I’ve had the fun of teaching at nearly 200 writers conferences over the years. In that time, I’ve noticed several common things that all writers face. Let’s explore a few tips that may help you survive at the next one you attend.
Relax
The most common mistake is viewing the conference as a make-it-or-break-it event. The stress folks place on themselves is palpable. I’ve had people so nervous to meet with me that they burst into tears before they can even begin to talk. (I don’t think I’m THAT hideous to look at!)
Better to plan on going multiple times, like you would to an extended college course. The first time observe the lay of the land and the language spoken there.
It Is a Safe Place to Fail
Where else can you practice your pitch with a professional? Where else can you get a first impression reaction from a professional? Fumbling your words, pitching in the wrong genre or to the wrong editor are not fatal mistakes. We have a number of clients whom we represent who failed over and over again–until finally figuring it out.
Use the opportunity to sit with an agent, an editor, or a freelancer and see how they react to your idea. Watch the body language. Listen to the voice for that crackle of excitement. Learn from the experience.
Beware of the False Positive
It is not fun to tell a writer that their idea won’t work and watch the light go out in their eyes. A terrible thing. Thus many editors or agents will give a word of encouragement, hopefully wrapped in an honest evaluation of the work at hand. Unfortunately, all the writer hears are the words “this is pretty good”; and they ignore everything after the word “but.”
However, when an editor or agent says, “I’d like to see it, please send it to me,” believe them. BUT do not take that as an “I’m only one step away from a book contract!” I’ve seen this reaction far too often. Put the positive response in the right perspective, and you will save yourself a lot of grief.
More than once I have overheard someone talking on their cell phone with a family member proclaiming, “This is my first conference, and [fill in name of major publisher here] wants my book! I can’t believe it!”
The editor or agent genuinely wants to look at your material but can’t fully evaluate it during a 15-minute conversation or in a hurried glance in a hallway between sessions. Back in the office, it will be judged against everything else already on their desk, as it should be. A fantastic proposal will survive every gauntlet, including this one.
I once had a person literally kneel by my chair at a conference banquet, pulling at my sleeve and desperately crying, “You absolutely must become my agent because that editor over there said they liked my story idea!” This person was overreacting to a cordial request, turning it into a false positive.
Follow Through
Don’t get me wrong. Your book has a much greater chance of being accepted if you do indeed send it to the requesting editor or agent than if you don’t. Surprised at this advice? You would be astounded at how many people never send us what we ask for.
And one little hint? If you do follow through, include your picture in the proposal in the bio section. It helps us remember which person we met and where. Earlier this year I received a query letter from an author who opened with “We met in 2017 where I pitched an earlier version of the attached story.” But there was no photo and no indication of where we met. I have to admit: I don’t remember that meeting.
Ultimately, try to enjoy yourself. The conference photo below (from 2014) is delightful as Randy Alcorn thinks he is hilarious. And Malcolm Guite wants to talk about his book! I am an innocent bystander.
Fun Fridays – June 9, 2023
Thanks, Steve, for showing your humanity! 🙂
Could you please recommend a few good conferences for non-fiction writers? I am having a hard time getting a sense of which are comsidered top in the industry.
Thanks in advance!
Great tips, but it’s not easy to relax. At my first conference, I had nailed down my choice of agents to you. You were 1st, 2nd, and 3rd on my list. But the traveling companion who came with me presented unexpected surprises and difficulties which, combined with the stress of being in a roomful of people, made it impossible for me to relax even though I left the conference before meeting you and went for a run in a nearby field.
The next writer’s event also was difficult. I was scheduled to meet with a publisher who had liked my online submission. I (usually a non-drinker) was drinking wine in my hotel room and downing ibuprofen to try to decrease the stress of the conference, the imminent death of my mother (she died the day after I returned), and the pain of a sinus headache. I presented some sort of blithering proposal and to my surprise the publisher wanted to read my novel. (About 6 months later the publisher declined my novel, for which I was grateful–it was in no shape to be published).
It has now been 2 years and I don’t know if I will attend anything other than a local writer’s conference again until I have all my novels written and edited to my satisfaction. But I have several things to add to your list. 1. Don’t travel with a stranger. 2. Don’t attend in the midst of major life events. 3. Find a close friend to accompany you so you are not completely alone. 4. Don’t feel compelled to attend every offering–give yourself time to rest and reflect.
What a fun post to start the week, Steve. Laughed aloud at the part where the author knelt and pleaded while tugging your sleeve. I never faced that situation back when I edited textbooks!
I underscore your encouragement to relax and enjoy the moment. Rarely does a 15-minute interview with an editor or agent seal anyone’s fate forever. 😉
I had to share this with my Mount Hermon Buddies.
What a great post, Steve. I grinned at the closing picture you posted. I’m SURE you’re the innocent bystander. 😉
My first conference was ACFW 2012. I learned a ton, pitched a story that wasn’t quite ready and was glad for the experience. I tried to attend every class I’d signed up for, and I came home tired! This past ACFW, I only made it through one entire class of all I signed up for, due to the timing of my appointments. I found it easier to pitch this past year, but I learned something about myself.
I tend to be the one who meets with an agent/editor and latches onto the negative/not-quite-positive and then focuses on that. This is the other extreme for what you shared, I believe. This is a discouraging way to leave a pitch appointment. What I discovered this past year is that, if I listen carefully—as you suggest—the people I meet with offer some solid suggestions for strengthening my story and my craft.
Remembering that agents and editors aren’t so different from me has helped me to relax a little more during my appointments.
I enjoyed this post. 🙂
I’m so glad you got to be my next door neighbor in 2012 Jeanne! Even if only for a few days! Getting to know you has been great fun!
I, too, tend to focus on that negative and have to force myself to find the positive. I had one agent one year [2012 I think, a notoriously difficult to impress agent from a different agency] tell me s/he wasn’t really interested though I could send it anyway if I wanted but the “writing is solid.” It took everything in me to focus on that part and not the “I’m not interested” part.
I’ve never broken down before a meeting with an editor/agent but I have after [and once during at the end of a long conference – this editor was incredibly gracious about it].
The “relax” part is so key, especially for those who’ve never been. I love ACFW’s first timers loop and orientation for that reason. It gives people a chance to get to know at least one other person before arriving. I met one of my very dearest friends in the whole world through the first timers loop in 2011. It’s why I volunteer to help Cara and the gang with it every year. The reminder to take a big deep breath and maybe a big hug can go a long, long way.
Fun blog that also helps to put a mind at ease when preparing for the next conference. Thank you!
I’ve really got nothing to pitch,
there is no book to sell.
Can’t write my way out of a ditch,
so it may be just as well
that a conference is not in store,
for it would be a waste,
but perhaps I need not shut that door
with such unseemly haste
for it would be a chance to place
a face with every well-loved name,
and voices with the words of grace
that I’ve found each time I came
to this virtual community,
where hopes and dreams can come to be.
We *will* be meeting at the heavenly conference one of these days, Andrew, and we will all be totally relaxed!
Right, Karen?? I’m so looking forward to it! In God’s time, of course.
God’s time is always good, Pam!
Absolutely, Karen!
Dear Steve,
Thanks for this last-minute wisdom as I complete my packing for the WTP conference! I’ll be taking the midnight train, not to Georgia, but to Chicago this very night, and I am bringing a few modest hopes and dreams, but I’m leaving my inflated expectations, pesky perfectionism, and any niggling negativity at home. No room for those in my suitcase! 🚂📚🤭
Great advice, Steve!
The best thing we can do BEFORE a conference is to try and get as much rest as we can. Conferences are usually super busy! And lots of fun things happen at night when all the workshops and panels and speakers are done.
Since my first conference in 1997 and for a few years after that, I look forward to the people I’m going to meet over expecting/hoping for my manuscript to get picked up. Sure, I’ve gotten things picked up, but mostly, I treasure the friendships and the help I’ve received. I’ve met with you at Realm Makers a couple of times, Steve, only to ask for help and direction. You’ve been a great help to me! I’ve done that with other agents and editors, as well.
A writers conference is so much more than workshops and please, please, please publish my book! I’ve been part of a private writers group for 20 years now because of a writer’s conference. Those people have literally saved my writing career as well as my life (years ago … I’m okay now).
Love it, Steve. I have a couple of things to offer.
1) Try a smaller more local conference first. I went to Glorieta in 2001 as my first time, with about 300 other attendees. Not a great idea. I was so green that when I casually met James Scott Bell, I didn’t know who he was or what he wrote. He was very gracious. I came away with some ideas and assistance, but I suffered many embarrassing moments in the process. Dip your toes in the wading pool before diving in over the Marianas Trench.
2) While you may have a specific goal in mind, don’t neglect to be alert for divine appointments. God knows why he wants you there. That’s the most important point. Relax, enjoy, make new friends.
I just got back from the Cedar Falls Christian Writers Conference. Small conference, about forty attendees and half a dozen presenters. Great information, good conversations, and the opportunity to make new friends in the writing community. What more can you ask?
Thank you for releasing the pressure. This post and responses are helping with perspective. I’m accustomed to covering events and conferences as a journalist, but not attending them as a participant. The insights and role shift are refreshing. Thank you.
THANK YOU!!
I’ve been to several conferences. After the first one, I decided to forego the meetings with agents and editors. My first conference I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I was just beginning my writing journey and had no intention of meeting with anyone, but the online registration made me sign up for at least 3 appointments. I knew no names and had no idea what the difference was between an editor and an agent. Still, I met with them. I’m sure that I wasted their time, and am ever grateful for how gracious and kind they each were, how they took the time to instruct me in different aspects of becoming published.
I walked away a published author because I won the writing contest…not as great of a feat as it sounds. Both an agent and an editor took an interest in me, but I never followed through (that’s on your list). The following conferences, I cancelled all appointments. I now go just to learn and to check my heart’s alignment. One page. Query. Research. Proposal. Consistency in writing from a biblical world view. Staying connected to the Source of Truth first and foremost. I’m often overwhelmed by what I have yet to learn.
Most importantly, I am now not as concerned with becoming published as I am with writing words that matter, that point others to the Savior. I’d rather reach one heart for Christ than lead ten thousand astray.
Thanks for the advice! I’m attending the ACFW National conference for the first time in person this year. With returning from a week-long beach vacation only four days before I leave for St. Louis, I’m sure my stress level getting ready for the conference will be high. I appreciate the reminder to relax!
Twas the night before WTP
I’m excited for us
Glad I’m not taking the bus
from Cali
prolly get stuck in Death Valley
nothing to eat but tamales
melancholy, me and the rock wallabies
Hey, I’m not crying
I’m friggin flying!
I went to a couple conferences at Wheaton Collage. I remember hearing Ann Kimmel when she wrote her first couple books. Then she was an Anderson, was it Idaho Potato Farmer. Then adopted 4 boys. Husband died. She had the bad dreaded ‘c’. Her twin sister talked about her. Some one robbed her of everything. Neighbors remembered her singing them little songs and bringing, I think, cookies, Last report the boys went to college. Ann died. Leaving her boys to help the youngest finish High School. Years or decades later I found a web site and left a message of honor to Ann. A little boy in my inner city First Grade class who got me a bad grade because he would not come to school sat on the fireplug across the street so I hollered loud, something like, “Get in here!!!” I saw him. He saw me. Heard my angry. Stop. Be like Ann, my will said. My voice of love without ugly said, “Oh Robert, I miss you sweety. Come when you can.” And there he was. A conference can be the more of life.