I went to my first writer’s conference this weekend! It was really low-key and casual, but still informative, and I definitely met some great people. I’d like to hearken back briefly to my post about the life of a young writer because the gif I put in about being “At A Writing Conference” held remarkably true to form: I was hungry pretty much the whole time. But that aside, I had some really interesting and fulfilling experiences that made the conference on the whole a very positive experience for me. I’d like to share them with my writerly friends because, You can do it too! It was fun! I’m also going to share them in list form, because, well, lists are great.
Tales From The Missouri Writer’s Guild Conference, Told As Anecdotes With Morals About Why You, Too, Should Attend Conferences:
1) You can make new friends! I met people who were awesome, who were as invested in writing as a career as I am, who were devoted, thoughtful, and fun. I even exchanged phone numbers and email addresses with some of these people! (No, it wasn’t a dating conference.) I had a great time networking with people, despite my initial shyness (I always sort of have to be drawn out of my shell) and it was really fulfilling to meet other people with similar interests and passions. Conferences are primarily about networking, and it’s really important to constantly reach out to new people and build a rapport with people who you support and will support you in turn.
2) You can pitch to agents! It was my first time ever pitching or querying, and I was pretty nervous. I told this to the first agent, and she was super nice about it. “Great, welcome to the club,” she said. “Don’t be nervous.” I got through my whole pitch without reading off my sheet of paper, and she asked me some good questions. And then she requested a sample of my manuscript! Wow! I walked out on cloud nine. Of course, I know this is just the beginning, and she has to like the writing, and blah blah, blah blah, but … it was an awesome feeling. Pitching in person is a great opportunity. After all, the agent-author relationship is all about, well, relationships, and there’s no better way to sell your story than by looking someone in the eye, chin up, a ring in your voice, and telling them how deeply you believe in your manuscript. Go get it!
3) You get to meet really influential people! The agents I met and talked to are people who are movers and shakers in the industry, people who are well-informed and who know what’s coming down the pipes. There were a few speakers as well who had lots to say about the future of publishing in the changing industry, and I felt like I learned a lot and made some good connections. And that’s just at the small-town MO conference. My mom was at a conference in Chicago this weekend and got to have dinner with the founder of Wattpad – a website that has garnered hundreds of millions of users, all people who are actively engaged in the reading community. Conferences are a great opportunity to meet people who are changing the world of reading and writing.
4) You can learn what NOT to do! One of the great things about the conference was hearing people talk about what they didn’t like. For example, it’s really important to not taking pitching too seriously. There were people who were clearly distraught and upset after their pitches, and that was a turn-off for the agents. It’s also important to make sure you’re pitching to the right type of agent. It’s also important to have your manuscript formatted properly. It’s also important to … etc. My point is, agents, editors, and industry professionals are at these events to teach you how to get published. They’re not there to bash your work, or hurt your feelings, or anything else – they’re there to educate and promote. But in order for them to do that, you have to meet them halfway, and those are big things that are easy to learn at writing conferences.
Have you ever been to a writing conference? Did you have any memorable experiences – positive or negative? Would you go again, or not?
The Z-Axis 
I’ve been wanting to go to a writing conference for awhile now (although I don’t have a novel to pitch yet). Good to know it was a great experience for you!
Thanks for commenting! It’s definitely not necessary to have a novel to pitch, but it does help just give you something to talk about with other authors and agents. You can always tell people about your work in progress!
Great Advice! I remember learning a ton from my first writer’s conference. You are very brave to pitch at your first conference. I wasn’t ready to pitch last year at my first conference. I’m glad you enjoyed it and learned lots. I know I definitely did 🙂
It was definitely informative! I think the networking was the best part. After all, we’re friends now, right? *wink*
Sadly, there’s nothing like that here, and I can’t afford to go elsewhere. I do love reading the tips and stories other people bring back from their conferences, though, so thank you!
Yeah, there’s a lot to learn from the blog posts/articles/tweets that follow after conferences.I’m sure you’ll make it to one eventually! Are you pitching to agents? Working on a WIP? Agented already?
Polishing up a WIP (thought it was ready, realized I could improve it, yadda yadda). Still undecided about publishing options. 🙂
There’s a lot of options out there, for sure. Good luck with the WIP! Can’t wait to hear about it.