#LA18SCBWI Homework!

Are you attending the upcoming SCBWI Summer Conference in Los Angeles, August 3-6, 2018?

It's coming up fast (the conference starts a week from Friday!) so seize your chance to do some prep work to get the most out of the weekend...

1) Study the schedule. Have a plan going in, about which breakouts you want to attend, which socials you want to participate in, which panelists whose work you haven't yet seen that you want to familiarize yourself with before you show up, so you can get the most out of what they're going to share.

2) Study the faculty list. Are you looking for an agent? Make a list of all the agents on faculty, and do your research online before you get to the conference hotel. That way, you can narrow it down to likely candidates, and focus your attendance and questions.

3) Study the faculty list some more. Even once you have an agent, knowing the editors and art directors working in our industry makes a difference. Who is publishing work you love? Who would you love to be published by? Familiarity with something they've recently published is a great conversation-starter!

4) Study the faculty list even more. Who's writing and/or illustrating in your category and genre? Who are you MOST excited to hear from, learn from, and meet? Get their latest book, and read it before you get to the conference. Again, familiarity with something they've recently published is a great conversation-starter!

5) Prepare how you'll present yourself and your work. What's your elevator pitch? Finish up your portfolio. Get business cards or postcards ready to share. Oh, and what's your approach to the Ball?

Then, once you've done your homework and you get to the conference here in Los Angeles, be open to the serendipity of things you didn't plan for... sometimes, those are the moments that yield the biggest take-aways of all!

Illustrate and Write On, and see you soon!
Lee