“Stop talking, Megan Brown.” I could feel the heat flush in my face. This always happens to me. I realized I was unapologetically spilling my guts about the book idea in my brain without even pausing to breathe and completely dominating the conversation at this roundtable-style workshop. The look of sheer confusion on the mentor author’s face told me I was talking way too much, and I still couldn’t seem to stop. Looking back, I know I was just really excited to be there, all hyped up as an extrovert, and couldn’t wait for my turn to share. But this rookie mistake probably resulted in a handful of missed opportunities.
As you prepare to attend conferences or networking events, here are a few rookie mistakes to avoid.
Don’t dominate the conversation. Avoid the temptation to overshare, talk too much, or ask too many questions. Do make the effort to leave room for an actual conversation. There are few things that turn me off like someone who is only interested in taking “at” me. (Ironic, I know. I am totally guilty of the occasional information dump.)
Don’t “wing it.” When I’m meeting with up-and-coming authors, I can tell pretty early on whether or not they did their homework before coming to a conference. They rarely have any of their tools together and seem “out of the know.” Do come prepared with business cards, a one-sheet, and a polished pitch.
Don’t act in haste. The conference “high” is real. You will have finished a meeting or had a great workshop, and you’ll want to start the work right then and there. What I mean is you might want to craft content, build a course, launch a podcast, or start a new project right at the moment. While it never hurts to brainstorm or write down ideas, don’t jump in with haste. All projects or potential partnerships need to be properly processed and prepared for. Plus, projects or partnerships started in haste tend to end as fast as they start. Do plan to keep the conversation or opportunity open. If you have successful meetings or receive valuable feedback on what you should do next, plan to follow up and nurture the opportunity.
We all make rookie mistakes. I know I have. Acting in haste, I sent a quickly crafted proposal edit to an acquisition editor without proofing; and I misspelled my own name: “A Proposal by Megegran Brown.” It was not my finest moment, and I definitely missed an opportunity. Be intentional with the conversations you’re having. Do the work of preparing without “winging it,” and slow your roll. You’ll enjoy the benefits of making connections by creating space for meaningful conversations. Doing your prep work will build your confidence and show your commitment to the work. Slowing down and focusing will help you complete each project well or build partnerships made to last. Rookie mistakes are inevitable, but knowing how to avoid them will help you make the most of your conference experience.
Old MacDonald Had Some Help – A.I. – A.I. – Oh!
I know this will make some sense
in the bright sweet by-and-by,
but I’ll see you at a conference
away up in the sky,
where a rookie I shall be
with gauche enthusiasm,
and perhaps the Lord will let me see
a path beyond the chasm
that divides the published
from the chatty dilettante
whose humility will be enriched
by finding angel-agents can’t
help who won’t walk before they run,
even though it might be fun.
“Gauche enthusiasm”—❤️
That’s me all over the place. And I do mean ALL over the place!
Two more: Don’t be afraid to sell your own book. I was sharing a table with 3 other authors, two of which just released a book. I’m not shy, so I was fine speaking with people who came up. Unfortunately, the other 3 weren’t. They eventually slid their books down to my end to have me sell them. I didn’t know anything about their books, so I’d just say “And these are their books.” The visitors looked at them like they were nuts, and of course, never bought one of their books.
The second one is Don’t step on other writers’ toes: I was sharing a table with someone when my book Beautiful Imperfection came out. Every time I told a visitor that my book was romantic suspense with a woman dealing with the aftermath of breast cancer, the woman next to me would interrupt and say “And I’m a breast cancer survivor.” The visitor would ask her which book had her breast cancer story, and she’d have to tell them none. Needless to say, the visitor realized what she was doing and would walk away from the table, taking away potential sales from one or both of us.
Dear Megan, hello, fellow extrovert!! I sure wish I’d had an opportunity to chat with you at the recent WTP conference. I was busy being a support animal for introverts. Lol!
Oh, my how I wish this incredibly helpful information would have surfaced before that conference— I could’ve avoided some of my rookie errors. But thank you for sharing this now—I will put it in the file for my next conference! Blessings!
Now you tell me! LOL! I just returned from my first non-journalism writers conference. They were wonderful at St. David’s Christian Writers’ Conference at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. I made all of the mistakes, too. At the first opportunity I clammed up and forgot my entire pitch. Horrors! They forgave and showered grace upon grace.
The presenters and other authors offered so many valuable tips and inspiration. The past two days I’ve been trying to plug those tips into my process. What a difference as I move beyond the usual muddling through.
My advice to someone contemplating a conference is: 1) GO! and 2) Allow yourself to fail without judgment and self condemnation. That improves the learning curve quite a bit.
That moment when my Mom, somehow managing to sit next to Francine Rivers at lunch, turned to her and innocently asked, “Are you a writer?”
Haha, mortifying. Love it!
Thank you, “Megegran” for being so open to share. I also went to the Write to Publish conference and discovered to my horror that I had a typo in the title of my one sheet. Of course there was no way to fix it before my pitch so I didn’t use it. Best laid plans!
Great advice, Megan.
I’d like to add: get as much rest as you can BEFORE going to a conference. That has helped me a lot … when I actually do it. haha!
This is so helpful, especially just before the conference I’m going to this year! I loved reading your story — it made me smile and imparted a lot of wisdom. I’ve also loved hearing so much about you from all the Author Conservatory students who went to WTP. You sound like such an awesome person, and I’m glad they had such fun there with you!