Keep Calm and Take AWP By Storm
AWP is almost here and I could not be more pumped! Every year it seems someone writes a tip sheet about how to make the most out of your AWP experience. And while I certainly have my suggestions, the number one thing I would like to emphasize is do you because there is no one way to go about AWP. We are all attending with our own agendas in mind. Whether it be to go to as many panels as our schedules will allow, network at the book fair, sneak into the after parties, or just try to get your hands on as much swag as possible, do it.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with AWP, imagine your high school science fair with the tables and people milling about and mingling and looking at what each booth has to offer. Times that image by one hundred. Then picture, instead of volcanoes and humane mouse traps and time travel gadgets, each booth being stacked with books and swag.
Honestly, even if you’ve attended multiple conferences AWP can still be pretty overwhelming. To put this into perspective, last year there were over one thousand booths and each of those booths was manned by at least two people from whatever lit journal, independent press, or literary-esc business it belonged to. So that already puts the book fair at two thousand-plus people and that doesn’t even cover AWP staff, authors, panelists, and attendees.
If your palms are sweating just thinking about it, stop! Take a deep breath in and a slow exhale out. All is—will—be well. Just remember: do you. Of course, you may be wondering, How do I do me? What does that even mean? Patience, young Padawan, we’re getting there.
1. Scope it out. Walk into AWP with a plan. Take a second to check out who will be there, as well as what panels are going on and when. The nice thing about AWP is that they have a detailed website that is easy to navigate. For example, you can take a look at the full list of vendors and you can also see where they will be located. They also provide a line-up of all the panels.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the conference has its own app. It’s not a perfect app, but it may help you get organized and put a game plan in place.
2. Ask questions. Here’s the key to networking you guys: don’t try to network. There are going to be a lot of people walking around AWP with business cards—which is totally fine. In fact, if you have the money to get some, I would recommend bringing them along. But networking isn’t about handing out all your business card, it’s about making a connection—an impression. One of the best ways to do this is to focus on the people. You’ve heard me say before that publishing is a people business. With this in mind, the people manning those booths put on shoes just like me and you. They want to talk about the work they’re doing, so ask them about it.
Ask them about their latest issue.
Ask them what their favorite book or issue is and why.
Ask how their conference is going.
Ask if they’ve gotten a chance to see any panels or if they’re planning on hitting any up.
Ask if they’re on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter—and then follow them.
Ask if they’re open for submissions.
Ask if there’s any kind of work, in particular, they are really looking for.
Trust me, having a genuine conversation is going to get you much farther than chopping at the bit to exchange a piece of paper with your email on it.
3. Set a budget and bring cash. While this may seem obvious, I am still going to highly suggest that you decide before you walk into the book fair what your max budget is and bring that amount in cash. Trust me, you are going to walk around and want to buy a lot of books, lit journals, and/or swag. In fact, it’s very easy to burn through cash over the course of three days—especially if you’re a book nerd like me.
On the first day of the conference, prices will be at their highest. But by Saturday many of the booths will offer lower prices or bundled deals because they (1) want to get their work into your hands and (2) they really don’t want to have to ship all the books and swag back home. So if you’re looking to save some money waiting until the last day might be a good thing. However, when you’re setting your budget don’t think about trying to get deals. If you really want a book or lit journal buy it—who cares if it’s full price. What matters is that you chose to buy that thing and show your admiration and support of the journal or press.
4. Note the bars (if your 21+) and the coffee shops. Seriously, Google the bars and coffee shops that are around the conference site. The only thing book people love more than books is caffeine and alcohol. I really can’t explain why this is, but it's just... facts. So if you’re finding the book fair overwhelming or need a break from marathoning panels the bars and/or coffee shops are excellent places to take a break and mingle with attendees. In fact, if you’re looking to chat with people in a less chaotic setting I would highly recommend making a point to hang out, take a breather, and strike up a conversation. Between the AWP 2019 tote bag or the AWP lanyards, you’ll be able to scope out other attendees a mile away.
5. Explore. Now, I understand that you may have had to sell your kidney to pay for your registration fee, book airfare, rent a hotel/Airbnb, etc.—I know I did this year—and as a result, you may have the mentality to get your money’s worth. And I agree, take it by storm. But I also recommend taking the time to explore the city that the conference is in. Make a point to do non-AWP-related activities. Go be a tourist! One of the great things about AWP is that it’s in a different city every year. So odds are, if you’re attending, you’ve never been to this city before and you may never be there again. Make the most of it.
I repeat, make the most of it. You decided to attend AWP for a reason. Whatever that reason may be let it guide you. That is how you do you.
