In June 2008, I attended the Black Writer’s Reunion & Conference in Tampa, Florida. Paying for the entire conference and participating in the 50-Author Showcase was a career-defining experience for me. The various workshops offered for aspiring, new and even seasoned authors brought with each presentation a wealth of valuable information that not all writers’ conferences offer. I learned beneficial information from how to become a better writer in various genres of literature to how to find a niche audience to better promote my titles. The conference workshops even went so far as to guide authors in the right direction to find major publishing houses, distributors and agents. There was something for everyone to learn and grow from.

The 50-Author Showcase experience for me was a confidence booster! I met droves of authors like me and that alone was comforting to someone so new to the arena. Be the authors self-published or otherwise, I was welcomed and schooled as to how to go about capturing the attention of potential book buyers with your booth display to your presence at the event. When I left the conference, I was refreshed in spirit and re-energized to go home and put the peddle to the metal to jumpstart what started out as my hobby to make it so much more than just my hustle. I went to the Black Writer’s Reunion and Conference in 2008 with just a book and left knowing I was at the brink of a brand new career.

Tracie E. Christian
Author of The Black College Sabbatical Book Series
www.tracieechristian.com