Search Results: writers conference

Recovering from a Writers Conference

I just returned from four days at a writers conference. I had something like 30 one-on-one meetings with writers, taught four 1-hour workshops, ran two late-night critique groups, had a few lunches/dinners/coffees with editors, and still managed to get out each morning for a 2-mile jog to and from Starbucks. Phew! I really enjoyed this…
Read More

Have you been to a writers’ conference?

  Even if you’re published, conferences can be a great way to network, make friends, continue your education, and most of all, be a part of the writing community.   Writing is a solitary endeavor, so it’s helpful to be reminded that you’re a part of something bigger.   Plus, those friendships with other writers…
Read More

More on Writers’ Conferences

I know a lot of you will be attending writers’ conferences, so I wanted to mention a few more things here. First, I can’t overstress the importance of having a verbal pitch ready. There are numerous opportunities at conferences to give a brief pitch of your book, sixty seconds. This can be at a meal…
Read More
jet

Why I Go To Writers’ Conferences

Most people think agents go to writers’ conferences strictly to find new clients to represent. For some agents this might be the case, but it’s not true for me, nor is it true for most of the agents and editors I know. There are five main reasons most of us go to conferences: 1. To…
Read More

Should You Go to a Writers’ Conference?

People frequently ask me whether they should invest the time and money to go to a writers’ conference. In my opinion, it can be a valuable experience whether you’re agented or not, published or not. But especially if you’re neither. I could write pages and pages about the value of a conference, but in the…
Read More

Tis the Season for Writers’ Conferences

Oh my gosh, wasn’t that the BEST.IDOL.FINALE.EVER???? Congratulations Kris Allen! Now for today’s post. We’re now fully into spring and that means… writers’ conferences! Many of you are probably planning to attend at least one conference in the next few months. There’s quite a bit of information available online about preparing for conferences, but I…
Read More

Hot Tips for Conferences

We’re in prime writers’ conference season and lots of people are giving their advice (some of it different from mine). So I thought I’d drop a few hints your way just to increase your chance of conference-success. • First up, everyone says “don’t be nervous.” Agents and editors are just people, right? Sure we are.…
Read More
Taxes and Writers

Taxes and Writers

It’s April 15th, woohoo! One of my favorite days of the year. NOT. Awhile back I blogged about making a living as a writer (Part 1 and Part 2), so today we’re going to talk about the unfortunate side effect of getting paid for your writing. Yup, it’s…. Taxes. Disclaimer: I’m not going to thoroughly…
Read More
Jane Friedman

How to Influence Editors in a Way That 90% of Other Writers Don’t

Guest Blogger: Jane Friedman @JaneFriedman Editors and agents (EAs) feel guilt all the time. Why? Because it’s never fun or a completely neutral act to reject someone. Sure, we know it’s a business—and we tell writers that over and over again to relieve our guilt—but we’re still human, and we know that rejection stings. This has…
Read More
chicken-little-sky-is-falling

6 Reasons for Writers to Be Optimistic

Guess what! The sky may not be falling after all. Yes, there are a lot of changes happening in publishing (and the world). But things aren’t all bad. Herewith, six tidbits to cheer you up. 1. Publishers are still buying books. If you follow Publishers Marketplace, you know that new deals are being announced every…
Read More

Should Pubbed Authors Go to Conferences?

If you’re an unpubbed/unagented writer, then you probably know that writers’ conferences are a great place to meet agents and editors. But today I want to make clear: There are plenty of other good reasons to attend a conference – even if you already have an agent and/or a publisher. First, the workshops can be…
Read More

ACFW Conference Debriefing

I just came from ACFW, the annual conference of American Christian Fiction Writers. It’s a large and terrific writers conference, with top notch writing courses and plenty of opportunity for networking. This year there were something like 540 writers attending, and 60 faculty and staff. Donald Maass gave an all-day seminar on opening day, and…
Read More

Help Your Fellow Writers

It’s Friday and I’ve declared it Help Your Fellow Writers Day. Everyone did such a terrific job earlier this week, sharing their advice on “How do you learn to write?” that I decided to keep it going. I’ve received several questions on the blog lately that YOU might be more qualified to answer than I…
Read More

ACFW Conference Checklist

Many of us will be heading to the ACFW conference in about a week, so I wanted to give you a handy checklist of things to make sure you bring. Even if you’re not attending ACFW, you might find this useful sometime in the future for another conference. a Some concise and fascinating answers to…
Read More