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I really like this thread! For fellow compulsive book-hoarders, I like buying craft books used (I like other people& #39;s markups in them lol) and for reading in my genre I stick as much as I can to the library or random $2.99 ebook sales--not an option for everyone/every book, but. https://twitter.com/ChuckWendig/status/1194597217262350337">https://twitter.com/ChuckWend...
I also went to a *lot* of conferences a few years ago. Now, I am socially anxious, and it turned out conferences are an Expert-Level Environment for me (crowds! strangers! people way more qualified than me! Huge crowds of very qualified strangers! *panic intensifies!!!*)
I did it to stretch myself, but it was expensive and exhausting and I couldn& #39;t take full advantage. I loved the content at the SCBWI NY one (I am within train distance of it so it& #39;s ... "local"?) but I met the most people at my less-overwhelming, cheaper regional conference.
That said, I& #39;m not planning to do a conference again until I& #39;m further along in my career. They just aren& #39;t cheap. I think some writers believe they& #39;ll meet an agent and jumpstart their career at these things, but it& #39;s not really *for* that, unlike querying, which is FREEEE y& #39;all
And for craft and making friends, you can do something like @WriteOnCon from home for MUCH less. I also met lots of my writer friends thru mentorship programs. And you DON& #39;T have to get in to meet people. I think @ethiedee and I met when we both got rejected from the first AMM?
Anyway, totally get the impulse to spend money. I know it seems like you should, but you SUPER don& #39;t have to. And if you do spend money, you don& #39;t have to spend it on pricey things. Look first for the free or inexpensive opportunities; those have largely been the best ROI for me.
Some more ideas: if you want to use a freelance editor (you DON& #39;T have to, but I know it& #39;s a helpful source of thorough feedback) have a chapter/partial read instead of your whole MS? It& #39;s WAY more affordable and you *can* apply the lessons to the rest of your MS.
(But, truly, if you& #39;re persistent in searching for good CPs, you will find that thorough feedback in time. You& #39;ll also learn to *give* thorough feedback, which helps your own writing. Best of all, you& #39;ll find writer friends! And that& #39;s more important than the feedback, tbh!)
If one of the big draws of a conference was meeting agents and pitching your work, you can sign up for fairly cheap online meetings with agents through @MSWLMA, without having to also buy a whole conference experience. They& #39;re 10-minute sessions ... with a feedback opportunity!!
Also: my *favorite* source of publishing industry knowledge is podcasts. Right now, I listen to @ShipAndHandling and @WriteOrDiePod the instant they download, and both have donation options if you& #39;d like to pay a few bucks forward to the creators. There are lots of others too!
