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Tag: writers’ conferences

  • The Ultimate Guide to Rocking Your Next Writing Convention

    The Ultimate Guide to Rocking Your Next Writing Convention

    Not only is summer a great time for lemonade, indulging in the fine art of hammocking and working outdoors, but it’s also prime time for writing conventions and conferences.

    How do you turn a conference into a career-boosting event?

    Follow these tips to prepare, fully utilize a conference, and then follow up afterwards for the most success.

    Before the conference

    Spend some time preparing before you go to the conference. Take some time to figure out the lay of the land, what’s going on, who you’ll want to meet, and what you’ll need to have with you in order to maximize your conference time.

    • Be prepared. Before you go, spend some time going through the schedule and program materials, which are often available online ahead of time. Figure out which sessions you are most interested in attending, sign up for a critique session or two if you can and see which speakers you’d like to listen to.
    • See who is attending. Many conferences will tell you which agents and editors are attending ahead of time. Some may even provide a list of fellow attendees. It might be worth your time to do a bit of Googling and find out a little bit about the people who will be there. See if there is anyone you would really like to meet, whether they’re an author you admire or someone working on a similar project. Then, make a point to find them and say hello during the conference.
    • Make sure you have what you need with you. Whether you’re traveling out of town or attending a hometown conference, go prepared each day. Wear comfortable shoes since you’ll likely be walking a bit between sessions and meals. Bring a light jacket or sweater, a water bottle, snacks, notebook, pens, a sturdy bag to carry all the materials you’ll acquire — including the program guide and materials, session handouts, and any books you purchase — as well as a thick stack of your business cards.

    During the conference

    While you’re at the conference, make the most of the opportunity and maximize your time there. Use your pre-conference prep to make the most of your experience, but always leave room for serendipity.

    • Experiment. When you’re at the conference, try and check out a little of everything. Even if you think a poetry reading or young adult author talk isn’t really your thing, give it a try. Spend most of your time focused on your prime interests, but make a point to branch out and try something new as well. It’s a great opportunity to dip a toe into a new field and learn a little more without having to make a commitment.
    • Be flexible. While it’s useful to have a plan for your schedule, stay flexible to allow for new opportunities. If you wanted to attend an agent panel but instead find yourself invited out to lunch with a crew of fascinating authors, it’s okay change your plans. Be open to the serendipity that happens at conferences.
    • Bring your business cards. When you’re out meeting people, be sure to exchange cards. When you receive a business card, take a couple minutes as soon as you can to make a few notes on it. Write down who the person is, where you know them from, and any “topics of interest” like if they’re also working on a historical novel from the same era you are or they’re going to be visiting your hometown in the fall. You might think you’ll commit it all to memory, but the flurry of faces and facts  you’ll encounter during the conference are very easy to mix up, especially once you’re back home.
    • Keep your receipts. When you’re out and about meeting new people, be sure to keep your receipts. Ask your tax preparer whether you can deduct conference fees, travel expenses, materials, and even meals as a business expense.

    After you get home

    The great part about writer’s conferences is that they don’t end when you get home. You’ll leave with knowledge, ideas, inspiration and hopefully some new contacts.

    What should you do when you return from a writer’s conference?

    • Don’t procrastinate. Resist the temptation to shove your notebook and stack of newly acquired business cards in a closet and get back to it when you “have time.” Sure, your work has been piling up while you’ve been conferencing. But if you let the conference learning end the second you get home, you’re not taking full advantage of this great opportunity.
    • Take action. Take some time soon after you return home to go through your notes, contacts, and conference material. See what you’ve highlighted or made a note about. Turn these into action items. Make a list of conference “to dos”, put them on your calendar, and bribe yourself with ice cream (or whatever it takes) for checking at least a few of them off your list.
    • Use your business cards as a tool. And what do you do with that pocket full of business cards? First, scan the cards or take a photo and back them up to the cloud. It’s easy to lose cards, but if you have the information saved somewhere, you’ll be able to refer to it when needed.
    • Stay in touch. Then reach out. And do it soon before it slips your mind or before you forget who they are (or vice versa). Send a short and friendly email saying you enjoyed meeting them at the conference, and maybe offer to connect them with the editor friend you mentioned over tuna salad. Then, connect on social media to stay up-to-date with each other.
    • Don’t overdo it. That doesn’t mean liking or commenting on everything they post — that can be creepy. But every writer appreciates when you re-Tweet an occasional post or share one of their stories with your followers once in a while. If you have some like-minded conference peers, you could even see if they’re interested in starting an online writer’s group.
    • Reach out to editors and agents ASAP. Conferences also make it possible to connect with editors and agents. If you’ve made a connection, reach out quickly before they forget about you and your manuscript. Follow up with them and if they’ve requested your novel or proposal, be sure to send it right away.
    • Reflect. After the conference, take some time to reflect on what worked well and what you’d like to do differently next time. You can use this reflection to make your next conference even better.

    All ready to head to a writing conference?

    Check out this list of writing conferences or, if you’re looking for a conference with international flair, check out these international conferences.

  • Why Skipping Writing Conventions Hurts Your Career

    Why Skipping Writing Conventions Hurts Your Career

    How many conventions and conferences have you attended this year? How many do you plan to attend in 2016?

    If you’re not building conventions into your freelancing career strategy, you’re missing out on invaluable opportunities to meet other people in your industry, build connections and establish yourself as an expert in your field.

    How do I know? Because my career wouldn’t be where it is without my convention presence.

    Why I’ve made writing conventions an important part of my career strategy

    Having an online career is great. I can write from my home office while communicating with editors via email or Hipchat.

    Social media platforms like Twitter and Tumblr help me meet and interact with other editors and writers, and I can both build my network and promote my work.

    But you still can’t beat the in-person interaction. Many of my career’s biggest jumps have come from meeting people in my industry face-to-face, and so I’ve made it a priority to meet as many of these people as possible.

    Where do people in this industry gather? At writing conventions.

    Sure, you can always arrange to meet an individual editor for coffee. But when you go to a convention, you might meet several editors at once, not to mention writers, producers and other people who keep the online writing world going.

    At conventions, you get to interact with people in a structured social environment.

    Conferences are kind of like school: You attend panels or courses with other attendees, you all go to the same hotel restaurant for lunch and dinner and — depending on the convention — you might end up at a dance or rock concert together.

    It becomes relatively simple to start up conversations, whether you’re asking someone “What type of writing do you do?” before a workshop begins, or asking “Didn’t I see you at the pitching panel?” when you run into someone at the bar. (If you enjoy social drinking, the hotel bar is one of the best places to meet people at conventions.)

    The fact that you’re all sharing a similar experience makes it easy to interact with people. Remember how you made friends at school just because you happened to be in the same homeroom? Conventions are like that — and that’s why they are an important part of my long-term career strategy.

    Which conventions should you attend?

    Now that I’ve sold you on the importance of attending conventions, which conventions should you attend?

    It depends on a few factors, including distance, reputation and your interests.

    If you’re in a major city, start with a convention in your city. If you’re in a small town, see what you can find in a day’s drive.

    Sure, if you’ve got the time and the cash, you could drop everything and fly to New York for Bindercon in November, but it’s easiest to get your convention feet wet close to home. Plus, if you start attending conventions in your home city, you’ll get to know other local freelancers and writers — an invaluable resource.

    You also want to consider a convention’s reputation. Good conventions attract good people, and you should look for a convention that is likely to attract people working both at your current career level and at the levels above you. You don’t want to spend the money and time to attend a convention only to find  you’re the most experienced writer in the room!

    Look for conventions that reflect your interests. The people who attend FinCon are going to be very different from the people who attend AWP.

    There are conventions for content creators, for novelists, for sci-fi and fantasy writers, and for bloggers. It’s your job to find the convention that is closest to both your interests and your career goals.

    Here are some conventions to consider:

    • Bindercon: This is the convention version of the popular Facebook group that focuses on professional development for women and gender nonconforming writers. If you can’t attend in person, they also offer online programming, like livestreams of some panels. 
    • AWP: This huge literature convention includes an enormous bookfair. You’ll probably get a lot out of it, but you might feel like a tiny fish in a big pond.

    • BlogHer: It feels like BlogHer has been running conventions since the beginning of the Internet. If you’re a woman and a blogger, check it out — and search the Twitter hashtag #BlogHer15 to learn more about previous attendees’ experiences. (If you’re reading this from the future, just change the year on the hashtag to see the latest!)

    • Intervention: This small convention focuses on building an online career around your passions and skills. I’ve been every year since it launched in 2010, and I consider it one of the best things I’ve done for my career.

    • Norwescon: There are a number of highly reputable sci-fi and fantasy conventions across the country. I live in Seattle, so I attend Norwescon. It’s a good space to meet other writers and editors and talk about the industry; last year, George R.R. Martin was the guest of honor.

    • FinCon: If you’re into personal finance or write about money matters, this is where to go.

    Advanced convention techniques

    I’m about to get on a plane to Minneapolis for the first annual Nerdcon: Stories. I bought my tickets the day the convention was announced, because I knew it was important for me to be at a convention that’s celebrating stories and diverse methods of storytelling.

    It’s also important for me to be at this convention during its first year. Attending a convention during its early stages, while it’s still relatively small, gives you a chance to meet the other early adopters and form the friendships you’ll strengthen as you return to the convention year after year.

    Repeat attendance at conventions is essential. If you enjoy your convention experience, make it a priority to come back the next year — and if you’re trying to figure out which conventions to fit into your schedule, focus on the ones you’ve already attended.

    It’s like summer camp; the more you come back to the same place with the same group of people, the stronger your relationships will grow.

    It’s also worth it to get to know the convention organizers and ask them about panel opportunities. I regularly get asked to participate in panels on everything from “running a crowdfunding project” to “handling your online image,” but it took about a year of reaching out to various conventions before I got to the point where conventions started to reach out to me.

    When you do panels, you get your name and your face in front of a lot of people in your industry, whether they’re editors, writers or potential new readers.

    You also often get invited to convention VIP spaces, like green rooms or special parties. You won’t get paid, but the convention will generally cover the cost of your badge and ply you with plenty of free food.

    If you do participate in enough conferences, you might get invited to be a featured guest. That’s when they pay you. I’ve had several conventions pay to fly me out and put me up in a hotel. In return, I do a lot of panels along with some kind of special guest performance.

    If you’re looking for additional ways to fund the cost of your convention travel, remember you can also pitch stories about the convention. I try to get at least one paid story off each convention I attend. Some conventions require you to get a press badge, but many do not; check before you start interviewing people.

    Lastly, you’ll want to talk to your individual CPA, but your convention attendance could likely be considered a tax deduction. After all, it’s an important part of your writing career.

    Do you regularly attend industry conventions? How have they helped your career?

  • Which Writers’ Conferences are the Best to Attend?

    Which Writers’ Conferences are the Best to Attend?

    “What writers’ conference would you recommend? Which one is the best to attend?”

    I get this question all the time. I’m guessing that people decide they’re going to “do it right” and hit up a big event — and they are just trying to make sure that they get some serious bang for their buck.

    Now, to answer the question, let’s just acknowledge immediately that there is no definitive answer. It will be different for everyone, so we must examine three things: 1) the different kinds of writers’ conferences, 2) how money plays into a decision, and 3) what you want to get out of the event.

    Different types of events

    1. General writers’ conferences. These are just what you think they are — writers’ conferences that are general in nature and geared toward all categories and levels of writers. There are hundreds of these nationwide every year, and a lot of the biggest fall under this category.

    2. Writers’ conferences with a specialized focus. There are plenty of these, too. These gatherings have a unique focus to them — and that usually means they are all about romance writing, or Christian writing, or children’s/juvenile writing, or screenwriting (& TV), or mystery/thriller writing. Example: Author Advantage Live – for nonfiction and fiction authors.

    3. Writing retreats. A writing retreat is unique in that the focus is about craft and actually sitting down to write. There are usually no literary agents present, because that is not the purpose of the whole thing. You find a serene location somewhere and just try to focus and write. Lots of MFA profs, etc., teach these things, and there are even several overseas.

    Let’s talk money

    Yes, money can and should play into your decision. Obviously, it’s a lot easier to drive 20 miles to a conference and be able to come home each night to tuck the kids in than it is to fly to Alaska for four nights. And let’s face it: A lot of events are expensive — and not every up-and-coming scribe can manage the required dough.

    The first thing I recommend you do is look local. There are tons of events every year, so there’s a good chance a conference may be near you. Try simply using Google and search “writers conference” and “(city)” or “(state)” and see what comes up. Example: Perhaps you live in Virginia? There are sizeable events in Newport News, Hampton Roads, Richmond and Roanoke. Then there’s the regional SCBWI conference that varies locations between Virginia, DC and Maryland. That’s a lot of nearby opportunities!

    Check out the regional chapter sites for the SCBWI (kids’ writers), MWA (mystery writers) and RWA (romance writers). All three large organizations have many regional chapters, plenty of which put on an annual or biannual event.

    If money is an issue, consider just attending part of a conference. A lot of conferences have various options that affect your fee — attending dinners, participating in pitch slams, access to special sessions, etc. Pay attention to any and all pricing options.

    Lastly — and I don’t know why more people don’t take advantage of this — consider combining a conference and a vacation (or work trip). Two birds with one stone. Got a relative in San Diego or Atlanta? See them and hit a conference on the same trip to save travel costs. Plus, you can write off most of your expenses next April.

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    What do you want to get out of the experience?

    This question, obviously, is key.

    Perhaps if you want to just sit down and write — maybe finally start that novel — then an intensive writing retreat is just what you need.

    If you’re not sure what you need (perhaps you’re creating a lot of different stories and writing projects), then a general conference sounds like a good bet.

    If you’re actively looking for writing critique partners and beta readers, then aim local, so you can meet other local writers and form a group that will pay off with valuable peer edits down the road.

    If your work is polished and the only thing on your mind is pitching, then you’re looking for an event that has not only a sizeable number of agents and editors attending — but more specifically, a good amount of professionals who seek the genre/category you’re writing. If you attend a large conference and pay $600 to schmooze with 20 agents, it won’t be of much help if only one or two will consider that travel memoir you’ve composed.

    If you want eyes on your work, look for a conference that offers editing of your novel or work. Some even offer a variety of critiques from pros, so you can hear different perspectives and opinions on your work.

    If you want to visit someplace beautiful, you can certainly do that. I will rarely turn down an invitation to instruct in Jackson Hole, WY (gorgeous! hiking!) or Las Vegas, NV (craps! more craps!). Certainly, a particular locale can be enticing for one reason or another.

    If you want to immerse yourself in your category, seek out a specialized conference. The national events for the SCBWI, MWA and RWA are absolutely huge, and are constructed all around the genre(s), so you won’t be short on relevant sessions or agents who will consider your story. Christian writing and screenwriting conferences can also be a good option, as well.

    If your whole goal is “The bigger the better,” I can throw out some of the biggest events in the country. Again, I stress that while big conferences grow large for a reason (they are often awesome), that does not mean they’re the absolute best option for you. Money, location and goals must all be factored in. Plenty of small events are great and have helped attendees have success.

    Choose wisely

    My best guess is that there are approximately 200 writing conferences a year in the United States alone. That’s a lot of options — so take your time, do some research and see what a conference has to offer. If possible, use Google to find testimonials from writers who have been there and done that — and pay attention to what they liked and disliked about an event.

    No matter what conference you choose, I simply urge you to go to conferences. Get out there! I am a huge proponent of events, as they are an incredible opportunity to learn, get critiques, meet professionals, and make writing friends for life. They are, without a doubt, worth the effort to attend. If you had personally had a good experience at an event (and you’re not on the organizing committee for the event), feel free to say so in the comments here and spread some objective praise about a great writers’ conference other people may enjoy, as well.

    I hope to see you at a conference this year!

    Other TWL Guest Posts by Chuck Sambuchino:

    This post originally ran in July 2013. We updated it so it’s more useful and relevant for our readers!