The other day, I received notification of my editor and agent appointments for RWA National in San Francisco at the end of the month. Thought I’d take the opportunity to highlight the following:
Failure to appear for your appointment will preclude you from appointments in future years.
Appointment cancellations must be made by noon on Thursday, July 31st.
Need to see that again?
Failure to appear for your appointment will preclude you from appointments in future years.
Appointment cancellations must be made by noon on Thursday, July 31st.
RWA has sent out a reminder along these lines every year for the past few years. Some years the reminder has said you’ll miss the chance to book appointments for a set number of years—say 2 or 3. Other years, like this year, the reminder sounds more definitive, although who knows what “in future years” might actually mean? Which future years? All of them? Next year, then the following year you can have an appointment again, but the year after that you can’t? On second thought, I think “the next three years” or whatever time frame is actually more definitive, but I digress.
The point is, it’s not cool to skip editor and agent appointments, yet every year at RWA a lot of last minute appointments become available because the writer in question has cancelled…or just doesn’t show up. Sometimes she (or he) cancels for good reason, like sudden (real) illness or an emergency that takes them away from conference, or, hey, maybe they sell the first day of RWA and therefore no longer need the appointment. With a deadline of the day preceding appointments in place to cancel, however, skipping at the last minute (a very last minute illness or emergency aside)…well, I just don’t understand why people do it. And, wouldn’t you know it, I happen to have a Dear Cindy column on my website addressing this very issue. The Q & A goes into greater depth, so if you haven’t checked it out, feel free to do so now. (Yes, you are compelled to read the column, you really have no choice, you WANT to read the column, you want to read it and refer it to all your writing buddies NOW). (After you have read the column, you will wake up and email two dozen writer friends, directing them to the column on my website).
Snap!
Okay, confession time. Has anyone ever canceled an editor or agent appointment at RWA National or a regional conference? Why? Did you regret doing so? Would you do it again?
If RWA didn’t have this “don’t cancel or else” policy in effect, do you think you might chicken out of your appointment? What is it about these appointments that can leave many a writer shaking in their stilettos?