• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Interview with Steve Laube
    • Statement of Faith
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Guidelines
  • Authors
    • Who We Represent
    • Awards and Recognition
  • Resources
    • Recommended Reading
    • Christian Writers Market Guide Online
    • Christian Writers Institute
    • Writers Conferences
    • Freelance Editorial Services
    • Copyright Resources
    • Research Tools
    • Selling What You Write
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • FaceBook
  • RSS Feed
  • Get Published
  • Book Proposals
  • Book Business
  • Writing Craft
    • Conferences
    • Copyright
    • Craft
    • Creativity
    • Grammar
  • Fun Fridays
Home » Writing Craft » Page 2

Writing Craft

4 Conference Success Secrets

By Steve Laubeon March 3, 2025
Share
Tweet
24

I have been on the faculty of nearly 200 writers conferences over the years. Some might say that is the definition of insanity… !?! But I would not be where I am today if it were not for the fine people I have met over the years at those events. I am a firm believer in the purpose behind a writers conference and what can be accomplished.

After a while it became clear which writers were going to have a successful conference and those who weren’t. Let’s look at some tips to achieve conference success.

1. Set Appropriate Expectations. More often than not, first-timers have visions of grandeur, thinking they are going to be “discovered” and in short order would be flying in a private jet paid for by their publisher.

It has happened (not the jet part), but it is so rare they can be counted on one hand. It is wise to set expectations very low. Likely you will meet a couple of editors. You will get to practice your pitch a few times. But you will learn a lot of new things from the classes and from listening to others talk about the writing profession.

2. Be Prepared. You never know when you will suddenly be confronted with that agent or editor you’ve always wanted to meet but couldn’t get an appointment with. I have experienced it firsthand, watching recognition flow across the writer’s face … accompanied by their sudden inability to talk coherently.

Remember, we agents and editors want to meet and talk with new writers. Otherwise, we would not be at the conference! We want to talk to you! Don’t worry that you’ve been caught off guard; but if we do ask, “What are you working on?” be prepared to answer. You can even say, “You want to hear my sound-bite pitch?” Of course, we do. Take a deep breath and let ’er rip.

Understand that a writers conference is a safe place to fail. Your pitch may be poorly framed. Your idea may need to be reworked. Your pet project may be an echo of one that we just sold to a publisher. That is okay. See #1 above. If you set your expectations to zero, hitting a 1 on a scale of 1-10 (where 1 is the bottom) is a victory, no matter how small.

3. Keep a Positive Attitude. Don’t let your anxiety, lack of sleep, jet lag, or information overload ruin your experience.

I once stood behind two women who were arguing about which one would get the last appointment left on the schedule–with me. I had come to the table to see what the appointment schedule was like and came upon this potentially ugly scene. They were starting to do a little hip-checking at each other and angrily saying things like “I drove six hours to get here to see him and I got here first.” The conference had not even started yet, and two people were already on edge.

I leaned in, lightly touched their shoulders, and said, “Maybe I can help.” One of them turned pale and wide-eyed. The other turned beet red. We all laughed nervously and figured out a way where they both could have an appointment.

Remember that while you are in public, there are eyes that may see you in action. Eyes that see how you treat conference staff or hotel staff or restaurant employees.

You have invested a lot of time and a lot of money to attend the conference. But while that is true, keeping a light heart and a willing smile will make the experience so much more enjoyable.

4. Ours Is a Small Industry. If you are going to regale those around your lunch table about how awful your editor is at So&So Publishers, be aware that there are others within earshot of your tale.

Awful rumors can start at conferences. I once had an editor call to find out why I was shutting down the agency; he thought we were successful. ??? After stammering for a moment, I had to ask, “Whatever gave you that impression?” It seems he had overheard someone at a conference saying something to that effect. I was quick to correct his error. I’m grateful he called to verify the veracity of the story and had not spread the rumor.

Remember that we agents and editors know one another, some with relationships that go back many decades. And we do talk to one another on occasion. So, be careful with your words and your complaints. Often what you say is not heard with precision, and the new version becomes the story that is retold.

Your Turn

Any secrets of success you want to add?

 

 

 

Leave a Comment
Category: Career, ConferencesTag: Success, writers conferences

Point of View #6

By Lynette Easonon February 12, 2025
Share
Tweet
9

Common Pitfalls and How to Fix Them Hello, writer friends, I hope you’ve all had a great holiday and are back at the craft, learning and writing. Before we took some time off, I was writing a lot about point of view (POV). I want to wrap that up with this post, which can serve as a final checklist to ensure that you’ve got this topic down. So feel free to go back and look at your work in progress …

Read morePoint of View #6
Category: Writing Craft

Writer’s Block Becomes Writer’s Talk

By Steve Laubeon February 3, 2025
Share
Tweet
13

Seth Godin once wrote in a blog post: No one ever gets talker’s block. No one wakes up in the morning, discovers he has nothing to say and sits quietly, for days or weeks, until the muse hits, until the moment is right, until all the craziness in his life has died down. What a liberating concept! It reminded me of a great book by Joel Saltzman, If You Can Talk, You Can Write. Of course, …

Read moreWriter’s Block Becomes Writer’s Talk
Category: Common Questoins, Craft, Creativity, The Writing Life, Writing CraftTag: Writers Block

How to Write Your First Novel – an Interview

By Steve Laubeon January 20, 2025
Share
Tweet
6
write your first novel book cover image

Thomas Umstattd Jr. interviews Steve Laube   Thomas: So, you’re thinking about writing a novel. You’ve tried your hand at writing a few times, but the story just hasn’t come together. Or maybe you wrote and wrote, but you didn’t quite like what you wrote. The method of starting to write and hoping for the best is the hardest way to write a novel. It’s like trying to …

Read moreHow to Write Your First Novel – an Interview
Category: Steve, The Writing Life, Writing CraftTag: Craft, The Writing Life, Writing Craft

Bring the Books (What Steve Laube Is Looking For)

By Steve Laubeon January 13, 2025
Share
Tweet
56

(Updated 1/13/2025) “Bring the books, especially the parchments,” is a sentence in 2 Timothy 4:13 that has teased readers for 2,000 years. What books did the Apostle Paul want to read while waiting for trial? Theology? History? How-to? (Maybe a little escape reading? Pun intended.) Another writer chimed in a while ago by saying, “Of making many books there is no end” (Ecclesiastes 12:12). And if …

Read moreBring the Books (What Steve Laube Is Looking For)
Category: Agency, Book Proposals, Creativity, TrendsTag: Agency, book proposals

Book Proposals I’d Love to See (What Tamela Hancock Murray Is Looking For)

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 7, 2025
Share
Tweet
50

(Updated 1/7/2025) I’m thankful to the Lord that I’m a literary agent working for Him in Christian publishing. I’m grateful to the readers of this blog for being part of our writing community. As for approaching me with your work, let’s see if our passions match: Christian Romantic Suspense and Suspense Readers of Christian romantic suspense and suspense are a large and devoted …

Read moreBook Proposals I’d Love to See (What Tamela Hancock Murray Is Looking For)
Category: Agency, Book Business, Book Proposals, Career, Craft, Creativity, Romance, Trends, Writing CraftTag: Agency, book proposals

Attend the 2025 Write to Publish Conference

By Steve Laubeon December 16, 2024
Share
Tweet
7

If you are thinking about attending a Christian writers conference in 2025, I’d like to encourage you to consider Write to Publish (WTP), held in June in Wheaton, Illinois. This conference has been in operation for over 50 years. Our agent Dan Balow (who lives in Wheaton) continues his directorship responsibility for WTP and has put together a stellar group of faculty members. Registration for the …

Read moreAttend the 2025 Write to Publish Conference
Category: Christian Writers Institute, Conferences

How to Become a Better Novelist With Brad Pauquette

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on December 10, 2024
Share
Tweet
2

Imposter syndrome sometimes tells you the truth. Sometimes, you really do need to get better at the task in front of you to succeed. Many gurus will tell you that you already have everything you need. You just need to pay them money so you can be successful. But in the real world, success requires the hard work of improving your craft. Now, it’s true, sometimes imposter syndrome lies; but …

Read moreHow to Become a Better Novelist With Brad Pauquette
Category: Craft, Writing CraftTag: Writing Craft

Point of View #5

By Lynette Easonon December 4, 2024
Share
Tweet
6

We’re back and still talking about point of view because, let’s face it, it can be a hard thing to grasp. So, in review, last time we talked about: Get rid of “distance” words—words that can disconnect the reader from the story. Use strong, vivid verbs, not passive verbs like was and were. Ditch tags like “she thought,” “he pondered,” “she mused,” and so on Now, let’s continue the list: …

Read morePoint of View #5
Category: Writing Craft

The Anatomy of the Publishing Cycle

By Steve Laubeon November 25, 2024
Share
Tweet38
7

If you ask an editor or an agent, “What’s hot right now?” you are too late with the question. The nature of the publishing business is that what you see selling today are books that were conceived, written, published, and marketed over the past couple of years or more. That is why we, on this side of the table, avoid making pronouncements on current trends. In some ways, the agent and the …

Read moreThe Anatomy of the Publishing Cycle
Category: Book Business, Branding, Career, Creativity, Indie, Marketing, TrendsTag: publishing, The Publishing Life, Trends
  • Previous
  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 85
  • Next
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Interview with Steve Laube
    • Statement of Faith
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Guidelines
  • Authors
    • Who We Represent
    • Awards and Recognition
  • Resources
    • Recommended Reading
    • Christian Writers Market Guide Online
    • Christian Writers Institute
    • Writers Conferences
    • Freelance Editorial Services
    • Copyright Resources
    • Research Tools
    • Selling What You Write
  • Blog
  • Contact

Copyright © 2025 · The Steve Laube Agency · All Rights Reserved · Website by Stormhill Media