 We get a lot of comments on social media that say, "I'd love to go to this conference, but my book isn't done." Go to the conference anyway! Authors can benefit from a writers conference regardless of the status of their book. Writers conferences are an opportunity to learn best practices from published authors and industry professionals, stay on top of book trends, and network with other authors. Who knows? You might meet the author who will blurb your book when it's published. But if you have the opportunity to pitch your unfinished book, should you? A lot depends on the type of one-on-one agent/editor sessions the conference offers. If you are at a conference where you only have three to five minutes to pitch your book, that's probably not the right place to pitch. It's possible that an agent will like what you tell them about what you have done and ask you to send the book to them when it's finished, However, you'll be at a disadvantage because you'll have a longer lag time in sending it than authors who are ready to send their manuscript yesterday, and you won't have the time to explain your timeline, when you think you'll be done (including edits), or your final word count to the agent. At conferences where you have ten minutes or more to meet with an agent/editor, this is where you could benefit, even if your book isn't finished. Most agents won't mind if you say up front your book isn't finished, but you'd like to talk with them about your ideas, the market for your book, or even have them quickly look at a draft of your query letter. Having at least ten minutes will allow you to have a conversation beyond you pitching your book and the agent saying yes or no.  Pitch Agents at a Writers Conference in 2026-2027:
This post was written by Carlie Webber, a certified professional editor and former literary agent. Her favorite genres to read and edit include middle grade, young adult, mystery, thriller, suspense, horror, and contemporary fiction. Carlie is part of the marketing staff at Writing Day Workshops.
Comments are closed.
|