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Christian Writers Guild ConferenceWant to Get Published? Think—Christian Writers Guild, writer's Conference.If you want to get published, you better pay attention to this article.Why? Because the hardest thing to do in the writing world is, get published. So many writers out there are trying to do the same thing you are. The ones who make it are the ones who have stuck it out and have an edge. "Be of good cheer," as the angels said to the shepherds so long ago. "I bring you good tidings of great joy," well, some good advice anyway.
Thomas Nelson publishers admitted at the HACWN conference in Kansas City, Mo this past November 2008, that they have gone from publishing 700 titles a year down to 400 titles a year. You can do the math. So how does a struggling writer make it in today's economy? If you noticed in the previous paragraph, I mentioned my resource for this information. That's right, a writer's conference. This brings us to our main subject and secret weapon. Well, maybe not so secret. However, most writers never darken the door of a conference for one reason or another. Generally, the argument given is lack of funds. At the risk of sounding cliche, may I suggest to those who would argue they can not afford to go to a writer's conference that you can't afford not to. 
I understand, for some, money can be an issue. However, there are some writer's conferences, such as the Writing for the Soul conference in Colorado Springs, that accept payments over the year to help alleviate this issue. Also, do not neglect the smaller conferences like the one I mentioned above as they have a lot of bang for the buck. Expect to spend anywhere from $500-$700 or more for the larger conferences such as Mount Hermon and Writing for the Soul, but the opportunities available to you far outweigh the money spent. Things like appointments with editors from those big publishing houses, such as Thomas Nelson, Moody, Bethany House, Harvest House and so on. Not into novels or non-fiction books? You also have magazine representatives such as Focus on the Family, Upper Room, Light and Life etc. What about devotionals and other types of stories you have written. You have big names like Big Ideas, who do the Veggie Tales videos, ready to look at your big ideas. There are far too many opportunities available at a writer's conference to name here in this short article. Don't even get me started on agents. Yup, you'll find them at writers conferences too. All of them at your fingertips, so to speak, and waiting for you to show them your stuff, no strings attached. Did I mention the networking opportunities at conferences? Many attendees have gone away with new found friends who in turn have started an online critique group. Some groups have done so well for one another; the entire group is now full of published authors. We've seen this time and again. Check out the websites of the conferences I mentioned above and don't forget to look locally as well. Start connecting now. This is your career we are talking about and perhaps the rest of your life. What do you have to lose but a little money and some time? I guarantee, it will not be a waste of either!
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With the economy in its current state, receiving an acceptance letter from today's publishers is getting even more difficult than it was just a year ago. If you ask any of the Christian publishers today, they will tell you that they are doing "business as usual, but we're being choosier."