The ACFW Conference is coming up in a month and it’s time to start getting ready. No, don’t pack your suitcase yet, but start thinking about what you’ll need before you hit the conference road.
Whether you’re a planner or not, it’s always good to jot a few notes in preparation for any trip, especially a fast paced conference.
Here’s a few things I do:
- Print out my flight plan. Always good to know when my flight is taking off. Hubby loves the early morning flights when he has to drive me to the airport at 5:00 a.m.
- Get business cards or any other “hand out” material ready. I’ve taken off more times than I care to confess without my business cards and I regret it every time. So get those cards prepared and stored in place you won’t forget.
- Shopping. This is critical for me. I shop more for ACFW than Christmas. Why? Facebook. If I don’t shop, I end up popping up all over Facebook in the same outfits year, after year, after year. “Look, there’s Rachel Hauck at the 2010 conference in a red dress. Look, there’s Rachel Hauck at the 2011 conference in a red dress. Look there’s Rachel Hauck at the 2012…” You get the picture. Same dress. Different people. Different hair style. Different background. But same ole dress. So I shop.
- Print out your conference schedule. Note when you’re scheduled for appointments. Map out which workshops you want to attend. Get a good feel for your conference days. It will help you relax as you go into the busy week.
- Make sure your luggage is good to go and you have all your necessary travel items. Don’t wait until you’re packing at midnight the night before your 6:00 a.m. flight to discover you don’t have travel deodorant or enough clean underwear.
- Take clothes to the dry cleaner at least a week before the conference. Remember to pick up clothes from the dry cleaner.
- Get travel cash. Always handy.
- Pack up your lap top or iPad for taking workshop notes.
- Load your favorite new songs on your iPod or smart phone. Music is great for travel or for relaxing at the end of a long day.
- Pray. Ask the Lord for divine appointments.
This is just a quick list of how to prepare for a writers conference. But the My Book Therapy team has compiled a conference booklet to help in with the process.
Whether you’re new to writing or an old hand, attending a writing conference can be daunting. Being as prepared as you can will help easy your anxieties.
Check out our conference booklet! You’ll be glad you did.
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.
To celebrate this book – and to give you some tips and tricks – we’re having a Truth about Conferences Webinar on Thursday night (TONIGHT!), 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.
Have a great conference!
Rachel
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Best-selling, award-winning author Rachel Hauck loves a great story. She excels in seeing the deeper layers of a story. With a love for teaching and mentoring, Rachel comes alongside writers to help them craft their novel. A worship leader, board member of ACFW and popular writing teacher, Rachel is the author of over 15 novels. She lives in Florida with her husband and her dog, Lola. Contact her at: Rachel@mybooktherapy.com.