My First Publishing Conference

Top Takeaways and a side bar on focusing in your 40's 😒

I haven’t attended a conference in a hot minute.

Lots of perfectly valid reasons:

• I switched careers.

• I decided to let the license for my previous career lapse.

• Conferences are expensive and if you’re going to do 👆, why pay for continuing ed you don’t need?

• I suck at paying attention to people who are talking at me.

But, my publisher gave me the tremendous opportunity of attending the Women in Publishing Summit this week, and as somewhat of a newbie in this space, I got giddy thinking about being “one of them…”, whatever that means. So, I said yes, booked my ticket, and proceeded to color up my calendar with big blocks of “BUSY” notifications.

I’ve got fifty-two minutes until the next session, and despite my need for a third cup of coffee, I don’t want to miss it, so I’ll make this fast.

I learned during my years of actually working Exhibit Halls at conferences big and small that my expectations were too high. The price tag and marketing suggests you will leave each of these conferences having had a professional reawakening. So, that’s what I expected. I left most feeling quite the opposite - exhausted, broke, and underwhelmed by my bag full of free pens and business cards from people I had zero intention of contacting.

This was, legitimately, my problem.

While talking to a wise woman at one of these conferences, she whispered conspiratorially, “If I take home one thing I can use from these things, I consider that a success.”

And that, my friends, changed everything.

Ever since, I have held conferences to a totally different standard. I build my schedule around the golden nugget, attending only those sessions I think have the potential to impart that piece of perspective or knowledge that I’ve been missing. I participate when the conversation is of interest. I politely observe when its not. And I look for the opening, an opportunity for connection that is about building my network, but not about net-working.

I entered this conference with the same mindset, and perhaps an added layer of curiosity. The Summit is virtual, so I came prepared for that. I know I suck at sitting in one spot staring at my computer for hours on end, no matter how valuable the content is, so I charged my earbuds Sunday morning and I’ve walked my dogs more times this week than in the past month combined. They’re probably begging for this conference to be over!

Let’s take a little detour here to talk about focusing in your forties. I do not have ADD, but damn do I have like a 120 second ramp before I just face plant right off! I’m doing air squats in my office, playing with my hair, chewing on my pen, folding laundry, fiddling with the crap on my desk, all because I actually want to focus on what’s being shared, but my goldfish brain must see that as a threat to its multi-tasking mode because it is rebelling…HARD.

Now that I think about it, this may not be an age thing. I may have always had this problem. I recall learning to crochet before a big conference when I was in grad school, and I came home with an afghan. 🤔

Lest I leave you with nothing other than a rant about conferences and my inability to concentrate, allow me to share a few, let’s call them silver nuggets, from the Summit so far. I’m still on the hunt for the grand prize, but I feel good about my chances of success.

In no particular order, if you are an author, an editor, a publisher, or just an industry creeper (or, I guess, someone who’s just interested…that’s possible), here are my Top 5 so far:

1. The best place to apply for podcasts is on Threads. 🫨

2. When you think about where you can do live book events, don’t just think about your town, think about the four towns around you within an hour’s drive.

3. Facebook ads convert more than Amazon ads. Spend your money 💸wisely.

4. Recession proof topics are always wellness, leadership, education, and community outcomes.

5. The concept of “literary citizenship.”

   

This last one requires more thought, so I need to noodle while I listen and walk (can’t stop, won’t stop), but just let the term linger and see what comes up for you.

Okay, I’ve got 12 minutes left to grab that coffee, splash some water on my face, steal my daughter’s fidget spinner, and get set to go for three more sessions this afternoon.

🤞 for the golden nugget!

If you have not become a paid subscriber yet, next week’s the one. You will not want to miss the Fascinated interview with Maya Miloski, functional nutrition practitioner, and literally one of THE most fascinating humans I know. She sees the world, health, nutrition, supplements, all of that differently than anyone I’ve ever talked with before, which sounds like bullshit, I know, but I guess you’ll just have to see for yourself. And she’s giving away a bunch of her knowledge and work FOR FREE just for the Joy Luck Club, so that’s just fucking fabulous. And fascinating. And all the F-words!