If you’re like me, you’ve googled, you’ve searched, and you’ve poured over message boards and blogs. I found out that I would be attending my first conference (it was a birthday present from my hubby) less than a week before it began! I was nearing the end of my first novel but hadn’t yet figured out what the next step in the process would be for me.
Now, I’m a researcher. When my google search for “how to prepare for my first literary conference” came up with literally hundreds of links, I was equal parts thrilled that there were answers and overwhelmed for the same reason! The conference was this past Saturday and was a wonderful opportunity to hear from experts in the field. This particular conference was separated into four topical themes: WRITE, EDIT, PUBLISH and CONNECT. Within the four themes, there were outbreak sessions featuring different panelists, so that each author in attendance could personalize their own experience. There was also an opportunity to pitch to agents! You had to sign up for which agent represented your particular genre, and then stand in line anxiously waiting your turn as it was first come, first serve. But the opportunity was invaluable!
So let’s dig in and review how to prepare for your first writer’s conference!
- Dress for success: I was amazed at how many people were in shorts and flip flops! I had been planning on wearing dark jeans and a nice top, until I realized that we’d be speaking to agents. If you think about it, you’re essentially on a three minute job interview with the agent. That’s three minutes of a first impression and every detail counts: your demeanor, your words, your confidence… and absolutely your clothes.
- Shoes: comfort is key as you’ll be standing in line to meet the agents for a good long while and it’s usually at the end of a very long day, so switch out those high heels for ballet flats, or for men go with stylish but comfortable loafers or shoes!
- Jeans: I saw some people there in jeans and I personally, agonized over whether to wear them or not. For this one, I’m not certain there is a golden rule. But I will tell you this… None of the agents, publishers, conference volunteers or panelists wore jeans. While there were some attendees there who were sharply dressed in dark jeans, a button down and a blazer (all of which I was considering wearing myself), I think I personally would have been just a tad self conscious pitching to an agent who was wearing a tailored black dress, pearls and a blazer. Take that for what it is, but I personally will be taking my cue from the professionals in the field and how they dressed.
- Wrinkles: you’ll be doing a lot of sitting, standing, shaking hands and sometimes even sitting against a wall in a corridor! Wearing wrinkle-free clothing is a must!
- Make a statement: One of the best things about going to a conference like this is that you have so many different personalities… and it was a blast people-watching and wondering what they wrote! But it got me thinking: how does their outfit represent who they are as an author? If I was thinking that, I have to imagine the agents and publishers in attendance were thinking the same thing. Just like anything, there are ways to go too far with this concept. But keep your audience in mind and dare to step it up a notch in your fashion choice to stand out. For example, I purposely chose to wear all black as I have blond hair and thought tailored black pants, a tailored button down shirt, and leopard print ballet flats worked well for the image I was going for. I typically wouldn’t have added gold jewelry as statement pieces — I personally go for a subtler and simpler look –but I wanted to be remembered. So I added simple gold earrings and a layered gold statement necklace. I received a few compliments on my look, and felt comfortable and confident while there.
- Luggage: It may seem strange to bring “luggage” up but what I actually mean is your bag, backpack, laptop bag, etc… Most conferences will give you a fabric tote with paperwork and a pen inside. While I will proudly show off my new tote bag out and about, I found it to be a bit cumbersome with everything else I was carrying. And as weird as it sounds, it didn’t match the color scheme I was going for! You see, with wearing all black, I purposely chose a smart black leather and silver laptop bag and had an over-sized light pink leather tote bag for my binder, writing utensils, notes, phone, etc… I ended up putting all of the conference literature in my pink tote and rolling up the conference bag to stick in there as well. Unless you’re staying at the hotel where the conference is held, there isn’t a place to put down all of your gear. But every time you meet someone new — whether for a pitch to an agent, the publisher you meet randomly in the crowd, speaking to new authors in between sessions, or even clarifying info with the panelists after a talk — you are making a first impression. If you go through all of this work choosing the perfect outfit, and pair it with a ratty backpack and the neon conference bag with papers falling out of it, you’ll be making AN impression. The question is, is it the impression that you want?
- What to bring?
- Notebook and pens: I took approximately 20 pages of notes at this particular conference and my mind is still reeling with all of the wonderful information I received! You’ll want to bring an empty notebook that’s an easy size to write notes, so you can remember what you’re learning!
- Laptop… yes or no? I chose to bring my laptop since I knew I’d like to take notes and I type faster than I write. But I regretted the decision. Mine is a 17 inch HP and it a bit of a beast when carrying it around all day. Plus I wasn’t coordinated enough to put it on my lap, drink my coffee, and take notes all on this little chair (without a table to type on). Plus my bag wasn’t big enough for the laptop and chord, so it required a whole second bag just to carry it. Looking back, I wouldn’t bring it. There were a few others at the conference that had tablets and smaller laptops they took out but the strong majority just took notes with pens and paper.
- Business cards: If you’re like me, you’ve loved the writing process and have felt like a genuine author when you’re sitting in front of your computer screen and typing away. But when in a crowd of published artists, it’s hard to feel like an author. Many of the blogs I read strongly suggested to come prepared with business cards. I spoke to many different authors in attendance, and none of them had business cards to swap. I don’t know that it reflected badly on them as there really weren’t many opportunities to give your business card away, but the few opportunities I made to give it away went over extremely well. I also included a QR code linking to my website which seemed to be a hit too!
- Author’s Webpage: Again, I am not all together certain how imperative it is to follow the advice of the many forums and blogs to have an author’s page. I purposely made this site 4 days before the conference and had a whopping 2 blog posts by the time the conference was going on. I will tell you though, making the page helped me clarify what I wanted to tell the world and what I wanted to tell the agents. It helped me immensely! As a side note, I’ve also seen a marked increase in traffic to the site and even received a comment from one of the attendees, complimenting my site! She found it after reading a comment I made about the conference on Twitter!
- Twitter Handle: Just like my site, I made a Twitter handle under my pen name 4 days before the conference. I felt a little silly, but it’s one of the most beneficial moves I could have done! I began by creating my profile and putting all of my professional info into the personalized section. Then I proceeded to follow all of my favorite authors. I love perusing their tweets and hearing their advice and what they’re up to! At the conference I was very purposeful to tweet direct quotes from the panelists, and give them credit by tagging them and also hashtagging the conference! I was “liked” and “followed” multiple times by doing this. Towards the end of the event, I also sent a thank you shout out to the organization behind the conference and tagged them in it. They retweeted that shout out and the comments and connections made from that tween alone have been fantastic!
- Research and questions: There is so much incredible information on the Internet! Dig in, research and learn! When you can’t get an answer, write it down! This conference — as I believe many do — had many opportunities to ask experts in the field those questions. Please note though, questions that are specific to you tend to not go over well. Try to hold those questions for one on one time after a panel and ask questions that could apply to a majority of the group. Also- know your genre! Most authors don’t sit down and write to fit in with a specific genre. For the most part, we write our first novel and then scramble to figure out where it fits. Is it Women’s Literature? Or Romantic Suspense? What’s the difference between thriller and horror? Commercial verses Literary? Get a solid idea of where you fit into the literary culture — and where your books would be placed on the shelf! “What do you write?” will often be a question you hear at least a hundred times during the day and should be part of your pitch to an agent!
- Pitch: I cannot stress this enough… come ready to pitch! Pitch to your partner, pitch to a stranger, pitch to your friends who don’t know the book. Pitch! Pitch! Pitch! I even had a laminated copy of my pitch taped to the bathroom wall so I could pitch in the shower. Practice your pitch so it’s less than a minute and a half and make sure it sounds natural and confident. And when you’re in line waiting to pitch the agent, take turns pitching to the authors around you. Give them advice and encouragement. Ask for advice and take it! Print out a few copies of your pitch, double lined so if you get great advice, you can change it up a bit! And if you have time at the end of a pitch with an agent, ask them for advice… then apply that advice to the next agent! Practice your new and improved pitch in THAT line and do it all again! I did exactly this, got great advice from one agent and applied it to the next pitch. That agent has asked me to send over my query and first few chapters!
- What to do:
- Put yourself out there! Writing is often a solitary career. Many of us prefer it that way. But conferences are different. You have to put on a brave face, and get your name, your ideas and your reputation out there. Until you get an agent, you’re the only one who can. Force yourself to sit with other people — and different people — every time you sit down for a breakout session. Smile! Ask what they write about! Ask about their work and be ready to share about yours. Compare notes on which break out sessions you’ve both gone to and ask what they learned from the ones you weren’t able to attend. I learned so much about the other sessions even though I wasn’t able to go!
- Fill the need! It wasn’t until I was at the conference and speaking to other authors that I learned critique groups were available online and in person throughout the region. I love the idea of getting together with other authors and critiquing one another’s work before passing it along to an agent! While speaking with other authors, we learned we all have the same hope to find one… so we made our own!
- Network: Find out other people’s pen names and follow them on social media! Not only is it fun to see what they’re saying, it is also helps you stay connected!
- Ask questions: I was able to create a great rapport with many of the panelists by asking smart questions during the Q&A sessions. Not only does it indicate that you’re there to learn and respect their experience/voice, but some of those same panelists might be the agents you pitch to later. For me, they remembered me and already had an impression of me before I even walked in the door. It worked to my advantage and calmed my nerves quite a bit!
- Have fun! There is so much wonderful knowledge to wonder at and absorb! Enjoy! There are moments that are overwhelming but the best part is that when you walk through the doors of your first conference, there’s a sense of automatically belonging. You’re an author! You’re there with all of these other authors! We’ve all struggled with writing-life balance, with writer’s blocks, and with how to get published. You’ve found your people! So enjoy it and try to soak up every second!
Ash Bell 