Ratsy heading to first Writing Conference

[ratsy]

So I am heading to my first conference. I'm excited about it (although it is quite expensive for a single day) I'm just going for the Saturday, and it's only a 20 min drive from home so that helps.

Take a look at the Saturday Schedule and let me know what you think looks good. Most of the time slots have a couple sessions that I'd like to see.

http://www.wordsin3d.com/content/conference-schedule

 

[Juliana]

Looks interesting. I particularly like the look of the unconventional efiting one... Have fun!!

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Yay! Have fun!

 

[Remedy]

Have a great time, ratsy!

I would be interested in the: writing video games, one.

Also: "Status Report: The Publishing Industry"

 

[Juliana]

I particularly like the look of the unconventional efiting one...

Just noticed my typo... I think I need an EDITING workshop.

 

[Ursa major]

Is it unconventional because ratsy's going to a conference, not a convention?

 

[ratsy]

Well, I'm two days away from the conference. I'm excited to see how it goes, and am looking forward to learning about the local writing guild and how it benefits an author. Hopefully I can get a few contacts. I'm going to a session with the Marketing Director of Harper Collins Canada, so that will be interesting.

I hadn't thought of harnessing the local community much, but as I see Jo doing it with her debut book, it gets me thinking it would be good to have support and relationships built prior to getting to that stage for me.

I will be sure to blog post about my experiences

 

[Juliana]

Hopefully I can get a few contacts. I'm going to a session with the Marketing Director of Harper Collins Canada, so that will be interesting.

Here's a question for those with more conferences under their belts; maybe members like @Teresa Edgerton and @Jennifer L. Carson might know... I've been to two SCBWI conferences (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and there's an unwritten 'rule' that within a reasonable time-frame after the conference (say, 6 months) you can submit to agents and editors who were present, even those closed to queries, mentioning you were at the conference and they're supposed to give your query a good look.

Now, I don't know if that's just a SCBWI thing, as the organization has a whole sub-culture of it's own, or if it's a conference thing in general? Would love to know, and it would be useful info for @ratsy too.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I've never been to a writing conference. Plenty of conventions, but never a conference. From my experience, few agents attend SFF conventions (except WorldCon) but quite a few editors. Direct interaction with an editor can result in a request to look at your manuscript (I've even heard of someone who was offered a three book contract for books that weren't even written yet, but that was long, long ago) but that can backfire, too, if you come across as obnoxious and pushy (not that either of you would).

 

[ratsy]

Yeah, well I wont try to sell anyone an unfinished book! Just see if I can do some networking and learn more about the local Writing association and what kind of events they do throughout the year.

 

[Denise Tanaka]

Yes, it's possible to benefit from attending a conference if you manage to rub elbows with the right people. The author of the Dresden books, Jim Butcher, made friends with an established author at a con and she introduced him to an editor. Also, as I hear it, you can make connections by lounging in the bar and chatting. But don't come off as obnoxious or pushy or desperate. Many years ago, I was at a world fantasy convention. Innocently riding the elevator with a bunch of strangers, they were saying hello and introducing themselves. One fellow was a senior editor at Harper Collins, one was an agent, one was a bookstore owner or something like that. All I had to say was, "I'm a writer..." and the temperature dropped to sub-zero. The HC editor got a look on his face as if I had vomited on his shoes. When the elevator doors opened, he ran. It surprised me at the time, but now I realize he was being hounded all weekend. I was unfortunate enough to come at the tail end of it.

 

[ratsy]

Hey Denise. Yeah, I didn't do any of that...

Check out my blog posts if you'd like to see what I did for the day

here is part 1's link. Part 2 is on there too

http://nathanhystad.ticketyboopress.co.uk/words-in-3d-conference-part-1/

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I thought both your blogs were great!

 

[Denise Tanaka]

Sorry with busy life, I finally got around to reading your blog posts about the experience. Wonderful! I felt like I was there. I enjoyed your words of wisdom at the end, "Ideally you write a great book, get an agent who then sells your manuscript to a large publishing house. You then have access to full distribution, and there your odds of selling a load of books, getting lifelong fans, and turning your hobby into a dream come true. Of course we all know the chances of all of this coming through are very low so we just keep plugging away and do what I kept hearing over and over throughout the day: Write a great story. If you have an amazing story, the rest will fall into place with hard work and perseverance."