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Saturday, April 27, 2013

Prepare to Pitch


I am preparing for this weekends Wild, Wild Midwest SCBWI Conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana. As I practice my pitch and pack my bags, I wonder if there is something I'm missing.

10 Things to Bring to a Writers' Conference
by Rachelle Gardner 

1. Concise and fascinating answers to questions like, “So, what do you write?” and “Tell me about yourself.”
2. Organized thoughts about the book(s) you’re pitching, so you can easily give a 1 or 2 minute pitch when asked.
3. One-sheets for each book you’re pitching—plenty of copies in case agents or editors want to keep them.
4. Business cards.
5. A printout of the first chapter of your novel (or a book proposal for non-fiction). You just need a few of copies since you will show them in meetings but probably won’t leave them with agents or editors.
6. A camera if that floats your boat.
7. A tote bag or brief case (not too big) to carry around your stuff, or simply a folder to hold your papers and keep you organized.
8. A professional-looking, business-casual wardrobe with comfortable shoes. A nicer outfit for the banquet Saturday night.
9. Personal goals for the conference… and an open mind so that you don’t miss opportunities and connections that come your way unexpectedly.
10. A big smile, since it’s the best way to forge connections with others and keep yourself relaxed.

For more Writers' Conference Tips:

Writers’ Conference Etiquette 
by Scott Hoffman
http://foliolit.com/resources/writers-conference-etiquette 

Get Thee to a Writers Conference
by James Scott Bell
http://stevelaube.com/get-thee-to-a-writers-conference

2 comments:

  1. Thank your for this! Good reminders and I hope to meet you. It's my first conference since moving to this area of the country. :) But there IS one thing you forgot, which is your cowgirl outfit for Friday night! Isn't there a costume party????

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Wendy! You're right, add costume to the list.
    I will look for you at the conference. See you soon.

    ReplyDelete

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