I recently attended the SCBWI Canada East Art of Story conference. Writing conferences are a great opportunity to hear experts share their insights about the industry, hone our craft, and network with like-minded individuals. However, it’s possible to come away with a head full of ideas but a murky sense of our next step. Here are three ways you can make the most of the next conference you attend.

Research

If you’re a writer with a work-in-progress, then chances are high you’re looking for a literary agent or an editor to pick up your manuscript. Make a list of the literary agents or editors who will be speaking at the conference. Browse their websites and try and get a list of the writers or projects they represent. Most agents list their clients on their website. Publisher’s Weekly announces book deals on a weekly basis, where they list the editor and literary agent on the project.

Follow the speakers on Twitter. This isn’t stalking; this is a way to see what they comment about in the literary world and who they follow. Get a sense of the genres or issues that interest the agents/editors so you can begin to see whether you share common ground.

Get hold of some of the work by the clients of these agents/editors. Read as many of them as you can. Are there common elements of style and tone in the books? Is any of your work similar? Do you think your writing could interest this agent?

Let me be clear – a conference is not the place to present your WIP to an agent, but it’s a great place to get to know them. Your research will give you some topics to discuss

Prepare questions

Your research will no doubt have prompted some questions. If you don’t get a chance to speak one-on-one with an agent or editor over lunch or drinks, look for opportunities during the presentations. Most speakers give space for questions during their workshops, or there might be a Q & A panel.

There’s nothing more annoying than leaving a conference realising that you don’t actually know what sort of work an agent is looking for. Most list their areas of interest on their website, social media or manuscript wish list but there’s something to be said for hearing it from the horse’s mouth.

Even if you’re looking for presentation or a publishing deal though, use this opportunity to ask broader questions, about things like:

• Their craft tips
• How they work with their writers
• International publishing
• Genre

Practise your pitch

I absolutely HATE doing this, but whether you are an emerging writer or an established one, you will need a pitch for every single story you come up with. Normally the first time I try and pitch my story, it comes out pretty lame. So, I play around with a few versions at home. I even print one or two copies to take with me. These aren’t to hand out, they are just a security blanket to refer to if I really lose the plot.

Over lunch or during a break you will no doubt end up meeting new writers. When we’re at conferences, it seems that the small talk morphs from the weather to ‘what do you write?’ Here’s your chance to practise your pitch! Try one of your prepared pitches and note your new acquaintance’s reactions. Do they look intrigued? Where do they switch off? What sort of questions do they ask? You’ll likely come away with some ideas on how to hone your pitch.

Make sure you return the favour and ask what project they are working on. Don’t offer your critique on their pitch. Instead, think about what worked and didn’t work about their summary and use it to refine your own.

Do you have a conference coming up? The simple act of doing some ground work ahead of time will ensure you not only hone your craft, but also invest in your marketing.