by James L. Rubart, @jameslrubart
A few weeks ago, Darci and I went to dinner with an aspiring author that lives in the same town as me. I’d spent a bit of time mentoring her earlier in the year, and she’s progressed to the point where she’s ready to meet with editors and agents.
Midway through the meal, she said, “I can only go to one conference in 2019, and there are three I’m considering. Which one should I go to?”
I said, “The Rubart Writing Academy, of course.”
She laughed and said, “Yes! If only I could afford it.”
I told her I’d take a look at each conference, then make a suggestion.
The next day, I pulled up each conference’s website and in a little less than three minutes I’d formed an opinion on which conference would be best for her.
How?
Simple. Since I knew where she was at in her writing journey (ready to pitch) I knew to look at the faculty. The faculty at one of the conferences was much stronger—for her kind of writing—than the other conference. Since conference B was a better fit, that’s the one I recommended she go to.
Seems obvious, yes?
But it isn’t. It’s easy to choose a conference based on the keynote speaker, or proximity to home, or how many friends are going to be there, or because it’s the conference you’ve always gone to. That’s fine if conferences are more of a reunion and vacation than a career move.
But if you’re wanting to make serious strides down the publishing path, you need to target which conference is the best for where YOU ARE AT RIGHT NOW.
The reason I emphasize basing your choice on where you’re at, is most aspiring authors think they’re further along than they are. (I certainly did when I was starting out.)
What If You Don’t Know Where You’re At?
To make sure you’re headed to the right conference in 2019, you can do these things:
- Ask an author further down the path (like my friend did with me) which conference would be best for you.
- Do a serious self-evaluation. Are you ready to pitch to editors and agents? Research the editors and agents going, then go to the conference where they are acquiring your type of writing.
If you’re not ready to pitch, then don’t worry about what editors or agents are going to be there. Focus on the workshops and continuing ed tracks. Which are the right ones for where you’re at with your craft, or marketing and branding, or understanding of indie and/or traditional publishing?
A Final Thought
You might be saying, “Sure, Jim, great idea to ask an established author who knows the editors and agents, but where do I find that established author to ask?”
Easy.
I’m guessing most of you are part of Facebook groups that multi-published authors are part of. Post a message:
“I’m trying to choose the right conference to go to in 2019. Would one of you with more experience than me be willing to look at a short paragraph on where I’m at, then recommend a conference for me to go to?”
Remember, every author a bit farther down the road was at one point exactly where you are, and most of them love to help as a way of giving back.
And yes, of course, we’ love to have you at The Rubart Writing Academy in 2019 (if it’s the right fit.)
What if You Woke up One Morning and the Darkest Parts of Yourself Were Gone?
Toren Daniels vanished eight months back, and his wife and kids have moved on—with more than a little relief. Toren was a good man but carried a raging temper that often exploded without warning. So when he shows up on their doorstep out of the blue, they’re shocked to see him alive. But more shocked to see he’s changed. Radically.
His anger is gone. He’s oddly patient. Kind. Fun. The man he always wanted to be. Toren has no clue where he’s been but knows he’s been utterly transformed. He focuses on three things: Finding out where he’s been. Finding out how it happened. And winning back his family.
But then shards of his old self start to rise from deep inside—like the man kicked out of the NFL for his fury—and Toren must face the supreme battle of his life.
In this fresh take on the classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, James L. Rubart explores the war between the good and evil within each of us—and one man’s only chance to overcome the greatest divide of the soul.
James L. Rubart is 28 years old, but lives trapped inside an older man’s body. He thinks he’s still young enough to water ski and dirt bike with his two grown sons, and loves to send readers on journeys they’ll remember months after they finish his stories. He’s the best-selling, Christy BOOK of the YEAR, CAROL, INSPY and RT Book Reviews award winning author of nine novels, a speaker, branding expert, co-host of the Novel Marketing podcast, and co-founder of the Rubart Writing Academy. He lives with his amazing wife on a small lake in Washington. More at jamesLrubart.com