On Projecting a Professional Image at a Writer’s Conference

Or,

How NOT To Look Like a Total Newbie

Spoken by those who know: all members of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers).

If you’re planning to attend a writer’s conference for the first time, I have just one piece of advice: Ask lots of questions. This may seem counter-intuitive but it’s true. New people want to show how much they know and have practiced, so they tend to spout off, a lot. They do crazy things to catch editors. YES, at conference I did see a newbie follow a poor editor in to the bathroom …

My husband has a marketing business and he said the person who is talking “loses.” You need to learn to listen. You need to ask questions. When I went to conference last year I had published with two national magazines and sold an article to a third. That was it. No stellar record. Just my BA and two pub credits. I went prepared with a list of questions. I kept the editor and agents chatting. I picked their brain for all it was worth. I handed them my one sheet on my various projects at the beginning but said NOTHING about them. I asked questions on the industry and allowed them to look at my one sheets as they answered questions they could answer in their sleep.

In the end I said, “Well, thank you for your time. Would you be interested in seeing these projects?” The agent said, “Sure, send it my way.” The editor said, “If agent X (the agent I'd spoken to the day before) takes you on, tell him to send the project to me.”

And you know what? I wasn’t scared a BIT. I never spoke. I took great notes, learned more in fifteen minutes than I ever imagined, and had what could be considered two yesses. More importantly, no one had ANY clue it was my first conference, my first pitch, or anything. I felt good because it was a casual side note: “would you like to see it” rather than trying to convince them of anything. I think I sold myself well.
So go to conference believing you are a professional writer and people will treat you like one.

Tiffany Colter, ACFW Online Course Coordinator

Remember that EVERYONE—including all those agents, editors, multi-pubbed authors, and stars—was a newbie at some point. In my experience, a newbie that wants to learn and wants to master the craft is never looked down upon by a true professional. In fact, if you have passion for writing, even if you’re as green as an overstuffed child on a rollercoaster, you’ll be respected and encouraged.

Last year, I attended my first writer’s conference ever. I wasn’t a newbie to writing in general, and had even been published, but I was still a newbie to the “Christian publishing business.” Before I went, I sat down with a friend who is an editor and, up until a few years ago, regularly attended Christian writers conferences to represent his (major) publication. I asked him what I should do to get the most out of the conference. His answer: “Shut up and listen. Ask good questions, but make sure you shut up and listen. You’ll never lose points for not knowing everything, you’ll never lose points for not being recently published. But, you can lose a LOT of points if you don’t shut up and listen.”

He had one other good piece of advice for me: “Relax and have fun. If you sit with an editor or agent at a meal, don’t attack them with an agenda, just get to know them, have fun, and let your passion show through. And remember to shut up and listen.”

A year later, and preparing to return to that same conference, I’ve learned a lot … and I feel like I know less than I did last year, oddly enough. But, after attending a couple of conferences, I can offer these tips on how to be perceived like a professional:

1) Good business cards that reflect both your style and your professionalism.

2) Whether it’s a one-sheeter or a proposal, make it crisp and clean, and know the right format and information to include.

3) Don’t be overconfident, but don’t appologize for being less experienced, either. Everybody has room to grow.

4) Don’t try to accomplish every goal in your career at one conference (or one 15 minute meeting).

5) Relax and enjoy the company of others who share your passion for writing.

6) Build relationships—pitch less, make friends more.

7) Shut up and listen. : )

Dan Case, http://www.case-studies.com

I had some newbies come pitch me at a recent conference. How did I know they were newbies? Fancy art on the front of the proposal, colored fonts and big type, strange formatting. They might as well have worn a sign. I told them the object was for their submission to look the same as the one being sent by the seasoned pro, the one who has no time for these bells and whistles. Things which were intended to make their submission stand out, did, but for the wrong reasons.

A newbie should never hide the fact that they are short on writing credentials if that is the case, but it shouldn’t be advertised either. If the submission is neat and clean and follows the submission guidelines EXACTLY, then by the time the agent or editor gets to the writer’s bio and discovers that it is a first effort, they are very pleasantly surprised, not going into the appraisal biased up front.

If we do this right the person receiving the submission might even find themselves saying, “Hey, a proposal this good from a new writer, I may have a find here.” Don’t kid yourself, regardless how the market operates and how cynical those who have to wade through submissions day after day might become, they all want to “discover” a talented new writer.

Terry Burns, Agent Hartline Literary Agency

When I started out, I was so raw, I didn’t even know terms like POV. And I wasn’t as young as most of the others, so I really felt behind everyone. I wondered what I’d gotten myself into, thinking I could do this. But the best thing I ever did to grow out of that was two-fold. First, I went to a writers’ conference where I met Deb Raney, Eva Marie Everson, and Yvonne Lehman, among others. They gave me loads of encouragement and taught me a ton about the craft and the business of writing. Then, on Deb’s advice, I joined ACFW. That is the quickest way to learn. It didn’t take long until I felt “seasoned” and no longer a newbie.

Immerse yourself in the industry. It’s like when you join a new church. The quickest way to get to know people and the “lay of the land” is to jump into a ministry and volunteer. You’ll make friends fast—and your friends will teach you.

Ane Mulligan, ACFW Zone Officer, http://www.anemulligan.com

Here’s my list:

1. Don’t be in a hurry to submit work or query editors/agents. Learn the craft. Love the craft. Obsess about the craft. Aim to make your work art, not just “sellable.”

2. Educate yourself about the publishing industry, especially the fiction industry. Pay attention to what’s going on and how things work, and who’s who. Be able to discuss this and listen to industry talk in an informed manner.

3. Read a lot of fiction—both CBA and ABA. Try reading outside your preferred genre, too. (That’s hard for me, but I’ve discovered some gems that way.) At conferences, pay attention to what the editors and agents are raving about, and read them, even if they’re not fiction. Some of you may remember the year that almost every single editor was swooning over BLUE LIKE JAZZ. And they all love TO KILL A MOCKINBIRD. This is part of the culture of the fiction industry—a culture you’re now part of. Be a connoisseur of good literature—be fanatic about it.

4. At conferences, don’t talk too much. I’m not trying to imply you have nothing worthwhile to say, because you DO. But as others have pointed out, you learn so much more by listening. I spent much of my first several conferences sitting at tables or with groups of people that included published authors and agents, hardly daring to move because I wanted them all to forget I was there so I could just be invisible and hear their candid thoughts and observations. I still do that sometimes. I learn a lot, and besides—it takes the pressure off you when you’re not trying to think up something to say.

5. Look at editors, agents, and published authors, and experienced writers as PEOPLE first, as potential friends. Not as possible toe holds and finger grips as you’re climbing the mountain of getting published. Newbies are the ones who can’t hold a conversation without trying to pitch something or get advice. But if you just focus on creating friendships and getting to know people, you’ll find eventually that opportunities will open up naturally for you to share about your work and ask questions. And developing relationships with other people in the industry is a lot more important in the long run than pitching your manuscript at every opportunity. Some of my best friendships in the writing world have developed simply because I asked that person how I could help them, or if I could pray for them. And I value those friendships much more than just a chance to get published. These are real people, worth knowing for who they are, not just how they can help you.

6. Don’t be so desperate to get published that you fall for scams or pay money to an agent or publisher when you shouldn’t. Learn what is considered ethical and reputable and don’t get taken in by what is less than that.

7. Avoid the legendary faux pas: A. Claiming God told you to write this novel and all but dictated it to you over the phone. B. Declaring your manuscript to be a potential best seller. C. Telling the editor that your title or story premise is too good to reveal to them without them signing a nondisclosure agreement. D. Accusing a publishing professional of stealing your story idea. E. Pitching to an editor/agent in a restroom (or other equally obnoxious conference behavior). F. Writing angry emails to agents or editors protesting their rejection of your work or trying to argue with them. G. Badmouthing agents, editors, publishing houses, other writers, published authors, or other professionals. It’s a pretty small world, and your reputation for that sort of thing will get around. H. Not paying attention to a publisher’s writing guidelines or submission/contact protocol before sending a query or proposal. Please read EVERY scrap of information you can get your hands on about a publisher or agent and what they want from you before you make contact. Do your homework.

This is not part of my list, but I just want to add a bit of encouragement. It’s actually okay to BE a newbie. It’s actually okay to let others know you are new and that you want to learn. Everyone is a newbie at some point, and they are an important part of the publishing world, because that’s how this world stays fresh and continues to grow and change. I think it’s ultimately what keeps literature in the realm of ART and not just another mass-produced product. So while it’s understandable and commendable to want to avoid common newbie mistakes, you should never, ever feel that being a new writer is something to be embarrassed about or to try to hide. You are a welcome and valued part of the writing community, and those of us with more experience need you as much as you need us.

Meredith Efken, Novelist and Freelance Editor, http://www.meredithefken.com

Actually, newbies are NOT intrinsically pesky and there is nothing wrong with being a newbie. Everyone was at some point, just as everyone was a baby once upon a time. What you want to do is not be a PESKY newbie. As others have pointed

out, a newbie with a know-it-all attitude or a God-gave-me-this-book-now-publish-it-dammit attitude is pretty hard to take.

Listen, this is important: All publishers are looking for fresh voices. In other words, NEWBIES. Yes, that’s right. Camy Tang is about to make a splash because she’s the first Asian chick-lit writer for CBA. In other words, a newbie. But she’s not a pesky newbie, because she acted like a pro long before she got her first contract.

I will never forget how politely and humbly Sharon Hinck approached me before her first Mount Hermon conference. She emailed me in advance to ask how best to go into the conference and which classes a newbie should take. What she didn’t do was beg, plead, cajole me to read her manuscript and recommend her to my twelve best friends. She just asked for a wee little bit of advice.

New voices are important and everybody wants them. What nobody wants is new voices who act like they are the center of the universe or who don’t bother to learn how things work in this industry. One of the great things about ACFW is that newbies can now learn things quickly if they just listen. In the bad old days, there was nobody to listen to, so we all made horrible wretched newbie mistakes. All of us did. I could make you roll on the floor laughing hysterically if I told you all the idiot things I did way back when. There was nobody to tell me not to.

Newbies, rejoice in your newbieness!

Randy Ingermanson, Novelist and Publisher of the Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com