Maria Connor is the founder and owner of My Author Concierge, which has provided high-level project management support services to self-published, hybrid authors, and small publishers since 2010. She is the author of The Self-Publishing Checklist Series, a USA Today bestselling romance author of more than 35 titles, and an international speaker on writing, editing, marketing, and publishing topics.
She has been invited to present workshops at the Women’s Fiction Festival (Matera, Italy), NINC (The International Organization of Multi-Published Novelists), Romance Writers of America National Conference, and numerous regional writing conferences/events.
She is also an award-winning freelance writer and journalist, with more than twenty years of expertise producing content for print and digital media.
Workshop/Presentation Topics
Reality Check: The Elegant Efficiency of Checklists: Checklists are a simple tool for managing complex operations, but the challenge is shifting from chaos to organization. This workshop provides an easy formula for creating checklists that save time and money, streamline operations, prevent errors, automate workflow, improve efficiency, and can be adapted for teams using project management software.
Publishing & Marketing During Crises & Uncertain Times: Crises, both global and personal, can disrupt an author’s productivity and business operations. This timely workshop provides important considerations and practical tips to not only manage uncertain times but identify opportunities for growth related to: Personal and Professional Boundaries, Social Media Management, Book Production/Marketing, Communicating with Readers, Crisis Policies and Procedures
Planning, Producing, and Publishing Your Book: Self-publishing has leveled the playing field so that virtually anyone can bring a book to market. Writing the story is just the first step. This workshop outlines the process for taking a book from concept, through the creation process, and into the marketplace.
A Strategy for All Seasons: Creating a 12-Month Marketing Plan: Feel more in control and less overwhelmed with tips on how to optimize marketing resources and how to create a comprehensive twelve-month marketing plan that can be personalized for each author’s needs.
**Featured in BookBub’s 10 Top Book Advertising Tips from RWA 2019 (https://insights.bookbub.com/top-book-advertising-tips-rwa-2019/)
Put Your Money Where Your Readers Are: A two-hour workshop that provides authors with the resources they need to design, organize, execute and evaluate promotional campaigns, as well as an insightful and considerate overview of where, how and why to invest time, money, energy and creativity.
Build Your Marketing Foundation: Learn the ten elements that must be in place for effective book marketing and advertising.
Intentional Book Marketing: If your book marketing efforts are motivated by FOMO (fear of missing out) and inspired by copycat strategies, you need this workshop. Gain an understanding of the WHO, WHAT, WHY, WHEN and WHERE of marketing, resulting in more effective, less stressful campaigns.
Info Management vs. Info Dump: Tips, tools and templates organizing the information needed for marketing, communication and more, while saving time and money.
More Than a Series Bible: How to create a series bible used for far more than managing your series, such as marketing, training and orienting assistants and support staff, editing and plotting.
Three Stages of Book Marketing: What You Should Be Doing When – pre-release, release, post-release strategies.
Draft, Edit, Publish – Working With, Instead of Against, Your Editor: A workshop designed to help writers understand the creative and practical process of writing, editing, revising and publishing a novel, with emphasis on crafting a polished manuscript through self-editing and revision before sending it off for professional edits. By establishing a five-step process, authors can work more efficiently, reduce turnaround time, and produce a professional product.
Say What? Learn the Lingo: A crash course on publishing terminology and concepts
From Procrastinator to Producer: This work is intended to help writers identify the road blocks standing between them and a finished manuscript. Whether the limitations are practical, such as time challenges, or self-imposed, such as fear of failure, practical tips and strategies can help writers work through these obstacles to increase production and quality of writing.
How to be Your Own Best Assistant: Tips from an experienced publishing project manager to help authors can maximize time, money, and resources.
Mastering Book Blurbs: A foolproof formula for crafting book blurbs that hook readers and sell books.
Solutions to Authors’ Top Five Marketing Challenges: Tips and strategies for marketing an author’s backlist; managing multiple pen names, genres, or brands; keeping readers engaged between releases; discoverability; and determining platform-level-appropriate tactics.
Pssst! An Author Assistant Reveals Secrets of Bestselling Authors: Discover strategies and tactics used by NYT and USA Today bestselling authors from an experienced, full-time assistant for more than one hundred authors.
Do Less. Write More – Working with an Author Assistant: This workshop offers information and advice on how to make the most of author support services. The presentation covers what a personal/virtual assistant does, overview of the types of services and prices offered by personal/virtual assistants, the benefits of hiring a personal/virtual assistant, how to locate and screen personal/virtual assistants, handling author and assistant expectations and responsibilities, as well as how to negotiate and establish a successful working relationship.
30 Days, 30 Marketing Ideas: Participants of this workshop will receive thirty marketing ideas for fun, effective and creative book promotion. These strategies vary from simple to complex, free to paid. Suitable for both debut and multi-published authors, this workshop not only provides participants with marketing ideas, but also the resources and tools that streamline and simplify book promotion.
Marketing for Authors – It’s All about Relationships: The most common mistake many authors make is equating marketing with selling. The workshop presentation includes basic marketing concepts and definitions, marketing principles and practices for authors, research, promotion, branding, communication, requirements for effective marketing, how to create a marketing plan, and specific strategies.
Put a Bow on It – Strategies for Holiday Marketing: Tips and tactics for marketing your book during the holidays without getting lost in the crowd.
Retreat, Write, Repeat!: Need to start or finish a project or just refocus on your writing? A writing retreat might be just the solution. This workshop provides tips and strategies on how to organize a group writing retreat, plus the benefits of creating a successful at-home writing retreat.
Church Secretary by Day, Romance Writer by Night: Practical tips and suggestions on how to not only survive but thrive as an author while juggling life and writing. Insight, inspiration and hard-earned experience from a woman who juggled single parenthood (four sons!), a full-time job and two part-time jobs, as well as full-time college classes, and simultaneous book contracts/releases.
Self-Publishing Reality Check – What you need to know about the business: This workshop introduces authors to the business of self-publishing, how to get started, common obstacles and how to make sound business decisions.
Team Author: How to assemble, coordinate and manage a team of professionals for your self-publishing business.
Reviews, Praise and Testimonials
“Thank you for the awesome workshop on the 12-Month Marketing Plan. I found it SO helpful, and look forward to using your techniques. It really was one of the best workshops this year.” —A. Smits, 2019 RWA National Conference Attendee & Author
“Maria Connor puts on a rock solid workshop with clear, concise, helpful information that renders Google almost moot. You don’t want to blink for fear of missing another golden nugget. Don’t even think of missing one of her workshops!” –Ava Branson, Author
“Maria Connor’s presentation on book marketing and advertising inspired our group of writers with great ideas and gave us lots of practical action items to take home. She packed pithy, current information into her program, backed by her extensive experience as an assistant to best-selling authors. We look forward to welcoming her again as a speaker.” – Chris Kridler, President, SpaceCoast Authors of Romance
“Maria’s passion for authors and their success is evident in the way she teaches the craft of marketing. She taught me more in two hours than I’ve learned in my entire career!” – Kerry Evelyn, Author
“Maria presented the workshop, ‘Put Your Money Where Your Readers Are’ to our writing group. I had several ah-ha! moments and walked away with two pages of notes/action steps. She was extremely organized and professional and presented the information in a clear, understandable way.” – Amy Lyon, Author
“I learned so much from Maria at the talk she gave to Space Coast Authors of Romance. She makes marketing seem less intimidating and even kind of fun.” —Naomi Bellina, Author
“Maria is a rare find. She is efficient, creative, and uniquely innovative. She consistently delivers highly professional work.” – Jacki Delecki, Author
“Since she keeps up with trends and new resources for authors in today’s publishing world, I don’t have to. She comes up with ideas and ways to implement them, and that allows me the time I need to keep writing books. I put a high value on Maria and her services and know I couldn’t possibly maintain an author online presence or promotion plan without her!” – Virginia McCullough, Author
Past Presentations / Workshops / Events
2022 / 2017 – WriterCon, Red Sneaker Writers Center
2022 – Writing for Success Conference, Florida Star Fiction Writers
2019 – Indie UnCon (Matera, Italy)
2019 – Fun in the Sun Cruise, Floria Romance Writers
2019 – Master Class Conference, Space Coast RWA
2018 – InD’Scribe Writers Conference, InD’Scribe
2018 / 2017 – NINC
2017 – Women’s Fiction Festival (Matera, Italy)
2017 – California Dreamin’ Conference, Southern California RWA Chapters
2017 – Member Workshop, Ancient City Romance Authors
2016 – Emerald City Writers’ Conference, Emerald City RWA
2016 – Spring Thing, Chicago-North RWA
2016 – Member Workshop; Lowcountry RWA
2017 / 2016 – RWA National Conference
2015 – Moonlight and Magnolias, Georgia RWA
2015 – Put Your Heart In a Book, New Jersey RWA