San Francisco Writers Conference FAQs
“I just finished writing my first book. Should I go to your conference to try and find an agent for it?”
Every year we have a number of aspiring authors who have just finished the first draft of their first book, and they come to the San Francisco Writers Conference looking to find an agent for it. If that’s you, I can pretty much guarantee that your book isn’t ready yet. BUT, YOU ARE!!!
You’ve just accomplished something impressive, and you should be proud of it. You put one word after another with persistence and focus, pulling an idea out of your head to give it form. If you want to have a career as an author, you’ll need to do that again and again and again. Now you know you can, and just that knowledge of yourself alone will make the process a little easier next time. And each time you do, the writing will get better until you write a book that is ready for an agent to sell. Persistence is the common trait of all successful authors.
In the meantime, you’ve also just affirmed your commitment to the process, and that means YOU ARE READY to come to the conference and learn about all the other parts of the process between writing your first draft and seeing your finished book in a bookstore. There’s a lot to learn. It will make your head feel a little loopy at times, but we’re recording all the sessions so you can refer back to them.
Once you have that overview of the process, you’ll know where you are, what you need to spend more time focused on to move forward, and what partners can help you on your way. The conference is also a great way to meet some of those partners. Whether you find pals among the attendees to form a critique group, connect with an independent editor you want to hire, or have a casual conversation with an agent over breakfast who points you toward another agent who will likely be interested when you’re really ready. Publishing thrives on human connections, and your career will need them, too.
Come to the conference to meet agents and discover your position in the publishing landscape.
E.A. (Lissa) Provost is the author and illustrator of Diary of E.A.Provost/Diary of that Weird Girl and Love, Joy, & Pees, illustrated poetry books that celebrate family life for its beauty and messiness. To clear up some of that messiness she designed Maggie’s Planner. She is the founder of the cooperative publisher, New Alexandria Creative Group. In her spare time, she is also the San Francisco Writers Conference Director of Operations Poetry Summit Coordinator.
