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In only a few weeks, our staff will be venturing west for the Writer’s Digest Conference in Los Angeles, set for Oct. 19-21.

On tap this year, writers can expect keynotes by Aimee Bender and Steven James, sessions taught by authors Elizabeth Sims, James Scott Bell, Rob Eagar, Nina Amir and many others, workshops on everything from crafting characters to agents and marketing, and, of course, our signature speed-dating style pitch slam loaded with agents.

If you’re going (or if you’re planning to attend another conference any time soon), here’s some valuable advice from an article the brilliant Elizabeth Sims wrote for us. (If you see her at the Writer’s Digest Conference West, I highly recommend offering to tap her wisdoms over a martini. She’s good people. And wise people, if you’ll forgive my already broken colloquialisms.)

*

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF ANY CONFERENCE

1. Arrive early to scope out everything, get settled and make friends. It’s incredibly bracing to have someone you can eat with or wave to as you enter a room.

2. Be on the lookout for faculty hanging around during downtime. Strike up a conversation, not about yourself and your work, but about them, because you’re here to learn. Try questions like, “If you were just starting out today, what would you be writing?” or, “What’s the best attribute an author can have?”

3. Carry a full-sized notebook for the full-sized ideas you’re going to write—not a tiny one for tiny ideas.

4. Focus sharply on what you want. Make a mission statement: “At this conference I intend to learn how to write better suspense / organize my nonfiction project / figure out an ending to my novel.”

5. If you’ve submitted work for critique, be open and receptive. Never argue or try to justify anything. Ask for more explanation, but don’t take notes—it’ll only distract you. As soon as it’s over, write full notes.

6. Make up your mind you won’t be judgmental, easily offended or needy. Remember, it’s not about you—it’s about your writing.

Bonus tips:

• Take nothing for granted. Speak up and ask lots of questions.
• Cut your losses and leave a session that’s not right for you. Step in late to another one where you might learn something truly useful. If that fails, find a sunny spot outside, open your notebook, and do some writing until lunch. Any writing.
• Writing is the only thing that matters. Do it.
• Agents might be only human (as they continually insist they are), but they can also be as callous as dingoes, so cast a wide net when searching for a good one.
• In spite of everything going against us, writers are as doggedly hopeful as orphans on Parents’ Day. This, I think, should be celebrated.
• Fight smugness and spitefulness for all you’re worth.
• Worship ye not heroes.
• Figure out how much whiskey you think you’ll need, then pack double that amount.

Zachary Petit is an award-winning journalist, the managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine, and the co-author of A Year of Writing Prompts: 366 Story Ideas for Honing Your Craft and Eliminating Writer’s Block.

Like what you read from WD online? Check us out in print, or check out our digital subscription. Also, do you have a question for a writing pro? We’re starting a new advice column, and nothing is off limits. Click here for more details and the scoop on how to submit your question.

No matter if you are new to writing or looking to connect with other passionate writers like yourself, the Writer’s Digest Conference West is the place to be. This special event takes place October 19-21 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel & Spa in Los Angeles, CA.

5 Reasons to Attend the Writer’s Digest Conference West

When you attend this conference, you’ll:

• Explore publishing trends. Hear industry pros debate the pros and cons of self-publishing, discuss the best ways to market your book, and listen to them share their perspectives on writing the first chapter or mastering conflict and suspense.
• Get discovered. Ever heard of a pitch slam? During the conference, you’ll have opportunity to sit down with agents, pitch your work, and receive immediate feedback. More than 30 agents who are seeking new writers will be in attendance.
• Learn from bestselling authors. Do you want to know the secrets to writing a novel or building an audience? Attend sessions focused on writing-related topics with award-winning writers like James Scott Bell, Steven James, Elizabeth Sims, Aimee Bender, Nina Amir, Victoria Lynn Schmidt, and many more!
• Network and connect with liked-minded writers. Being around other writers can not only provide you with the inspiration and encouragement you need to hone your craft but also potentially lead to new opportunities!

Additional Details

Interested in attending this year’s conference? Look at the register page and choose from several options!

The price to attend the full conference for an individual is $495.

If you only want to attend all the sessions offered on Saturday, including the Pitch Slam and lunch, you’ll pay $375.

The price to attend the exclusive boot camp with Rob Eagar, author of Sell Your Book Like Wildfire, is $199.

You can also choose to attend all three conferences–StoryWorld Conference + Expo 2012 (October 17-19), Screenwriters World Conference 2012 (October 19-21), and the Writer’s Digest Conference West 2012 (October 19-21) at the Loews Hollywood Hotel–for $945.

If you book your hotel by September 24th, you’ll be able to take advantage of a special, discounted hotel rate of $199 (plus taxes and gratuities). Click here to see rates and to reserve your room.

Mark your calendar now & plan on attending this year’s Writer’s Digest Conference West!

Register now!

I’m going to go ahead and toss the illusion of journalistic objectivity out the window for a second, and put this on the table: I love ThrillerFest.

We sponsor it every year, and in 2011 I attended for the first time. I was blown away. There are craft sessions taught by bestselling writers. Lively panels. A pitch slam. Some of the most fun cocktail parties in publishing (I was reduced to a giggling teenager when I saw Margaret Atwood wandering around).

Perhaps the best part: Everyone is approachable, from the debut authors to the heavy hitters.

This year, ThrillerFest is July 11-14 in New York. Of the dozens and dozens of authors on hand, Jack Higgins, R.L. Stine, Lee Child, Catherine Coulter, John Sandford, Ann Rule, Richard North Patterson and Karin Slaughter will be there.

And here’s the scoop on how you can be part of it. Executive director Kimberley Howe is giving one WD reader a Day Pass for Friday, July 13—one of the best days of the conference. The pass includes full access to all ThrillerFest programming for the day, as well as a ticket to the Love is Murder cocktail party that celebrates the release of the International Thriller Writers’ third anthology.

Event programming runs from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and includes spotlight interviews with Lee Child and Catherine Coulter. Former FBI and counterterrorism expert David Major will also share his tales from his days at the White House.

… So how do you win the pass? Easy enough.

In the comments section below, just tell us who your favorite thriller writer is by 2 p.m. next Friday. We’ll put all the names of the commenters into a hat and randomly draw one winner. We’ll announce the winner Monday, July 19.

Good luck! Hope to see you there.

For more on ThrillerFest, visit thrillerfest.com.

Now, back to being objective and such.

Zachary Petit is an award-winning journalist, the managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine, and the co-author of A Year of Writing Prompts: 366 Story Ideas for Honing Your Craft and Eliminating Writer’s Block.

Like what you read from WD online? Don’t miss an issue in print!

Thanks to the huge success of last month’s agent pitch for fiction writers, we’ve decided to host a 3-day event for nonfiction writers/memoirists. There’s no travel required (which helps save on costs) and the event will not only help you fine-tune your pitch but also get it in front of the eyeballs of agents.

Basically, the Writer’s Digest Agent Pitch Bootcamp for Nonfiction/Memoir Writers gives you instruction on pitching your work, forces you to write/rewrite your pitch, gets your pitch critiqued from a Writer’s Digest editor, allows you to ask questions, allows you to fine-tune it one more time and gets an additional critique from two literary agents (all in one weekend!) Also, this event is limited in number of attendees in order to guarantee each participant gets maximum attention.

The Details:

Bootcamp Dates: Friday, March 23 – Sunday, March 25, 2012 (All times Eastern times) Sign up here!

DAY 1 (Friday):

• 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM: Live online webinar: Pitch Your Nonfiction Book or Memoir (Chuck Sambuchino – agent expert, author, and editor of WD’s Guide to Literary Agents – will detail the big picture and the fine points of what makes an effective pitch. You can ask questions live!)
• 2:00 PM:  Saturday morning: At the conclusion of the webinar you’ll be given your assignment: Write that pitch!

Day 2 (Saturday)

• 10:00 AM: Submit your pitch to the Writer’s Digest editors
• 2:00 PM: An editor will return your pitch along with a personalized critique.
• 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM: Chat with Writer’s Digest editors on a message board, gaining additional insight into pitch-writing.
• 4:00 PM – Midnight: Revise and fine tune your pitch, resend to Writer’s Digest editors.

Day 3 (Sunday)

• 9:00 AM: Your pitch will be assigned to two agents (for info on the agents involved, see below), both of whom will supply detailed critiques of your work, additional suggestions for revision, or recommendations to start submitting to other agents right away. It’s even possible (but not guaranteed) that they’ll ask to see more material. You’ll receive your critiques no later than 9:00 PM Eastern time.
• Also in the Morning: Receive two pre-recorded webinars, “How to Write a Non-Fiction Book Proposal,” by Phil Sexton, publisher of Writer’s Digest, and “How an Agent Picks a Client, from Query to Career,” by literary agent Irene Goodman. (You’ll also receive one article and one book download.)

This event is almost sold out, so this is really your last opportunity. Be part of this weekend bootcamp and, in just three days, walk away with a dynamite query built to entice agents.

For more details on the Agent Pitch Bootcamp Weekend, click here.

The Agents:

JOHN WILLIG (Literary Services, Inc.) 
John, who is in his 35th year in publishing, began work as a marketing manager and then editor for HarperCollins. As his interests moved to trade publishing, he became an executive editor at Prentice Hall for business books. While at P-Hall, John enjoyed working with such authors as Henry Mintzberg, Philip Kotler and Jim Collins a

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