Hi Spinning Golders,
There are 28 days to go and some people are getting homework.
If you are in Mining The Gold -Writers Intensive Classes, you should have received an email from Fleur Beale with your homework instructions.
If you are in Finish It Intensive Class...you should be nearly ready to send your homework into Erylis. (a synopsis and two pages of writing by September 1st.)
If you have no idea and missed the emails and you are in a Writers Intensive class please contact us at spinning.gold09@gmail.com
If you are in an Illustration Intensive Class.....rub your hands...no homework yet...but be prepared to work hard in your class when you get to the conference....you can relax on your super cool mystery trip....
Thankyou to all the Illustrators who have taken up our offer to have some of your work for sale at the conference. Remember to include some packaging so people can take the art home with them at the end of the conference.
Don't forget Business Cards....They are handy for sticking up next to art work with prices/sold on them, giving to agents and publishers, writing notes on to hand to people....display....tickets for raffles...etc etc..
Start saving some ready money. to bring...It will help....after all the cocktail party is at The Children's Bookshop...we have two book launches....There will be some marvelous art work for sale by some amazing Illustrators and if you are wanting to Pitch...the cost is $10 (pay us at Registration to confirm.)
Don't forget to check back for updates on this blog and on the Individual Writers and Illustrators pages.
We are looking forward to seeing you all in 28 Days...some earlier as they arrive for events around Spinning Gold.
Kind regards
The Spinning Gold Team
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Fantastic Voyages in Wellington ...
Thornspell author and Spinning Gold panelist Helen Lowe is coming to Wellington in advance of the conference to join forces with local author Tim Jones for what promises to be a fascinating discussion on speculative fiction.
Helen says, 'Given the rise of speculative writing for younger readers in NZ ... this might be of interest to some who are attending Spinning Gold, although the focus is on speculative fiction rather than children's/YA writing.'
Here are the full details:
Fantastic Voyages: Writing Speculative Fiction—
An Evening with Tim Jones & Helen Lowe, chaired by Lynn Freeman
7.30-9pm, Thursday 17 September
Upper Chamber, Wellington Arts Centre/Toi Poneke
61 Abel Smith Street
Free admission
Supported by Unity Books
Tim Jones (Transported; Anarya's Secret) and Helen Lowe (Thornspell) are both successful speculative fiction authors with national profiles. At this event, Tim and Helen will share their love of writing science fiction and fantasy, the challenges and rewards of being a New Zealand speculative fiction writer, how they've gone about getting published, and how they see the future of these genres. Lynn Freeman, host of Radio New Zealand's "Arts on Sunday" programme, will keep the discussion flowing and the questions coming. Both Helen and Tim will be available to sign books after the event.
For more information, contact 027 359 0293 or timjones at actrix.co.nz
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
The conference just keeps getting better and better....
News
During the Conference weekend we have two book launches.
Mandy Hager and Random House will be launching Mandy’s new book, ‘The Crossing’ on Friday night after Martin Baynton’s Keynote speech.
On Saturday night Fifi Colston and Scholastic will be launching ‘Glory’ at The Children’s Bookshop.
Showcase
We are leaving Saturday night after dinner free for everyone to have a catch up... and browse The Showcase. This is a dedicated room which will be full of things to look at, collect, buy and order copies of.
If you are among the
group who are interested in Swops Table...it will take place then. Swops Table info on the writers page....Illustrators, you too can join in on this one...go to the writers page to see what is involved.
Pitching
If you were among the 46 people who indicated that you would like to pitch, this notice is for you.
Do you have something to pitch?
If you have changed your mind about pitching, and we hear some people have, can you let us know, so we can manage numbers.
If you still want to pitch, Please look at the list of publishers who are taking pitches.
Go to their websites and check out whether your story is right for them.
Contact us with your first and second choice publisher. Subject line: Pitching
This will help us to allocate numbers times etc...
Payment of $10 will still be on registration if you are taking up this offer....answers to these questions please by September 13th (the weekend before the conference.)
Email address for this is spinning.gold09@gmail.com
Finally we would like to say a huge Thank you to all of you who have responded to requests, answered questions or sent through information.
Your help is most definitely appreciated, and you are doing your part already to make Your conference the best it can be.
Kind regards,
The Spinning Gold Team
During the Conference weekend we have two book launches.
Mandy Hager and Random House will be launching Mandy’s new book, ‘The Crossing’ on Friday night after Martin Baynton’s Keynote speech.
On Saturday night Fifi Colston and Scholastic will be launching ‘Glory’ at The Children’s Bookshop.
Showcase
We are leaving Saturday night after dinner free for everyone to have a catch up... and browse The Showcase. This is a dedicated room which will be full of things to look at, collect, buy and order copies of.
If you are among the
group who are interested in Swops Table...it will take place then. Swops Table info on the writers page....Illustrators, you too can join in on this one...go to the writers page to see what is involved.Pitching
If you were among the 46 people who indicated that you would like to pitch, this notice is for you.
Do you have something to pitch?
If you have changed your mind about pitching, and we hear some people have, can you let us know, so we can manage numbers.
If you still want to pitch, Please look at the list of publishers who are taking pitches.
Go to their websites and check out whether your story is right for them.
Contact us with your first and second choice publisher. Subject line: Pitching
This will help us to allocate numbers times etc...
Payment of $10 will still be on registration if you are taking up this offer....answers to these questions please by September 13th (the weekend before the conference.)
Email address for this is spinning.gold09@gmail.com
Finally we would like to say a huge Thank you to all of you who have responded to requests, answered questions or sent through information.
Your help is most definitely appreciated, and you are doing your part already to make Your conference the best it can be.
Kind regards,
The Spinning Gold Team
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
How to get the most out of YOUR Conference?
Hi Spinning Golders,
This week the topic is ‘getting the most out of your conference.’
One of the most important activities you will be doing at the conference will be Talking!
Talking to your peers, editors, publishers, bookshop owners, librarians, agents, students etc
So what to bring to support this activity besides lozenges....business cards...copies of your work if published...(Illustrators check out your page for items of interest to you.)
If you are on the way to being published you can still bring a business card...It is a quick way to exchange contact information...also it’s a useful ticket for raffles and door prizes and displays and....Spinning Gold Convenor Maureen Crisp has a blog post on business cards that might be of interest.
The other activity that is important is to Get Involved....
Two weeks ago we posted a request from Maria Gill (scroll down to read it or click on the highlighted words.) Maria is an enthusiastic promoter of Kiwiwrite4kids. She is organising an event in Wellington the night before...which is all about promotion of your work.
Author promotion is a hot topic in the children’s lit world as authors and illustrators wrestle with learning how to promote their work themselves.
If you will be in Wellington the night before, get involved. If you know someone who would benefit from this event, tell them!
We are hoping that all the people coming to Spinning Gold will take advantage of this website to keep updated and to interact with others. It is not hard. Just click on the comments line at the bottom of the post...follow the instructions and join in the conversation.
Spinning Gold Team
This week the topic is ‘getting the most out of your conference.’
One of the most important activities you will be doing at the conference will be Talking!
Talking to your peers, editors, publishers, bookshop owners, librarians, agents, students etc
So what to bring to support this activity besides lozenges....business cards...copies of your work if published...(Illustrators check out your page for items of interest to you.)
If you are on the way to being published you can still bring a business card...It is a quick way to exchange contact information...also it’s a useful ticket for raffles and door prizes and displays and....Spinning Gold Convenor Maureen Crisp has a blog post on business cards that might be of interest.
The other activity that is important is to Get Involved....
Two weeks ago we posted a request from Maria Gill (scroll down to read it or click on the highlighted words.) Maria is an enthusiastic promoter of Kiwiwrite4kids. She is organising an event in Wellington the night before...which is all about promotion of your work.
Author promotion is a hot topic in the children’s lit world as authors and illustrators wrestle with learning how to promote their work themselves.
If you will be in Wellington the night before, get involved. If you know someone who would benefit from this event, tell them!
We are hoping that all the people coming to Spinning Gold will take advantage of this website to keep updated and to interact with others. It is not hard. Just click on the comments line at the bottom of the post...follow the instructions and join in the conversation.
Spinning Gold Team
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Conference networking...
Hi Spinning Golders...
We are moving into countdown mode to the Conference weekend and the team is busy with lots of little details to make the conference a great experience for you.
The conference blog will be updated at least once a week so make sure you check in regularly.
Don’t forget to check in on your specific pages in the sidebar. Specific Information and intensive group news will be posted there as well.
The following blog post was posted last week on Anna DeStefanos blog about attending conferences. It is well worth a read and a think about...
Below is a snippet from the post but you can go here to read the whole post.
Anna lists some great tips and ideas for writers and illustrators attending conferences.
Kind Regards
Spinning Gold Team
Conference/Networking In A Bottle…
Preparing for big events involves several rituals I’ve come to take for granted.I speak at events so frequently as a fiction author, and before that travelled at one time something like 90% of the year as an IT project manager and consultant. The whole “organize my life, pack it up, schedule the event, hop on a plane or drive, 1-2-3 immerse myself into a temporary other world” thing has honestly become something I can do in my sleep.
Except…It’s actually a lengthy, detailed process to pack up my tent and move my often introverted “business” onto a public stage for a week. I’m more efficient at it these days, have gotten better at getting the most out of each event, and rarely forget anything important now. But looking back over the last few days (weeks, actually) of prep for RWA’s National Convention in DC, the items I’ve mentally checked off my “fleeing my life” list can seem sizable (and exhausting) when viewed all together.
Wouldn’t it be nice to bottle all that work/energy? So next time I can just shake, uncork, pour, sit back and watch as the prep work takes care of itself since I do basically the same things for each event… Except each event, just like each day of my publishing life, is different even while it’s the same, so each new conference and day requires its own special attention and planning time.
Still, I’m endeavoring to make a list of the prep work to share (and to save for myself to help in the future). And also, while I’m thinking about it, to inspire those not venturing into another world this week to claim some of the same benefits by reaching out and doing a little conference/networking “work” in their stay-at-home lives. So, here’s to planning to get the most out of attending a writing conference AND the most out of staying home…
1) It’s all about networking–whether you go or you stay home. Some of the best things I’ve brought home from any event happened in the lobby of the event hotel. I hook up with peers and friends I only get to see once or twice a year. I stumble across new friendships and relationships I’ll nurture for the rest of my life. I hear about events I wouldn’t have known about if I hadn’t put on my “I don’t write alone in my office for days/weeks/months at a time, I am an extrovert when I choose to be” hat and mingled into the masses. Literally–masses of people. It pays to smile and be friendly, and when you see someone you think you know reach out your hand to shake and introduce yourself again–even if it’s someone you WORSHIP.
We are moving into countdown mode to the Conference weekend and the team is busy with lots of little details to make the conference a great experience for you.
The conference blog will be updated at least once a week so make sure you check in regularly.
Don’t forget to check in on your specific pages in the sidebar. Specific Information and intensive group news will be posted there as well.
The following blog post was posted last week on Anna DeStefanos blog about attending conferences. It is well worth a read and a think about...
Below is a snippet from the post but you can go here to read the whole post.
Anna lists some great tips and ideas for writers and illustrators attending conferences.
Kind Regards
Spinning Gold Team
Conference/Networking In A Bottle…
Preparing for big events involves several rituals I’ve come to take for granted.I speak at events so frequently as a fiction author, and before that travelled at one time something like 90% of the year as an IT project manager and consultant. The whole “organize my life, pack it up, schedule the event, hop on a plane or drive, 1-2-3 immerse myself into a temporary other world” thing has honestly become something I can do in my sleep.
Except…It’s actually a lengthy, detailed process to pack up my tent and move my often introverted “business” onto a public stage for a week. I’m more efficient at it these days, have gotten better at getting the most out of each event, and rarely forget anything important now. But looking back over the last few days (weeks, actually) of prep for RWA’s National Convention in DC, the items I’ve mentally checked off my “fleeing my life” list can seem sizable (and exhausting) when viewed all together.
Wouldn’t it be nice to bottle all that work/energy? So next time I can just shake, uncork, pour, sit back and watch as the prep work takes care of itself since I do basically the same things for each event… Except each event, just like each day of my publishing life, is different even while it’s the same, so each new conference and day requires its own special attention and planning time.
Still, I’m endeavoring to make a list of the prep work to share (and to save for myself to help in the future). And also, while I’m thinking about it, to inspire those not venturing into another world this week to claim some of the same benefits by reaching out and doing a little conference/networking “work” in their stay-at-home lives. So, here’s to planning to get the most out of attending a writing conference AND the most out of staying home…
1) It’s all about networking–whether you go or you stay home. Some of the best things I’ve brought home from any event happened in the lobby of the event hotel. I hook up with peers and friends I only get to see once or twice a year. I stumble across new friendships and relationships I’ll nurture for the rest of my life. I hear about events I wouldn’t have known about if I hadn’t put on my “I don’t write alone in my office for days/weeks/months at a time, I am an extrovert when I choose to be” hat and mingled into the masses. Literally–masses of people. It pays to smile and be friendly, and when you see someone you think you know reach out your hand to shake and introduce yourself again–even if it’s someone you WORSHIP.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
78 Days to Go...
And plans are afoot to capitalise on this gathering of the Children's Book Community.
Maria Gill of Kiwiwrite4kids has asked us to put the word out to all the conference attendees about an event being organised on the Thursday night before conference starts. (17th September)
Authors and Illustrators attending the conference and arriving a day early – how would you like the opportunity to speak for 5-10 minutes about your books to a captive audience of teachers and librarians? Time and venue to be confirmed but most likely early evening. It would be a golden opportunity to market your book to a target audience! If available, please contact: mariagill@ihug.co.nz In association with The Children’s Bookshop Wellington and New Zealand Book Council.
Spinning Gold Team
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The Monster Leashed...
Hi Spinning Golders,
We have looked at many tricky ways to accomodate everyone who wanted to be in this workshop but as Jo Randerson is pressured for time (in the evenings she is appearing on stage,) we have made the decision that the first people to register for her class up to Jo's limit will be in the workshop. Everybody else will get their second choice.
This means that Gavin's monoprint workshop is now fully subscribed too.
For all other workshops during the rest of the conference everyone will get their first choice.
We know that there will be some disappointed people out there, we did try but in the end we had to make the hard decision.
However you can take heart in the fact that you have all got your first choice in the other workshops...(and there were some tricky moments there too...)
We are hoping to be able to give everyone at the conference, upon registration, their own personalised timetable...so hold those emails back about all the timetable queries please.
We have had some good replies on our textbook wants list...Thankyou for those.
If you have any suggestions or have no idea what I am referring to, please check your individual pages...Writers to the writers page in the sidebar...Illustrators to the illustrators page in the sidebar. You have untill the end of June to get in your picks.
If you are feeling cold and blue and you want to read about somewhere warm and feel green...Fifi has posted some lovely artwork on her blog from her recent holiday in Vanuatu, where she fled the monsters (southerlies of wellington and conference planning) and relaxed on the beach. I think that she should share the recipe of her favourite tropical cocktail with us at the conference...something to look forward to.
Maureen
for The Spinning Gold Team.
We have looked at many tricky ways to accomodate everyone who wanted to be in this workshop but as Jo Randerson is pressured for time (in the evenings she is appearing on stage,) we have made the decision that the first people to register for her class up to Jo's limit will be in the workshop. Everybody else will get their second choice.
This means that Gavin's monoprint workshop is now fully subscribed too.
For all other workshops during the rest of the conference everyone will get their first choice.
We know that there will be some disappointed people out there, we did try but in the end we had to make the hard decision.
However you can take heart in the fact that you have all got your first choice in the other workshops...(and there were some tricky moments there too...)
We are hoping to be able to give everyone at the conference, upon registration, their own personalised timetable...so hold those emails back about all the timetable queries please.
We have had some good replies on our textbook wants list...Thankyou for those.
If you have any suggestions or have no idea what I am referring to, please check your individual pages...Writers to the writers page in the sidebar...Illustrators to the illustrators page in the sidebar. You have untill the end of June to get in your picks.
If you are feeling cold and blue and you want to read about somewhere warm and feel green...Fifi has posted some lovely artwork on her blog from her recent holiday in Vanuatu, where she fled the monsters (southerlies of wellington and conference planning) and relaxed on the beach. I think that she should share the recipe of her favourite tropical cocktail with us at the conference...something to look forward to.
Maureen
for The Spinning Gold Team.
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