Four Actions After A Conference

The Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College



This weekend I traveled home from Write To Publish, held on
the campus of Wheaton College at the Billy Graham Center. Off and on, I've
been going to this event for many years but had not been for two or three
years. Throughout the event, I spent time with old friends, met many new ones
and spent several intense days talking about publishing and writing and
books. 



Often these events are filled with writers attending their first
conference. Others attend each year to give a boost to their writing. These
writers come with their writing and their dreams and plans to speak with editors
and agents during the event. As an editor, I taught a few classes during the
event but also met with numerous writers one-on-one listening to their pitches
and helping from my years of experience.



I heard some remarkable stories and pitches. From others I heard
about their heart-wrenching stories about their struggle to get published and
find the right place for their work. Throughout the event I listened and
spoke with them. Admittedly these events can be overwhelming when you
return. The world of publishing contains many different opportunities and a wide
variety of publications and publishers. When you are overwhelmed, one response
is to spin and do nothing. My encouragement is for you to take action and here
are four steps:



1. Take time for reflection. Which
opportunities did you hear about which you want to do? Make a list of
these publications or publishers, and then reconnect with the editor.




2. Review the editor's guidelines
or theme list. Are you writing something that they want or are seeking?
If so, read through your
book proposal or query and send the editor what they requested. Throughout
the event, I heard about some great book ideas—nonfiction, fiction, Christian,
general market, and children's books. Some people handed me a paper copy. In
each case, I asked them to email the material to begin the process. A few
writers emailed the material during the event (very few). A number of them will
go home, revise and improve their material, then send it to me. Others will
never respond. 



3. Organize your business cards and contact
information. Get it in a form you can access quickly. We work with
people who we know, like and trust. A business card with an email and phone is a great first step,
but add the information into your address book. You might not need it now but
you may need it several months from now and want to be able to easily access
it.



4. Apply what you have learned to your writing
life. Throughout the conference, I taught three different workshops
(social media, book
proposals and Goodreads). It is wonderful to learn about these topics and
listening to the information is the first step. Yet your actions after the
conference are critical to your writing success. In each of these workshops, I
gave specific action steps for the writers to do. The writers who take these
actions steps will move forward with their writing and be closer to achieving
their dreams and plans.



During the conference, I met several editors and learned about
publications that I want to write for in the months ahead. I am taking my own
action steps to move ahead for these dreams to become reality.



5. Bonus action. Reach out to some of the
people you met at the conference and write them right away via email or even
snail mail. It will do a great deal to foster and build your
relationships. 

What steps to you take after attending a conference? Let me know
in the comments below. I look forward to learning your action steps.



Tweetable:



When you return home from a conference, what actions do you take? Get four ideas here. (ClickToTweet)