Committing to attending a writing conference is a big deal. Not only can writing conferences be expensive, but attending a writing conference does take time away from actually writing your book.
However, I can’t recommend writer’s conferences enough. I'm not saying you have to attend a writing conference to be considered a serious writer or get your big break in the writing industry. Plenty of writers have been successful without attending writing conferences. But, attending a writer's conference can advance your writing career in more ways than one. Here are some reasons why attending a writer's conference could be the right move for you as a writer.
1. You'll meet new writing friends.
Writing can be a lonely activity. Whether writing is your career or hobby it can sometimes be difficult to connect with people as passionate about writing as you are. I've gone to writing workshops, classes, and meetups and I've personally found it difficult to find fellow writing friends at these types of events because a lot of times these events aren't always structured for writers to truly connect with one another.
While writers attending conferences are at all sorts of stages in their writing careers, they have one thing in common. They are passionate about their craft. REALLY REALLY passionate. They came to the conference to learn about the publishing industry, pitch agents, and most importantly, they come ready to network.
The connections you make at these conferences are valuable especially because you’re all going through the same process to get published. The people you meet at these conferences can become:
- Your beta readers, critique group, and reviewers for your work
- Your cheerleaders who'll commiserate the lows and celebrate the highs of writing
- Your accountability partners who'll push you in your writing endeavors
2. You'll learn about the publishing industry.
The publishing industry is constantly changing and it can sometimes feel like there is a a lot of mystery surrounding it. All the writing conferences I've attended have brought in seasoned authors, agents, and editors from the publishing industry to give advice, offer insight into a career as a writer, and answer your questions. I ALWAYS learn something new that I didn't know before despite following plenty of online resources that also provide insight into the publishing industry. This year at the Colorado Writing Workshop (actually more of a conference setup), I filled my notebook up with pages and pages of notes. My hand hurt by the end of the day. You are guaranteed to learn something new at a writing conference.
**As a bonus, some of the presenters at conferences even provide worksheets and the slides to their PowerPoint. These are invaluable resources!
3. You'll advance your craft.
Like I said in #2, I wrote pages and pages of notes in my notebook. Not all of these notes were necessarily about the publishing industry. Some of them were on craft like world building or character development. This year for the Colorado Writing Workshop, I attended some sessions on romance and plotting. So even if you're not necessarily ready for the publishing stage in your career, you'll still walk away from the conference with knowledge that will help you in your writing career at the first stage of any writing career - actually writing the book!
Constantly improving your craft as a writer is one of the keys for success and it's something you have control over. In an industry where a lot of success is dependent on other people and some luck, attending a conference and learning about how to improve your writing is one of the ways you can advance your craft and have control in your career as a writer.
4. You'll be inspired.
You know how you feel after listening to a song that pumps you up? Attending a writing conference is like that times ten. Being surrounded by fellow writers going through the same process and experts in the publishing industry with words of wisdom can be really motivating and kick you into gear to finish that book, query thsose agents, and do all sorts of brave things with your writing you were too afraid to do before. Plus, this new atmosphere focused on writing might even boost your creativity.
5. You can pitch your book to agents.
This is 100% completely optional. As writers, I think many of us feel like we are better at communicating with the written word than verbally. And I won't lie to you. Pitching my book to an agent was one of the most absolutely terrifying things I've ever done. But, I survived. And now I'm not afraid of querying agents down the line because if you can handle face to face rejection, an email rejection stings a little less.
Plus, attending a pitch session has other benefits. It will save you energy and time of sending query letters to multiple agents. You’ll get feedback right away instead of waiting for weeks for their emails (which sometimes don't come with any feedback at all - agents are busy people!). Not only that, but by practicing your pitch, you’ll clarify and refine the concept of your book and this will in turn give you a more clear direction of where you want to take your book. Many agents will ask follow up questions when you pitch your book which will give you an indication of what they are confused about and what they are interested in knowing more about - both things that can help you in the editing process and querying process later down the road.
Notice I didn't say a benefit of pitching an agent was getting picked up by an agent. A few people do get an agent by pitching their book in person. But most people don't. That does not mean the extra money you spend on pitching an agent isn't worth it. You are paying money for their opinion and expert advice. For my advice on how to successfully pitch an agent and my experience pitching agents, see my 5 Tips For Pitching A Literary Agent blog post.
All in all, if you have the money and time to go to a writing conference, I think it is definitely a worthwhile experience!
If you are planning on attending a writing conference, check out my blog post 5 Tips For Attending A Writing Conference.
Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you around here sometime soon!
Taylor
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