Experience of Writers' Festivals?

[stripyeyes]

Have people been to them? Are they useful or just a profit making exercise?! Do agents take people on from them or is that aspect a carrot on a stick?

Winchester are running a festival in June and I'm really tempted. There's loads of talks that would be relevant to my genre and included is 1:1 sessions with authors and agents but it is a lot of money for what could effectively be a pipe dream for me!

All opinions welcome!

Bumping for you OP

I went to the York festival last year and found it very inspiring and helpful. The Writers Workshop blog has stories from authors who attended and found their agents so that may be worth a read as it includes tips on submitting at festivals.

It is a lot of money and I couldn't justify going again but I found it useful as I was finishing my first book ready for submission.

I've always found them very useful, but I wouldn't pay for it on the basis you're going to find an agent there (although some do). It's more about improving your craft and learning. The 121s are incredibly useful as they'll give you an idea whether you're ready to submit or not and how you might pitch your work. Going to my first one made me realise how many other people were writing, and how much more seriously they were taking it than me. It was a bit of a shock but in hindsight a good one!

Oh, Winchester and York are both very good ones. There also may be more specialised ones if you write in a genre.

Good point about not going there to find an agent, those who have are the exception than a rule and it's just as much about the craft. But I know that quite a few writers I met there managed to have informal chats with agents too, we were sat at table with three at lunch, one v well known, purely by chance. I was too shy but others were chatting away with them! So it's definitely a networking opportunity.

I've been to quite a few. I think what it's great for is reinforcing the fact you want to write and to spend a period of time talking to other writers and thinking about the craft.

The thing is that if you have a great story you're no better off spending money to pitch to an agent than you are just emailing that agent. However, you do get to see the agent's face when you pitch (though most know how not to let their emotions show.)

I went to the Mumsnet Get Writing Day and the agents there told virtually everyone that they had a great idea and they should send in the first three chapters. I think a rejection in writing is easier than face-to-face.

The festivals are great fun, though - worth it for that alone.

Thanks everyone!

I've booked

I definitely agree meeting the agents is not the most important bit of the festival (my dh seems to think I'll walk away with a book deal but I've read the threads on here too much to know that's anywhere near likely!). It's also a lot cheaper to email your sub than go to the festival!

With that in mind I'm also hoping to see 2 agents and a creative writing ma course tutor who can provide more in depth feedback which I hope will be useful.

I'll enjoy being with other writers massively as still quite in the closet as far as my writing goes

I went to that day too Brilliant! Found it enlightening, inspiring and dampening all at the same time. I spoke to hellie, ended up subbing to jessie and got a standard no!

I hate to say this but there isn't a chance of you getting a book deal like that! That's not how it works. If an agent thinks your book sounds absolutely brilliant you should actually still send it to a few other agents anyway as the one you meet, though nice, might not be the one who's best for you. You have to have an agent who 'gets' your work and who knows the market for it. It goes without saying that might not be the first person you meet.

But let's say she does hear your pitch and decide to take you on and you sign a contract which she just happens to have about her person... First of all it's likely she'd want some edits. She'd want to read it, too Then she would send it off to a number of editors who she knows would like that sort of book. In the best case scenario, there would be an auction for your book. Sometimes everyone comes back saying the same thing eg didn't like the ending. Then you'd discuss changes and either change it and resubmit to those people, or to a whole new bunch of people.

So, DH, it doesn't quite work out like that!!! Hope you meet someone who's bowled over by your pitch, though!

A great summary but think you missed the months and months of waiting and the emotional rollercoaster related to that

However my DH is an eternal optimist and never one to listen to reason. He's already planning the swimming pool in the garden once my book has been made into a film...

Well, sometimes the wait is short and sometimes it's long! For instance my second book is out soon and I'm still waiting for rejections from agents for the first book! And yet my lovely agent received the first three chapters on a Monday, asked for the full manuscript on the Wednesday, then phoned me on the following Monday and asked to represent me!

Nice your husband's supporting you, though!

Apologies for all the exclamation marks!