ACFW Conference Blog

It’s only a few months until the ACFW conference begins n Minneapolis. I am so excited by this event as I start to make a plan for how to make the best use of my time. My goals are to meet with authors already publishing with Zondervan, meet with agents that I missed at the International Christian Retailers Show (ICRS) in July, meet established authors that I think might be a good fit for Zondervan and look for new voices in fiction. That’s a lot to do, but if I have a plan…my trip will be productive and fun!

Last year, I had a great time teaching a workshop on Publishing Professionalism. We talked about setting a strategy for writer’s conferences, how the publishing process works, and how best to approach getting your book published. It was so much fun getting to meet everyone at lunch and dinner. It’s not a good place to pitch your book, but is a great time to establish relationships. There are so many of you that I will look forward to seeing in Editor appointments this year. I think these meals are also a terrific opportunity to broaden your network and to find someone that has the potential to encourage you.

Another thing I particularly like about the ACFW conference is the chance for an impromptu conversation that will change the direction of a book, or will help someone make a critical decision. Sometimes these “lobby chats” are just a time to get to know each other better.

Most of all ACFW is a time to find the passion for what we do. We write to glorify God, we write to share our relationship with Him, we write to bring others into His arms. What better way to spend the weekend!

So now is the time for you to determine your strategy and plan for the conference. No matter what stage you are in your career, you need to go into the ACFW conference with a set of goals for the weekend. It’s very easy for your time to get away from you, particularly with all your friends and colleagues there to distract you.

But don’t forget that this is also a time to relax and renew your passion for writing.

I look forward to seeing you all in Minneapolis!

I think it is SO important to acknowledge this aspect of going to a conference. It is REALLY hard to jump in, network, pitch, talk to strangers, and all those other social activities you need to do at a conference. For some people, it’s so hard, it’s almost painful. This is why you often find folks in tears in the prayer room or taking three-hour naps in the afternoon instead of going to workshops. It’s overwhelming for many of us.

Yeah, “us”—me included. Anyone who knows me, knows you can usually find me gabbing in the hotel lobby until all hours of the night. But the truth is, that’s only an easy thing for me to do with the people I’ve already become friends with. Networking, pitching, getting to know strangers—those are still things I feel VERY uncomfortable with.

Sometimes, the hardest word in the English language for me to say is “Hello.” Sometimes, even when I’m in the middle of a group, looking like I’m having the time of my life, there’s still a part of me inside that is convinced I’m the biggest nobody in the world and that I should really crawl back to my room before someone notices how badly I fit in with the group. Pitching to an editor—even one I count as a friend—can still make me feel like throwing up. My hands still tremble. I still get dry-mouth. Sometimes, I get so discomfited by the sound of my own voice that I lose track of what I was saying!

And there are other people in ACFW who also feel this way—even folks who seem so outgoing and confident. The truth is, a LOT of us are quite introverted. It’s not that we don’t love people and it’s not that we aren’t having fun. We do and we are! But being introverted means that being comfortable in social settings doesn’t always come naturally, and it can be draining of our energy. It’s okay—this is part of how you are made. There is nothing wrong with you, and you are not the only one. God likes you this way, and so do the rest of us.

Here are some things that I and other people have found helpful:

1) Take it easy—small doses is best. Feel free to take time to be by yourself. Introverts are recharged by being alone. Don’t fight this—you won’t win.

2) Go around with a buddy. If you need a buddy, I bet you can find one by posting on the Conference forum on the Members-only board online. Life is always easier to deal with when you share it with someone.

3) Put on your game face: this is easier if you have at least some acting ability. It’s not about not being yourself. It’s about putting on the outside the part of yourself that is normally stuck on the inside. Some people do this by having a certain set of clothing that they wear at conferences that is maybe different from what they normally wear. Or maybe it’s just you telling yourself that as you put on your nametag, you are now entering “conference mode.” Conference mode is when you give yourself permission to say hi to people, to chatter, to be more assertive…just for the morning, or just for an hour. Take off the tag or change your clothes, and you can go back to being introverted. For some people, this visual delineation is enough to help them feel more confident socially because they know it’s only temporary.

4) Set a goal. It used to be that my goal in a social situation would be merely to say “hello” to one person I didn’t know. And at first, that was excruciating! But it got easier. And soon, I felt more comfortable being outgoing in other ways. Even now, though, there are times when I have to mentally coach myself, “You ARE going to go over to that group and join in. You can do it—it just starts with hello.” But I’ve proven to myself that I can do it, and nobody has executed me for it yet. So all is well.

5) Learn some relaxation breathing techniques. Sometimes, when you get nervous, you trigger your body’s “fight or flight” response. Relaxation techniques help stop that response and help you gain control again. Alternately, learn how to harness that energy and direct it into whatever you are doing—whether it’s talking to someone or pitching or whatever.

6) Volunteer: if you are feeling like you don’t fit in, get involved helping out somewhere. There’s nothing like working with others on a team to make you feel more a part of the group. And you get the satisfaction of knowing you’ve been a help and a blessing to others.

7) The most important thing I’ve found to help with a case of shyness though is to remember that the world is not all about me. As a child of God, I’m here to serve and love other people. When I stop focusing on how uncomfortable I feel and start reaching out to other people, I forget myself and my social awkwardness. The more I look for ways to care for and help others, then I get too busy to be shy. And the added benefit is that I make a lot of friends this way, and soon I’m not surrounded by strangers any more.

Some of my closest friendships are with writers that I’ve gotten to know through attending conferences. I hope each of you will be able to know this joy as well.

Meredith Efken

author, freelance editor

http://www.meredithefken.com

http://www.fictionfixitshop.com

Last week several people on the ACFW email loop admitted to being shy and/or introverted and some were not even sure they could muster the courage to sign up for the conference. I think we all have battles in one form or another with insecurities in new situation.

People who know me know that I will strike up a conversation with strangers without trepidation. But even us gabby ones who will have a conversation with a stone if there is no one around can be uneasy. My knees knocked the first time I attended a fifteen-minute appointment with a known author and showed her a sample of my work. It’s one thing to type your story into your computer, but quite another to actually show your creation to another person. Especially one who has been published.

Since my first conference I’ve met with a number of editors and authors in those fifteen-minute appointments, and even though I find it easier to do now, I still get nervous. I’ve learned a few helpful tips to calm the nerves.

1. Prepare. That means practicing your pitch until it comes to you naturally. Summarize the story in a few sentences, making sure to emphasize what is unique about it. How is it different than other stories? It’s your baby. You can do it.

2. Bring a one-sheet that focuses on your story to the interview. Chances are the editor/agent won’t keep it, but it will give you a reference for your talking points. I always feel more at ease with a one sheet there. If I suddenly become tongue-tied all I need to do is glance at the one-sheet and I am refocused.

3. Remember that the person you are talking with wants to hear about your story as much as you want to share it with them. They are at the conference hoping to find new authors or an intriguing story they can publish or sell.

4. Keep in mind that even if you aren’t asked to send your proposal or manuscript, all appointments can work for good. At one of my first conferences I learned from the editors I talked to that I had started my story way too soon. I hadn’t yet grasped what it means to start a story at the inciting incident. At the same time, I was encouraged to keep at it. That the story idea was good. I took the advice home and put it to work. Those appointments weren’t a waste. Where else can you have a few moments to gain expert advice from some of the industry’s most talents editors and agents?

5. Most important of all. PRAY. Last year the prayer room was located in the same hallway as the appointments and I thought that was a wonderful idea. Instead of waiting in the area where the others were gathered, I grabbed a few quiet moments of prayer before going to an appointment and I was able to go to the meeting in a spirit of peace and confidence.

I look forward to seeing everyone in Minneapolis this September. You can be sure I’ll be in the appointment area waiting my turn. So be sure to come up and say hi. We can practice our pitches on each other.

Many times at the ACFW conference, we ask the members who have landed their first contract that year to stand and be recognized. I’m always amazed at how many people get to their feet at that point. I thought I would ask a few of those people to share their experiences in today’s blog post. The response overwhelmed me! Here are just a few testimonies from members who have been published since joining ACFW:

I’m convinced ACFW and winning the 2002 Noble Theme contest played a large role in the publication of my first Inspirational novel Pieces of Silver. Without that contest and this organization’s encouragement, I probably would have set that novel aside to start something else. Instead I believed in it enough to keep submitting. Pieces of Silver was accepted for publication shortly after that and became a Christy finalist. Thank you, ACFW!
~ Maureen Lang, Pieces of Silver (2006 Kregel Publications) www.maureenlang.com