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I really like this thread! For fellow compulsive book-hoarders, I like buying craft books used (I like other people'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
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't take full advantage. I loved the content at the SCBWI NY one (I am within train distance of it so it's ... "local"?) but I met the most people at my less-overwhelming, cheaper regional conference.
That said, I'm not planning to do a conference again until I'm further along in my career. They just aren't cheap. I think some writers believe they'll meet an agent and jumpstart their career at these things, but it's not really *for* that, unlike querying, which is FREEEE y'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'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't have to. And if you do spend money, you don'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'T have to, but I know it's a helpful source of thorough feedback) have a chapter/partial read instead of your whole MS? It's WAY more affordable and you *can* apply the lessons to the rest of your MS.
(But, truly, if you're persistent in searching for good CPs, you will find that thorough feedback in time. You'll also learn to *give* thorough feedback, which helps your own writing. Best of all, you'll find writer friends! And that'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'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'd like to pay a few bucks forward to the creators. There are lots of others too!
