F.A.Q.

If you can’t find your question below, you can always contact us!

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How much does it cost to attend the conference?

The keynote addresses and critique forums are free and open to all.

You can register for the blogs/vlogs and live events (it’s really cheap!).

I won’t be able to attend all/parts of the conference or one of the live events. Can I catch up later?

Yes! For this very reason, the static posts and recordings of the live events will be accessible for one week after the conference.

If I don’t write kidlit, am I still allowed to attend?

Of COURSE! A lot of the information applies to all writers, so the more the merrier. The critique forums are limited to kidlit categories (picture books, middle grade, young adult, and new adult) but the live events, blogs, and vlogs are open to everyone. Please, come hang with us!

I live outside the US, can I still participate?

Absolutely! Obviously we can only schedule everything based on one time zone, but we use Eastern Standard Time because it seems to be the best for everyone. Please, join us. We love our international attendees!

Will I need to install special software on my computer to attend the conference?

No. You will need to register in order to use the critique forums. Other than that, all of the tools you’ll need to participate will be available on the website.

Will you be holding another conference next year?

We sure hope so! If you have comments or suggestions, shoot us an e-mail at info (at) writeoncon (dot) com. The current plan is to hold a conference annually; future dates will be announced on the WriteOnCon website and our social media.

I’m an agent or an editor. How can I be a part of this?

Yay — we would LOVE to have you! Check out our eligibility requirements to make sure you’re a good fit. If you are, please e-mail us at info (at) writeoncon (dot) com or go to our Contact page.

I’m an author. How can I be a part of this?

Yay for wanting to be involved! Check out our eligibility requirements to make sure you’re a good fit. If you are, please e-mail us at info (at) writeoncon (dot) com or go to our Contact page.

Will I have to pay to post my work in the critique forum?

Nope! The critique forums are completely free. Our only requirements for using the forums are to follow the posting guidelines and to critique at least five other people’s posts for every item you post yourself.

Will the forums have moderators?

Yes! Our forum rules are very, very simple. But in order to make sure everyone is playing nice and no shenanigans are afoot, we do have lots of moderators keeping an eye on things. If, however, you see something we haven’t yet caught, please PM one of the conference organizers or e-mail us at info (at) writeoncon (dot) com.

Part of the website isn’t loading on my computer. Who should I contact for help?

This website was tested using Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari, but sometimes, things go wrong. If you find an error in any browser (or if you think something is amiss), please e-mail us at support (at) writeoncon (dot) org.

Do I need to have a completed manuscript to post my work in the forums?

No, the manuscript does not have to be complete, but we do recommend that you take the time to carefully edit before posting anything in the forums. Agents and editors might be trolling the threads for potential clients!

How do I stay up to date with all the WriteOnCon news and announcements?

We post all major announcements on our website, so we recommend you bookmark it and check back often.

WriteOnCon also has a Twitter account and Facebook account. We recommend you follow, as news is posted regularly.

Many of the organizers also posts updates on their personal blogs and various social media accounts, so it’s a good idea to follow them. You can find that info on our about page.

Does WriteOnCon have an email newsletter?

Yes! You can sign up here.

Are you worried about Error 403?

Yes and no. For those who don’t know, Error 403 was our day of doom on the first day of our 2010 annual conference, when our site crashed from the unexpectedly large volume of traffic. We have since done everything in our power to ensure that it never happens again, and thanks to our fancy new hosting we’re pretty confident it won’t. But we always worry just a little. Fingers AND toes crossed.

Do you have any WriteOnCon success stories?

YES! Not only have several agents told us they requested pages from writers either from our critique forums or because WriteOnCon was mentioned in their query, but we also know of several agents who signed new writers partially thanks to WriteOnCon! We’ve also heard from writers who found critique partners through our forums or received helpful feedback for their project to guide them through their revision.

Incidentally — we LOVE hearing those stories. So if you have a WriteOnCon success story, PLEASE email us at writeoncon [at] gmail [dot] com and share!

I sent you an email. How long will it take to hear back?

TOTALLY depends on the volume of e-mails. We try very hard to stay on top of the inbox, but when big things are happening it can get a little flooded. So please be patient with us; we are doing the best we can.

Are you looking for volunteers to help with conference planning or moderating?

Yes! In addition to needing volunteers to moderate the forums, we’re always looking for people to help keep things running from year to year. E-mail us and tell us a little about yourself and your skill set(s), and we’ll be in touch!

Will you be organizing a conference for adult fiction in the future?

Um…anything is possible. But probably not. Mainly because organizing WriteOnCon and all the live events is already a GIANT workload, so we really don’t have the time. Plus, all of the organizers write kidlit, so we have a lot more connections and are able to have a lot more quality control over the content. Organizing something for adult fiction would be way outside our frame of reference. Sorry.

What methods of payment do you accept?

All payments are made through Paypal or Stripe, but you don’t need to have an account in order to pay, just a credit card.

What time zone is everything in?

EST! You can use a site like Time Zone Converter to do the math. (We know, we’re not math-minded either.)

But where are the events actually *held*?

On our website! You’ll see links when the conference starts up – join our mailing list to stay on top of updates, or follow us on social media to make sure you don’t miss a thing! You can also register now to be sure you’re included when things go live.

Should I expect a confirmation email after I register?

Yes! You should get an automated email with your information.

Where do I login?

You can log in here.

How do I change my username?

You can customize your profile (including your picture, display name, and contact info) following these directions.

(Spoiler: If you don’t see your username on the top of the screen, follow this link and login. Then follow the same instructions.)

How do I change my password?

You should be able to change your password by logging in here, then going to Users -> Your profile.

If you need a team member you manually reset your password, send us an email.

My login for the forums doesn’t work on the website? (And vice versa)

The website and conference run on a completely separate membership database from the critique forums. If you’re interested in signing up for the forums as well, you’ll need to register yourself there separately (the login and password you get from the website won’t work).

To register on the forums, go here.

To log in to the forums, go here.

To access the forums, go here.

Why do you charge to attend the conference?

Simple answer: because we need money to keep this website functioning, maintain the forums, and to pay all of our organizers and industry professionals.

Our website gets a very heavy volume of traffic, so we have to use web hosting that frankly isn’t cheap. We also believe that artists, writers, agents, and editors shouldn’t have to work solely for “exposure” or because of “passion,” but should be rewarded for their time, effort, and knowledge with something that can actually buy them groceries.

We know how expensive in-person conferences can be, having attended a few ourselves. You’re not just paying the conference fee, but also for the hotel room, meals out, plane fare or gas money, lost wages from your day job, etc. An online conference eliminates these concerns, and we always try to keep the conference itself affordable.

How do I attend?

The entire conference takes place right here on writeoncon.org. With your admission purchase you will be given a login and password to use on our site to access the conference. Attendance instructions are emailed to all attendees the week before the conference weekend, including a link to the URL where you will be able to access the events.

You can pop in any time during the three day event and the week that follows. Blog posts, vlogs, and podcasts go live every half an hour, but can be enjoyed at your leisure. Live events take place every hour; you can interact with the speaker through the comments section of the streaming video. Special instructions will be provided for feedback sessions.

Extended admission buys you an additional three weeks of access. Live events are only live during their hour-long scheduled time slot; after this an archived copy of the video will be available for viewing. Archive Access gives you a total of four weeks of access to all past events.

How will the money be spent?

In addition to paying all of our speakers a small honorarium, and providing our organizers with a modest wage, the money raised through admission will be used to cover operational expenses such as website hosting and functionality upgrades, extra bandwidth to make sure the site doesn’t crash due to traffic load, PayPal and Stripe (credit card) fees, and, of course, the ever-present taxes. After all of our costs are accounted for, we break even each year.

I’m excited! When is this taking place?

The WriteOnCon conference will take place from July 15-17, 2022. Basic and Full admission expires on July 24, while Extended admission expires on August 14. The critique forums will open on July 8th and will remain open until Extended admission closes. You can also join us on our Discord server, which we plan to open in June.

This sounds great, but I write adult literature/I’m busy in July/I’m not a writer or illustrator/etc.

Don’t worry! You don’t need to write or illustrate kidlit to participate in the conference. The conference events will provide craft and industry knowledge that applies to writers and illustrators across the board, and much of it can be helpful to people involved in other areas of the industry, too.

If you’re busy in July but would still like to enjoy the conference events, you can purchase Extended admission, or Anytime Archive Access (in July, or after), and receive access to all conference materials for additional time.

And finally, you could still help support us by spreading the word! Share this page, re-tweet our account, email your critique partners. Are you a member of SCBWI or a local writing group? Are you participating in NaNoWriMo or know someone who is? Be a pal and let them know about our campaign! We here at WriteOnCon thank you.

Do I have to pay with PayPal?

No! You can choose to pay through PayPal or by credit card. And even if you click “pay with PayPal,” it will take you to a screen where you can choose to pay with debit or credit. PayPal account not required!

Where can I ask more questions?

Shoot us an email and we’ll help you out.

How can I upgrade my admission level?

Did you buy one admission, only to realize your heart desires another? No worries! You can upgrade any time here.

Could you add more diversity to your line-up?

While WriteOnCon strives to be as diverse as possible, not all forms of diversity are visible and not all speakers feel comfortable disclosing things like gender, orientation, or disability. We do not require our speakers to perform their diversity. If you have recommendations for more diverse authors or publishing industry professionals, please recommend a speaker!