The Writers Blog
Home Blog About Contact Advertise Archives Links/Resources
January 17, 2008
Writers Conferences: Its important for both aspiring and experienced writers to go to conferences. This is where you will meet other authors, learn from seminars, and meet agents and editors. A common question I get as a published writer is ‘how do I get an agent’ or ‘how to I get my book proposal noticed?’ My first answer is ‘go to a conference.’ At many conferences part of your tuition enables you to sit down face-to-face with an editor or agent. This is a great opportunity to describe your idea and get immediate feedback. You also stand a chance of having them say, ‘send me your complete proposal.’ That is how you meet an agent and get your proposal out of the slush pile and into the hands of someone who can make a decision about your work. That’s not the only reason to go to a conference (although it’s a good one.) There are usually dinners and other gatherings where you can meet a number of editors, publishers and agents (beyond the one or two you get to meet in a private meeting.) At these meetings you can blend small talk with informal pitches about your book or play or poem or whatever. If you’re good, the agent will hand you a business card and say ‘send it to me.” Again – you’ll sneaked out of the slush pile.
Another important reason to go to a conference is to learn. Different conferences are structured differently, but a common setup is to have a number of 30 minute to 1 hour sessions where a professional writer, agent, editor, or some other writer-related expert will present information useful to writers. Depending on your needs you can learn about plot structure, creating a proposal, editing your own work, writing a query to a magazine, and so on. At a recent conference I jotted down some of the things that seemed important to me, so here are some of my notes from various sessions:
- Sell your idea. To sell your work you need a short one sentence synopsis. This is a ‘pitch’ that you can use when you’re talking to an agent or editor – it must be a hook. It's great if it is visual and descriptive. Some people like to relate a new work to an old one – such as “This is a story that pits an Indiana Jones type character against Godzilla in Las Vegas.” Okay, that probably won’t sell – but you get the idea – use known visuals and character types to quickly explain your story. (Virtually every new story is a blend of old ideas.)
- Have a platform. That is, publishers want to know if you already have some kind of name for yourself so that they can use that as a springboard to sell your writing. They want to know what sets you apart. What makes you unique and how will that help promote your book? For example, are you a speaker (about art, family violence, financial planning, etc?) Do you have experience working with the media? Have you appeared on talk shows, radio programs? Do you speak locally or at national conventions? Do you lead some kind of community group? Do you already have publications on this topic -- for example, if you’re promoting a book, have you done magazine articles on this topic or do you have a successful blog about this area?
- Understand public relations. That is how your book, screenplay, etc will be promoted. In today’s world the writer must bear a large burden to create a “buzz” about his or her work. And, for many publishers, the buzz should already be evident before they are willing to invest money in your project. Its almost like the old banking adage that banks (except in the recent banking crisis) only want to loan money to you if you don’t need it. In the same way, publishers only want to promote your work if you’ve already made a name for yourself. So, what if you are an unknown? Beside writing your book you need to begin creating a name for yourself. You must become an expert, a spokesperson or a celebrity. Look up local speakers bureaus to see if you can get on a speaker’s circuit. Become active in a group that promotes your topic (clubs, political action group, etc.) Write a blog. Write a column for your local newspaper.
- Know the public. What’s in fashion? What’s out of fashion? You may be an expert in jungle diseases but if the general public doesn’t care then you’ll have a hard time selling your stuff. If some epidemic related to such a disease is threatening to overtake the US your work may suddenly turn to gold. You have two options – wait until your topic becomes a hot topic, or decide what’s about to become a hot topic and become an expert. Cool and luke-warm topics are hard sells – go where the action is. Even with a certain niche, you may be able to figure out about what your target audience wants, and work backward to provide them with a information to meet their needs. Then you have something that stand a chance at selling.
For a good read...
ISBN: 978-0-7656-1821-4
Meets Every 2nd Tuesday. Click for more info.
