What do your writing expenses look like for a conference? Airfare, hotel, meals, books, booze? What about ROI (return on investment)? Are conferences worth the expense?
Poppy and New Zealand author Vanda Symon became good mates at a festival in the Huon Valley! |
For me, a fun holiday is to attend a writer’s festival (or conference, if you're in the USA). I love them. I love the panels, the people, the readers, the feeling of being away from home on a writerly trip. I don’t hope to get anything out of being there except the joy of hearing other writers talk about their work, of being around like-minded people, and the pleasure of meeting new friends.
I haven't travelled to many - maybe four interstate trips. I’m fortunate that where I live the excellent Brisbane Writers Festival is held every year. It goes for five days and hundreds of local and international authors congregate in a pretty area on the bank of the river next to the library. It costs me $17 to park, I usually spend $200-$300 on event tickets, and I buy books – that’s the most unpredictable cost. Last year I had a beautiful lunch with my writer friend Steve MinOn at a fancy restaurant nearby – that cost $40. I’ve bought a ticket to next year’s GenreCon, also located in Brisbane. It was $350 for a three-day conference. I think that’s expensive, but every year when I don’t go, I see everyone posting about it in their socials and I get FOMO.
The interstate trips I've taken are to Tasmania writers’ festivals - Terror Australis and Tamar Valley. The four times I went, I was there as a panellist, so my airfare and accommodation were paid for. I was paid about $300 to be on each panel. I paid for my own hire car, as I like to have my independence. The cost isn't that that bad. I don't make money, but I don't lose that much either.
I haven’t managed to get to any other festivals in recent years because of family commitments. It’s hard to get away when you’re a mum. But those commitments are lessening, and I have some plans but nothing I can reveal yet – watch this space!
I think it’s worth paying for workshops and events when you admire, or are interested in, a particular author. This doesn’t always happen. And I feel bad as I proofread this piece, because I fear I'm becoming the curmudgeon-writer of the Criminal Minds gang. But I have a good cautionary tale...
My
cautionary tale occurred twenty years ago. I was a student. An opportunity came
up to attend a three-hour workshop that was pitched along the lines of: meet
this fantastic thriller writer and his Stanford educated, book-marketing guru wife, hone your author branding and leave with a sharply tuned marketing plan
for your work-in-progress. Submit fifty pages and these two experts will start
preparing your amazing marketing plan.
Twenty aspiring authors, including me, gathered in a room. The fantastic thriller writer was a debut author whose book hadn’t been released yet. The dynamic duo hadn’t read anyone’s pages; they seemed a bit confused about that aspect of it. The wife, a self-described marketing whiz, told us her marketing plans for her husband’s soon-to-be launched book. The advice was fairly basic, like – always thank your publisher at any public occasion and hand out business cards or book marks to anyone you meet. I laugh now but at the time I left feeling annoyed that it cost $100 to watch a weird husband/wife presentation. Needless to say, we left with no marketing plan or any helpful advice. They over-sold, and under-delivered and it was a big let down at the time.
Most people in the industry can write, which means alluring descriptions of workshops can sound more wonderful than the reality of the outcomes. Therefore, writers need to do their research before paying for workshop spots or conference tickets. Do you like an author’s book? Is the line-up at a festival interesting? Or, is the event held in a place you’d like to visit? If so, it will be worth it. Writers generally don’t have vast disposable incomes, but I think it’s worth spending what money we can afford to be with other writers and book lovers. I’ve met beautiful friends through writers’ festivals - writers and readers - and I hope to make more at the next one I attend.