Decadent Divas: Take that Risk

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Take that Risk

Fear of change is a powerful entity. But I believe it was Tommy Cruise in Risky Business who said "Sometimes you have to say, what the fuck."

Case in point, the Passport to Romance event I talked about last month. The event replaced the book fair we used to have as part of the Emerald City Writers Conference. Over the last few years, the book fair had become like many other book fairs I've attended. A sad, boring, yard sale. Attendance was low and there wasn't much excitement.

When I proposed the Passport to Romance reader appreciation event, I was fortunate enough to have a board and conference chair who believed in my vision. And in Carmen Cook, the perfect person to bring my idea of an event where readers and authors could come together, gush about books, take picture with handsome men, and all without the pressure of "buy my book" hovering in the air.

Let me tell you, convincing a group of authors to give away items for free was a harder sell then I anticipated, but those who embraced the concept saw the smile on the attendees faces when being handed a book, and the authors then understood what we were trying to accomplish- reach out and connect with potentially new readers in a fun and interactive way.

But my favorite part was afterward, and seeing those readers' post on Facebook about their experiences and share their pictures. When I see their friends comment and ask about where they were, and how much fun it looked, and say how they want to attend next year? Yep, I am Muppet flailing for joy.

Yes, the event was a huge success, and the wheels are in motion to make next year even better. Yay!!!

So when the boring and blah no longer work, don't be afraid to shake things up and try something new. Great things can happen.