It’s good to be home. Flying from Baltimore, Maryland to Santa Barbara, California makes for a very long day, especially when I just made the trip going the other direction two days earlier.
Today, I’m playing catch-up again. I’ve been setting priorities all morning. Paying the first-of-the-month bills was first on my list. And I’ve also been reflecting on the writers’ conference, the people I met and the things I learned. I hope that all conference presenters and attendees take the time to do this. It’s sometimes enlightening, sometimes painful and always worthwhile. If we don’t learn from our experiences—both positive and negative—why bother getting up each morning.
I meet the same hopeful and struggling authors at every conference I attend:
• Those who have just emerged from their writing rooms and are eager to quickly land an agent or publisher.
• Hopeful authors who have collected so many rejection slips they are practically despondent and terribly discouraged.
• Those who are still in the writing stage and who are curious about what publishing is all about.
• Those who have done some research about aspects of the publishing industry and have formed some definite opinions and biases.
• Authors who have “self-published†with a fee-based publishing service (they paid to have their books published) and are overwhelmed by the task of promotion and marketing.
Everyone comes to a writers’ conference with an agenda. Which attendees are most likely to have a successful experience at a writers’ conference?
• Those who are open to at least hearing the material and messages presented.
• Those who network with other writers on a give and take basis.
As a presenter, I also have the opportunity to learn at events such as this. I always learn something about people in general and about writers and authors in particular. I find it fascinating to discover what drives them, what motivates them, what resonates with them, what inspires them. I always learn something more about the publishing industry—and if I do, you know that you will—if you will just pay attention and care. I learn about my peers and, most importantly, I learn something about myself.
If you haven’t yet attended a writers’ conference, I recommend that you do this year. Tell me where you are or where you want to go and I’ll find a conference for you. PLFry620@yahoo.com.