Rising Talent -- The Value of Writer's Conferences

My number one piece of advice for new authors is always to attend a writer's conference.

It’s been yet another week of sickness here, with the stomach bug (or bugs??) lingering throughout our entire family for more than two weeks at this point. That, and the audiobook format of my book is releasing on Monday so the to-do list has gotten insurmountable. I had a full post in mind to talk about the value of attending writer’s conferences, but alas I’ll have to settle for the condensed version.

There are writer’s conferences all over the country and world. You can usually find one with publishing professionals, like agents and editors, in attendance, and you can often find one specific to your genre. During my conversations with early stage writers, my first piece of advice is always to attend a writer’s conference. Not only does it give you a glimpse into the business aspect of selling books regardless of what publishing route you decide on, but it offers a fantastic study in craft and a great way to meet other authors who understand the joys and sorrows of writing.

The Muse & the Marketplace writer’s conference kickoff in Boston in 2019

Seven years ago now, I attended my very first writer’s conference in San Diego. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I didn’t even have a complete manuscript. It was there I met the two most important people on my writer journey. No, it wasn’t an agent or a published author who would one day blurb my book. It was my two critique partners, both in entirely different life stages, states, and careers than myself. We are still extremely close to this day, and they’ve taught me more than any craft book, webinar, or class about writing and editing. I owe my growth as a writer to them, and I never would have made it this far in the publication journey without them.

Me and my writing partner, Tanya, during a 2021 visit in San Diego. She is one of my closest and most cherished friends.

The biggest downside to writer’s conferences is they can be expensive, especially when taking into account travel. However, due to all you gain in return, it’s worth the expense and oftentimes you can find one close enough to drive. If you’re still not published, my one recommendation is not to waste your time or energy during the conference trying to woo agents. If you’re going to pay for a session to meet with a publishing professional, spend it on the editors. They’ll give you invaluable feedback about your pages and they end up being the people agents sell your manuscript to. Oh, and speak with other authors who are on panels. Not the huge headliners, the other authors who are also trying to sell books and led a powerful session. They’re often more than willing to connect and network, and that’s how I was put in touch with my developmental editor.

Stephen King at Wordplay Book and Author Festival in Minneapolis in 2019 (sadly, we didn’t exchange numbers).

I’ve never attended a writer’s conference as a published author, so I’m looking forward to that experience this summer/fall. It will be interesting to see what networking benefits come from it since my goal has changed. While it will always be to meet other authors, it’s now also to sit on panels. Have other authors found a significant benefit in doing this? Many of my fellow debut thriller friends claim it’s an absolute must. My biggest concern now is weighing the cost of attendance and travel with book sales and exposure. As always, I’ll be sure to share what I learn!

Next Week: I will be taking a one week hiatus to prioritize the release of my audiobook. However, last week my debut author feature got so many views! I will definitely do this more often and thank you to those who reached out to me. I’m so sorry I haven’t had a chance to respond yet, but again… sickness! I’m still adapting what I cover based on what is most helpful to subscribers, and I got great feedback on the BookToker post. I’ll also plan to do more of this, but 3/29 will be my first Bookstagrammer feature! Stay tuned!