There are a ton of conferences for readers, writers, and bloggers. Like most people, I have a limited travel budget and a limited time frame to travel. Since I work for a school district as a speech therapist, I am off for 10 weeks during the summer. During those ten fabulous weeks, I can pretend that I’m a full time author and spend lots of time with the individuals (both two-footed and four-footed) that I love.
The ginormous RWA Conference is during the summer, but I’ve never been. I hope to go one day but the idea of that many people crammed into a hotel makes me a little claustrophobic.
I prefer smaller conferences where you can network on a more personal level. I just returned from Utopia2016 where I met and hugged a bunch of new people. There is something very special about Utopia. Everyone is friendly and willing to share their knowledge. Outside of Utopia I’ve heard other authors say they aren’t comfortable with sharing details of their contracts or what percentages they earn on ebooks. Why not? If we don’t share information, how will new authors know what to expect? We’re all in this together.
One of the speakers at Utopia presented us with this quote, “Remember, a rising tide lifts all ships, and we’re all on this crazy writer ocean together.” This speaks to one of the themes of Utopia: Other writers aren’t your competition, they are your allies.
In a few months I’ll be attending Penned Con in St. Louis. Many of the authors who attended Utopia will be at Penned Con, and I can’t wait to see them again. Penned Con is another smaller conference which provides great networking opportunities and informative workshops. (Plus, it raises money for the charity Action for Autism. To date, it’s raised over $21,000.)
This year, Jo Spinner, the illustrator who created my Going Down In Flames Adult Coloring Book, will be going with me. Before Penned Con I plan to make more dragon necklaces and order swag for my book, The Boyfriend Bet which comes out in August. I can’t wait to share the cover with everyone. If you’re going to be in the St Louis in September, check out Penned Con.
Do you have a favorite conference? What do you like about it?