Writer's Conference Basics

I'm off to the Western PA SCBWI conference in Pittsburgh this weekend (with my husband and four-month-old baby in tow—wish me luck!). This will be the fifth writer's conference I've attended. I feel like I'm finally starting to get the hang of them.

If you're a long-time reader of Thinking to Inking, you might remember the conference survival guide I posted last year. This time, rather than advice on nerves or particulars of etiquette, I want to focus on the basic three things that I think are needed for a successful conference.

1. Do some research.
I've seen this over and over again at each conference I've attended. Do at least enough research before you go to know how traditional publishing works, what an agent or editor does, and what type of book you're writing. I've actually heard people ask agents questions in seminars like, "What genre is my fiction novel about my life?" or "Why do I need an agent? Don't you just want to take a cut of my money?" Trust me, you don't want to be THAT guy/girl.

2. Don't be a jerk.
This one is similar to #1, but it gets its own number because it's just as important. Agents, editors, conference organizers, published writers—they're all people too. (A friend of mine wrote an excellent blog post about agents in particular.) They have good and bad days, times when they feel overwhelmed, and times when they really just need to go to the bathroom or go outside for some air. You'll get your chance to talk to them. Treat them politely.

3. FOLLOW DIRECTIONS.
This one gets all capital letters because it's really, really important. Follow the rules. If the pre-conference materials say to print out ten copies of your first five pages, DO IT. Supposed to be there at 10:30 am for registration? That's when you should arrive. Someone tells you that you have a certain time slot to pitch to an agent? Be there on time, ready to go. Conferences are set up to work as smoothly as possible, and it's people who don't follow directions that create snags and problems.

Writer's Resource: Tips for Book Expo America

The literary world is gearing up for the annual Book Expo America conference in New York City the weekend after next. Publishers show off new and upcoming books and services, there are tons of panels, lectures, and book signings, and much networking is done.

Being eight months pregnant means a trip to New York isn't in the cards for me, but I thought it would be nice to put together a list of advice for anyone planning to attend.

First, for the nitty-gritty details everyone needs, there's the Survival Guide on the BEA official website. This includes some fairly obvious but important advice like "Wear comfortable shoes" and "Don't forget to eat."

For more targeted advice, there's Library Journal's Librarian's Guide to BEA post. The specific class/panel info is from 2013, but there's still a lot of useful information there.

Here's a recent post from the Hollywood The Write Way blog with loads of helpful advice, including what planning to do ahead of time and where to eat.

Wondering how the BEA experience is from an author perspective? This newly published author wrote about her trip last year and included some excellent advice.

And finally, this post from Ally Machate's blog spells out some reasons why even aspiring and self-published authors can get a lot out of the BEA experience.

Are you planning to attend BEA this year?

Writer's Conference Survival Guide Part 3: Networking

The third and final installment in my Writer's Conference Survival Guide is all about networking.

By networking, I mean meeting like-minded people who are attending the conference with you. If you've been following this blog for a while, you might have read the story of how I got my agent. As I said in that post, I attribute most of my growth as a writer to the critique partners and support group I've built up over the past few years.

Conferences are fantastic places to find critique partners and groups. Case in point: I met Jenn, Stacy, and Lauren, my co-bloggers here at Thinking to Inking, at the first conference I ever attended. Especially if you don't have a critique group or writer friends who live nearby, you'll definitely want to network when you go to a writer's conference.

Here are some tips for getting the most out of your networking:

1. Bring business cards. You might feel a little sheepish about passing out business cards made before you're a published author, but trust me, they are really useful at conferences. Mine just have my name, contact info, and "writer" on them. You can make your own on your home printer, or order them online. Moo.com and Vistaprint.com are inexpensive, good places to start. 

Tip: order a matte finish on your cards so you can jot notes like "writes adult SF/F" on them to remind you of details.

2. During the conference, be friendly and interested in the people around you. If you're in line for food or waiting for a workshop to begin, start up a conversation with the person next to you. Ask them what they write. If you find someone who writes in a similar genre and your communication styles seem like a good match, don't be afraid to mention you're looking for critique partners.

3. If you're attending the conference with a spouse, best friend, or a whole group, make an effort to branch out. It's tempting to sit in the corner whispering with the person you know instead of meeting new people, but this is a golden opportunity that you don't want to waste. If you really want to force yourself out of your shell, sit apart from each other at mealtimes and talk to the people around you instead.

4. Sometimes the best connections are formed after conference hours, since most conference days end in the early evening. Networking is a lot like dating--if you feel like you're making a connection with someone, suggest you continue the conversation over dinner or drinks.

I'm off to the Midwest Writer's Workshop this Thursday for the second year in a row, so I'll get to put my own conference survival tips to work. Maybe I'll see some of you there!

Writer's Conference Survival Guide Part 2: Conference Etiquette

This week's conference survival topic is etiquette.

As I discussed in the first post of this series on overcoming nerves, going to a conference can be terrifying because of the ever-persistant thought that what you do or say might make or break the rest of your career. While this is probably not true, you do want to make a good impression. Don't be memorable in the worst way possible--as the person who thought the rules didn't apply to him or her.

Which brings us to the first tip.

1. Follow the rules. If the conference organizers ask you to arrive fifteen minutes early for your workshops, or to dress in business casual attire, or to leave your stock of self-published books at home, follow their instructions. It's common courtesy, and I guarantee you will incur the wrath of people who carefully followed the rules to the letter if you think you're the only one exempt.

2. Remember that agents and editors are people too. My friend did a great blog post on this subject, complete with many excellent GIFs. Keep the golden rule in mind: would you want pushy people trying to sell you something while you were in the bathroom, or interrupting a conversation with a friend to thrust a manuscript into your hands?

While many agents don't mind hearing your pitch outside of officially scheduled pitch sessions, use common sense to decide when it's an appropriate time. While hanging out at meals is generally acceptable, or maybe after a workshop session. It's always a good idea to ask first, though. Leading with, "Do you mind if I tell you about my book?" never hurts.

3. Be prepared. Think of the conference like a job interview. You'll make a better impression if you come prepared. Do some research on the agents, editors, and presenters who will be at the conference to determine if they'd be a good fit for your work. There's not much worse than giving your whole spiel to an industry professional only to hear something like, "Sounds great, but I don't represent adult books."

4. Use common courtesy. Here I'm talking about the basics. Turn off your cell phone when you're in a workshop or pitch session. Arrive on time for your appointments. Don't chew a snack noisily while someone is presenting. Don't interrupt if other people are talking, or monopolize the conversation if you're in a group setting. Don't corner agents or editors in a confined space like an elevator. No stalking!

Most of those may seem pretty obvious... but truthfully, I've seen ALL of those faux pas at the handful of conferences I've attended, so maybe it doesn't hurt to point them out.

Next week, I'll be talking about another important aspect of conferences: networking!

Conference Survival Guide Part 1: Dealing with Nerves

Hello lovely readers! I hope the summer is treating you well, and that you're getting a lot of writing/editing/planning done.

Summer might be a slower time for the publishing industry as a whole, but it also means conference season is getting into full swing. Conferences can be a lot of time and work, but they can also be amazing springboards for your writing career.

I also attend conferences and trade shows for my career as a knitting pattern designer--in fact, I just got back from one last week. My husband and I are also gearing up to attending the Midwest Writer's Workshop at the end of this month. Inspired by this, I thought I'd do a series of conference survival tips.

This week's topic is dealing with nerves.

I'm going to start with the obvious. Going to conferences is scary. First of all, you have to meet dozens, sometimes hundreds, of new people. Many writers are introverts by nature, so the idea of making conversation with that many people can be terrifying. Add to this the persistent worry that your entire career might depend on what you say or do at the conference, and you've got a nice panic attack waiting to happen.

My advice?

Fake it.

You can be quaking in your shoes, but the truth is, it doesn't matter as long as you don't act like it. I've heard conference attendees stammer through apologies for being so nervous and seen them actually cover their face with their hands. One lady actually stopped in the middle of speaking and told all of us she needed a moment to take some deep breaths to calm her nerves. The truth is, I wouldn't have known any of those people were even close to that level of nervousness if they hadn't come right out and told us.

Faking confidence is hard, but it works. I've had people compliment me on how relaxed I seemed--when internally I was this close to running screaming from the room. Keep the focus on appearing confident and unconcerned, and I guarantee you'll fool almost anyone.

A few tips: do try taking deep breaths (but not during a speech, please!). Agent Gemma Cooper wrote a fantastic blog post with some excellent tips for conquering nerves that's well worth a read. Most importantly, keep the goal in mind. Whether you're there to pitch your work to an agent or editor, network with other writers, learn from workshops, or all of the above, focusing on the end goal can make all the difference.