A 3-Part Series on How to get the Most Out of a Conference
Part 3: Be Thankful
Writers conferences rock. I mean that. They are pure energy and by the time they’re done, you feel sparks in your fingertips. You’re juiced and ready to fly (or write, right now). And yet, far too many attend a conference (often at sizable expense) without the faintest idea how to truly get their money’s–and effort’s–worth. In this last of three installments, we will look at what to focus on once you’ve stepped out the door and headed home.
Planning and running a writers conference takes a lot of people giving a lot of themselves. They deserve (at the very least) a thank you, and I mean a sincere thank you, not some Hallmark bulk-printed pablum. One of the best (and nicest) things you can do when the conference is done is to send your thanks to the conference staff and volunteers. This could be a handshake and verbal praise at the hotel bar on Saturday night. Warning: this may get lost amongst the bourbon and bar-side pitch sessions. Better yet, send an email or letter to the hosting organization/organizer. Tell them what you gained by attending and what you’ll cherish. Thank them for their hard work and tell them you’ll recommend the conference to other writers. It’s okay if some of it is untrue, that’s what fiction is, but at least make it FEEL sincere.
If you talked to an agent or editor or NYT bestselling writer and got their contact info–and I guarantee you did if you followed my advice in Part 2–then send them a note saying how great it was to meet them and get to know them and address any loose threads left from the weekend’s conversations.
You got 48 hours. Use them.
Did an agent or editor ask you for pages? Send them within forty-eight hours unless you negotiated something different. Agents and editors have submissions on their desks hundreds deep. Don’t make them regret giving you top-of-the-pile access by taking three weeks to send in what they asked for. Best scenario? You get those pages to them on Sunday so they can read them on the flight home.
Lastly, let the world know how great a time you had. Blast it out on social media. Talk about the conference in your blog and newsletter. Tell your writer friends. Talk about it at the next writers function you’re at. Pump it up.
Now, all this sounds like an energy suck that benefits nothing but that conference. Au contraire mon frére. You’ve just put that conference in your debt. They want you back. They want your support. The FRIENDS you’ve made know you’re sincere. The industry knows you’re looking at the big picture. The greater writing community knows you’re not a dick. That makes the industry pause, and its representatives and participants take notice thinking, “Hey, maybe this cat is cool and we should chill.” By that I mean, in my gin and tonic way, that even if your current piece is not what they want right now, they want to see what’s next because they dig who you are. Be thankful that they do.
You get me?
The 30th Annual Pikes Peak Writers Conference takes place April 27-30 in Colorado Springs. Registration is open now!
The 40th Annual Colorado Gold Writers Conference takes place September 8-10 in Denver. Registration opens May 1st!
The 2023 Writing Heights Writers Conference takes place May 25-27 in Fort Collins, CO.
