GENREALITY

Excerpt from The Writers Conference Guide:  Getting The Most of Your Time and Money

While we stress the importance of not making the entire conference about your pitch, we also understand that it’s a big reason why you are going to a conference is the opportunity to get your work in front of editors and agents. Before we get into some techniques of pitching, lets take a look at an example Bob uses during his Write It Forward Presentation.

Pitching the Johnny Cash Way

When Bob teaches Write It Forward the first film clip he shows is from the movie Walk The Line (click to watch on Youtube).  Here’s the dialogue below and an adapted excerpt from his book Write It Forward.  It’s the scene where Johnny Cash has a one-on-one with a producer (agent) and is, in essence pitching.  Here is the dialogue, with Bob’s comments in bold parentheses:

Johnny Cash singing a cover of an old gospel song—within 15 seconds he is halted:

Producer (read agent): Hold on. Hold on. I hate to interrupt… but do you guys got something else? I ‘m sorry. I can’t market gospel (read generic vampire novel, clichéd thriller, whatever). No more.

Johnny Cash: So that’s it?

Producer: I don’t record material (rep a book) that doesn’t sell, Mr. Cash… and gospel (a book like that) like that doesn’t sell.

Johnny Cash: Was it the gospel or the way I sing it? (was it the book or the writing?)

Producer: Both.

Johnny Cash: Well, what’s wrong with the way I sing it?

Producer: I don’t believe you.

Johnny Cash: You saying I don’t believe in God?

Bandmate: J.R., come on, let’s go.

Johnny Cash: No. I want to understand. I mean, we come down here, we play for a minute… and he tells me I don’t believe in God.

Producer: We’ve already heard that song a hundred times… just like that, just like how you sang  it.

Johnny Cash: Well, you didn’t let us bring it home. (you didn’t get to my hook, climactic scene, whatever)

Producer: Bring… bring it home? All right, let’s bring it home. If you was hit by a truck and you were lying out in that gutter dying… and you had time to sing one song (write one book), huh, one song… people would remember before you’re dirt… one song that would let God know what you felt about your time here on earth… one song that would sum you up… you telling me that’s the song you’d sing? That same Jimmie Davis tune we hear on the radio all day? About your peace within and how it’s real and how you’re gonna shout it? Or would you sing something different? Something real, something you felt? Because I’m telling you right now… that’s the kind of song people want to hear. That’s the kind of song that truly saves people. It ain’t got nothing to do with believing in God, Mr. Cash. It has to do with believing in yourself.

Johnny Cash: Well, I’ve got a couple songs I wrote in the Air Force. You got anything against the Air Force?

Producer: No.

Johnny Cash: I do.

Bandmate: J.R., whatever you’re about to play… we ain’t never heard it.

Within fifteen seconds of singing the song he wrote, the producer knows he is looking at a star.

What did Johnny Cash do right in his pitch?

He Tried

We hear the scary statistics all the time about the slush pile and about the odds of successful self-publishing. You can’t let that stop you. There are people who won’t query because they’re afraid of rejection. In essence, they’ve just rejected themselves. We heard a very weird statistic: 90% of people who have a one-on-one with an agent at a conference and get a request to send in their material, never do. There are many reasons for this, but the #1 barrier is fear. Why even do the one-on-one if you are never going to follow through?

He Overcame Fear

Johnny Cash walked in the door even though he was afraid. Bob’s Write It Forward book and program focuses on ways to overcome fear.

He went even though his wife didn’t think he had it. There is a scene earlier where he and his band-mates are on the porch playing and Cash’s wife storms off and locks herself in the bathroom. She tells him he’s wasting his time and he needs to get a ‘real job’. Some of us have heard the same thing, haven’t we?

He Didn’t Quit

He stayed after being rejected. Most people think rejection is the end. It’s actually a beginning. Use rejection as motivation. Rejection is an inevitable part of a writer’s life. He stayed. He got hit with a double rejection: not only was the song not good, his singing wasn’t good. How would you feel if someone told you not only was the book not good, your writing wasn’t either?

He Was Respectful

Even though he was angry, he was respectful. You never know where and when you will meet that agent or editor again.

He Questioned

He asked questions. We watch people pitch agents at conferences and few ask questions. They’re so focused on pitching, they aren’t using the time as a valuable learning experience. When Cash asked what was wrong, he got a response that allowed him to focus.

He Listened

Earlier this year Bob got some a rejections on a manuscript. Looking back, he remembered his agent making a comment when Bob was first talking about the idea. Bob didn’t listen carefully enough to what she was really saying, because in retrospect, what every editor said in the rejection letter was what she had said two years ago.  Listening for the real message is a key skill successful people have.

He Mined His Platform

Cash used his PLATFORM and tried again. We’re always hearing the buzzword Platform. A lot of people feel they don’t have one. You do. If you watch the movie, note the look on Cash’s face when he’s singing the gospel song about his “Peace Within”. He’s not peaceful. He’s angry. That’s his character arc in the movie: finding peace within. So when he finally sings the song he wrote, he’s singing an angry song. Because his platform right then is anger: over the death of his brother; the fact his father blamed him for it; and he hated his time in the Air Force, being away from his girlfriend (and losing her). Basically, he used his real self and mined his emotions. That’s your platform.

He conquered his FEAR. He not only walked in, he stayed, he succeeded.

He CHANGED. He walked in with one plan, but when it didn’t work, he quickly changed that plan.

Bottom Line

Remember that the agent and editor is just a person like you.  They’re pretty much numbed out from hearing dozens of pitches.  Understand their point of view.  Give them something interesting.  Have a dialogue.  Don’t be nervous.  It’s a conversation, not the end of the world.

Also, being very honest here, most of them tell everyone they talk to, to send in a submission.  Several reasons for that.  One is the 10% factor mentioned earlier.  Another is they don’t want people to get upset with them with an outright, face to face rejection.  So you’ll get the chance, usually, to send your material.  Focus on making a personal connection.

From The Writers Conference Guide: Getting The Most of Your Time & Money

Make sure your travel plans are set and you have copies of everything.  Again, a checklist helps.  We have a packing checklist at the end of this section.

Make sure you know how you are getting from the airport to the conference.  If the conference has a venue away from the hotel you will be staying at, coordinate transportation.  Again, conferences often have boards or loops where you can find others in the same situation. This is another great way to begin the networking experience. Remember, you never know who is going to help you move your career along…or how you can help them.

Going down the list of speakers, pick the primary ones you’d like to meet and network with.  Read some of their books so you can approach with a question about them, rather than pitching yourself.  Often, you’ll be surprised to learn that you’ll know more about their book than they remember.  Authors are usually focused on the book they’re writing, not the ones they’ve written.  Such as an approach shows a level of professionalism that most people don’t achieve.

Print out beforehand the list of presenters with their photos.  Even though people wear nametags, it’s good to have this handy.  Highlight the people you’d like to talk to.  One thing you can do is print out the bios and pictures, then cut them up and then scan/copy them on your home printer in a more condensed version, focusing on those you want to emphasize.  Go to their web pages and note their bios.  Google them.  Know more about them than is in the conference handout.  Know where they just were and where they might be going to next.  Do they have pets?  Hobbies?  All of these can be ice-breakers in starting a conversation.

If you’ve participated on social media with other people going to the same conference, make a plan for a time and a place to physically meet these people and get to know each other better.

Volunteer.  This is the best way to get out and meet other attendees. Most conferences need lots of volunteers to run the conference.  Being a volunteer is a great way to get on the inside and meet some of the presenters, editors and agents.  You might also get a discount on registration.  If you have a car, volunteer to pick up and drop off presenters at the airport.  It might seem like a pain, but it’s a great way to get some face time with them.

Workshop Selection

First, focus on the presenter, more than the topic.  Does the presenter have something you want?  This is why we lean toward going to workshops presented by a writer, not an agent or editor.  Not to say they don’t have something to offer, and if you’ve never listened to agents or editors speak before, it’s worthwhile to hear their spiel at least once.

Don’t get caught up in the ‘big name’ speakers.  Often their sessions are crowded.  By attending workshops where there are less people, you can have more interaction with the presenter.  Also, as mentioned before, big names might not have the time, while other presenters might be more approachable.

Don’t attend workshops where the material has no application unless it just interests you.  Terry Brooks did a workshop on how he wrote Phantom Menace at the Maui Writers conference.  You have to ask what application such a workshop has to a wanna-be writer unless they’re simply attending because they love Star Wars.

You should attend at least one agent/editor panel just to see how they discuss ‘standards’ and how they view publishing. However, we have found that the workshops where editors and agents are paired with the writers they work with offer a lot more about the publishing process than agent/editor panels. Often these types of workshop topics are about the editor/agent/author relationship while the panels are more about how to and what to query. One interesting side note, many of the author/agent/editor workshops will tell the story of how they came to work together, often sharing that the rules editors and agents set forth about submissions during the panels sessions were broken.

Balance out going to craft and going to business workshops.  Of course, this all depends on your goal for the conference.  If it’s focused on the writing, then you’ll do a lot of craft.  If it’s focused on selling and publishing, then it will be those.  Many new writers, though, focus too much on trying to sell and not enough on learning to write better.

Even with the changes in the publishing climate, we still see a disturbing trend.  Aspiring authors rush through the doors by the hundreds if there is an Agent Panel, while the published author who is teaching, let’s say, Developing Effective Characters, asks the five attendees to pull their chairs in a circle and do a group hug for support.

Attendees sweat over their ten-minute pitches to editors and agents, but don’t focus on craft workshops. They’ll sit in their room in the evening agonizing over their pitch, instead of socializing and networking.

Ever hear of the cart before the horse?

Reality check

The odds of finding an agent who will sign you or an editor who will buy your manuscript at a conference are low.  Very low.  Despite that, agents would love to find that gem in the rough and every once in a while it does happen.

But you have to have a gem FIRST.

Be honest with yourself (a tenet of Write It Forward).  How many of you have spent thousands of dollars going to conferences, pitching, networking, marketing yourself on social media, and still haven’t gotten published?  But you haven’t spent that much effort on LEARNING to become a better writer.  You keep rewriting the same manuscript, or even write new ones (pretty much a new version of the old one craft-wise), but you’re basically moving deck chairs around on the Titanic.

There are even people who go to conferences and pitch an IDEA, thinking if the agent is interested they can go home and knock the book out in six weeks.  Agents do NOT want to hear that for fiction.

Others think that the editor will probably want changes or make suggestions and clean the book up for them so why bother cleaning it up themselves? NOT.

Ever go to a museum and see students sketching the successful painters hanging on the walls?  Writers need to do this too.  Not only go to craft workshops, but study craft every day.  How?  Read.  Analyze.  Watch movies.  Analyze.  Shows.  Analyze.  Everything in them is done for a purpose.  We are always shocked when we ask audiences how many have read X book or watched Y series or seen Z movie and no one raises their hand.  Learn from the experts.

Now, we’re going to be very blunt and honest, a trait those who have attended Bob’s workshops can attest to:  In Who Dares Wins: The Green Beret Way to Conquer Fear & Succeed, he teaches a thing called the 5% rule.  5% of people are willing to achieve internally motivated change.  This is statistically born out in a number of different fields from getting published to becoming a Green Beret to getting a black belt in martial arts.  If you aren’t where you want to be YOU have to change.  Bob has had people pitch the same thing to him ten times, supposing, he guesses, that eventually he would change and see the brilliance in it.  Teaching writing, we have seen only about 5% of aspiring writers actually truly learn craft and change.  But when they do, it’s amazing how much better they get.

Bob has had workshop attendees who have gone on to become NY Times bestsellers, multi-published, and very successful as writers.  Not because he was a great teacher, but because they were great students who were willing to learn and CHANGE.

We could go on about this for a long time.  In fact, this is what Bob does in his Write It Forward Workshop, which is all about the author.  Learning the mindset and habits of a successful author.  And learning how to CHANGE.  Change is not just thinking differently.  It’s not just making a decision.  It’s SUSTAINED ACTION.

Bottom line for most conference attendees—focus on craft.

Conference Worksheet

Being organized at the conference can save you time and energy when time and energy are limited. Now that you know your goals, have researched various conferences, its time to fill out your conference worksheet.

Some of this is repetitive, but we have found the more we write out goals and align them with our efforts the more successful we become. They key is to know what you are doing and why you are doing it.

What is my overall strategic writing goal:

What are my conference goals:

List of workshops I want to attend:

List of presenters I want to meet:

Where are the conflicts between workshops and presenters?

Cheat Sheet of social media friends I know but have not met:

Tentative Schedule:

From The Writers Conference Guide:  Getting The Most Of Your Time & Money

Every conference is a little different and every writer is going to approach their conference strategies from a different perspective based on their personal goals. The quality of your conference experience is in your hands, not the speakers, conference organizers, or other attendees. It’s important to go into each conference with a positive attitude and an open mind. Understand that your needs, desires and expectations will be different from every other professional attending the conference.

Expect to be Overwhelmed

No matter how well you planned and prepared for the conference, the moment you step foot into the conference center or hotel, the energy transmitted by that many creative souls is powerful and overwhelming. Make sure you have a plan on how to overcome this feeling. Slow your walking pace down and breathe deeply. This will help to calm you and gives you a chance to absorb the atmosphere.

You will need to go to the registration desk and sign in when you first arrive. The lobby is generally packed with other writers. The excitement is palpable. It can also be intimidating to the newbie conference goer.  Understand everyone else there is feeling or has felt exactly the same way.

The best way to combat this feeling is to take things slowly. Don’t rush the registration process. If you’re concerned about the information you are getting, or don’t understand the process for editor and agent appointments, or anything else, ask. That is what the volunteers are there for. Also, remember volunteers do so that they can meet other writers. They really want to help you.

Expect to Feel out of place

This seems like an odd expectation when you will be in the company of other writers, but often we all feel like a fish out of water when we are either stepping outside of our comfort zone (being social when we are introverted) or doing something new for the very first time. This is normal and will soon fade away the moment you say hello to the person either standing in front of you or behind you in line at the Registration desk.

Again, remember to breathe and to take things slowly. The best thing you can do is linger in the lobby for a while. Make a new friend. Sit down in one of the chairs and go through your packet.  The only way to feel comfortable is to stay in the environment. Eventually, you will feel right at home.

Expect to be Both Energized and Exhausted

Extroverted people tend to get their energy from crowds. Introverted people tend to be exhausted by crowds. If you’re an extrovert, you will assimilate into this environment quickly. If you’re an introvert, it’s important to push yourself to say hello to every conference person you sit or stand next to. You’ll be amazed at how invigorating this can be once you get used to it. A major part of conferences is networking with other authors. You can’t do this if you don’t put out the effort.

In order to help with the exhaustion, drink plenty of water. Often we aren’t as tired as we think, but are dehydrated.

If you’re pitching, really try not to focus on the pitch. Stress won’t help with the feelings of exhaustion and being overwhelmed. We discuss pitching the next section, but editors and agents are people just like you and they are there for one reason…to hear about your story. The more relaxed you are, the more energy you will have, the better the experience.

Expect to Learn

A big mistake many writers make is to focus on the editor or agent pitch and not the valuable information you can get from a conference. While networking is crucial, attending the workshops helps make for an invaluable experience. We’ve often see writers not attend workshops. They either spend all their time in their room writing or in the hallways practicing their pitches or just hanging out with friends. All of these aspects are important, but you’re missing out a wealth of information that could give help you move your career to the next level.

Later we’ll discuss how to pick the workshops you’ll attend, but it’s important to attend them, both craft and industry. The conference isn’t all about pitching, or all about networking, but a combination of elements that make up your future as a professional author. The moment you begin to think there is nothing left for you to learn is the moment your career and your writing become stagnant.

Every workshop is a chance to learn. A chance to meet someone who either you can help, or can help you. And it’s an opportunity to make long term connections.

Expect to be Disappointed

But then turn it around. How many times have you attended a class or workshop only to be disappointed it wasn’t what you expected? Before you get up and leave, try to change your mindset. You expected A, but your getting B. Can B help you? And did you say hello to the person sitting next to you? Sometimes our expectations get in the way of having a great conference experience. We need to learn to adapt and change to our surroundings in order to get the most out of it. When you’re feeling disappointed in a workshop, ask yourself what it is that is really bothering you. Often it is those things we need to focus on.

Sometimes we hear one simple sentence and it changes our world. Be open to new and different ways of looking at things. Focus on what the speaker is saying, not what you wanted to hear. The hardest part about being disappointed is often it isn’t because of the speaker or topic, but because of our own preconceived notions.

Perhaps the best thing to do when walking into a workshop is to have no expectations and open your mind to something new. However, if in the end, the workshop just doesn’t get any better, and there was another one at the same time you had been contemplating going to, it is okay to sneak out and into the other workshop.

Expect to be Confused

We’ve often gone to one workshop and then an hour later go to one where the information given is in conflict with what we just heard. Whether this be in a craft workshop or an industry workshop it is often a source of stress for the new writer or newly published author. Whom do you believe? It’s difficult to decide right then and there when perhaps both make sense.

We suggest you take notes during every workshop. Put a check mark next to those things that make you feel strongly one way or the other. If you are hearing conflicting information, write down the opposing points of view. Ask for clarification, without being snarky. You don’t have to say so and so said this and now you’re saying that.

You can also use the conflicting information as a way to strike up conversations with other writers either at the conference, or back home, as long as it is done positively and isn’t putting down the speaker.

When it comes to craft workshops, every writer has his or her own process. Some are plot driven, others character driven. There are plotters and there are pantsers. There really is no right or wrong way to write a book. There is also no right or wrong way to get published, to promote, or anything in between. Your path as a writer is different from everyone else’s. What works for one writer in promotion might not fit your niche or even your goals. Hearing two different points of view can help you understand your path, your goals, your needs and ultimately lead you down the path of success.

Expect the Big Name Speakers to be Busy

At every major conference, there are the big name speakers, keynote presenters and NY Times Best-Selling Authors that are the “draw”. While we are often star stuck by those writers we aspire to be like, many other writers wanting to get their picture taken, etc often surround them. These presenters enjoy being at the conference and appreciate you taking the time to be there, listen to them, support them and they in return enjoy sharing their experience and expertise, through their keynote or workshop, but remember their goals for being at the conference are probably very different. There is a very good chance they are on deadline and must finish the book.

We recommend to you that once you leave your room, you are not allowed to go back and hide, or even write. You are there to meet other writers, take workshops, and socialize with industry professionals, so why does networking with the big names seem a bit different?

Our perspective is that there is a wealth of experience at conferences and the newly published author is the next best-seller. We’re not suggesting ignoring the bigger names, what we are saying is there is talent all around you. Take advantage of the fountain of knowledge that you are being presented with. Don’t think a workshop given by a new author on promotion has nothing to offer you. If you want to know about promotion, hearing how a newly published author does it over an author who has the backing and powerhouse of a marketing team from a major publisher might be a better fit. Hearing how to revise from someone who just went through their first revision for their first contact might be a better fit than someone who can do it in their sleep.

Expect to Make Connections

Not all writers are introverts, but many of us are, therefore we tend to keep to ourselves. If we go in with the mindset that we are there to network and meet other authors, editors and agents, then often we will. The conference is about the business of writing on all levels. You are a part of that business. Make yourself known.

The key with making connections is the follow up after the conference.

Expect to Have a Good Conference

Attitude is everything. If you walk into a conference thinking it’s going to suck, then it will suck. Have a positive attitude and present yourself positively. A good vibe from a person goes a long way. Make yourself available. Do everything in your power to meet all of your conference goals.

In the end, the conference is about you and your career. These are basic expectations and as you become a conference expert, your expectations will grow and change as you grow and change. It is good to write out expectations before you go to the conference with the understanding that the overall experience is totally up to you.

Expect to Have a Good Time

Attitude is everything.  It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Excerpt from The Writers Conference Guide: Getting The Most Of Your Time & Money

Types of writer events

Finding the right conference can be a daunting task, especially for the new writer. The key is two-fold: first, where you are in your career and second, what is your overall strategic goal?

Before you go looking at conferences you must remember what you want to achieve from attending the conference. Are you looking to better your writing? Find an agent? Or expand your network? It is important to understand the differences between conferences, conventions, workshops, retreats, critique groups and brainstorming groups.

Conference

A gathering where writers, agents, editors and publishing industry professionals present workshops.  Many conferences also give you the opportunity to sign up for one-on-one short meetings (from 3 to 20 minutes) with agents and editors.  Conferences range from approximately 50 people to over 1000. Conference coordinators typically try to attract both unpublished and published authors by offering workshops in varying levels of craft and industry. Some conferences have specific Published Author’s only workshops and retreats. Most of these workshops are about the business side of publishing.

It’s key for authors to connect with agents and editors. It’s key for agents and editors to connect with potential new talent. Conferences help bring the publishing industry, from new writer, to published author, to editors and agents and publishers together under one roof. The bottom line for most writer organizations is to help the ranks of the unpublished to enter the ranks of the published, which means attracting the publishing industry professionals aspiring authors need to network with.

Convention

These are usually geared more toward fans.  almost every weekend there is a science fiction convention somewhere in the United States.  Romantic Times is an annual conference for readers of romance.  There are usually mixtures of business and craft workshops at these events. Conventions help connect the avid reader to authors. The feel of a convention is much different from the atmosphere of a conference. Since the purpose has less to do with getting authors published and more to do with readers meeting writers, often the dress is entirely different. We often see more of the outrageous attire at conventions such as Romantic Times, Dragon Con or Comic-Con. Most attendees are die-hard fans, and though some have a desire to write, they are generally there to meet their favorite author.

Conventions do have author workshop tracks regarding craft and the promoting aspect of the business, but the over all feel is less business and more mingling between fans and authors.

Workshops/MiniConferences

Run by a group or individual, a workshop is where a professional in the industry leads a small group of writers, focusing on their works in progress or a particular subject matter on which they are experts. These are great for those who want to focus on the specific topic of the speaker, whether it be craft, industry or a combination of both. While networking occurs, the main purpose is usually education.

Retreats

A retreat is an event or place where a writer can go and work, usually cut off from the usual distractions, in the company of other writers. The purpose for those attending is usually a week away from life’s distractions. However, often retreat participants get together in the evening hours for critiques, or to talk craft or business. Many times, writers view such events as a published-only retreat, but that doesn’t have to be the case. If you need the occasional time away from your routine to finish a book so you can begin to market it, this just might be the place for you. Also, since it’s generally a small group, it does still lend itself as an opportunity in networking.

The Right Writer’s Conference For You

The number one source to find listings of almost every writers’ conference is Shawguides.

The listings in Shawguides allow you to break down your search by country, state, or type of book.  The listing will give you basic information about a conference, and there is usually a link directly to the conference web site.

The way a conference is listed in Shawguides is a good window into the variables you should be looking at.

Year established

This can give you an idea of longevity.  Remember, though, that new conferences are popping up to take advantage of digital publishing and self-publishing. The last several years have seen a lot of upheaval in conferences due to the economy.  The Maui Writers’ Conference, which was considered the premier conference for many years, is now defunct.  The Santa Barbara Writers Conference changed owners.  EPICon (Electronically Published Internet Connection Conference) is a good example of a relatively new conference that appears to be thriving as it caters to the epublished author.

Program description

This gives you an overview of what the conferences is about. Generally speaking, each year every conference has a theme and often times they cater to that theme via specific workshops and presenters. Note if the listing says editor and agent appointments are available.  That’s usually a big selling point for conferences so they normally make sure to announce it.  Notice the conference example we used is for both writers and readers, so it’s straddling the line between a conference and a convention, which is rare.

Program length

Most conferences run over a weekend.  Sometimes a conference will offer a pre-conference workshop.  Bob has done both his Write It Forward and Novel Writing Presentation for a half or full day before the normal start of various conferences and drawn upwards of 500 people.  Some conferences are just one day long.  One thing to consider about a conference that’s only one day is the lack of socializing and networking opportunities as people arrive and leave on the same day.

Group size

Two hundred is a good-sized conference.  At the height of the Maui conference, they topped a thousand attendees.  Small conferences can draw less than a hundred people.  The large conferences will tend to have “big name” speakers, people who are well known and have name recognition.  The problem with this is accessibility to the presenters.  Smaller conferences might not have the big names, but they’ll tend to offer more open formats, with more access to presenters.

Program focus

This will tell you if they’re going to cover your area.  At the fundamental level, there are two types of writers conferences:  genre and literary.  And rarely do the two meet.  Genre conferences usually focus on craft and the business of publishing.  Literary focus on ‘art’ and rarely have a business focus.  You can tell a lot about the focus of the conference by looking at who the presenters are.

Faculty

We have found this a key consideration for the unpublished author. Look at all the presenters listed. Are the presenters people who teach something you need to learn? Have they achieved what you want to achieve? During your goal setting, you should look at authors who write the type of book and have the type of career you would like to have.  Go to those authors’ web sites and check their schedule.  Most will list what conferences they are going to present at or have presented at.  Go to conferences where the majority of the authors presenting are published in the type of writing you’re targeting.

If one of your goals is to pitch to editors and agents, go through the list of those attending, find out what they rep and who they rep. We’ll discuss pitching in depth later, but knowing who the agents and editors are ahead of time gives you the opportunity to prepare for the one-on-one pitch as well as chance meetings.

This is where clearly defining your goals will help you make the best decision possible. Ask yourself what is the one most important goal you want to achieve by attending the conference and how does that align with your overall career goal. Some writers go to conferences with no desire to pitch. It’s not they weren’t career minded, or didn’t want to enter the ranks of the published, but their goals at that current moment did not include pitching.

Cost

A conference can get expensive, but a well planned out conference will be worth the time and money. There a lot of things to consider when looking at conference costs and picking one over the other. Again, its important to have your goals right in front of you when you do a cost analysis between possible conference choices.  In the book we list all the things you have to consider for cost- it’s rather a long list.

You can help defray some costs.  Often large conferences have on-line bulletin boards where you can find a roommate or two and split the room fee.  Traveling with people from your local writing group can also help, but remember to not hang with the same people from home for the entire conference.  You can see them any time.  We’ll discuss this more under How to Socialize.

Location

This lets you know how far you will have to travel.  Additionally, a factor to consider is whether the conference is being held at the same hotel you’ll be staying in.  Conferences that are held in locales like libraries or other venues where you can’t get a room to stay are weak for networking.  As we’ll discuss in How to Socialize, networking is as important, if not more important, than the actual workshops you’re paying money to attend.

Month/Time of Year

There are several things to consider here.  First, of course, is if you can go on the days the conference is scheduled.  Also consider location and weather.  There are two sides to that.  Maui was a big draw because a trip to Maui was a big draw for presenters.  On the flip side, a conference held in South Dakota in February can run the possibility of weather problems.

You also can consider combining a conference with a family trip, but the danger of that is that you’ll be disappearing for long stretches of time and will be exhausted when you rejoin your family.

Scheduling

When a conference has a schedule where workshops are less than fifty minutes long, we’re not a fan.  All our workshops need at least that much time and the presenters we’ve met over the years generally agree.

Does the conference have too many workshops scheduled competing with each other? That’s a good news/bad news situation.  Too many workshops mean there might be less people in each, giving you opportunity to talk to the presenters.  But it also means that if too many are at the same time, you’ll miss some you want to attend. Then the question is:  are they recording workshops and will those downloads/CDs be for sale?  At some conferences you can get every single workshop on CD.  Also consider, though, that if the presenter is using Powerpoint, you’ll be missing a key part of the presentation.

However, this is also a good opportunity to talk with other writers about workshops. You can compare notes with other writers who attended the workshops you missed. You can ask your chapter-mates, critique partners or even new writers you just met to get you conference handouts of those workshops you missed and you can do the same for them.

On the flip side, if there are too few workshops to choose from and those authors aren’t teaching something you want to learn, the conference might not be worth your time and money. It is important to ask yourself: do the workshop choices and presenters meet my needs and are they aligned with my goals?

Another thing to consider is time scheduled for formal socializing?  Does the conference have meals where people sit at tables according to genre, or are presenters encouraged to sit at tables where they mingle with the participants? Often conferences put presenters, keynotes, editors and agents at separate tables. When we present at conferences we prefer to mingle with all attendees, not just presenters. It gives us an opportunity to talk to writers, find out what they expect, are experiencing and also we learn from them as well. You never know who you are going to be sitting next to.

Who Runs the Conference?

Is it a writing group?  A continuing education department at a college?  A literary magazine?  Keep in mind that the group putting on the conference is going to determine the tenor of the workshops and the entire conference.

Keynoter Speakers

Some conferences bring in big name keynoters such as Nora Roberts, Lee Child or Jeffery Deaver.  Understand that access to these people will be limited.  Often, you won’t see much of the keynote speakers other than during their workshops, keynotes or panels.  Not that they aren’t sociable, but many have to also do their day job, write, while at the conference.  Also, often some of those keynoters might not have much to say that can help the novice writer when it comes current conditions on how to get published.

Other Presenters

This is one area that often goes un-noticed by conference attendees. As mentioned above, the big name authors might not have the time to socialize with the new writer for various reasons, but the newly published author might. When looking at the conference schedule, take the time to find out more about the other presenters. What do they write? Who is their agent? Where are they published? What are they teaching? These presenters are often full of great craft and industry information that can help you in your career.

While we don’t recommend approaching a speaker before their workshop, we do recommend thanking the speaker when their lecture is over if you don’t have to rush off to another workshop. It might be a good idea to wait in the hallway as the volunteers will be getting the room ready for the next presenter. If the opportunity to thank the speaker doesn’t present itself right after, try to do it during a scheduled social event. As presenters, we love to hear that our lecture was helpful in some way. Also, this is a good ice-breaker to start conversations. Writers love to talk industry and craft and share their publishing lessons with others.

Find Recommendations

Google a conference you are considering going to and look for blogs or other comments from past presenters and attendees. This is one of the best sources to find out what the conference is actually like and how it’s run.

Looping back to the first section, the most important factor in picking a conference is your goal.  What do you want to achieve?  Is your focus on learning the craft of writing?  Learning about the publishing business?  Which part of publishing:  traditional or non-traditional?  Is it networking?  Is it trying to find an agent?  Is it about helping to build your platform?

Do you plan on attending a writers conference in 2012?  Do you have a plan?

The excerpt below is from our Guide to Writers’ Conference: How to Get the Most Out of Your Time & Money, but it’s also a version of what’s in Write It Forward.

Strategy First: Know Your Goals

Understand Why You’re Going

The first thing you have to do, even before you look for a writing conference, is know what you want to achieve both with your writing and with your conference experience.  Every decision you make before, during and after the conference depends on what goals you set.

Let’s talk first about your strategic writing goal. It can be anything, but it’s important that you lock it down in one sentence. Here are some broad examples:

• I will be a NY Times best-selling thriller author in five years.
• I will write my memoir for my grandchildren in the next three months.
• I write part-time simply because it is a hobby and spend an hour a day on it.
• I want to be published within 2 years by a major, traditional press.
• I will have my book in print within 2 months via self-publishing.
• I will write a book that will help people with —– and spend the next three years using it to bolster and complement my speaking career.

The Importance of Your Strategic Goal:

• It starts your creative and practical process.
• It determines your supporting goals.
• Remembering it keeps you focused.
• It is the core of your work regime.
• It is the core of your marketing campaign.
• It determines what conference(s) you will attend and how you will plan for them.
• All supporting goals must align with it in the hierarchy.

Supporting Goals

Your supporting goals are designed to help you achieve your overall strategic goal. Thus, everyone’s path will be different based on having different strategic goals. What conference you pick to attend, what workshops you will go to, how you will socialize and network, who and how you will pitch, etc. all will be shaped by your goals.  Each of those decisions are based on the supporting goals for each one.

Everything is filtered through your specific strategic goal. When you go to a writers’ conference, everything you hear is also filtered through your strategic goal.  So two people attending the same session are going to walk out with two different impressions, each filtered through their point of view, which is shaped by their strategic goal.

When you state your goals, they should be done in one sentence. The sentence should have a positive verb that indicates the action you’ll want to use to achieve your goal. The verb must indicate an action you control—to an extent. In publishing, you control the writing and the way you approach the business. Beyond that, the publishing gods are fickle. I will become a NY Times Bestselling author in five years seems a bit lofty. But here’s the bottom line: if that’s what you want to achieve, then state it. And then develop a plan to do it. This greatly increases your odds of achieving the goal than the hit-or-miss method.  Studies have shown the #1 key to success is setting a long-term strategic goal and doing whatever it takes in order to achieve it.  Once you have that strategic goal, it determines everything you do, because everything you do has to support that goal.

Your goal should have an external, visible outcome. Just as in your novel your character’s goal should be something concrete and external, so should yours.

You should have a time lock for achieving the goal, unless time is of no consequence to you. For most of us, time is the most valuable asset we have.

We can guarantee you one thing:  if you don’t state your goal and strive for it, you are guaranteed never to achieve it.

Write goals out.  Post them where you can see them every day.  Put your conference goal on the inside of your notebook where you can see it every time you open it up to take notes.

What do you fear doing? (Often this is exactly what we must do). We have often found that many writers are afraid of writing about the things closest to them. Which means they are afraid to write their passion. Most writers are introverts, so going to a conference is against our instincts. Socializing is difficult for us and we don’t like crowds.  We know many writers who go to conferences and hide in their rooms, rather than attending sessions.

Questions to ask Yourself

They key to answering these questions is the ability to do so in one sentence. This is important because it forces you to focus on what you really want.

• What do I want to do?
• Why do I want to do it?
• Why should anyone else want to do it? (History & Research)
• What is the most important thing I want to achieve?
• How will I know when I have achieved my goal? What will have happened?
• How have others defined it?
• How long did it take others to achieve this goal?
• What was your original goal when you began writing?  The good news is you had one. The bad news is you might well have forgotten it.  That original goal is key. It’s usually the spark of inspiration.  It is the foundation of you as a writer, the seed, from which all else comes. It is your Strategic Goal.

Strategic and Supporting Goals Worksheet

My strategic writing goal is:

My tactical writing goal regarding mode of publication is:

My tactical business goal/priority regarding agents is:

My tactical business goal/priority regarding editors is:

My tactical business goal/priority of attending conference is:

My tactical goal regarding priority of workshops is:

List all the things you intend to do to help ensure your goals are met:

I’ll be continuing these posts about writers conferences for the next couple of months.