It’s getting to be that time of year. AWP begins today, BEA is looming, and 3 of us were just at different conferences in the same weekend. While I love getting out and meeting writers, taking pitches and giving advice, I see a lot of attendees just not taking full advantage of what these events have to offer. Here are a few things you should try to take away from your next writers’ conference:
A network
Writers aren’t always the most social people by nature, so this one can involve some effort. But when you’re in a room with 400 strangers and you start looking toward the exit, keep in mind that everyone is there because they share a common interest. You’re all writers, which makes for one easy and universal ice-breaker: “So, what are you writing?” Simple and effective, and the value in this discussion is immense. Much talk is made of “breaking out debut authors,” and the ability for an author to do so grows with their own personal network. When you make friends at a writers’ conference (and then add them to your social media and emailing lists, with their permission, of course), you increase your ability to reach your potential readership. And they do, too. If you leave a writer’s conference without at least 30 new social media friends, you’re doing it wrong.
And you never know who that next mega bestseller is going to be, so you don’t want to kick yourself later for having been at a conference with that guy before he became that guy and not having made friends.
A critique group or writing partner
This one is huge, and I’ve heard all of the excuses. “Oh, I don’t know.” “There’s nobody in my town writing what I write.” “I don’t get out much.” “I don’t really know where to meet those people.” For real. Someone at a conference actually told me that they don’t know where to meet other writers. It’s important to not only make those connections and those new friends but to also see what kind of role they can play in your writing life. If you find someone who you communicate well with and you can trust to be honest in their feedback, invite them to join a critique group. Getting objective input before you start sending your work out is invaluable. They’ll notice all sorts of things that you’ve missed. And these days, that second excuse is really invalid. It doesn’t matter where your critique partners live because the internet.
A critique partner can also be a great foot in the door. I’m shopping a novel right now by the critique partner of a memoirist I got published. You never know.
Knowledge about publicity
All I can say is, if you want to be a successful author, you’re going to have to get used to the idea of promoting your own work. Even if you land an agent and a deal with a Big 5 press, if you don’t then follow through and promote the book on your end, it’ll likely fail, or at least, it won’t sell nearly as many copies as it could have. I can’t think of a single conference I’ve been to that didn’t have some sort of session about book publicity, whether it’s social media strategies, how to put on a reading, or successful outreach methods. These are skills that you will eventually need.
However, self-evaluation is key. If you’ve just begun to write, you’ll probably want to focus the bulk of your energy elsewhere.
Knowledge about your craft
This is one area in which writers’ conferences really shine. You’ll find workshops on pretty much everything you need to know with regard to craft, so make sure you take advantage of them. Even if you feel like you’ve got a pretty good handle on things, it’s usually a good idea to check out what’s being said by the bestsellers and industry folk teaching the workshops. You may very well learn something new that could help improve your manuscript, even if you go into the weekend thinking you’re finished.
Hopefully a request from an agent to read your manuscript
Yay! This is what most writers see as the ultimate goal of a conference. They want to get that request from an agent or acquisitions editor. However, don’t be so quick to pull the trigger when you get that request. Notice all that came before this. Every little improvement helps strengthen your product and yourself as a potential career writer. One thing that I always tell conference attendees is that the bar is higher than they could possibly imagine–and climbing. If you’ve amassed a few rejections, you may have had a taste of this. You really need to bring it in order to have a fighting chance in such a competitive market, and if you don’t do something that you could do to strengthen your submission, you’ve already failed. Yes, an agent will likely edit with you, and they might even help a bit with your promotion. The publisher will do these also. But in order to make that grade and gain access to that help, you have to present something that is, in your eyes, perfect.
Realize this when you go to a conference. I’ve taught at a lot of them, and I’ve seen folks who just go to pitch their book, ignoring if not outright rejecting the wonderful community and assistance offered by the conference experience. They’re just there to get theirs, even if it comes at the expense of their fellow writers. And I, for one, am in no hurry to sign someone like that. I want writers who recognize the value in community and self-improvement. Those are the ones who tend to succeed.
