DV Con came back for its second annual conference. I did a post on the first one, so I wanted to follow up with how the second one went.
In case you don’t know, DV Con is open for diverse voices, including POC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, neurodivergent, etc. All the panels had diverse speakers and advice specific to marginalized voices trying to break out into the publishing world.
Discord
The Discord was set up the same as last year. They had about eighteen channels to chat by genre, get critique partners, and more. In a few channels, writers got a Q&A with literary agents, editors, and established authors.
The only downside was how over modded everything was. The millisecond someone went slightly off topic, mods would redirect everyone to another channel. For example, if people in the sci-fi channel were talking about writing and one recommended a book to help with sci-fi worldbuilding, a mod would tell them to go to another channel to recommend the book. This type of modding style usually kills the conversations from what I’ve seen.
Connecting to other writers
Last time at DV Con, I ended up connecting with a lot of writers. While I had a few good conversations with some this year, I didn’t connect with as many people. I also didn’t see any breakout Discords.
It felt like ACES and AWP, where I’ll have a few good conversations, but I’m not sure how long they will last.
Panels
The panels on YouTube were all great. They covered a range of topics from writing emotional scenes, how the pandemic has affected the industry, branding, graphic novels, and more. They’d have their hour-long panels mixed in with a few quick bonus videos.
I liked Saturday’s videos the most. By the end of Sunday, the information felt a bit repetitive. But all the panels told good information. My favorite was “Book Hangovers” because those panelists and the moderator bounced off each other so well.
Bookshop
The bookshop is separated out by panel like it was last year, which is nice. It’s easy to navigate. I still prefer online lists like this because it helps find a panelist’s books easier.
Pricing
Like last year, pricing was 100% free, which was nice.
Overall
I like DV Con’s conference and the topics they discuss. I do think they took a few steps backward with the Discord, but I’m glad I got to go again. They had a lot of good information about traditional publishing. I hope they explore indie and self-publishing routes too next year.
Robin LeeAnn 