by W. Terry Whalin (@terrywhalin)
As a professional writer I’ve found many benefits from attending a writers’ conference. I consider these events a personal investment. Attending for a full day or spending several days in another state will involve time, energy, and money.
Like other businesses, the writing business is relational. Talent, craft, and skill do enter the consideration, but it’s also who you know. You are possibly new to the field and crying, “I don’t know anyone.” That’s okay. Everyone begins somewhere in this journey. You don’t have to stay in that situation. Through writers’ conferences, you begin to form editor relationships.
Almost 35 years ago I began to attend these specialized meetings. I worked on a magazine staff, and we understood the benefits. My boss used our slim financial resources to send staff members. It helped their professional development and improved their ability to work on our magazine. I’ve attended conferences for my own personal development and professionalism.
For over twenty years I’ve represented publishing houses as an acquisitions editor. As an editor and a literary agent, my experience has been eye-opening and has changed some of my perspectives. I’ve been surprised by some pushy conferees who interrupted a conversation to push their self-published and often cheesy manuscript into my hands. This forthright attitude usually backfires and makes the editor/agent want to run instead of listening to your idea. Always remember you want to make a good impression.
Even as an acquisitions editor I continue to select at least one conference a year to attend as a regular conferee—a paying participant and not a representative of a publisher or magazine—and teach workshops. One I’ve attended for my own development is the annual conference for the American Society of Journalists and Authors in New York City. The schedule is posted on their website, and it is a broad-reaching event. I’ve met editors at Ladies Home Journal, Woman’s Day, Modern Maturity, Money magazine, and numerous mainstream book editors. Years ago at the ASJA member meeting, President and Mrs. Carter came. One of the ASJA members wrote a book with Mrs. Carter. I gave President Carter a copy of my new book, Lessons From the Pit. Such a connection came from attending a conference. The ASJA is an excellent event if you write nonfiction. If you write fiction I encourage you to locate a national conference in your genre.
Conferences have been a large part of my writing career. Often editors and agents are inundated with the wrong material because writers haven’t done their homework. They send the wrong material to the wrong place and waste everyone’s time. You meet editors face to face and realize they are real people, and that is the beginning of your relationship. When you send your material, say, “It was great to meet you at ______ conference…”
Four Pieces of Advice
- Do your homework. Know who will attend the conference, and read what a particular editor needs and acquires in advance. The Writer’s Market Guide is a good place to start. Craft an idea or a proposal, or an opening line to start the conversation. Give them something they need. Editors read a lot they don’t need. Why? They look for the diamond in the rough, hoping they can publish that manuscript. Professionals attend the event to meet the right author for their company. If you do your homework, you could be that person.
- Create a simple business card. A standard-sized card may be one of the most important documents you bring to an event. Your card should have your name, mailing address, email address, and phone number plus possibly your photo. Make sure you bring enough cards to exchange with others at the conference. Other people will have something to teach you or offer, such as a local meeting to attend. It’s always surprising when I get home or back to my room, review business cards I received, and find they’re missing a critical piece of information. You don’t want to run out at the end of the conference. I’ve made important connections at the airport on the way home.
- Get to know different editors, even outside your genre. What you write this year may change next year. Even if you’ve never written a book, get to know book editors. Sit at their tables and talk about your dreams and hopes. Throughout the week, make notes about your conversation and whatever you learn about that editor or publication. When you get home, re-read your notes and follow through with whatever the editor wants. You would be surprised how few people carry through. If you do, you’ll make the right impression.
- Learn your craft, but also look to expand your writing horizon. This advice is for newcomers but also veterans. I encourage everyone to take a class outside of what they normally take. If you don’t write for children, take a children’s workshop. If you have never written a personal-experience article, take a one-hour workshop. It might open a new door of opportunity in your writing life.
At a writers’ conference I’ve made some dear friends. That’s why I look forward to these events. It’s my opportunity to help others and give back. These events also satisfy my curiosity to learn new things as a writer—and a writers’ conference is a place to soak it in.
W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor, lives in California. A former magazine editor and literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than sixty nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths, for only $10, free shipping, and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. As Jim Cox, Editor-in-Chief of Midwest Review, wrote, “If you only have time to read one how-to guide to getting published, whether it be traditional publishing or self-publishing, Book Proposals That Sell is that one DIY instructional book.”
