It’s Bouchercon week where crime writers from all over will gather. We’ve talked a lot about the pros and cons of conferences, but I want to know your most memorable conference experience- good and bad. What’s the conference moment you’ll never forget?
I’m not usually the FOMO type, but I have to admit this question got me feeling all nostalgic for Bouchercon. And I’ve only been once!
As a publishing newbie last year, I got my feet wet with Malice Domestic—since it was just a quick Acela ride from home—but Bouchercon was the first conference I attended after my first novel was published. I showed up in Nashville last August with a carry-on full of just-in-case copies of There’s No Murder Like Show Murder (foreshadowing…) and a whole lot of anxiety.
The prospect of navigating crowds, networking, and courting new readers was intimidating, for sure. But it helped that I’d made some new friends at Malice and had been not-so-subtly hinting via email that I wanted to connect. Fortunately for me, the cozy mystery community might just be the warmest group of people in the world, and I was welcomed with open arms.
Bouchercon 2024 brought a lot of “firsts” for me—first time in Nashville, first panel as a published novelist, first spontaneous book signing in line for a Cinnabon, first time “selling out” at a convention…and the list goes on.
About that last point. It might be time to come clean. There was a bit of a hiccup getting a lot of titles into the book room that year, and authors were encouraged to sell any copies they had on consignment. Remember that carry-on I mentioned with a half dozen copies? Turns out, that was a smart move. Not only was I able to set up shop in the book room, but by the end of the day (and six sales later) I was able to post on social media that I was “Sold Out at Bouchercon!” Was this a little misleading? Maybe. But since when is anyone 100% honest on social media?
I could go into detail about the panels, the new author events, the cozy cocktail party (which I highly recommend to anyone attending this year), and the organized meetups. But the most indelible memory I have of that week is of the community. So many authors were generous enough to sit down for coffee, drinks, or meals with me while I picked their brains and mined their experience for advice. (Shoutout to Ellen, Lisa, Leslie, Rob, Raquel, and so many others!) I may have been nervous stepping off that plane in Nashville, but by the time I boarded my return flight at the end of the week, I was filled with gratitude for the things I’d learned and the friends I’d made.
So, I hope all the newbie authors attending this week find similar opportunities to connect with fabulous folks willing to share their wisdom. I hope social media is full of “sold out” posts. And I hope to join the fun again next year.
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