one of my vampire books under her arm.

Then I ate lunch with a young lady who turned out to be a journalist for the West Hollywood Reporter and she did a little tiny interview with a friend and I. We gave her business cards so she could spell the names right if she used our chat.

Then I met a woman who lives in West Hollywood who said she was a poet and literary consultant for Simon and Schuster. She gave me her card. We chatted about vampires, (she loves the metaphysical), and then she told me she was planning a TV spot about the subject and asked if she could interview me for it. I screamed yes, of course. Well, maybe not screamed but I did tell her any part of my life from this moment on that she wanted for the interview was hers. She took a copy of my vampire book with her. I don't know if any of these people were serious, but I handed out a lot of cards.

Tom of Finland had a booth with just had a little tiny tiny sign that said ADULTS ONLY next to the chained, gagged, collared, bound, naked man pictures. Cool. I didn't buy any, but I did accept the free postcard. And I spent a ton of money at the LA Coroners booth. I have a thing for chalk lines. There are so many people I think a chalk outline would look good on sometimes. Afterwards, Deana nad I hit Malibu for dinner at Duke's on the beach. The surf crashes up tot he windows of the restuarant while you eat!

Had a delightful evening of chatting and getting to know some local authors Friday night. Saturday was spent shopping at The Pleasure Chest were I ended up giving my cards to the cashier when she expressed an interest in my writing. She promptly said she'd give it to their book buyer to check out.

Then I went window shopping on Rodeo Drive with my friend graphics artist Deana Jamroz. I can't believe any women in her right mind shops in 3 inch heels, so all the females in Beverly Hills are insane. Period. Had dinner with my LA print publisher Sybpress at The Cheesecake Factory and then went clubbing with friends. We hit the Rage, the Abby, and the Voodoo Room in West Hollywood. Soaked up all the atmosphere and fun we could along with a few drinks.

Fun weekend!

West Hollywood Book Fair

Sybaritic Press has survived its first Book Fair. The heat was how I imagine the Serengeti in mid-summer would be. The morning was quite hot, but the wonderful staff had umbrellas placed so that we were comfortable until shade drifted over our booth. Even when we had the shade, we still needed person fans to keep the air around us breathable. Stickiness aside, a good time was had by all. We sold a respectable number of booths, and chatted up booksellers about our talented authors. I got to hang out with our newest author, Nancy Shiffren, a legend in the LA poetry scene and a protege of Anais Nin. Her title, Game with Variations, debuts next month. And it was lovely to see Laura Baumbach again. She is the energizer bunny of marketing with her eye catching table display that literally stopped people in their tracks. She was always ready to chat up a potential buyer and ,even in that heat, managed to network her way around the fair. Marie worked really hard, and did a great job making new connections for the Press and even found time to do a reading from her popular new title, Nihilistic Foibles. My sales were mostly of Demon Under Glass. We were in the Vampire corner of the book fair, around the corner from a whole booth on the subject and next to the LA Coroner's booth. We got some interesting cross traffic.

My favorite quote of the day was from a panel on specualtive fiction across from our table. It was 'My book is about a time in the future when man and gorilla work side by side on a space ship.' I love LA!


The experience was great, and we definitely plan to be there next year. I'm planning on wrangling a panel for the Press on male/male romance and/or one on how to write and market erotica.More picutres will be up on the web site later this week.

Turning Pro as a Writer -- Dragoncon Part 3

When Jon and I did a panel at Dragoncon called 'amateur Trek,' our co-panelists were the producers of the on-line Trek series called New Voyages .

It is an elaborate production that has included work of some pretty heavy Trek talent on both sides of the camera. When we started the panel, it was to find out why this group and others like it put so much time and energy into these productions that can never garner them any profit. We expected a defense that included facts like how some hobbies can be just as expensive if not more so (like golf, or model trains). Heck, even following a favorite sports team can end up in the many thousands of dollars over a season.

We didn't get that defense at all. It turns out that this group would like to find a way to get a license from Paramount to air the prodcutions professionally. they would like credit as writers, actors and producers for all that hard and very fine work.

We think that this is also true of prolific fanfic writers. They work really hard on some pretty amazing stories. But they may be afraid of rejection or ramifications from studios. Well, writers face flames each time you post, and a studio could send a cease and disist order at any time to any fanzine or website. We take precautions against that by helping you convert the fanfic into original prose in the genre of your choice.

So, again, we are calling for slash writers to send us your stories for our anthology Slash and Burn which will debut at the 2007 Romantic Times Convention. For details go to:

http://www.sybpress.com/slashburn.htm

Take that risk. You have worked very hard to hone your prose, you should have it seen by a new audience.

West hollywood Book fair

The Sybaritic Press booth at the 5th Annual West Hollywood Book Fair is numbers 72-73. For the exhibitor Map, go to:

http://www.westhollywoodbookfair.org/images/map_1000.jpg

For general info including how to get to the fair, go to"

http://westhollywoodbookfair.org


Come out and see us! Let us give you a free critique or learn how to write smut!

Dragoncon, M/M AND Independent Press

We had a good time at Dragoncon both personally and professionally. The panels went over well. I think we may be invited bact to speak to the film program track. And, as always, I enjoyed speaking in the Trek Track. I even had an opportunity to do some Sybpress business while on a panel about Gays in Star Trek. It seems that certain romance magazines aren't the only group unaware of the straight femal audience for homoeroticism. The gay men we were speaking to had no clue who the main audiences for QAF and Brokeback Mountain were. So, while on that panel I spoke about our m/m titles and who they sell to. Meanwhile, after calling me a pervert on stage AND across a crowded Dealer's Room, Richard Hatch (the Battlestar Galactica guy, not the Survivor guy) suggested we do an erotica in sci-fi novels panel. He wants to moderate, naturally.

On the m/m front, I handed out goodie bags with the contents picutred abbove (a cd of samples, magnets of covers and a postcard). I also had a Nikulainen themed goodie bag with the contents in the photos.

We had no idea how many to make. We didn't make nearly enough, so they were used as prizes in the Lord of the Rings adult fanfic panels. I also had more business cards of the erotica covers to hand out. According to the statcounter, we're getting a lot of hits from a relatively inexpensive handout. My panel idea, From Slash to Pro, also went over well. I hope we have the time to do it. I believe we could garner both readers and writers for the Press.

There is more about our trip, of course. There is my husband meeting my 89 year old Grandmom for the first time, old Black superman, the Waffle House and the mystery of many kilts. But those stories will appear in my personal blog later today. I'll post a link here when it's up.

RT Poll on M/M PLEASE GO VOTE!

RT has rejected my proposal for a m/m discussion panel this year but they are looking for reader support to make an informed decision for the future apparently.
Please go here and vote, no matter what your opinion on the subject is. Let our voice be heard. Let M/M romance for women have it's rightful place in RT's reviews.


Laura

It's a poll asking about interest in m/m
romances.

http://www.romantic times.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4005

RT rejects M/M discussion panel

Sadly, I just received word from RT that they have rejected the proposal to hold a M/M discussion panel this next year.
It was to be hosted by Kate Douglas, Joey Hill, Emily Veinglory and myself.

Here is their reasoning:

Unfortunately we are not ready to have a panel on this quite yet. Perhaps next year.
We already have a lot of erotica at our convention and we have to be sensitive to the attendees who will view this type of workshop as a departure for us.

My reply was thus:

With all due respect, actually, I do understand. I understand that you are woefully behind the times. This reasoning is inadequate to mask prejudice. Attendees who don't wish to hear about M/M erotic romance have the option not to attend the panel discussion. No one is forced to attend or to listen to anything at RT they don't want to. I'm a straight, married, Christian woman with children, in my 50's and I can't believe RT continues to deny a popular, respected and growing market. I'm disappointed in RT and so will my readers be.

To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. But possibly next year RT will be less... restrictive.

Laura