Is it spring yet? I’m ready for sunshine and warm weather! You’d think I’d get more reading done in the winter, having to stay inside all the time…not so much.
Which conventions/conferences are you planning on attending in 2011? What are some good conference etiquette tips?
Currently, I’m scheduled to attend RT, RWA, and NECRWA in Salem, MA. I try to limit my conferences to one a month, no more than 4 a year, because 1) they’re very draining for me, and 2) I do have a husband and dog at home, both of whom would be very sad if I worked every weekend.
Tips! I did a whole post about pitching you can read here. Here are some Dos and Don’ts for conferences:
DON’T attempt to pitch your book to an agent/editor in the bathroom, elevator, or while walking furiously down the halls (they probably have someplace to be!). DO ask for a card, so you can send us a query/partial.
DON’T approach an ed/agent in line for coffee in the morning. We have not been properly caffeinated yet. We will try to respond nicely and coherently because it’s the professional thing to do, but we will not entirely succeed. You have been warned. DO talk to us in any other line. Waiting goes by much faster if you are having a good conversation.
DON’T make us feel like we have a target on our backs. Being pitched to at every turn can make us feel as if we are victims in some horrible telemarketing seige. DO ask us what we are reading, talk about which author you are excited to see, or engage in basically any conversation topic that is not pitching and/or leading questions (e.g. “So, are you currently looking for paranormal romances?” We aren’t fooled. We know this is just a prelude to a pitch.). We will be grateful for the respite.
DON’T be so intent on getting a request from us that you don’t listen to what we are saying. We can spot this type a mile away. The conversations go something like this:
Author: “I have a time-travel women’s fiction that is 60,000 words.”
Agent/Ed: “Oh, time travel really isn’t my thing.”
Author: “Oh, it’s not time travel so much as fantasy.”
Agent/Ed: “Well, this isn’t really the type of women’s fiction that I’m interested in.”
Author: “It’s really more romance than women’s fiction. I know you do a lot of romance.”
Agent/Ed: “60,000 words is too short. I’m targeting 80,000-100,000 words.”
Author: “Oh, I can easily expand it to that length if you like it.”
Are you annoyed yet? Because the Agent/Ed definitely is. We’ll request it because we can see the author isn’t going to take “no” for an answer, and by this point we just want to be rid of you. And then we will send you a rejection. DON’T be this person! (I meet at least one every conference.) DO be confident, not pushy, and if we say the project isn’t right for us, accept it.
DON’T be too shy or too afraid to come up to us. Believe it or not, a lot of us are also introverts (we got in the business because we love to read, not because we love people.). We are more terrified of you than you are of us. Don’t believe me? See all these DON’Ts? They have all happened to us or someone we know. DO remember that we are people, too! And as we are at the same convention as you, the likelihood of us having something in common is HIGH.
DON’T spend every single moment trying to further your career. It’s tiring and stressful, and no one wants to be around someone who’s constantly trying to “make the most” of the conference. DO have some fun! Go to a workshop or party just because you want to, not because you’ve got an angle (“Oh, I can meet this agent here and this author here…” etc). You are in a place with free chocolate and free books. It’s not supposed to be all business all the time. (Though I do caution against going hog wild. Getting fractured and throwing up on an agent, for example, is probably not the best way to say, “Please take me on as a client. I am a professional.”)
DON’T jam-pack your schedule so full that by the end of Day 1 you are too tired for Day 2, Day 3, etc. DO accept that you can’t do everything. If you can, find a note-taking buddy with similar interests and split up workshops with her. You go to one, she goes to another, and you share notes. (This strategy is mainly for bigger conferences where there are multiple workshops in each time slot. ) And DO take some quiet time every day. I go to my room every afternoon for an hour or so and take a nap, or just lie down with my eyes closed and rest.
Now, what questions do you have?
Some people on one of my reading lists mentioned romance author trading cards (www.romancetradingcards.com). Although I’m not sure I would be interested in collecting such cards just for the sake of collecting them (as I did with X-Men), I couldn’t stop thinking about them. I kept thinking there had to be a way to make them work. Then I had an idea, and I thought I’d run it by you and see if it has any potential.
A publishing house could create romance trading cards for their authors. The cards could be put together in various ways to create mini collections (i.e. all the characters from a certain book, all the heroes from a series, so many books of a particular author, so many authors from a particular line, etc.). Once someone completes a mini collection, those cards can be turned in to the bookstore/publisher for a free book.
Instead of making the cards available for purchase, they can only be gotten in certain ways (i.e. from the author herself in a contest/giveaway, traded with someone else, or from the publisher/bookstore in exchange for a certain number of “proof of purchases”).
I think this would be a very creative way to spread word of mouth about certain authors/series. The cards would be a constant reminder to buy more books and it would also spark conversations among readers. Not to mention, every reader likes a free book. The possibilities seem endless and exciting.
Or is it just me?
Jenny
That’s a very cute idea, but I’m not sure it would work on the level you are talking about. Two reasons: giveaways on this scale take money and manpower, both of which are usually in short supply in marketing depts. Kensington creates promo materials for a handful of authors every year; for everyone else, it falls to the author themselves. One-time giveaways can be handled, but long term setups like the one you would need for a program like this would probably require hiring additional personnel to deal with redemption (depending on the number of books and authors you are talking about). However, having people send the redemption to the publisher is MUCH more feasible than having them go to a bookstore…working out coupon arrangements with bookstores can be a nightmare.
I do think this could be a good idea for individual authors to try for their personal promotions, but that could get sticky, too. Authors only get a certain number of books free, and after that they buy them at a discount. So do they limit their giveaways to the first 50 people? Do they buy more copies and hope that the cost is offset by new sales?
And the underlying issue is, would this sell books? Sure, it’s great for readers to get free books, but are they going to tell their friends and get them to buy the book? Buy the rest of the author’s books? We can’t know for sure, and it’s an expensive gamble. Though you can bet if someone tried this, and it really boosted their sales, then others would want to jump on the bandwagon.
Okay, I have a question. I’d LOVE to go up to agents/editors and strike up a conversation (w/o pitching), but I never know how to start. Not to mention, when I finally get the nerve to do it, I always get the wary eye, because they think I’m going to pitch (not to mention I’m so nervous, I probably look a little crazy). How do you suggest I start a conversation without looking and sounding like a crazy stalker girl?
Flattery. “Hi. Sorry to interrupt, but I know you are so and so’s agent/ed, and I just wanted to tell you I really enjoyed *insert title of book by so and so*” (alternately “I really love the cover of *insert title of book by so and so*. I’m so excited to read it!”).
This establishes two things: 1) you’ve done some research on us, so you aren’t just frantically looking around for anyone with “agent” or “editor” on their nametag; 2) you loved the book, and we loved the book, so we have some common tastes.
It is also really easy for the agent/ed to accept this type of indirect flattery. Direct flattery, e.g. “I really admire you; you are one of my favorite agents.” is awkward/stalkerish and can be really uncomfortable if you are the type of person who isn’t good at receiving compliments (*raises hand*). But we are always up for gushing about our favorite authors.
Thank you for taking questions!
I would love to know what you look for from an author bio in a query/pitch. Assuming the idea interests you and the writing is good (or hopefully great), does the author’s background play much of a role? It’s suggested you mention info such as an RWA membership, education, and if you have a platform such as a large Facebook/Twitter following. I’ve always wondered if those things hold much weight or not.
In a pitch, all I really care about is the book. Unless, of course, your background/bio is going to prevent you from promoting your book (e.g. you are currently incarcerated). Twitter followers, education, RWA membership…it’s nice, but it’s icing. Liking the book is first and foremost.
Great Post!
I remember being so overwhelmed at my first conference. It took me several pitch appointments at a few different conferences to begin to relax and be myself.
Clear, non-nonsense “do’s and don’ts” make a difference when trying to plan for a successful, professional and (hopefully) fun conference.
Thank you.
Hi Megan,
You said once that you were looking for more YA this year. Are you looking for any genre in particular? Anything that you would love to get your hands on?
What length would you be looking for?
Dale
No genre preference. My tastes run towards Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, Stephanie Perkins, Julie Kagawa, etc. Stuff like ROOM, not so much. At least 65,000 words.
My question was very similar to Jessica’s. I think you’ve pretty much answered it. As the industry shifts, it seems like “platform” and “reach” are increasingly important so I’m very interested in how editors and agents feel about mentioning those things in a query. Some editors and agents seem to really want that information. As you said, Megan, you’re most concerned with the story.
Could you say one way or the other if there’s a general consensus about this with the editors/agents you know?
Let me put it this way. The first hurdle you always have to jump is having a manuscript the agent/ed loves. This is where probably 98% of manuscripts crash and burn. If you don’t pass this hurdle, an amazing platform is not going to change the agent/ed’s mind. The second hurdle is whether or not the agent/ed feels this is a book they can market and sell successfully. This is where the platform can come into play, especially if they have two similar projects they must choose between. A good platform is certainly a boon here.
Platform is essential for non-fiction, but is MUCH less important in fiction. I don’t know of any agent/ed who has ever turned down a fiction project they loved because the author didn’t have enough Twitter followers or writer’s association memberships.
What I find much more important is the author’s willingness to work on their “reach” after they have a contract. I really don’t expect any debut author to have much more to recommend them than the book when they are submitting, but if they are making noises like they won’t be able to promote, that’s a problem.