Author To-Do List

At the end of the workshop for children's authors I gave in Southern California on Saturday, I had each attendee state what was the most important thing they'd learned that day. An author who couldn't attend had met me for a private consultation two days earlier. This morning she emailed me, unprompted, with a list of the most helpful things she'd learned in our session. By an interesting coincidence it echoes what Saturday's attendees said. (I must be getting my message across!)

With her permission I'm posting it here. From what I've seen lately, this should be EVERY author's to-do list.

1. Do a major remodel of my website.
2. When I go to NY, include my agent in the meetings with the publicity people and my editor.
3. Have a marketing plan on paper that I’ve sent to everyone ahead of time.
4. Come bearing gifts for everyone in the publishing house—cookies or something on the theme of the book, or something from my hometown.
5. Come with the attitude, “What can I do to make your job easier? How can we work together?”
6. Send the folks in my publishing house holiday cards thanking them.
7. Get my illustrator’s snail mail and email addresses.