What We Did Last Friday--Networking Meeting Results

Notes from 6-8-12 meeting of Write by the Rails at Ashton Ave Family Restaurant, Manassas

Present:  Cindy Brookshire, Carol Covin, Chip Deyerle (new – wife saw meeting as an event in the newspaper), Leigh Giza, Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt, Linda Johnston, Nancy Kyme, Sheila Lamb, Claudia Lefeve, Lindsey Poppe, Dan Verner

1.      Need a bigger Write by the Rails Banner with a tag – Nancy Kyme is looking into this, Cindy Brookshire sent her the logo

2.      Nancy Kyme is looking into selling books at Winery at La Grange and the new winery in Centreville.  http://www.wineryatbullrun.com/index.html

3.      Nancy Kyme is going to look into how the Manassas Art Guild set up as a nonprofit (pros and cons), Cindy sent her Michele Frantz’s contact information.  Katherine Gotthardt will report cost and other requirements to incorporate WbtR in the state of VA.

4.      Dan Verner is going to connect with Jo Ann Wunderly about having local authors be a part of the Gallery Walks, but if you go to the website, it’s Sarah McHugh with Historic Manassas that you need to speak to:   http://manassasgallerywalk.com/  Would be great to have an author at each shop, as well as musician and artist, or open mic at Persnickety, d Simply Sweet on Main, etc.

5.      Short term goal:  we want to have a “Marketing Your Book” panel presentation.  Leigh Giza is looking into a time in late, late July or August that we could have it at one of the libraries.  We need to get professional marketers on the panel.  Ross Murphy would like to be a panelist.  Carol Covin has unique ideas.   Sheila Lamb suggested her aunt, Leslie Coty of Coty Connections in Roanoke, who is an expert in social media for small businesses – though she may charge.  http://www.cotyconnections.com/  The current library print newsletter is through August – may want to make it September to get that publicity.

6.      Long term goal:  Nancy Kyme suggested a Book Festival in the Prince William area, either in concert with a bookstore (like Politics & Prose does), or, Cindy suggested, in concert with next April 13’s Arts Alive! 2013 at the Hylton Performing Arts Center.  Do it like a juried art show – authors submit 2 copies of their books, there are guidelines and representatives, etc.  If part of Arts Alive, the authors have to be arts council members – unless Write by the Rails becomes a nonprofit member as a group.

7. Linda Johnson is going to connect with the Northern Virginia Writers to make them aware of us/us aware of their activities.  Maybe we could combine efforts and cross promote – maybe on the book festival? Or the marketing panel?

8.      Katherine Gotthardt distributed submissions guidelines for New Departures, our planned anthology.  Deadline of August 31, 2012 and types of submissions were discussed.

9.      Katherine Gotthardt circulated current email list for corrections and additions.  Everyone was encouraged to tell other members that we need their name and email address in order to make them official since Facebook is not always reliable.  Email address is writebytherails@gmail.com.

10.  Cindy Brookshire displayed our website and calendar.  We need members to submit blog postings through our gmail account.  We also need members to send us event information so the calendar can be updated.  The calendar should be a one-stop destination for writers seeking workshop, educational and networking opportunities.