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There are several good reasons why writers should invest the time and
effort required to attend writers’ conferences.
Attending a writers’ conference only takes a few hours, or a couple days
at the most, a small investment, and a little effort to register and arrange
travel and lodging, but the payoff can be big.
Attending a writers’ conference gives you a great chance to pitch your
book, learn about the major publishing houses, meet book editors, agents and
book marketing specialists. If your book is six months or a year from being
finished, you can meet people who will give you valuable ideas on shaping your
book and provide other advice to help you wrap up your project when you return
home.
Or maybe you have been working on your book for a few months and are
feeling insecure or unsure whether you really can be a published author.
Attending a conference is a good way to get a reality check from book editors
to get a professional opinion on your plot and characters and to determine
whether you are on the right track.
Most importantly, attending a writers’ conference provides you with an
opportunity to learn about the publishing business from fellow authors. You will also get honest and helpful
professional assessments from book editors that will be more than worth the
cost and effort of attending the conference.
Of course, you will want to prepare for any writers’ conference you
attend by having a plan of what you want to find out and what you will do while
there. You will want to develop an ‘elevator pitch’ of your book that you can
deliver in 30 seconds. Have a one pager available with your book cover, author
headshot, short 50 word synopsis, short bio, website URL, Twitter handle and
your contact information. You never know who’ll you’ll meet so be prepared for
that moment.
Now that
you are ready, here are some writers’ conferences that you should consider
attending:
Willamette
Writers Conference
Aug 7-9,
2015
Fifth
House Lodge: The Remembered Self: A
Weekend Workshop
Aug 15 -
16, 2015
San
Francisco Writing for Change Conference
Sep 12,
2015
Kentucky
Women’s Writers Conference
Sep 11-12,
2015
American
Christian Fiction Writers Conference
Sept.
17-20, 2015
Florida
Heritage Book Festival & Writers Conference
Sep 24-26,
2015
Southern
California Writers’ Conference
Sep 25-27,
2015
Chicago
Writers Conference
Sep 25-27,
2015
St.
Augustine Writers Conference
Oct 1-6,
2015
Write on
the Sound Writers’ Conference and Pre-Conference
Oct. 2-4,
2015
Breathe
Christian Writers Conference
Oct 9-10,
2015
New York
Writers Workshop: Pitch Conference & Workshops
Oct 16-18,
2015 Nov 13-15, 2015
Castle
Rock Writers Conference
Nov 6-7,
2015
Select a writers’ conference of interest to you and be prepared to enjoy the benefits of meeting other writers, acquiring knowledge you can use immediately, learn about different genres, find a new market for your book, elevate your professional effectiveness, meet editors, agents and publishers, become inspired and return home energized.
The
Bottom Line: Make a commitment to attend at least one
writers’ conference in 2015. You’ll be glad you did!
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications Book Marketing, a
public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with
authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works
with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of
books, whether it's their first book or their 15th book. He's handled publicity
for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus,
Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good
Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline,
TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman's World, & Howard
Stern to name a few.
Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at http://www.book-marketing-expert.com or contact Lorenz at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by
phone at 734-667-2090. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist
