Your writing conference checklist: how to make it worth every minute and every penny (takeaways from the 2017 San Francisco Writers Conference)

There is something about attending a conference on your own time and your own dime.

You’re far more, shall we say, invested. It’s different when your company sends you to a conference that you may or may not be enthused about. You’re less inclined to squeeze every last ounce of usefulness out of the experience, and more inclined to check your emails instead of listening to speakers.
 
I just returned from the 2017 San Francisco Writers Conference. As a former corporate marketing and communications manager, I have attended several communications and PR conferences over the years, but this was my first conference for writers. And it completely blew me away. That’s putting it lightly.
 
I finished writing my nonfiction book, “When Medicine Meets Holy Matrimony: A Surgeon’s Wife Tells It Like It Is”, in October 2016, with the goal to be ready for SFWC17 in February. 

Since my book began as a passion project while I worked full-time, there was no shortage of work to be done. I wrote the book and then tackled the nonfiction book proposal. I began blogging consistently every week. I created a Facebook author page and started building my author platform (all the ways you can discover me online). I began sending a weekly newsletter to email subscribers. I researched the agents and editors attending the conference and prioritized who I most wanted to connect with. I created an oral book pitch and practiced it ad nauseam. You get the idea.
 
The conference acted as a deadline that kept me working toward specific, time-sensitive goals.
 
Anyway, you came here looking for a checklist for your next writers conference: how to make the most of every minute and every penny. So, here we go. 

How to Make the Most of Your Writers Conference

1.     Prepare. Prepare at least as much as you would for a job interview, if your goal is to be published. Each interaction you have with an agent, speaker, coach, or editor is your window of opportunity to make a positive impression. Start by researching who is attending the conference and create a list of people you would like to speak with and/or pitch your book to. Put them in a spreadsheet and be sure to copy and paste their photo into it so that when you see them grabbing their morning coffee at the event, you will recognize them and can say hello. Prepare to the point that you feel comfortable casually discussing your book with strangers. 

2.     Go with an open mind. I went into this conference with the idea that I would pursue traditional publication (sign an agent who would then sell my book to a top publishing house). However, I attended a variety of sessions, including a few on self-publishing. Now I feel educated on both the traditional route and the self-publishing route, wherever fate may lead me. It’s always smart to have a Plan A and a Plan B. 

3.     Get social. There are countless opportunities to network at a writers conference, and I urge you to take advantage of them. At SFWC17, there were daily coffee meet-ups, networking breakfasts, lunches and dinners, a welcome cocktail party, free classes, and plenty of opportunities for interacting with experts. Also, make a concerted effort to put your phone away. If you’re scrolling through your mobile, people will assume you’re busy and won’t talk to you. All you have to do is turn to the person next to you and ask, ‘what do you write?’. This is a fantastic way to meet other writers and authors in an otherwise lonely profession—don’t squander it. 

​4.     Be brave. Public speaking is one of my least favorite things to do. I was traumatized by the time I had to deliver a book report in my 8th grade class and my voice shook like an earthquake the entire time. I’ve since improved, but banishing those butterflies is still quite the challenge for me. Nevertheless, when I saw the nonfiction ‘pitchathon’ on the schedule, I showed up. And when I witnessed a panel of about six agents and experts giving several minutes of personalized feedback to everyone who gave their pitch, I decided that I would be crazy not to do it. So, I did it. I held a microphone and talked about my book in a room full of people. It wasn’t so bad, and the feedback I received was 100% worth it. My other act of bravery at the San Francisco Writers Conference was the agent speed dating session, which put me face-to-face with a room full of agents to give my book pitch in one minute, and have a discussion for the remaining two minutes. Like many other writers, I was petrified going in, but once I began sitting down with agents, I found it easy and conversational. If you have an opportunity to participate in something like this, just do it. You won’t regret it.  

Photo credit: JD Hancock via Visual hunt / CC BY

5.     Adapt on the fly. My final tip is to evolve with the feedback and inspiration you receive. Re-write your pitch if you need to. Change your title (it will probably change later anyway). Attend sessions different than what you had planned. If you see someone on your wish list, strike up a conversation with them, even if it’s not the ‘perfect’ moment. The key is to stay observant, follow your intuition and to strike while the iron is hot. 

I filled an entire notebook while attending the San Francisco Writers Conference, and would highly recommend it to any writer, whether you’re just starting out or looking to stay on top of the industry’s latest.
 
Wishing you the best of luck with your writing and I hope to see you at a conference soon! 

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