Conference Prep–A Quick Review Part 1

No, I’m not starting the conference prep series right now (that’ll be in August). But I know people are starting to get antsy about the ACFW conference, since we haven’t been able to register yet, so I thought I’d post links to stuff I’ve written that may be helpful in trying to figure out what happens at conference, what to take to a pitch session, how to network, etc.

I’m a Wallflower and Don’t Know Anyone
Though right now we’re all excited and anxious to register for conference, come August, all of us are going to be facing the fear that being surrounded by hundreds of people can bring. Yes, even I, with eight conferences under my belt, have the fears of I’m not going to know anyone. I’ll be all alone. No one will like me. This is a mistake. So here are some posts that include exercises you can start doing this summer to help you prepare to approach all those strangers with a little more ease in September:
Networking–What is it, really?
Networking Refresher–The “Soft Sell”
Networking = Name Recognition = Marketing
Networking Refresher–Building Name Recognition
Networking: Stumbling Block #1–Fear
Networking Refresher–Is This Seat Taken?

Preparing Your Pitch
Pitching to an editor or agent face-to-face can be one of the most daunting things we as writers face. Because the majority of writers are introverts, putting ourselves forward, talking about ourselves, “selling” ourselves is intimidating at best, nauseating and panic-attack-inducing at worst. Here are some posts that can help you prepare your pitch so that you can (hopefully) approach your pitch session(s) with confidence:

Beyond the First Draft–Clarity—Two of the most important things you’ll need to do are to make sure you are targeting the correct publisher and to understand and be able to easily describe your novel. This post will help you get from your thirty-second pitch to your one-sentence to your one-paragraph to your one-page synopses.

Beyond the First Draft—The Pitch Sheet and One-Sheet—Though they used to be the exception, having a one-sheet for each project you’re pitching is now the norm. The sample linked on this post was my first attempt, so pay no attention to it!

My Pitch Sheets!—Samples of the pitch sheets I took to conference last year.

Beyond the First Draft–Face-to-Face Pitch Sessions—Not only do I detail what I take with me into a pitch session, but there’s a link to Gina Conroy’s wonderful article on pitch sessions.

Networking Refresher–Face-to-face editor/agent meetings—This post links to articles that Camy Tang wrote on pitch sessions.

Tomorrow, following up after pitching and preparing your requested submission!