Don't give up on conferences altogether, Peyton! There are some good ones out there, but generally I agree with you, far too many are worthless.
You don't say where you live, but if you're near Richmond, Virginia, do look into the James River Writers Conference. It is intended to be educational, and the nationally known authors who participate regularly remark that they've never attended such a professional conference or one where more penetrating questions were posed.
I find that the biggest cost to these conferences is the travel (hotel, meals, air fare, etc.) and only attend those within a few hours drive.
Here are some clues to help you evaluate a particular conference. Look closely at the authors and others who are presenting the sessions. Are they all local, obscure, or self-published, or are there at least a couple high-powered best selling authors coming? Are there editors from MAJOR publishing houses presenting? Are there English professors from universities presenting?
Look at the titles of the sessions. Are they basic, "How To Write a Query Letter" (which you may need or not, depending on your level), suggesting that the conference is for beginners or wannabes? Or are the topics specific, such as a good one I attended recently titled "Freckles, Flaws & Motives: Developing Detailed Characters."
Then try to find people who have attended that conference in the past, through message boards like this one. Everyone is different (as you noted, the rest of the people who attended your conference seemed quite happy with it), but you can evaluate their comments better if you ask specific questions, not whether they liked it or not. Ask what they learned.
Anyway, none of this guarantees success, but it might lengthen the odds!
posted 2 weeks ago. ( reply )
