The first writing conference I ever attended was the Romance Writers of America in Times Square. I walked through the lobby of the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, looked at thousands of people in name badges greeting each other like old friends, and thought: my god, what have I done? (Yes, I do love the Talking Heads).
Conference season is here, and if you’re anything like me, the question every year is some version of: is it worth it? The price tag adds up fast, and you usually come home with the post-conference crud and you’re also emotionally drained.
The honest answer is: sometimes. It depends on which conference, what you want from it, and whether you’re willing to skip a session to take a nap.
This week on YOU SHOULD TOTALLY WRITE THAT, LL Kirchner and I talk about how to actually get something out of an author conference without burning yourself out.
We cover:
* Marketing or craft? Pick one. (And why you should usually pay for marketing and study craft online.)
* The conferences I’d recommend — NINC, CozyCon, WFWA, Romance Author Mastermind when it was running — and the ones that felt like sales pitches
* Our single best tip: prioritize the hallway over the schedule
* “Caucusing by genre” — finding your people at a conference
* Pitch fests: when they’re worth the extra fee, and how to talk to an agent
* The conference behaviors that make everyone hate you (yes, including pitching in the bathroom)
* How vendor tables are an underrated part of a big conference for indie authors
* Practical stuff: layers, water, a written itinerary, permission to skip a panel
* What’s worth paying for, what isn’t, and how to read an agenda before you commit
What conferences are YOU doing this year? Drop them in the comments — we’re nosy.
SHOW NOTES
Episodes referenced:
* Episode 18 — Front Matter & Back Matter
Conferences & organizations mentioned:
* NINC (Novelists, Inc.) — https://ninc.com
* CozyCon (run by Becca Syme) — https://www.becca-syme.com
* WFWA (Women’s Fiction Writers Association) — https://womensfictionwriters.org
* AWP — https://www.awpwriter.org
* AnchorCon
* Author Nation (Las Vegas)
* Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference (Middlebury)
* SleuthFest
What we’re watching:
* LL: Big Mistakes (Netflix)
* Tara: Love on the Spectrum (Netflix)
