It Takes a Village - Networking at Writers Conferences

I LOVE meeting people.

That’s why last year when I attended my very first ACFW, I went with one overarching goal – meet the fabulous ladies of Seekerville. (Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE the Seekers! If you are in doubt, just check out the past posts on my personal blog ;-) Poor Mary Connealy has to put up with my nagging more than she probably wants to do. And Audra Harders has the most gentle and lovely spirit. She took me under her wing and prayed with me. It was beautiful. Missy Tippens is full of southern sweetness. Accents are wonderful things.
And Julie Lessman? She always has a flock of people following her bubbly personality around. So fun!

I know, there are wonderful editors to be wooed and talented agents to impress, and those two sets of individuals were on my list too – but first and foremost I wanted to meet people who had inspired my writing (and my life) for the past year and a half.

And I wasn’t disappointed. It was a blessing straight from God.

1.       Because they really are as wonderful as they seem online
2.       They will be continual encouragers of my life and future supporters of my writing.

So, why is it important to get other people involved in the publication process?

Let’s face the hard truth. Very few people break into the world of fiction on their own. Dan Walsh is an extreme exception with his quick and easy path to publication, but for the rest of us it truly ‘takes a village’.

A village of highly trained or somewhat zealous individuals. J

Networking is the best way to create your ‘village’. And networking at Writer’s Conferences is vital to the unpubbed (and published) author.

Check out this quote from http://www.right-writing.com/networking.html

“One editor said that if she had two manuscripts, equally good and both publishable," said author and conference teacher Jack Cavanaugh, "one having been mailed in, the other picked up at a writers' conference where she met the author, she'd publish the conference author over the person she hadn't met." Why? "Because after making gut decisions, publishers invest upwards of $30,000 on the project before it ever hits the bookstore."

Basically, taking the risk and sacrifice of time and money speaks volumes to these people. They may see you as a more ‘serious’ writer when you’ve forked out $1200 to attend a writer’s conference and prepare for it.

Besides agents and editors, make sure to MEET OTHER WRITERS!! Who knows when you’ll bump into a new friend, crit partner, or an author who shares your work with his/her editors. I met Angie Dicken last year and I’m SOOOO happy to know her as an AlleyCat now! I got to share some chat time with Patti Lacy and Wendy Miller…and Wendy still wanted to be an Alley Cat with me – even after meeting me! (wonders never cease)

Siri Mitchell and I had Caramel Hot Chocolate from Starbucks together.

I enjoy the networking just for the mutual encouragement- that’s my favorite part. In my ‘real’ world, my husband and kids can get glazed expressions when I go into writer-speak. But at conferences, especially Christian conferences, I find kindred spirits. People who talk to imaginary friends, dream up crazy worlds, and google-search for weird things like various poisons, other words for ‘smile, the body language of a liar, and ‘how long can a person survive in a sinking car’.

It’s pretty awesome.

So, what are some basic Networking tips?

1.   Come prepared

a.       Intro & pitch- practice your personal introduction and then your pitch. Personal Introduction: “Hi, my name is Pepper Basham and I write different types of fiction, like historical & contemporary romance, speculative, and YA fantasy. How about you?”

You’ll get more on the ‘pitch’ writing later in our Writers Alley series , so stay tunedJ

b.      One sheets – Next Monday Angie is giving a GREAT post on writing One Sheets. More than just your pitching tool, this is a great way to help calm your nerves as you pitch. It’s like your ‘cheat sheet’ J

c.       Business cards – a visual source for networking. Don’t leave home without it.

d.      People wishlist – Have a goal. Who do you want to meet? My top goal this year is to meet my fellow Alley Cats. Woohooo! And then I get to meet my adopted-writing-mother RUTH LOGAN HERNE from Seekerville. Not only that, but I have a list of agents/editors I want to try and ‘bump into’ as well as a long list of cyberpals who I’m dying to accost. It’s going to be a blast!

e.      A smile – never fully dressed without one. It’s the universal sign of ‘niceness’ – and for heaven’s sake, if you’re a Christian you should have at least one thing to smile about . Doesn't Laura Frantz have a GREAT smile!J

2.   Never eat alone

a.       Meal opportunities – Find a place to sit with people you don’t know. Eating is our most social avenue. Take advantage of it.

b.      Social gatherings – use other gatherings as an avenue to explore new friendships and connections.

c.       Service opportunities – volunteering in the bookstore or at the registration desk puts you in front of a whole lot of people over a short period of time. Even singing in the choir at ACFW allowed me the opportunity to meet Regina Merrick and Lisa Carter.

Plus you get the added bonus of serving. I met Janette Oke this way last year.

3.    Seize the moments (and stretch your comfort level) – take the opportunity to meet new people. Don’t just stay with your ‘group’, but branch out. I stumbled into Erica Vetsch and Patty Smith Hall. Author Cathy Marie Hake sought me out after a year of cyberchat! Woohoo!

I met Cindy Wilson(ALLEY CAT) and Jeannie Campbell in the taxi on the way to the airport!

You never know who you’ll meet and how that will inspire your writing future.

4.    Don’t forget to reciprocate

a.       I’ll give you my business card if you’ll give me yours ;-) Make sure to exchange cards with the people you meet. Unless you have a photographic memory, this will be extremely helpful 2 weeks later when you’re writing ‘thank you’ notes or googling a website.

b.      Your new best friend? Talk AND listen. It’s so easy to monopolize a conversation when you finally have someone who actually wants to hear about your imaginary friends (believe me, I KNOW), but I’m pretty sure when God gave us two ears and one mouth he was trying to make a point. (Melanie Dickerson, I couldn't find the pic I have of you in Medieval attire ;-) But you looked great!

5.    The perfect follow through – After you get home, keep the networking going. Follow up with emails, visit website, and send thank you notes. I will NEVER forget Keli Gwynn’s beautiful ministry to me in her personal cards she sends. Not only does it show her generous nature, but it solidifies the fact that if she needs my shout-out about her upcoming debut – she’s GONNA get it!!!!

So, what are some extra tips you have for networking at a Writers Conference?

Anyone you really, really want to meet at your upcoming conference? J