To Conference or Not to Conference?

By Kathleen Coddington

Recently there have been some lively discussions on my RWA chapter loop about the benefit of attending writer’s conferences on one’s writing career. Initially set off by a blog entry by NY times best seller, Lynn Viehl, who seems to be in the “don’t waste your time camp”, many members and authors have been weighing in on the subject. I recently blogged on conferences and writers groups myself. In the past six weeks I’ve attended an all day work shop with Jonathan Maberry, the Greater Lehigh Valley Writer’s conference, and the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in Orlando, Florida. On the eighteen hour drive home with my husband, I had a lot of time to ponder the question.

On the con side of the argument, conferences are costly to attend. Besides registration fees, which despite the state of the economy, are climbing as I write this, there are hotel, food, and travel costs. And let’s not forget promotional items, like bookmarks, postcards, pens and kitschy doodads. Although I worked hard at keeping within a budget, I spent several hundred dollars for promotional brochures, pens and other free items, not to mention the two raffle baskets I prepared. I sold a few books at the book signing, but certainly not enough to equal the dollars I put in to attending this conference.

Then there is the time drain. Preparing for all of these workshops and conferences, cut into my writing time in a big way as I spent time preparing marketing materials, along with blogging, twittering and Facebooking to keep my friends and readers apprised. I might agree with Lynn Viehl on this point that “it’s a huge time and money effort for little return.”

Many writers are shy and retiring by nature and it can be emotionally overwhelming to be surrounded by so many people, most of them strangers. This added personal strain is often viewed as a negative and is offered by some writers as one of the reasons why they avoid conferences.

After hearing this, you might be asking “what’s on the plus side?” Actually, many things. Certainly if you measure all your success in monetary terms, there is probably little cost benefit to attending conferences. They are expensive. If finances are a problem, you’re better off staying at home. Of course you can cut costs by creating your own promotional materials and by sharing a room and traveling expenses with a friend. I know of several authors who paid for their registration and part of their airfare to the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention by saving all their loose change for a year. One author told me she put away ten dollars a pay, basically the cost of several visits to Starbucks or two lunches at a fast food restaurant. Another way to cut costs is to think about becoming a speaker. Most conferences will give a break on fees and meals for authors who are willing to speak at a session. And don’t forget at tax time that many of the expenses can be considered a business write-off.

For those authors who can afford the conference expense, the experience can be invaluable. Writing is a lonely activity. It can be immensely invigorating to spend time with other authors, discussing current works in progress and exchanging craft and marketing tips. No matter how much our friends and families love and support us, only another writer can fully understand our journey through the world of writing and publishing. Another huge benefit is the networking opportunities conferences provide. Where else does an author get the chance to talk to editors, agents, book sellers and readers all conveniently gathered in one place and for basically the same purpose? As an author, you can’t underestimate the value of networking. In addition to chatting with other authors at RT, I met several booksellers. Both of them bought books at the book fair. For one this was the second book of mine she’s bought. The other was looking for new authors and had read my excerpt brochure. She recently emailed me to tell me how much she enjoyed the book and told me she’d be buying my other books. She also invited me to submit my book to an invitation only book fair in Kentucky in November.

Conferences also keep us current on industry news. Publishing is changing fast and understanding and being aware of new trends and which publisher, editor or agent is looking for new authors is vital. And while knowing how to write a compelling query letter is a must for any author, nothing can compare with the chance to pitch a book face-to-face with an agent or editor. Unless the story is completely wrong for their line, pitching a book at a conference almost always nets an author an invitation to submit a partial, the first step to getting the entire manuscript requested.

We’re never too old or so successful that we can’t learn something new. Someone is always ahead of or behind you in the process, so it’s important to keep relevant. I attended an amazing session with J.A. Konrath, the reputed King of Blogging. It was a small group so we had plenty of time to ask specific questions that applied to our blogs and websites. What I learned from Konrath and his panel of friends that included, Barry Eisler, Beth Ciotta and Alexandra Sokoloff was almost worth the entire cost of the trip.

I’m a firm believer in paying it forward. We’re all in the same boat here, so each of us should take an oar. Offering to conduct a workshop for aspiring writers is a way to give back. Some authors have suggested that talking to other writers is like to teaching to the choir. There may be some truth to that. But keep in mind, that the choir buys books too. If you attend a session and like the speaker, chances are you will buy his/her book—maybe not right then and there, but you’ll keep in the back of your mind for later.

I saw this in operation at the RT book fair. Nancy Cohen, who writes beauty shop mysteries, had a continual line of aspiring writers who came and bought her books. She told me she’d taught a session for unpublished authors and almost every one who attended her workshop bought a book. According to former LA screenwriter and author of The Harrowing, Alexandra Sokoloff, who attended the RT conference for the first time, she sold a ton of books to an audience who didn’t know her because of her workshop sessions at the conference. She found attending this one conference to be so valuable that she devoted a recent blog to the subject. Male authors, Paul Wilson and Barry Eisler both concurred.

Authors sometimes make the mistake of thinking it’s only about the writing. It goes without saying that writing the best book you can is vital to your success, but it’s never healthy to live in a vacuum. Agents and editors are looking for authors who are well-rounded and who will actively participate in marketing their books. They routinely check out websites and expect their authors to be involved with all the basic social networks like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

Of course there is such a thing as ‘too much of a good thing’. Authors need to be careful not to become conference junkies. Before selecting a conference, check with other authors to see which authors workshops they have found to be particularly useful and worth attending. Sometimes attending a conference every other year or at the 5 year anniversaries when lots of big name authors are offering workshops may be enough. It’s always a good idea to set up a list of criteria to use when checking out which conferences to attend.

In the end, it comes down to the individual author. Only you can decide what’s right for you. For me, as long as I can afford the experience, I’ll continue to go to those conferences that attract me because of the sessions offered, other author friends who are attending and the opportunities afforded me to pimp my books. Will this strategy skyrocket me to fame in the world of publishing? I doubt it. On the other hand, as long as I can afford the time and the money and am still concentrating on writing a damn good book, I don’t think it will hurt either. Not to mention it’s a hell of a lot of fun.

Kathleen Coddington writes for Cerridwen Press. Two of her books, Witch Ball and Mistress of Deception are available in print. Her third book, Threads of Love, is available in digital form. She also teaches a novel writing course and has just launched a new blog. To find out more, visit her at www.katheencoddington.com.