A Parking Ticket, New Friends, & a Book Idea: My 1st Ever SCBWI Conference with 10 Tips by Tina Cho

 April 12-14, 2024, I attended my first SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators) Conference, The Marvelous Midwest Conference, sponsored by six states: Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, Nebraska, & Wisconsin. This was not my first writing conference, but it was my first SCBWI conference. You might be thinking why I haven't attended before. Well, I've been out of country for 10 years, and then when I moved back during the pandemic, they didn't meet.

It was held in Davenport, IA, along the Mississippi River at an event center. Below is a list of tips and reminders to myself for next time I attend a writing conference. Maybe something here will be helpful to you, too!

1. Find out which conferences your agent or wish-agent is attending and go! 
When I saw that my agent was a speaker in my state, I submitted for a day off school (I'm a teacher) so I could see her again (Met her at the So. CA Christian Writers Conference in 2017) It's been 7 years since I've seen Adria Goetz. Attending a conference with your agent allows you to get to know them better, support them when they speak, and just have fun. Plus, I met agency sisters, two other clients that she reps.

Me & Adria Goetz of KT Lit

Adria, Caryn, Me, Leah

2. When your SCBWI RA sends out the email about the conference and booking a hotel, do so immediately. 
Delaying and procrastinating means you won't get the better hotel or maybe even the group rate. I delayed, of course, but did get the group rate for a room at the 2nd hotel (Hilton). Also, take your own pillow if you have neck problems. Ask if they offer breakfast. I ended up driving to Panera because I didn't want to pay $15 for breakfast at the hotel. You could interview a fellow creator and see if they want to split the cost of a hotel room and/or carpooling. The lovely author, Becky Janni, was my roomie for the first night.

Me & author Rebecca Janni

3. Study the map for parking places! Know the prices. Study the event center map. Have an idea of the layout of the place.
If you're forgetful like me, you might even take a picture of your car in the ramp, so you know which floor you're on. Pay the parking. I suggest to the manual machine, not the app. More on that later.

4. Set a conference goal. 
What are you trying to get out of this conference? Working on a specific craft in writing? Meeting your agent? editor? Just attending for social reasons? To help you tailor and revise a certain manuscript? Setting a goal will help you make the most of your time for which you paid big bucks for!

5. Study the sessions and like I tell my kindergartners, make good choices!
If you're a teacher, you know how much work it is to take a day off and plan for a sub. So you bet, I took advantage of every minute! I booked a picture book intensive with editor Carter Hasegawa of Candlewick and paid for a critique by him. I wrote down a list of possible sessions I was interested in, then highlighted the ones I really wanted to attend. Study the session description to make sure it's one you can benefit from. I wanted to meet fellow authors that I've known for years online and never met in person. I attended their workshops. 

Jen Swanson: Using Innovation to Grab an Editor's Attention

Me & author friend Jen Swanson

Teresa Robeson & I are on a team of writers at the Kidlit for Growing Minds Blog.

Teresa Robeson: Writing a Graphic Novel for the First Time

6. Make connections.
Take your business card to give to new friends. Ask on social media who else is attending so you can meet up or look for them. It's also nice to be surprised, running into someone you've known since 2012. I met the fabulous Julie Hedlund who runs the 12x12 Challenge. I was an inaugural member the first two years. I also sat in a session with Mark Ceilley, from one of my critique groups, Pens & Brushes since 2008! You & your critique partners could meet up at a conference.

Me & Julie Hedlund

Mark Ceilley & Me

7. Find alternative places to eat.

Conference food was great. But not all meals are provided. Thankfully, there were nice little restaurants along the event center street. The wonderful ladies Kathy Halsey, Caryn Rivadeneira, and another woman, & I ate out during one of these times. Sorry, I forgot to take a photo, but here's Kathy & I, writers of this Grog Blog.

Grog Blog Writers: Kathy Halsey & Tina Cho

8. Carry Sharpies. 
If your books are in the SCBWI bookstore room, you'll want to be able to sign them. Also, buy books of fellow authors, illustrators, and creators! 

Author/Illustrator James Ransome

9. Be brave & introduce yourself to people. Talk to the speakers.
It was awesome to meet illustrator Zeke Peña, a fellow Kokila creator. He illustrated My Papi Has a Motorcycle. He told me he has a personal copy of my book, The Ocean Calls! 

I ran into speaker Ellice Lee, VP, Senior Art Director of Philomel/Viking/Flamingo books of PRH. She gave a keynote & shared current data on diversity in picture books, which I appreciated. But I was flabbergasted when I said my name to her, she responded, "Tina Cho of The Ocean Calls? I gotta tell Nami I met you." (referring to Namrata Tripathi, my Kokila publisher.) She wanted our photo together.

Ellice Lee, VP Art Director & Me

Diversity Data Ellice shared from CCBC

10. Be flexible. Good things happen when you do.
Sessions you wanted might've gotten canceled. Or maybe you notice your very first parking ticket on your car, ahem, & it ruins your morning. I had downloaded the parking app & faithfully paid onto it throughout the weekend. I have no idea why I was ticketed. So because I was dealing with that, I missed a keynote. I prayed, "God, please let something good happen today." I rushed to my next session, on writing HUMOR, which is what I needed, from Little Bee Books editor, Brett Duquette. Great session. Afterwards, I stayed to introduce myself, because, my very first picture book, Rice from Heaven is a Little Bee Book, although with an editor who is no longer there. Brett was happy to meet me, and we chatted 1 on 1 for a long time about Korean stuff. We came up with a possible book idea, and he even took the time to meet my agent. Because of that, I missed the next keynote, but was able to continue chatting with him and another author friend. Being in person with editors allows you to get a sense of their personality and tastes. 

Me & editor Brett Duquette, Little Bee Books

So there you have my weekend. I have a notepad full of notes. New friendships. Something to research. Oh, back to that parking ticket...I reached out to the city, submitted my parking receipts, and they rescinded my ticket. Thank you, city of Davenport! 

Now, I'm off to research & write. 

Tina Cho is the author of Rice from Heaven: The Secret Mission to Feed North Koreans (Little Bee Books 2018), Korean Celebrations (Tuttle 2019), My Breakfast with Jesus: Worshipping God around the World (Harvest House 2020), The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story (Kokila/Penguin Random House 2020), God’s Little Astronomer (Waterbrook 2024), God’s Little Oceanographer 2025, & The Princess & the Grain of Rice (FSG 2025). Her lyrical middle grade graphic novel, The Other Side of Tomorrow, debuts from Harper Alley 11/12/2024. After living in South Korea for ten years, Tina, her husband, and two kids reside in Iowa where Tina also teaches kindergarten.