Top 5 Conference Takeaways
In 2024, one specific piece of writing advice has persisted in reaching my ears. Through the Booked Solid podcast, landing my dream agent, and my ever-trustworthy author friends, the message echoes: Get out of the slush pile.
What does this mean, exactly?
To paraphrase carefully and super-professionally: Mix-n-mingle and make yourself known!!!
That’s right. If your sights are set on traditional publishing, what exactly can you do to stand out in the anonymous ocean of query letters flooding agent + editor inboxes, threatening ambiguity into perpetuity out of sheer odds and magnitude?
GREAT NEWS: There are plentiful ways!!!!!
Make writer friends. Slide into DMs. Make a name for yourself. Self-publish. Beta-read. Comment. Repost. Seek out ARCs. Show up. Host a podcast. Start a new social channel!
In addition to these great options, I kept hearing this one on repeat:
IF YOU CAN, GO TO A CONFERENCE!
As a still-un-agented writer with two self-published books under her belt—as of early this year—I could no longer ignore this recurring tip from bestselling and burgeoning authors. The audacious suggestion that a conference might change your life! I know this sounds very Tony Robbins, but stick with me, guys, I promise! (Tony Robbins’ net worth is $600 million. Just in case you were curious!)
Anyway, I did it! I signed up for the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference, held in New Orleans from September 4-8, 2024.
Now, I intended to pitch literary agents in NOLA, with my third book concept and complete manuscript. To my shock and delight, I signed with my dream agent for that manuscript a few months before the conference, in June 2024. My shoulders relaxed and my reasons shifted, but you better believe I still went!
Well, verdict, Steph?
After attending my first major national writing conference, do I agree with the common advice that you should go! run, don’t walk!?
One-hundred-percent.
ABSOLUTELY!
The ACFW conference reinforced and revealed the five things below—a fraction of lessons learned, by the way. These trips cost significant time, money, and—let’s be honest—terrifying vulnerability. And I’m here to help you decide if the investment is worth it.
For what it’s worth, I say Y-E-S.
Behold my five biggest takeaways!
1. Meeting face-to-face matters. Writing might be a solo endeavor, but you are never alone! I can’t overstate how much the ACFW conference solidified this for me. I didn’t even realize how many genuine writer friends I’ve made online in the past five years. Meeting them IRL for the first time was, well, beyond. I left invigorated in my work as well as my “work” relationships. At every level, we all face bumps, rejections, highs, lows, deep questions, long seasons of waiting—and we are in it together. As my friend Kelly puts it: As authors, we must find our own co-workers!
In addition, my several editor meetings (pinch me!) were priceless. I gave them my business cards. I shared my two books. I looked them in the eye and pitched my new concept! We couldn’t live without email and Zoom in this business, but face time will always be king. I’m not a mathematician, but the odds of an agent/editor remembering you must at least double after meeting you in the flesh. One agent even approached me because she loved my outfit! The handshakes, the hugs. I rest my case with an air kiss!
Meeting Hannah Caitlin Parker, my bestie + Booked Solid podcast co-host, for the first time!
2. An excuse to explore? Yes, please! I’d be lying if I said that traveling to a fun destination wasn’t part of the pull for me! Bucket-list girls’ trip and writing conference?! I’ve always wanted to visit New Orleans—Disneyland fans, you get me!—and it did not disappoint. Our conference left just enough time for exploration in this eclectic, cool, iconic city. Some of our highlights were Café Du Monde (for beignets and chicory coffee—WORTH IT!), Faulkner House Books (where William Faulkner wrote his first novel!), and Commander’s Palace (the gorgeous restaurant will make you feel like true royalty). I’d go back to NOLA in a heartbeat and also can’t wait to see where else this conference travels as years go by!
3. Craft classes feel like a luxury! Remember the days of grabbing a coffee before a 90-minute philosophy lecture in college and maybe rolling your eyes about it? What I would give to have a weekly class on something timely and fascinating! Maybe that’s just me, but gosh, I love learning. Especially from the greats in my field! Thus I felt utterly spoiled by the caliber of the craft classes offered by ACFW. Too many to count, but I’m here to say they were top-notch. My favorite was the session titled, “Make ‘Em Laugh… Not Sweat: Writing Romantic Comedy with Heart,” hosted by rom-com bestseller superstars Pepper Basham and Bethany Turner. They knocked it out of the PARK, with endless invaluable tidbits, including the fun reminder of how much great movies have to teach us (that segment really stood out to me). The educational offerings—in my opinion—are a massive perk of a high-profile conference and reason enough to go!
4. The discussion of platform is ongoing + nuanced. On nearly every podcast episode, we ask our guests for their opinion on platform. Do authors need one to land an agent or book deal? It was no surprise to us that this topic came up in multiple panels and conversations. Our takeaway? Yes, it matters—but “platform” doesn’t necessarily mean a six-digit following or explosively popular Substack. Platform means you are starting. Trying! Showing up. You might have engaging content, a professional website, or growing newsletter. I think everyone should be super encouraged to show up as YOU, consistently and authentically, however small to start! The numbers (and *fingers crossed* book deals) will come!
5. Don’t write to trends. Write YOUR best book. This is another piece of advice that has been addressed by our podcast guests and was reinforced at ACFW. The timeline for traditionally published books is LONG. Twelve to eighteen months (usually) from book deal to publication. Market trends, consumer demand, and cultural events can change like crazy within that time! Fantasy is so hot right now. But it might not be in three years. If you want to write, fantasy, GREAT! But if you want to write rom-com, go write the best gosh-darn rom-com you possibly can. Pull the best from your heart and your brain! Write the story you’re dying to tell—the one only YOU can write! Sure, this is a business—a tough one. But at the end of the day, trends shift. Timeless stories endure.
That’s all for now! Get to a conference!
Who knows? It might change your life.
Have you been to a major conference? Did you find it worthwhile? Why or why not? What did you find most valuable about your experience?
I would love to hear from you! Thank you so much for being here!
Based in Orange County, California, Stephanie Mack is a longtime writer, wife to one, and mom of three little girls. She has been blogging at MOMentary Insanity® since 2014. Her work has also been featured on Scary Mommy, Faithit, Coffee + Crumbs, and more. She holds a Master of Professional Writing degree from USC. When We Blinked is her debut novel.
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In 2024, one specific piece of writing advice has persisted in reaching my ears. Through the Booked Solid podcast, landing my dream agent, and my ever-trustworthy author friends, the message echoes: Get out of the slush pile.