| If you're trying to make a choice, there's no question, it's a matter of where you are in your career. For instance, right now I'm in the shifty spot. I love writing conferences, learning new tricks, the whole pitch thing and hearing what people are writing. I've got a lot to be thankful for when it comes to the Willamette Writer's Conference (since it really got the ball rolling toward Happy Hour), so I'm certainly loyal there. But having been published already, it makes more sense (both logically and financially) to reach out to fans, which are few and far between at conferences. On the other hand, I learn nearly as much by presenting workshops and sitting on panels as I do listening to panelists and participating in workshops. Conventions are a great place to do promo and have fun and get plastered and gush over your heroes who might just be there promoing and having fun and getting plastered. You'll learn a lot about what the future holds in your genre, because conventions tend to be very genre specific and more importantly, fan-based. At writing conferences you don't really get any of that, but there you're more likely to make the kind of contacts that could get you published, and you'll likely learn the nuts and bolts publishing information and writing stuff (in a general genre non-specific kind of way). My tired 2 cents, anyway. This past weekend was the Pacific Northwest Writer's Conference, an event that I attended as a participant last year and a presenter this year. Attendance has dropped noticeably. I'm not sure what the problem is, but I suspect it's that the panels and workshops were becoming less genre focused. Our workshop on Urban Fantasy Worldbuilding was the only entry in the Sci-fi/Fantasy track. That's a drop from 3 spots last year. Not cool. You can see why I'm so excited to get my butt to Conestoga. The urban fantasy genre will be on everyone's minds. Even the people who've never heard of it, such is our saturation into that convention. Fangs, Fur and Fey seems to be the largest track, so if you're within driving distance you gotta get over there (and bring some booze, would ya?). It's also the closest thing we've got to a meeting of the League (three of us in one spot). Maybe next year we can talk Anton and Jeremy into joining the rest of us at RT. We could even throw an official League of Reluctant Adults party. What are your thoughts on the subject? If you could only budget for one, which would it be, convention or conference? ETA: I just reread this and realized I must have been on crack when I wrote it. Jesus, so rambling. |
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I really do think it depends on your career. I haven't done much conferences on writing, but its a lot harder to get interest in a novel at a convention (GenCon for example) since the pickings are slow (but I still thank Mr. Helfers for giving me a chance, twice) but you also get to meet a lot of people and it is less of a marketing and more of a fan thing.
If I had a choice... probably alternate depending on my state. :) So the next one would be a conference, if I had something almost ready, a convention if I just went to a conference or I'm in the middle *shoots computer* of writing something.
Personally, I've never been to a conference. Love to attend one but haven't. Cons I've done. I've hit Norwescon several times and as a fan had a blast!
Cons are extremely social. Lots of inpromptu "conferences" as well as multiple panels throughout the weekend. And the booze! Talk about One Night in Bangkok.
All gushing aside, I think the major difference is that cons are a more relaxed format. Aside from the panels, fans can meet with pros in a more social arrangement. I rememeber hanging out with (well known Sci-Fi author. Not mentioning names just cause) one year. He gabbed and had a grand old time with us. Well more like he was slobbering over one of my friends as she kept his hands to himself. But you're right about fans getting amped for cons. It was like a college road trio into another realm.
Interesting topic.
Right now, I probably need a conference to make contacts and learn more about how to get my manuscript right.
But there's no denying that the social time of a convention is far and away nirvana for a book nerd. (As Moxy Fruvous's "My baby loves a bunch of authors" (of whatever) plays in the background.)
Convention. I mean, yes, as an unpublished author who would love to finish her frickin book someday and get it published, I should be answering conference but....... I get an awesome contact high schmoozing with "real authors" on the internet. I can only speculate how geeked I'd be to meet some of my favorite people in person.