Anyone here been to any writer conventions? I'm going to my very first this year, with Dan. Going to be really expensive as it costs $210 for membership, plus Dan wants to get a table, plus we have to get a hotel for 2 nights... meals and drinks on top of that. Yeah, it's going to cost a bit. So just wondering, anyone else here ever been to a writers convention, or planning on going to one this year?
See, they don't have that many here in Western Australia. Especially not in the area that my partner and I are interested in. Which bites. I'm hoping that in a couple of years, we'll be heading to at least 1 over in America.
I've never been to one, so I have to ask: what kinds of things do people do at writer conventions? (Do you promote your work? Talk about writing? etc.)
I joined the Writer's league of Texas and all I got was lots of email about classes I could pay to attend :/
Yeah that is a lot for a couple of days, I got Bonaroo Tickets for less, but it sounds as though it will be an exciting experience. I hope you have a great time, and cannot wait to her the great stories you will have when you get back. Have fun.
It goes from 21-25 April, so it's worth the money. Plus all the professional writers you get to meet as well. It's definitely worth the money. thirdwind, you go for many reasons, to promote your work, go to writer work shops, and to greet and meet with other writers and professionals in the writing business. It can be a great boost for your writing career. Why? Because it's always good to meet the people you want to publish you, as well as fellow writers, and lots of deals can be made at the conventions as well. You may also get to meet some agents that you'd otherwise never get a chance to contact.
an 'i'm curious!' question for any who've attended: what concrete benefits have you gained from going to one?... have you ever gotten an agent, or snagged a publisher, or sold a significant number of self-published books as a result of going to them?
Terminology question: are conference and convention interchangeable here, or are there any differences? I met my publisher at a writers' conference. I had a fifteen-minute conversation with the acquisitions editor and he asked for the manuscript. At that same conference I had an agent ask for a proposal (he later rejected) and had another publisher tell me to send me a proposal if the first publisher rejected. These were the first real "bites" I had gotten in a year or two of submissions. I would really recommend going to conferences. If you go looking to get a publisher you want to make sure & have your "hook" ready, your one-liner that tells them why your story is interesting. Mine was "This is a story set in France during World War II, in which a high-school rivalry becomes a matter of life and death for two Jewish refugees."
OK this lead me to the world's most bizarre set of coincidences - I went to check out for UK conferences only to discover there is a major one these days at my old university and it is run by the lady that diagnosed me with borderline dyslexia (she thought that was nicer than clumsy child syndrome) - who at the time was in Wales. Hmm can I find the pennies lol.
I think the learning experiences and knowing people can be just as huge benefits as an actual deal. There's something amazing about growing up sitting under a table doodling while famous names talk books, gossip and memories. I've never tried to market myself to these people, but one time my mum handed me over to this guy at some awards ceremony, and he bought a short story from me and published it in an anthology with a load of interesting names for £30 I was a stupid kid so I had like no idea what was going on and was just like, "Yay, cool!" and ran off to stare at the fish or something So I figure that's a start. I just haven't tried to sell anything else since then - and quite right too... I suck compared to the others in that collection. He he.
I'll let you know after we've been. But I do know friends who have gained quite a lot from going to these conventions. It's not all about how good you are anymore, it is also about who you know and back scratching. Especially in the small press area.
