A Writers’ Guide to Dressing for Success by Diane Vallere
- By: Jessica Faust | Date: Jun 01 2015
I’m guessing we’ve all
heard the advice to start building your brand the second you decide you want to
write for profit. Many of us started a website before we finished the first
draft of our first draft. Our online presences are carefully constructed works
of art: the photo we chose after bypassing thousands we didn’t like, the bio
that hints at our platform and our voice, and the blurbs that tease better than
a high class call girl. But what happens when we have to turn on the lights and
step in front of the very people we’ve been asking to leave the price of an
ebook on our bedside table?
heard the advice to start building your brand the second you decide you want to
write for profit. Many of us started a website before we finished the first
draft of our first draft. Our online presences are carefully constructed works
of art: the photo we chose after bypassing thousands we didn’t like, the bio
that hints at our platform and our voice, and the blurbs that tease better than
a high class call girl. But what happens when we have to turn on the lights and
step in front of the very people we’ve been asking to leave the price of an
ebook on our bedside table?
You already know not towrite the boring parts of a story. Now it’s time to apply the same thought
process to your conference wardrobe. A conference lets you become a hyper-version
of you. You are a walking representation of your brand. How you conduct
yourself—and how you look—are important elements to your success. You want to
get noticed, but not for the wrong reasons. Here are a few tips how:
Red light district or
blue light special?
blue light special?
Color can be your best
friend. Are you promoting a book? If so, is there a predominant color palette
to the cover? Consider your ARC or your personal copy to be an accessory to
your outfit and dress to match it. If your book is purple, make purple your
signature color for the conference. Maybe a purple dress on day one, purple
scarf day two, purple shoes day three. People will notice you the first day.
They’ll come talk to you on day two and three.
friend. Are you promoting a book? If so, is there a predominant color palette
to the cover? Consider your ARC or your personal copy to be an accessory to
your outfit and dress to match it. If your book is purple, make purple your
signature color for the conference. Maybe a purple dress on day one, purple
scarf day two, purple shoes day three. People will notice you the first day.
They’ll come talk to you on day two and three.
Rely on the kindness of
strangers.
strangers.
You might have the most
awesome network of close, personal friends who want nothing more than to see
you succeed, but they might not know how to tell you they always thought your
obsession with beige was unhealthy. Shopping with a friend rarely works. Why
not? You see each other the way you’ve always seen each other. While this is
one of the most awesome things about friendship, it’s not so good when it comes
to trying something new. You might never try on the perfect dress because it
looks like nothing on the hanger and your friend tells you not to try it. These
are the kinds of things professionals are there for, and the best thing is that
you get their advice for free.
awesome network of close, personal friends who want nothing more than to see
you succeed, but they might not know how to tell you they always thought your
obsession with beige was unhealthy. Shopping with a friend rarely works. Why
not? You see each other the way you’ve always seen each other. While this is
one of the most awesome things about friendship, it’s not so good when it comes
to trying something new. You might never try on the perfect dress because it
looks like nothing on the hanger and your friend tells you not to try it. These
are the kinds of things professionals are there for, and the best thing is that
you get their advice for free.
Learn
to trust pins and needles.
If your clothes are too
tight, too baggy, too short, or too long, people will notice. Check how your
clothes look from the front and the back. If your skirt rides up in the back,
it’s not the right skirt for you. If your pants are so tight they’re on the
brink of bursting at the seams, consider how it would look if they did burst at the seams. In front of your
dream agent. Right after you gave a fantastic pitch. Ask yourself what they’ll
remember: your pitch or your pooch? That’s right. Most dry cleaners will do
alterations for you for a low cost, and most can easily tell what needs to be
done simply by seeing you in the clothes. Getting your clothes to fit right is
well worth the money.
tight, too baggy, too short, or too long, people will notice. Check how your
clothes look from the front and the back. If your skirt rides up in the back,
it’s not the right skirt for you. If your pants are so tight they’re on the
brink of bursting at the seams, consider how it would look if they did burst at the seams. In front of your
dream agent. Right after you gave a fantastic pitch. Ask yourself what they’ll
remember: your pitch or your pooch? That’s right. Most dry cleaners will do
alterations for you for a low cost, and most can easily tell what needs to be
done simply by seeing you in the clothes. Getting your clothes to fit right is
well worth the money.
It’s
what’s on the inside that counts.
You probably know if youare a woman, you need a bra. But that’s not the only undergarment you should
think about. Panty lines and excessive jiggle are not good. There’s a reason
the inventor of Spanx is now on the Forbes Rich List. Her unmentionables make
clothes look better on without forcing you to trade your diet of cupcakes for
celery stalks.
Comfort
is best left for ice cream and stuffed animals.
There’s not a person
among us who isn’t more comfortable in stretchy pants and a soft T-shirt, but
going to a writer’s convention is not about comfort. While I’m not suggesting
you get yourself strapped into a corset for the event, I do think it’s a good
idea to think about structure. A blazer, twinset, or cardigan is going to look
better than a sweatshirt with cats on the front, even if you write cat-fiction.
You can change into your cat sweatshirt when it’s time to retire to your room.
Unless you have a roommate.
among us who isn’t more comfortable in stretchy pants and a soft T-shirt, but
going to a writer’s convention is not about comfort. While I’m not suggesting
you get yourself strapped into a corset for the event, I do think it’s a good
idea to think about structure. A blazer, twinset, or cardigan is going to look
better than a sweatshirt with cats on the front, even if you write cat-fiction.
You can change into your cat sweatshirt when it’s time to retire to your room.
Unless you have a roommate.
Don’t
mistake “appropriate” for “boring”
I convinced you to leaveyour cat sweatshirt in a drawer at home, but that doesn’t mean you should
abandon your sense of whimsy in the drawer with it. Me? I’m all about whimsy. Find
what represents YOU and make it part of your conference look. Maybe you love
chandelier earrings. Maybe you love shoes. Make that one category your
signature for the conference. “Great earrings!” you’ll hear on day
one. “Another pair of great earrings!” you might hear on day two. And
guess what people will be thinking about on day three? “I wonder what kind
of earrings she’ll have on today?”
When the opportunity for marketing through social media
exploded, the first thing we all learned (either through the grapevine or by
experience) was to NOT talk about our books. Twasn’t easy, we found, but
nothing good in life really is. We had to figure out how to make people notice
us and like us for who we were and what we represented, so when they picked up
our works, they’d find an extension of our online persona. Our conference clothing can do the same thing for us.
The goal? To look interesting enough that people want to know more about what we
write. Don’t let poor clothing choices take away from your empire. Pimp your
style and let your wardrobe work for you.
exploded, the first thing we all learned (either through the grapevine or by
experience) was to NOT talk about our books. Twasn’t easy, we found, but
nothing good in life really is. We had to figure out how to make people notice
us and like us for who we were and what we represented, so when they picked up
our works, they’d find an extension of our online persona. Our conference clothing can do the same thing for us.
The goal? To look interesting enough that people want to know more about what we
write. Don’t let poor clothing choices take away from your empire. Pimp your
style and let your wardrobe work for you.
After two decades working for a top luxury retailer, Diane Vallere traded fashion accessories for accessories to murder. SUEDE TO REST, the first book in the bestselling Material Witness Cozy Mystery Series, was a Lefty/ Best Humorous Mystery nominee. CRUSHED VELVET, book two, comes out August 4. Diane is the current president of Sisters in Crime Los Angeles, and co-chair of the 2015 California Crime Writers Conference. She also writes the Mad for Mod Mysteries and the Style & Error Mystery Series. Diane started her own detective agency at age ten and has maintained a passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since.
Facebook: DianeVallereAuthor
Twitter: @dianevallere
Pinterest: DianeVallere
An insightful and very true post!
This was quite timely since I'm attending Midwest Writers Workshop in July. I am curious, though: this post seems geared more towards already published authors. Any recommendations on how to dress for success as an average attendee?
What do people normally wear to pitch and critique sessions? Should I break out the suit and tie?
This post offering sound advice about appearance at conferences – and in my opinion anywhere you appear as a writer, published or not – is excellent advice. Sit at your computer in sweats,tight jeans, and t-shirts, but shed them when you walk out the door.
Thank you for the good sound advice!
Nancy, I couldn't agree more. I happen to think that it's important to be our brands, but sometimes the message can get cloudy (even if your brand is Beach Bum Bromances, I think you're better off dressing appropriately for business-related events!).
Adib, I don't think you need a suit and tie unless that's how you normally dress or feel comfortable. But if you're approaching a conference or pitch like it's a part of business, then I'd say prepare for it the same way you would any other business meeting.
Diane, in addition to conferences and pitches, for those of us who are published I'm often embarrassed by how some authors dress for book signings. As a writer, once you've been asked to come front and center and welcome readers, doing so dressed as if you're going hiking or to a sports event is poor taste to say the least. Emulating the characters you write about may seem like the thing to do – assuming you write about back-woods hikers or hockey players – however, YOU are neither. You are a professional, and in this day and age the profession faces enough criticism without your appearance personifying those engaging characters you create between the pages.