In three short weeks, I’ll be at the first of the two conferences I’m attending in January.  I’ve been to several of these in the past, but each time I still get frazzled.  I have this paranoia that I’ll forget to bring something super-important and it will lead to some massive catastrophe and I’ll never get published.  Never.  Ever.  Ever.

OK, this analogy might be a bit of a stretch, but bear with me.  Navigating a conference is sort of like knowing your table-manners.  Suppose you’re going on a date with the person of your dreams to some fancy-schmancy restaurant.  Do you really want to spend the entire time thinking about whether you’re using the right fork for the salad?  If you’re worrying about not embarrassing yourself with the silverware, then you’re not thinking about the really important thing: “is this person right for me?”

The secret of success is to figure out which one’s the salad fork beforehand.  In fact, if you know this stuff so well that it comes naturally to you, your mind will be freed up so you can think about the important things like when’s the best time to go for your first kiss.

For writers, conferences are the ultimate dinner date, only instead of figuring out which fork to use or whether you should kiss this person, you’re stuck thinking about query etiquette or whether you should pitch your book to an agent in the bathroom (which, by the way, you shouldn’t).

In Portuguese, there’s a saying that roughly translates as “You don’t want to show up with your hands flapping.”  This means when you go to someone’s house for dinner, you need to bring something.   When going to conferences, the same rule applies.  Only here, instead of flowers or chocolates, you’ll want to bring along the following items:

• Business cards:  If you don’t have business cards professionally made, you can print some up on your home printer and cut them with an Xacto blade and ruler (not scissors… please, not scissors).
• Notebook:  You’ll want to write down notes, contact info from participating agents/editors, submission guidelines and lots more.  Besides, you’re a writer so you probably don’t go anywhere without your trusty notebook anyway.
• Layers:  You never know if the conference rooms will feel like a sauna or frozen wasteland.  What I can tell you is they won’t be a balmy 72 degrees.  If you wear layers, you’ll be ready for anything.
• Tote bag or large purse:  At lots of these conferences, they have a bookstore where you can purchase books written by the speakers.  Oftentimes there will be opportunity to get these books sighed after the talks or at the end of the conference.  If you’re like me and can’t resist getting a signed book, you’ll want some convenient way to carry all your loot home.

As with any situation, you need to come prepared with knowledge of the proper etiquette.  Rather than make a long list here, I thought it would be better to refer you to the advice from a couple of agents themselves.

• Jeff Kleinman’s Guide to Conference Etiquette
• Scott Hoffman’s Guide to Writing Conference Etiquette 

Remember, the more preparation you do beforehand, the more you’ll be able to relax and enjoy the conference when you’re actually there.

This month is my big conference month.  For the last two weekends of January I’ll be attending both the Writer’s Digest Conference and the SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC.  Check these links for more info on these two weekends of writerly bliss:

 Writer’s Digest Conference
 January 21-23

SCBWI Winter Conference
January 28-30

I love conferences and I wish I could go to a couple every month of the year but that would break the piggy-bank and seriously cut into writing time.  So instead, I have to make the most of the ones I actually can attend, and that means meeting other awesome writers in person.  (Which is probably my favorite thing in the entire universe!)

But there’s a problem: I’m shy.  Especially when it comes to talking to new people.  I get all excited to meet other writers and then I go to these conferences and I get all nervous.  So I just sit there and stare at my notebook.  Alone.  All alone.  Either that or I go with a friend or two and only talk to them because I’m too shy to branch out.

But not this year.  I’ve decided I will meet new people and talk to other aspiring authors.  That’s where you all come in.  Are you going to one of these conferences?

 If so, let me know in the comments and we can try to meet up!  Or just find me when you get there.  Trust me, you’ll know it when you see me.  I’ll be the girl with her face buried in her notebook secretly praying someone will talk to her.  And since iggi insists on attending these conferences as well, I’ll be toting my ever-so-stylin’ iggi bag with these little guys printed on it:

‘Tis the season for conferences and other writerly events but sometimes choosing the right event can leave us flapping our feathers.

Of course, we can always take the easy route and follow the flock, but what good does that do us as writers?
 

In the end, we must choose the right kind of conference to suit our needs, so that we can commune with other birds of a feather.

And that brings me to the core of this post.  Just as there are many species of geese, there are many different types of conferences, but in my experience–having attended several–there are three basic types: Wild Goose Chase, Good for the Gander, and Mother Goose.

The Wild Goose Chase (AKA the Publishing Conference) is all about getting published.  Speakers are mostly industry professionals–agents and editors–who share insights on how to write a pitch, what should/shouldn’t go in your query and the overall publishing process.  These publishing-focused conferences are very useful for writers who know little about the actual publishing process, but it can become repetitive over time.  After all, you can only hear the “how to get published” talk so many times before you just have to go out and write the darn book.  Also, I find that going to this type of conference too early on in the writing process can discourage some writers.  Instead, I would recommend holding off on a publishing conference until you’re feeling pretty good about your draft or are ready to start the query process.  At that point, then, the more information you get about the business, the better.

The Good for the Gander (AKA Craft-focused Retreats) is great fun and is especially useful if your writing is in need of some serious shaking up.  These conferences usually include a mix of publishing talks from industry professionals and inspirational talks by published authors but the core focus is on the craft itself.  Often these types of conferences involve reading writing samples from fellow writers and discussing them in a workshop setting.

The Mother Goose (AKA Inspirational Conferences) is all about inspiring the writer within.  Sure, there will be some opportunity to hear industry leaders talk about the biz but the main focus is often on inspiring writers to keep… writing (duh).  These are the warm ‘n fuzzy conferences where you leave inspired to run home, boot up the computer and start the fingers flying across the keys.

If you’re looking into a conference, how do you know which species it is?  Look at the schedule of events.  Who are the speakers?  Is it mostly authors with a publishing panel or two thrown in for good measure?  Then it’s probably a Mother Goose.  Or are the majority of the talks all about publishing?  If yes, then you’re heading for a Wild Goose Chase.  And is there a workshop component?  If so, you’re most likely going to a conference that’s Good for the Gander.

Ultimately, there’s no one type of conference that’s better than another, but when you invest the time, money and effort to attend a conference, you’ll be best served if you go to a conference that suits your needs.  If you are at the point where you need to start informing yourself about publishing, a publishing-focused conference is for you.  If instead, you want to connect with other writers and rekindle that love of writing, an inspirational conference is probably more your vibe.  And finally, if you want to get new perspectives on your work, a workshop-retreat is your best bet. 

What type of conference do you think would suit you best at this point in your writing?

Yesterday I went to BEA (Book Expo America) for the first time and it was great!  Aside from visiting the various booths and meeting a few authors, I was also on a mission: to represent Verbal Pyrotechnics and scout out new and exciting teen books and authors.

What is Verbal Pyrotechnics?

*Drum roll, please*

Verbal Pyrotechnics is an e-zine dedicated to showcasing great teen literature both from emerging and established authors. We’ll be open for submissions starting in July and we’ll have our official website up soon.  In the meantime, check out our blog for more information.