I’m on the road helping my kids move into college today, so instead of a conversation with Sally, I have a special offer for you (and Sally!)
I’ll never forget my first writers conference. Fresh from my first term as a missionary, I had decided overseas that I wanted to write a novel. While on home service, I worked slavishly to finish it, and when I discovered a Christian writers conference in my area, albeit small, I couldn’t wait to arrive, plunk down my novel before some editor, and return with a check in hand.
Right. Sadly, I was woefully unprepared for the conference. I read nametags and titles, and a sweat broke out on my palms. I saw people with slick proposals and writing credits behind their names and wanted to run for the door. I sat down at a table with Steve Laube at a late-night session and wanted to weep at my flimsy answers. Years later he didn’t remember this pitching fiasco, thankfully, and agreed to be my agent. Save for one person who recognized my desperation and befriended me, I returned home alone, depressed, and certain that writing wasn’t for me.
Thankfully, at that first conference, the friend I made connected me with another friend…who critiqued my story. And she connected me with an author friend of hers named Dee Henderson. Dee became my champion as I wrote in the backwoods of Russia and never let me doubt that I could be a novelist. Her belief in me, and a little writing organization I joined at the time called ACRW (the forerunner to the American Christian Fiction Writers) kept me on the journey.
All the way until my next writers conference.
Yes, I had learned a few things. Mostly, however, I learned that I should have done my homework before the conference. I should have known who the agents were and what they wanted. I should have recognized the names of the editors and tried to make friends with them, perhaps ask them what they were looking for. Most of all, I should have attended with some kind of game plan that justified my family’s hard-earned money spent on a conference fee.
Recently, the staff at MBT sat down to talk about conferences, sharing our combined experiences. We realized that none of us knew what we were doing the first time we attended a conference. Wouldn’t it have been nice if we had talked to a few veterans, prepared, and attended the conference armed and ready? Thankfully, the first terrifying conference experience didn’t deter any of us from pursing publication, but we all had the wind knocked out of our sails and had to capture a fresh breath to continue.
The reality is, if you want to be published – and stay published – you need to attend Writer’s Conferences. But you shouldn’t attend unprepared. This is why the mulit-published, award-winning novelists and conference coordinators on the My Book Therapy staff wrote: The Truth about Conferences: the MBT guide to how to have a successful writers conference.
This book aims to be that fresh breath for you by helping equip you for a writers conference with the dos and don’ts, a healthy dose of realistic expectations, some tips and tricks for conference success, and pointers on how to get back on the path should you get knocked down during the conference. Here’s the truth: Writers conferences are overwhelming. But when you prepare yourself, they can also change your life.
To celebrate this book – and to give you some tips and tricks – we’re having a Truth about Conferneces Webinar on Thursday night, 7pm CST on our MBT Open House channel. To join us, and to get a free excerpt, LIKE our Facebook page (the excerpt and registration link will appear!)
OR, if you want to skip the webinar, and still get a launch discount, sign up HERE. We’ll be announcing the discount code and sending out the link during the webinar and afterwards.
Here’s some things you’ll learn:
- How to choose a conference
- Budgeting for a conference
- How to prepare professionally with business cards and pitch sheets
- Choosing the right workshops
- How to handle appointments
- Organizing your time and information
- Standing out in a positive way
- Conference Etiquette
- How to pack for success
- And even how to network to after the conference is over!
Be prepared with the truth, the right expectations, and the tools for success. Because knowing the truth about conferences…just might get you published.
Blessings on the journey!
Susie May Warren
Founder, MBT