10 Reasons Why Should You Attend a Writers Conference

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I’m not rich by any stretch of the imagination. I don’t have any hopes or dreams of becoming a 1%er. I don’t want to fritter my money away, but I don’t want to horde it like some kind of miser either. I try to invest smartly. As someone with high ambitions in my writing endeavors I am intentional about investing in myself. To that end, I try to attend at least one writers convention every twelve to eighteen months. I try to limit my travel expenses (I usually bank up free airline miles in order to reduce prices) but I do believe I get a great value in them.

Usually I come home from a conference with a journal full of notes—things I’ve learned, plans I’ve made, and people I’ve met. I don’t honestly think that I can digest all of that immediately… not really even in a year. I try to find one to three things that I can learn and implement over the next year in my writing, platform building, networking, marketing, and beyond. Dropping a couple hundred dollars is a strategic investment. It becomes easier to spend that on yourself when you believe in your future as a writer… understand this is not a quick fix or magic pill, but if you learn a few things at a convention or workshop and work to get better those dollars will pay off dividends in the future.

Here are 10 things you might gain or take home from a writers conference:

Networking with other writers
Meeting literary agents or publishing professionals
You will get energized and inspired
It can be a tax write off
You may get opportunities to pitch agents and publishers
Your expectations will become grounded in reality (for better or worse)
You will gain resources (notes, handouts, books, etc.) to use forever
You are likely to find something that was never on your radar (an underground community, a newly launching service or agency, a new outlook on some topic)
It transitions you from a hobbyist to a professional
Get updates on trends and how the publishing world is changing