Summer is here, which means it’s conference season! It’s that time of year when a lot of writer’s organizations have their conferences and big events. Conferences are among my favorite things ever! I love hanging out with fellow writers and spending some dedicated time thinking about nothing but the craft and business or writing.
At the time of writing this newsletter, I had just spent an evening hanging out with a writing friend who was attending a big conference for the first time. Our conversation inspired me because it occurred to me that there might be other word nerds out there attending events this summer who may not know how to navigate them.
Fear not! Even if you’re a total introvert (like me!), writing conferences can be incredibly valuable and—dare I say it?—even fun. You just have to have a plan for the before, during, and after.
Before the Conference
You did it! You signed up for a writing conference, got your travel plans figured out and booked your hotel room. Give yourself a huge pat on the back and take a sigh of relief because the biggest hurdles are behind you. That said, if you want to get the most out of your writing conference experience, it’s good to have a game-plan going in. Here are a few things you can do to prepare:
Look Over the Schedule
Most conferences will give you a schedule when you arrive, but they also often post their schedules online. This way, you can see what sessions are being offered in advance and start mapping things out before you get there.
Look at the sessions being offered. A lot of conferences will have more than one track, which means you’ll have to choose between a few different options for each time block. I recommend having both a first and second choice. This way, if you get to one session and it’s not your jam or it’s over-packed and you can’t find a seat, you can easily go to the other session. I’m obsessed with office supplies, so if I were doing this, I’d print out a copy of the schedule and use colorful highlighters to mark up my first and second choice sessions.
Research Some Speakers
Some of the speakers might be familiar names. Others might be completely new to you. Take a little time in advance to read the bios of the speakers for the sessions you’ve selected so you can get to know them a bit. Most conferences post speaker bios online. This research may also help you decide between various options if you’re torn between multiple sessions.
If speakers have an online presence, you can follow the breadcrumbs to learn more about them, beyond what’s on the conference site. If they’re on social media, you can follow them there. If they have a newsletter, it might be worth checking it out. Take a little time to familiarize yourself with the speakers, so you can get a better sense for how they teach.
Connect on Social Media
Once upon a time, Twitter was the go-to place where most pre-conference networking would happen. Conferences would have a hashtag and you could follow that hashtag and see updates about the event and connect with fellow attendees. Alas, Twitter (I refuse to call it X) has gone sideways and much of the publishing world has exited to other platforms like Threads, BlueSky, or even Facebook or Instagram.
Some conferences (I’ve mostly seen this with online events) may have Facebook groups associated with them. In those cases, the conference will usually advertise the group in its pre-conference communications. If you’re on Facebook and the conference has a group, it can be worth joining. Sometimes speakers will pop in, and it’s also a great way to meet some fellow attendees.
During the Conference
The day has come! You’ve boarded your plane, train, or automobile and you’re on your way to the event. Now the fun really starts!
What to Bring
You’ll want a notebook and pens so you can take notes (trust me on this!). Some people bring computers, but not all conference rooms have tables (sometimes it’s just rows of chairs) in which case a laptop could be cumbersome. Plus you may not easily find a power outlet if you need to recharge your computer. Tablets can be a great, portable option, especially if your tablet has a keyboard case so it can double as a laptop. Personally, I’m a paper and pen sort of gal, so I just pack a notebook and my pen case and I’m ready to go.
Also not a bad idea to bring some cough drops (in case you get an annoying tickle in your throat), some portable snacks (like protein bars or trail mix), and a small bottle of water. Some conferences may offer coffee and snacks throughout the day but that’s not always the case, so be prepared. Also keep in mind that while some conferences have time set aside for a lunch break, others might have sessions back-to-back all day, in which case you may have to miss a session in order to grab lunch.
Go to Sessions
Remember that beautiful schedule you mapped out before the conference? Now’s the time to use it. Go to the sessions you selected. Take notes and have fun! Chat with the people sitting near you and see if you can make a friend or two. If you’re sitting in on a session and it’s truly a dud, tiptoe out discreetly and go to the back-up session you selected (this is why you want to choose two sessions for each time block.)
Breakout speaker sessions are pretty straightforward to navigate. Speakers usually have slides or a handout so all you have to do is take notes. Panels are a little trickier because they can be somewhat unpredictable. You never know which direction the conversation will go. This is why I always recommend to writers attending panels: search for 3 takeaways and 1 action step. If you’re listening to the conversation, looking for key takeaways and an action step, you’re more likely to get value from that session because you’ll leave it with concrete information. (By the way, you can use this rule of thumb with individual speaker sessions as well.)
During the Q&A (either of a breakout or a panel), if you have a question, ask it! Just make sure you frame it in a way that’s productive for all the other attendees in the room. (I.e., don’t make it too specific to your own book.) If you have a more specific question, see if you can chat with the speaker(s) after the session. Some breakout speakers and panelists will hang around for a few minutes after their talk is over and that’s a good time to ask a more specific question.
Build In Some Breaks
I get it. It’s super-tempting to try to squeeze every last drop of value from an event. After all, you invested a lot of time, money, and energy to go in the first place. But make sure you pace yourself. If you burn yourself out on the first day, you could end up missing out on something later. This is why it’s so important to build in time for breaks.
Play hookey now and then, and just skip a session or two. Things to do with those breaks include: taking a nap, hanging out in the bookstore, browsing the sponsor booths, relaxing near the coffee or water station and chatting with fellow attendees. Open yourself up to serendipitous meetings with other folks at the conference. This can be a great opportunity to network and make some new friends.
Pitch Your Book or Meet an Agent
Some conferences offer pitch sessions or agent consults where you can either pitch your book or have a short sit-down with an agent. Every conference does things a little bit differently, but regardless of the event, it’s always a good idea to arrive with a strong elevator pitch for your project, in case somebody asks you what your book is about. Plus, if you’re attending a pitch session or meeting with an agent, you’ll need to have a pitch anyway. Practice your pitch at every opportunity you have so that when the chance to share it comes up, it’s ready to go.
After the Conference
You had a blast, but now the event is over. (Cue sad face emoji.) The after-conference piece is perhaps the place where most writers drop the ball. This means, if you get awesome at follow-up, you’ll immediately rise above the crowd.
Follow-Up with Your Contacts
If agents asked you for materials, send those materials as soon as possible. That said, do not send materials unless you have the full book ready in the wings. An agent might say “I loved your pages… send me the full” and it will be really embarrassing if you haven’t finished writing the whole book yet. So hold off on sending partial materials until you’ve got the manuscript ready, but get it ready as fast as possible.
If you made friends and met fellow attendees at the conference, the week or so after the event is a great time to send a quick note to say “hi” and keep that connection going. Some of these fellow-attendees could become great critique partners or accountability buddies, so don’t let those connections go cold.
Take Time to Debrief
Make yourself a nice cup of coffee or tea and give yourself a good hour or so after the conference to debrief. (The plane or train ride home is a great time to do this.) Go back through your notes and highlight any insights or key points. Remember those 3 takeaways and 1 action step you hunted for during the panels? Go over those and think about how you’ll implement what you discovered. The key is to turn all that great learning you did at the conference into practical tools and techniques you can put into practice. Knowledge is great, but it won’t help you make progress unless you take action.
There you have it, an in-depth guide on how to navigate the before, during, and after of a writing conference. If you do go to a conference or event this summer (or later this year) I hope it’s a blast and that this guide is helpful!
Until next time, keep writing and keep being awesome!
P.S. For more info on Gabriela Pereira, the founder and instigator of DIY MFA, check out her profile page.
