Note:  Thank you to Melissa Tagg for her guest post today as I finish up a novel! Love her ideas for standing out at a writers conference in a positive way!  (if you’re going to ACFW, I hope to see you there – sign up for our annual Pizza Party at:  http://pizzaparty.mybooktherapy.com!)

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It’s only natural to want to stand out at a writing conference.  After all, chances are one of your top reasons for attending in the first place is to catch the attention of an agent or editor. And that can be hard to do with hundreds of other writers around.

But I’m a firm believer that there’s a right way to stand out…and an oh-so-wrong way.

Hijacking the stage during the opening session at ACFW? Wrong.

Introducing yourself as “The best thing since sliced bread and spreadable butter?” Wrong.

Reciting your pitch in Klingon? Wrong. Unless the editor you’re pitching to has an obvious Star Trek obsession.

Okay, so those are slightly over-the-top examples. But I think sometimes we can get so obsessed with finding some crazy way to stand out that we forget about qualities we already bring to the table. See, I think standing out in a positive way has a lot less to do with donning a costume…and a lot more to do with finding our rareness…

What makes you…you? And no one else.

What makes your writing…yours? And no one else’s.

That’s where the spotlight belongs!

A couple years ago, I attended my first ACFW Conference. I had a great pitching experience and sent an Iowa postcard to the agent. Nice enough. And hey, I’m an Iowa girl to the core, so it was a reflection of me. But maybe not a wonderfully memorable one.

The next year both people I pitched to mentioned the humor in my writing samples. So, I sent humorous thank you cards. A little closer reflection of my writing. But again, did those cards really stand out from the dozens if not hundreds of others they received?

Well, this spring I attended the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. Afterward, I sent thank you videos to three people—an author and two editors. Here were their responses:

“Melissa, I do love your creativity. I look forward to reading your proposals.” 

“Melissa, Too cute and certainly memorable! Have a great day!”

 “WOW! Melissa, I just showed your vid to my wife and said, ‘So who do you think I’m going to remember out of everyone in my class?’ Nicely done. Loved it. You shocked and impressed. Way to take it to a level no one else did.”

Why did those videos work? Because I was simply having fun…being myself. Which I think is a great way to stand out in an outstanding way.

And, frankly, it’s a whooole lot easier than memorizing Klingon!

Learn more about how to stand out in a positive way and oh-so-much more about writing conferences in My Book Therapy’s latest resource for writers—The Truth About Conferences!
Melissa Tagg is a former reporter turned contemporary romance writer. She serves on the development team for a large nonprofit and as the marketing/events coordinator for My Book Therapy. She hangs out at www.melissatagg.com and loves connecting on Facebook and Twitter (@Melissa_Tagg).ences: The My Book Therapy guide to how to have a successful writers conference.

P.S.  Like this article? Want more resources like this?  Find out all the benefits of being an Advanced Team Member!  Get a free 24 Hour Pass and join us at our MBT Open House. Sign up here:  http://openhouse.mybooktherapy.com