How to Choose Your Next (or First!) Writers' Conference

Attending my first writers’ conference proved to be life-changing—or at least career-changing. In the years since, I’ve attended a wide range of writing events, and each one has in some way substantially contributed to my career. Some deepened my knowledge, others expanded my professional network—most did both. I can’t imagine where I’d be without them. Could a writers’ conference be a life-changing/knowledge-deepening/network-expanding opportunity in your future, even this year? If yes, how do you determine the right conference for you? This post is the first of a short series on how to get the most out of your next (or first!) writers’ conference, starting with how to choose your next (or first!) writers’ conference.  The Gifts of a Writers’ Conference In the early days of my writing career, I explored freelance writing. Thanks to a mentor, I learned how to pitch myself as a writer for companies looking to outsource things like company newsletters and I gained a few core clients. That launched my professional writing business. But as a creative writing major attracted to poetry and essay writing, I wanted to explore other types of writing and submit to magazines, for example, so I picked up everything I could from library books. The books, while excellent, were not enough to answer all my questions or help focus my efforts. And the internet did not exist at that time. In time, I instinctively knew I needed to start connecting with writers and learn from them.  In fact, I started to crave it. Somehow I heard about an event in Chicago called Write to Publish. I registered and attended it as my very first writers’ conference. Nervous and unsure what to expect, I showed up and sat through sessions, as speaker after speaker delivered talks that energized my creativity, while the speakers themselves embodied a life I wanted to pursue: that of a working writer building a body of work to be proud of. Many first-time conference attendees feel so overwhelmed by the flood of information at events like these, they conclude they could never pull it off and give up, walking away from writing and publishing altogether. I felt overwhelmed, yes, but mostly excited and empowered. It was exactly what I wanted; it was exactly what I needed. By the end of the conference, I interacted with attendees who in time became colleagues. I met someone who became another writing mentor. Those conference connections formed the beginnings of my professional network. If you attend a writing conference… You could meet your next coach or mentor. You could meet like-minded writers and form a writers’ group. You could meet industry leaders who offer to look over your project. You could meet someone who introduces you to key people you only dreamed of meeting one day. You could meet a writing buddy who becomes an accountability partner. If you’re considering attending a conference or any kind of writing event for the first time, I hope you find it proves to be a pivotal step in your journey. You never know how a chance encounter in the hallway or a timid hello as you take your seat in the auditorium could be the start of a professional relationship or a literary friendship that changes your life. Writer’s Conference or Writers’ Conference? As we dive into what a writers’ conference is and how to choose the right one for you, we have to face two small but fascinating issues. One, believe it or not, is punctuation; the other is labels. Let’s start with punctuation. You surely think this is overkill, but humor me for a minute. Sometimes you’ll see an event called a writers’ conference, other times a writer’s conference. Occasionally you might spot a writers conference with no apostrophe. And then a few call their events writing conferences, avoiding the need for an apostrophe altogether. In most industries, no one would care one bit about this level of detail. These conferences, however, are events catering to…writers, agents, and editors. So of course we notice the apostrophe (or lack thereof). And of course we start wondering how that tiny fleck of ink affects the attendees’ (or attendee’s) experience.  Without wasting more time on the grammatical implications, I bring it up for practical reasons. Because when asking your writerly friends what conferences they recommend, apostrophe placement may not matter much, but in an online search each version could produce different results.   To turn up the perfect event for you, try using all the different search terms: Writers’ conference Writer’s conference Writers conference Writing conference In your online searches, you also might change the word “conference” (singular) to “conferences” (plural). Conferences (plural) might turn up a list of events in a single article, which will save you time in your search. If you search for the singular “conference,” your search results may deliver endless events to sift through one at a time…but it still might be an advantage, as you might find a new event that wasn’t around when a list of events was compiled into one article. What a Writers’ Conference Tends to Offer Most writers’ conferences feature speakers with sessions that educate authors about topics like industry expectations, genre-specific recommendations, author platform advice, tips for developing book proposals (especially for authors of nonfiction), queries, and other publishing advice.  Conferences can also come in all different sizes, but most will offer keynotes, lectures, and breakout sessions. Some may include readings and workshops paced throughout a long weekend or some are a full week.  Most writers’ conferences offer pitch sessions for writers who have completed non-fiction book proposals or for those who have complete manuscripts for their novels or memoirs. Many conferences will have different tracks: one track might be for novelists, and the other might be for non-fiction authors. One might offer a track for unpublished authors and another for more advanced authors to discuss topics that new writers aren’t ready for.  Knowing all of this can help you choose the best fit as you’re searching. Is a conference a conference by any other name?  The other question is this naming or labeling. Gatherings for writers might go by different names. In addition to writers’ conferences, I’ve seen and attended: writing retreats writing seminars writing festivals writing workshops and a writers’ colloquium Each designation suggests a different purpose and personality. When you realize how one tends to differ from another, you’ll be able to match your professional needs and goals with the right event.  For example, you might want to write and talk about craft at a retreat led by a writer you admire, maybe in a beautiful setting. This event would feel dramatically different from a two-day conference hosting hundreds of authors that offers 15-minute agent pitch sessions and is held on a college campus or at a hotel.  Match Your Purpose and Project to the Type of Event That’s why you’ll want to first be aware of what kind of writer you are and the writing you’re focusing on at this moment, then determine your purpose for attending a writing event. This will include where you’re at in your professional and publishing journey. Then consider your current project and its stage of development. Today, I’m mostly covering the in-person conference experiences, but you may find similar benefits at something labeled something else. Study the descriptions carefully, read the fine print regarding refunds and take into account that certain experiences may be much more expensive than others. What Kind of Writer Are You? Knowing yourself and your writing goals and writing stage can help you determine your purpose for attending an event. It can help you decide if you’re better suited to an event for: authors of nonfiction books authors of novels authors of literary writing (literary novels, short stories, essays, poetry) authors of genre-specific books bloggers freelance writers who are actively pitching and submitting (or want to learn how) writers interested in writing for the ABA and general market writers interested in Christian publishing writers interested in self-publishing When you realize an event doesn’t offer speakers or sessions suitable for the kind of writer you are and the writing you’re pursuing, cross it off your list. It won’t be worth your time. What About Your Project? Next, consider what you need given where you’re at in your writing life and with a given project.  Are you: a newbie with no project or book in the works, simply ready to soak in everything possible? an experienced writer who has taken a break and you want to dip back in and learn how the industry has evolved? an experienced writer with a project in a specific genre? an unagented novelist with a completed manuscript, ready to pitch? an unagented author with a nonfiction book idea, and you want to understand the industry? an unagented author with a completed nonfiction book proposal (or nearly complete), ready to pitch literary agents and/or acquisitions editors? a writer wanting to self-publish a book? Given your current project’s status, you can decide which conference offerings will move it forward to its next milestone.<...