awalls37

Greetings!

I heard about the San Francisco Writers Conference next Feburary (during President's Day weekend), and wanted to know if anyone has any experiences with this particular event? It sounds like it'd be very beneficial, but I wanted to see if anyone had gone in the past or is planning to go in 2008 (it'll be my first writers conference, so of course I would be excited to know someone else who is going).

Also there is a special session of "speed dating" - where you talk with various publishers and literary agents to pitch your book or idea ... any suggestions on how to prepare and all?

Thanks! Talk to you later

lin

I had my rant on the tip of my tongue until your second paragraph. That just might actually be worth it. IF it doesn't cost extra. And with the caveat that you will be one of a jillion quickies passing through their POV: their chances of falling in love with you are about like a whore down in the Tenderloin getting hung up on one of her tricks.

As far as preparing for it, come on. You already know.
(Wear a Ronald McDonald suit, fart audibly when they introduce themselves, then go into a Robin Williams schtick while slapping them with your MS)

My only experience with Writers Conferences was the Southern California WC. OK, SF is different. I won the thing in a screenwriting contest, and was living in SD at the time, so all it cost me was taking the trolley up to the hotel. I got ripped off.

My impression was: a pep rally for nevergonnabes. Like a Trek con for literary losers. Serious. I didn't see anything happen there that was going to help anybody except the promoters and the writers who came by to sell some books.

Okay, it wasn't a total waste. I got laid pretty spectacularly, saw a couple of old writer buddies--including the keynote speaker, who worked his one hour stop-in into a signing tour--and met a couple of new writers that I rather like: Margaret Coel and Justine Musk for two.

But I went there for the purpose of pimping my book. I read the website, and the websites of the agents in attendance. I familiarized myself with all of them and sent them introductory emails so I wouldn't walk up to them cold at the con. (None of them read the emails)

What I found was that the agents are cruising this thing for prospects. It cost like $50 extra to talk to them for 15 minutes. Most of them had their dance cards full... so they took home a grand or two out of the thing. They had absolutely NO interest in talking to me if I hadn't paid to sit down with them. Why should they?
I cornered each of the 4 I was interested in and they spoke to me with interest and eye-contact of deer startled by headlights. It was comic, actually.

Most of the con was conferences with writers. Go to one of the little rooms and listen to somebody talk about some aspect of it all. Coel and Musk included, so you got access to some pretty cool writers talking and answering questions. But better scoop than you'd get from haunting blogs?

Most of the writers were zippos. Some clown with a couple of self-published humor books. A cop who wrote some manuals for his department and has been working on being the next Wambaugh for 8 years.

There were stacks of books around, and like I said...it was a book signing session as much as anything. I bought Musk's book (I was flying out to Cancun the next day) and liked it a LOT. She's as cool as they come, too, a major sweetie. Same for Coel.

Ironically one person who DID get an MS read out of the thing was a chick from LA I met. She showed me some chapters and I thought it would make a hot chick-lit propertie with some overhaul and cleaning up. I introduced her to an agent there that I already knew, who read her MS. I don't know what happened about it.

Then they had a banquet with some weird awards, and winner of a bizarre writing contest they had held.

So.

Oh, one thing else. MANY of the people I met there had been to a LOT of cons. It reminded me of AA types talking about all the conventions they've been to. And every one of them said that the SoCal one was the best they'd been to. Most were back after previous times.

It's one minor experience, make of it what you will. One thing I would say: don't walk in cold. Research everybody you are interested in. If you want to talk to an agent, know what they've sold lately and to him. Scan the internet, make a folder and copy info into files to compile. Does that make sense, or not?

As I mentioned, my doing that was useless. Except for weeding out a few losers I didn't take time to talk to. They are not there for you: they are there for them. Maybe you can turn that around to your purpose.

One little anecdote that sort of stood out for me (and for some others as well, as you will probably surmise)

There was an agents' panel on stage, taking open questions. I had identified one guy as somebody I wanted to ask, so I put it to him:
I have a collection from a syndicated, multi-award-winning humor column. What would be a good way to try to market it.

He said, "Xerox it and send it to your relatives." Got a few chuckles.

I stood up and said, "Excuse the fuck out of me. Everybody here paid hundreds of dollars to come here, and that's your level of advice? If I'd been Davy Barry or Lewis Grizzard or PJ ORourke or Patrick McManus you'd be feeling pretty stupid for telling me that, wouldn't you. Go with that feeling. Because you don't know that I'm not. If you have something helpful to say, tell us. If not, don't be a jerk." Wide applause.

awalls37

I appreciate you sharing your experience, you make some valid points. I think what appeals to me though is the chance to interact with other writers (something I have not have the chance to do much at all) and the seminars I saw that were featured in the last few years. I'm sure you're right, there's always the chance that the authors may not fit what I need to know for the writing career I want ... I've been working on a novel, and now, I feel like anything I could possibly learn about the publishing process, finding a good agent, marketing my book would all be beneficial -- because honestly, what I know is just a brush on the surface, really.

I think the chance to form relationships with other writers is something that could be very valuable for building a network for myself, because I really don't know any other writers.

I'm still thinking about it. But I really appreciate your detailed comments, that is helpful to know while I decide what will be best for my career.

HarryG

I attended the British equivalent of those conferences a few years ago, and must admit that I shared Lin´s experiences. Everything appeared to be second-rate, from publishers and agents, to fellow authors (moi, too); I learnt nothing apart from an increased cynicism towards the whole writing experience.

Luckily, I’ve met some writers since who are not like those second-rate performers at that conference, but it did put me off badly, for quite a few years. I remember shaking hands with an arsehole who later went to prison for fraud; I knew that he was a fraud at the time of the handshake.

red lantern

I will be the third to whack a dour nail in your coffin, I have been to few conferences in Australia and many writers who attend are as 'experts' or panelists push their own barrows and books pretty hard (and fair enough I guess) and the agents provide very standard common sense advice, nothing out of the ordinary that could not be gleaned from reading their submission guidelines, sometimes there is a gem or two but not often.


Go for the networking and have a few coffees and chat the night away with some of your fellow scribes, thats the best part of it. If you don't want to share your ideas share your experiences and your good and bad dealings in the writing world. At least you may come away with an email address or two or recognize a face next time you go.

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