Ten Things I Am so Happy I did at the Writer’s Conference

These are the top ten things I am happy I did at the San Francisco Writer's Conference 2012.

11.      I stopped trying to hunt down agents and editors.

·         My first night at the conference, I was doing laps around the gala party hunting agents and editors and couldn’t find any. I felt pretty lame too, like I was the exact type of person they were hiding from in the first place. When I finally gave up and sat down to talk to some people, there was an agent sitting with them who got really excited about my book. But I was so anxious and excited to have found one that I over pitched my work and am still worried I might not have impressed.

·         The rest of the conference I saved my agent hunting for the speed dating sessions. I didn’t go to the foodless social gatherings but joined other writers and went out to dinner in China Town, which I’ve always wanted to do. I got to really get to know some people that I have common interests with and even got invited to a really good online writer’s group, which I desperately need.

·         Even though I didn’t meet every agent that attended, I met 90 percent through speed dating, and I can still send queries to the others and mention that I saw them at the writer’s conference but didn’t get the chance to talk to them.

22.      I stopped trying to drive around San Francisco and just got a cab.

·         The first night driving in San Francisco was a disaster! I’m from a small town and have always lived in small towns, and I make my husband drive when we visit cities. San Francisco roads are INSANE! There are one way streets, bus lanes that cars can drive in, strange street lights that are hard to find in all the madness going on, and no-turn everywhere! I had to make circles constantly to get to places and had to call my hotel almost in tears because I kept finding them but couldn’t find a road that took me there.

·         My cab fare was about $20 ($10 each way including tip) a day, and my hotel parking cost $28, so I probably could have saved some money driving, but I really didn’t need the extra stress, and I’m so happy I did it that way. Besides I saved so much on my hotel-keep reading.

33.      I didn’t ditch the people I met.

·         There was a definite push while at the conference to meet as many people as possible, and that was important, and I did meet plenty but I noticed some people would meet you then avoid sitting with you again. They weren’t being mean but just attempting to maximize their networking. That made sense, but I liked sitting with one person I met earlier then meeting seven other new people at the table. I met a lot of people, but I also got to know about half of those people beyond their names and pitches. Those are the contacts that I imagine I will keep and grow closer to in the future.

44.      I got an affordable hotel.

·         When I saw a big stressful conference that runs from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day for four days in a big confusing city, my gut reaction was to stay at the hotel the conference was at even though the price was $170 a night! Thankfully, my husband jumped in and said stay somewhere nearby for cheaper. Duh.

·         I found a lovely hotel a mile and a half away and my entire stay was $200, that’s for three nights when I would have paid that much for one night at the fancy hotel even though I only used that room to sleep and shower in.

·         I admit, it was a little more work to get up a little earlier and get a cab to the conference hotel, but I saved so much money overall.

·         My only regret was there were hotels closer to the conference. I could have walked there, that would have been ideal.

55.      I went outside and saw the city.

·         A lot of people went to the conference, stayed at the hotel, and didn’t leave except maybe to desperately search for food nearby, but I decided I wasn’t going to do that. I went out with other writers and got dinner in China Town, we went to the famous City Light Bookstore, and the Shore House by the beach. It was so refreshing and fun to go out and see some things. It was a great way to get to know the people I met better and get some perspective away from the conference.

66.      I got sleep.

·         I got a total of 4.5 hours of sleep the first night and the next day I felt like garbage. I felt irritable, disgruntled, and a little sick. I actually wasn’t enjoyed the conference anymore and felt like I would humiliate myself at any moment because I wanted to be on. So the second night, I was waiting with a group of probably 75 people to get some feedback on my pitch and it was taking hours. By 11 p.m., I hadn’t gotten any feedback, and I could either wait it out or go back to the hotel and get some sleep. I chose the latter and was so grateful that I did. Later I heard the event went to 12:30 a.m.

·         The next day I felt better physically and mentally and could tell my mood had improved. I figured out that how much sleep I got would determine how much I enjoyed and got out of the conference. For the rest of the time I had a great time.

·         I also made sure I went home early the night before the pitch sessions even though I was having so much fun talking with other writers. I also didn’t drink too much.

77.      I helped people.

·         A lot of people struggled to formulate their pitches because it’s really hard to boil your 300 or more page novel into a single sentence. I did a lot of research and spent a lot of time crafting mine, and I’ve gone through tons of versions so I started giving feedback and helping people boil their book down.

·         I only helped two but both people gave me hugs and thanked me so much. One of them found me after her pitch session and told me it went so well and it was all because I helped her. That for me was one of the best moments of the entire conference. The second person suggested I start a business, and I’m going to try to do that in the next few weeks. I never would have thought of that if she didn’t say something. So if you are interested, hit me up.

·         I also told people about things I’ve learned, like the Publishers Market Place website. A lot of people didn’t know, and I got a small crowd to form around me as I started talking about it. The thought that maybe something I said could help someone realize their dream, is insane, and I loved it.

88.      I put on my social hat and started asking people for cards.

·         You are there to meet other writers and people in the industry. If you don’t try to do that, you are missing out on one of the biggest perks of a conference. So the first thing I did was start introducing myself to people. I made it a goal to always be talking to someone. Meet someone in every workshop, at every meal, in line, in the hall, wherever and whenever. Maybe not the bathroom. The fact is they are there to meet people too, so they will be happy you introduced yourself.

·         When I first started talking to people, I wasn’t sure how to go about exchanging business cards. I didn’t want to seem like I was only talking to them to do that, but then I realized everyone printed business cards for this, and they all want to exchange them, so I started offering them up whenever I could. I didn’t wait for a good moment or even to get to know someone. Sometimes I handed cards to people I didn’t even talk to, but maybe we were at the same table. Everyone was happy for the excuse to give me their cards and I was happy to get their cards too because then I knew I could contact them later. FOLLOW UP WITH THOSE PEOPLE. ALL OF THEM. They will be future fans, contacts and connections.

99.       I calmed down about agent speed dating and went with the flow.

·         Everyone who came out of speed dating had really positive responses, but I wonder if there were people who freaked out, who built up that moment (which was on the last day) so much in their minds that they just fumbled and afterwards felt awful. Hopefully no one had that experience but it’s a fear.

·         I conquered that fear by not freaking out about it. It took some convincing. I was freaking out on the drive up, but I started to feel better when I saw the agents in workshops and at the Agent Q&A. It helped me see them as real people and not celebrities or something. When I went in there, I was kind of nervous, but I decided to just treat the pitch like a conversation and not a performance. That helped. Don’t get me wrong I was nervous, and I even had that moment during speed dating of wondering if it wasn’t going well, but even then I just tried to not put it up on a pedestal or let it bother me at that time. Save it for later.

·         I’ll be writing a future blog to give more detail about what agent speed dating is like.

110.   I’m so happy I researched prior to the conference.

·         There were so many things that I did that people said, I wish I had thought of that or done that. I didn’t come up with it on my own. I researched the conference like crazy by reading blogs like this mostly. Most of the things I’m happy I did came from that research.

·         My insane research for the agents and editors also impressed my fellow writers and served as a good laugh. But my lists of both agents/editors that were and were not for me helped me out. There were several times that I wondered if they added a new editor or agent then looked and saw—nope that was just a person that wasn’t for me. Saved me from pitching to the wrong people.

·         However, I didn’t actually play that card as well as I could have. Another person I met researched other books her desired agents represented and mentioned them in the pitch. She even negotiated with one agent who told her he didn’t represent that type of work – she said but this book had this and this quality, etc. I researched the books they did, but I didn’t mention them. I bet that would have helped me.

·         No matter how much research you do though, there will still be things you didn’t think of but you can learn from other’s experiences, which is why I’m going to write a blog about the ten things I wish I had done for the writers conference, so look for it and I hope this helped you in your research or curiosity.

111.  BONUS: It was scary going by myself, but I’m so happy I went alone (sorry hubby). I think if my husband came with me, I wouldn’t have gone out with people because I would have felt bad for leaving him alone all day. Also, by joining a friend at the conference it was more likely you would focus on talking to the person you knew rather than other people. Still, I saw some people there with others who mingled very affectively by making sure they just didn’t sit with their friends all the time.