More Things I Learned at the SCBWI Conference

In the last post, I talked about things I'd learned by listening to what agents or other industry professionals had to say.  This post, I'll share with you what I learned just by experiencing the whole event.

      1. Come prepared.

Do you guys remember when I asked you all for help to prepare for the conference?  I had an inkling of what I needed to do, but I still needed to get that extra information from all of you to make sure I felt totally prepared.  And walking into the conference, I was.

I had my pitch perfected and memorized, samples of my work in case anyone asked for it, copies of my synopsis, business cards, and I was dressed to impress.

Those who weren't prepared stood out, but not in a good way.  You see, I made it a point to introduce myself to as many writers as possible.  And through the course of the conference I heard a lot of pitches.  Most of them consisted of a lot of "ums" and "well, it's about (insert theme here)."  Okay... Well, I lost interest because I really didn't know what the book was about.  I asked a few questions to clarify, but most of the writers couldn't narrow the story down to the plot.

Not. Good.

It really made me sympathize with what a lot of agents have been saying about really preparing for stuff like this.

       2. Mingle

You never know who you're going to talk to and what you'll learn by talking to them.  In fact, on Friday evening, I met up with a blogging buddy and a few of her friends.  Those friends happened to know of a meet-and-greet going on later that night at a local pub.  If I'd given in to my shyness and not hunted my blogging buddy down (though I'd never met her in real life before), I would have missed out on that opportunity.

And, of course, I made some really great new acquaintances over the course of the weekend.

      3. Agents are human beings

In fact, they're often quite humorous human beings.  They are not people to be feared, and you certainly shouldn't feel like you have to perform in front of them.

That was one of the greatest things about the little get together Mary Kole organized with her blog followers.  She'd made it clear that she didn't want to be pitched and it really took the burden off our shoulders.  I felt like I didn't need to pretend around her or make sure I was always on.  We talked about movies, our favorite books, etc.  There was absolutely no pressure.

And here's something we all should remember:  If you can't be comfortable around an agent, you can't work with an agent.  If you're constantly thinking this is a person who carries your life in his/her hands, how can you possibly be open and honest with them?  Your business relationship should be an equal partnership where both parties seek to benefit from the other.

Discussion:  How do you guys feel about the whole agent/author relationship?  And do you have any questions for me?  Ask away!

What's That? You Want to Know About My Trip to New York City?!

No, I did not take this picture.  I snatched it from trekexchange.com.

Honestly, I don't even know where to begin.  The whole experience was rather overwhelming.  I guess the best place is at the beginning!

It all started with Gorgeous asking the night before I was scheduled to leave if I was positive my flight wouldn't be cancelled.  Apparently, there's been some snow in the East Coast.  I actually live near Buffalo, NY so we've been getting this too, but I live near Buffalo, NY (i.e. we tend to be like "Snow?  Yeah, what about it?")

So, needless to say, I hadn't even considered the possibility my flight would be cancelled until Gorgeous put it into my head.  Thankfully, there were no problems.  However, I heard some pretty nasty horror stories from other writers who barely made it to the conference in time.

After arriving in NYC, I came to the conclusion that no business should have the amount of profit it earns dependent on how fast one drives.  Yeah, I'm talking to you, NYC taxi drivers!  You crazy bastards.  I thought I was going to die at least three times on my way to the hotel where the conference was held.  Seriously, what is wrong with you?!  I want to live!

Ahem.

...

...

After arriving at the Grand Hyatt and thanking God the moment my feet touched solid ground, I had to accept with some horror that I was totally and completely ill-prepared for what I was about to step into.

I started wondering if every person I passed was an agent or editor and if they would recognize immediately that I was this ill-prepared writer they could prey on.  For one, I had not memorized my pitch yet.  So unlike most writers there, I'm sure, I actually spent my first few hours there hoping and praying no agents would actually ask me about my book.  Thankfully, I arrived with my sister while the intensives were underway and didn't have an opportunity to humiliate myself.

We spent the afternoon walking around NYC, seeing sights and torturing my feet with high-heeled boots.  

(Note to self: Next time bring walking shoes)

That evening, we met up with a writer friend you all may know--Ishta Mercurio.  And that right there, dear readers, is one of the best things about going to a conference.  Yes, it's a wonderful opportunity to hear from industry professionals, but meeting other writers tops it all.  Especially when you get to meet writers you've been communicating with online.

Of course, do you want to know what's even better than all of that?  Meeting other writers while also chatting with one of the most amazing literary agents for 1 1/2 hours in the hotel lobby!  

Mary Kole of Andrea Brown Literary Agency (and author of kidlit.com) was kind enough to invite all of her participating blog followers for a little meet-and-greet on Saturday evening.  We talked about movies, traveling, and (of course) the publishing industry.

Everyone throughout the conference was really nice, and though the entire experience remained overwhelming, I'm glad I did it and I'm sure I'll do it again.