Frequently Asked Questions
About the Conference
- Who can attend the RWA conference?
- Is there a partial fee if I want to attend only part of the conference? Or is there a special guest fee if I want to bring my spouse or a friend who’s coming just to keep me company?
- Should I attend the conference if I am unpublished?
- Is this conference geared towards readers as well as writers?
- What if at the last minute I find I can’t make the conference? Can I get a refund of my registration fee?
Budget/Travel Planning
- How much will it cost me to attend the conference?
- What day should I arrive? What day should I leave?
- I will be traveling alone. How will I recognize another RWA member, in case I want to share a taxi with someone, for instance?
- Is there some sort of travel agency and/or roommate matching service available through RWA?
Questions about the hotel
- How do I reserve a suite/room at the conference hotel?
- Is the room rate per person? Will we be charged extra for a third or fourth person? Can we get a cot?
- If I’m going to be sharing a room, how can we split the bill?
- How will I know that my reservation is all set?
- If there is a problem with my hotel accommodation when I arrive, will RWA help me?
- My roommate got sick/canceled at the last minute! What do I do?
Questions about food
- How many meals are included with my conference fee?
- Will the hotel make special dietary accommodations?
- Will I be on my own to find seating at the RWA meals?
Editor & Agents
- How many appointments are available? Will I be certain to meet with my first choice?
- What is better, group or individual appointments?
- Can I request an appointment for a book I am just starting/still working on, so I can get an idea if this is a project that would sell before I finish it?
- What do I do if I have requested an appointment, and then decide that I don’t want it?
- Will I be able to sign up for any appointments when I arrive at the conference?
- Can I talk to an editor or agent, even if I don’t have any appointment, maybe if I see them at a
meal or pass them in the hall? - Should I bring my manuscript, in case an editor or agent wants to see it?
- How do I prepare for an appointment?
Attending Workshops
- How will I know what workshops apply to me and which I should attend?
- What do I do if there are two workshops at the same time that I want to attend?
- What if I go to a workshop that I think is less than helpful or downright bad?
- Can you give me a list of speakers who applied to give workshops, so that I can contact them for my chapter conference?
Presenting Workshops
- When the topic is the same, is there a reason that one conference workshop application gets picked over another for a workshop slot?
- If I speak on a panel, do I get fully comped on the registration fee?
- Why do the applications have to be in so early?
- Can unpublished authors give National workshops?
- How are the Keynote and Luncheon speakers selected?
- Will I be overlooked to present a workshop if a Board member (who attends RWA conferences fully comped) submits one on the same subject?
Miscellaneous Questions
- What should I wear to the conference?
- I’ve heard a lot of people talking about volunteering at the conference, but I’ve never done anything like that before. What can I do?
- How do I sign up to volunteer?
- What if I sign up to volunteer, and I find out I have a schedule conflict, like an editor/agent appointment at the same time I’m supposed to help out somewhere?
- Will I get a reduced conference fee if I volunteer?
- I have made my first sale this year! How do I get a First Sale ribbon to wear on my badge?
- What is the Goody Room, and what’s the best time to go?
- What is the Moonlight Madness Bazaar and can I, as a self-published author, sell my books there?
- I hear it’s quiet on Friday night. What’s happening then?
- How do I buy tapes, and when is the best time to do it?
- How do certain chapters manage to have rooms for special functions?
- Why should I give up a day of sight-seeing to attend the Annual General Meeting?
- Do I need business cards, even if I’m not published?
- What are some other things that I should think about bringing with me?
Questions about San Francisco
- What amenities are available at the Conference hotel?
- What airport is closest to the Conference site?
- Is there a shuttle service available between the airport and the hotel?
- I'm driving to San Francisco for the Conference. Does the hotel have parking and how much does it cost?
- What's the weather like in San Francisco during Conference time?
- What public transportation is available if I want to explore San Francisco?
- If I want to get away from the Conference for a few hours during the day, what can I do or see?
- What if I don't have a publisher's party to go to Friday night but I'm not interested in staying in the hotel all evening?
