My notes about my plans to succeed in romance novel publishing PR.

1. Notes From A Romance Publishing PR Hopeful

2. I Believe ‘‘Nothing great in the world can be accomplished without passion.’’ –HEGEL

3. I Am Charming Passionate Diplomatic Perceptive Hard Working Compassionate Idealistic

4. WHY ROMANCE PUBLISHING? I have a passion for reading books, which have a deep connection between two people and a happily-ever-after. This led me to my love of romances. I love creative writing and have taken many writing courses, so that I can gain further knowledge of the industry, where I want to work.

5. MY EDUCATION I graduated with a Honours BA doing a Specialist in English Literature and a Minor in Political Science at the University of Toronto. I am currently enrolled in the public relations certificate program at Humber College.

6. MY PLAN Goal To do PR within the romance novel publishing industry in order to promote the books that I love to read. Objectives To have an internship to gain experience and a job (preferably at Harlequin). To develop an online identity through social media

7. STRENGTHS I interned at the Scarborough Arts Council, where I worked with the communications coordinator in doing various writing tasks, such as press releases and have contributed articles to the Surface and Symbols newspaper. I have completed Writer’s Craft, Critical Thinking, and Critical Writing Courses in Literature in order to master various writing styles. I have been admitted into a competitive writing program limited to 20 students at the university level. I have written creative works and published short pieces for an online community of writers. I keep up-to-date with the romance industry, follow author’s blogs, participate in online discussions and have gathered valuable information at Harlequin’s website in its press releases and annual Romance Reports.

8. WEAKNESSES I need more experience working in PR. I tend to shy away from leadership roles and have people pleasing tendencies. Also, I have recently come out of my comfort zone when it comes to working with technology.

9. OPPORTUNITIES As a Humber student, I am taught and exposed to the most current going-ons in the PR world, such as how to issue a social media news release and about CSR, so I can bring freshness to any industry. I am learning how social media is important in PR and I can build up my portfolio by networking. Being a CPRS and IABC member will be helpful for my career. The headquarters for Harlequin is only eight minutes away from my home.

12. CHANNELS I will utilize social media to develop an online brand through... @aasanas, where I give updates on interesting blogs and follow tweets to do with publishing, romance and PR. As Aasana Sri the professional, I can network with others. HumberPR group where I can share and utilize resources with classmates and mentors. Update notesfromaprgirl.blogspot.com and develop it so that it contains lots of information about the romance novel industry. Fictionpress- Where I can submit more writing work.

13. TACTICS Contact a PR professional within Harlequin and ask for suggestions and helpful advice. Blog about trends in the romance novel industry and include author interviews. Dedicate more time to writing fiction. Follow the blogs of other PR professionals, so that I am current and connected to others in PR regardless of industry. And keep reading books!

14. CRITICAL PATH Write weekly blogs about trends in the publishing industry starting March 26. Send personal brand plan to mentor by April. Update LinkedIn profile March 10. Register with CPRS, IABC and Romantic Times Magazine by April. Graduate with a Public Relations Certificate at Humber College in September.

15. I welcome your suggestions and comments!