Tina Haapala, Excuse Editor

Writers and entrepreneurs have a lot in common. If you are a writer who plans to achieve any kind of financial success from your talent, you have to play the business game. If you are an entrepreneur who wants to get people excited about your product or service, you have to play the sales game. If you are like a huge majority of people, this may make you cringe. Watch a few minutes of “ Shark Tank ” on TV and you will see true rejection in action. Inventors, business owners and dreamers have put their sweat, tears, and often a whole lot of money into an idea they believe will both change the world and make them rich. Usually, someone tells them how wrong they are. It doesn't help that one of the guys is sarcastically called “Mr. Wonderful.” As a writer, you are standing in front of that panel of critics every time you submit new work for consideration. No matter how great your product is, it is not for everyone. You could have the most amazing slant on zombie-aliens from Krypt...

Writing, as much as we love the creative part of it, becomes a business when we decide to become published authors. This becomes very clear when attending a writer's conference. The agent (or editor, or publisher) meeting is one of the staples of these conferences. If you decide to become a salesperson for your writing work (which is a necessity) by attending one of these meetings, here are a few things to keep in mind. Don't Let Your Elevator Speech Get Stuck Between Floors You have 10-15 minutes to pitch your work. This is not the time to be caught closed from your personality or claustrophobic because of the small spaces. Give yourself and the agent, editor, or publisher a smooth ride--describe your work in the most concise and interesting way possible.And by all means, be polite to the person sharing this elevator ride with you. They didn't have to stop on your floor at all. Go Yogi Breathe (in case you forget, it goes: Inhale, Exhale, Repeat) Focus on the mome...