Your questions are important to us, and we want to make sure that you get the answers you need. It is, however, a huge help to us if you can check the Frequently Asked Questions section below for answers before emailing us. If the answer to your question is here and you email us instead, we’ll be directing you right back to this page to get the information you need, so please check the FAQ first. If you do not find an answer to your question in the FAQ, please use the email button below to get in touch with us, and we will reply to you as soon as we are able.

Registration

Can I still register? (Is it too late yet?)

Registrations opens Monday, September 23, 2024. The last day to register is Monday, October 28th, at 6:00 p.m. EST. Fees include the two-day live virtual conference on November 1st & 2nd, Keynotes by Rachel Hauck, Ask the Experts Panel, appointment opportunities, giveaways, and 90 day post-conference access to workshop recordings via our private YouTube Channel.


How do I register for appointments?
What are mentor and business appointments ?

Attendees will have the opportunity to schedule one Agent or Editor appointment and one Author Mentor or Business appointment as part of their conference registration. Mentor and Business appointments offer attendees the opportunity to seek advice from established authors or other professionals who are experts in their field (web design, launch teams, social media, craft questions, podcasting, audio books, Indie publishing, etc). Availability is limited and appointments will be allotted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Appointments will close at 8:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, November 2, 2024. Upon successful completion of the registration process, registrants will receive an email confirmation containing the link to the SignUpGenius form listing available appointment slots. Please note: our goal is to send these emails between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. EST each evening to those participants who registered that day. Registrations after 5 p.m. EST may be sent the following evening. The email address you list on the SignUpGenius form will be given to the appropriate faculty member who will contact you directly to arrange a time for your appointment.

Before scheduling an appointment, please refer to submission guidelines that a given agent or editor posts on their website to make sure your manuscript matches what the agent or editor you’re pitching to is hoping to acquire.

Guests

Can I bring a friend?

While we would love for you to bring a friend, neighbor, fellow writer, or random person you met at the grocery store pickup line that you think would benefit from attending this year’s conference, however, anybody that you invite will need to sign up for the conference and pay the registration fee. Please do not share your password with other people. Everyone who registers will receive password access to the conference.

Workshop Registration

Do I need to pre-register for workshops?

Since you are providing your own seat for our virtual conference, there is no need to pre-register for any of the workshops. You can decide which workshops you’d like to attend in advance, on the fly, or via inka-dinka-bottle-of-ink.

Late to Class


What if I’m running late?
Can I join a workshop if it’s already started?

You can join a workshop at any time. In addition, workshop recordings will be available on our website. Those recordings will usually be posted to the website within forty-eight to seventy-two hours after the workshop is finished. To find recordings, go to the workshop’s listing in the daily schedule. We want to make sure you get as much out of this conference as possible, so don’t worry if you’re running late – you don’t have to miss out on anything!

Switching Workshops


Is it okay to leave one workshop and go to another instead?

Absolutely! You can change workshops at any time. And remember – you can always go back later to watch the recording of a workshop if you have to leave it before you’re ready.

Recordings

Can I get a recording of one of the workshops?
How long will recordings be available?

All of our sessions (Keynotes, Workshops, Ask the Experts Panel, etc.) are being recorded. Recordings will be posted to the website between 48 to 72 hours after the workshop ends. Are there two workshops at the same time that you want to watch? No problem! Attend one live and catch the recording of the other one later. We want you to get as much out of this conference as possible, so don’t sweat it. If you miss something, watch the recording. Recordings will be available for 90 days post-conference at no additional charge. 

Workshop Q&A


Is it okay to ask questions during a workshop?
How can I do that?

We – and our teachers – love questions! During workshops, you will be able to ask questions via the chat box. The room host will post those questions to the teacher as time permits. We may not be able to get to every single question, but we will do our absolute best!

Finding My Workshops

How do I get to my workshops?

You will receive an email no later than Thursday, October 31st with the password that will give you access to the secure conference section of our website. Inside this private access portal, you will find links to the Zoom classes. The links will all be arranged by day and time to make it as easy as possible for you to find what you want or need. If you want to attend two workshops that are on at the same time, no worries. Once the recordings of the workshops are posted, this is where you’ll find them.

What I Need

What will I need in order for me to get the most out of the
Royal Writers Virtual Conference?

If you are using a Windows-based computer, you’ll need Windows 7 or newer (Please note: Windows 10 in S Mode is not supported.) In addition, you’ll want a broadband internet connection, preferably with at least 1.8Mbps upload/download speed. Your computer should have a 2Ghz or higher processor and at least 4Gb RAM. You’ll want to make sure that the computer you are using has speakers so you can hear the classes, a comfortable keyboard so you can comment and participate in chat discussions, and a comfy place to sit so you can enjoy the classes all day long. You will also want to make sure that you have a way to take notes – either by hand or directly into a doc on your computer. Last – but definitely not least! – you will want to make sure you have received the email with your password and that you can log into the secure conference site.

How to Zoom

How do I Zoom? And how can I know my computer is up to the task?

If Zoom isn’t old hat to you by now, then we recommend you watch a couple of quick Zoom tutorials. They will help you prepare yourself so that you can get the most out of the conference! Added bonus–if you can watch these videos without any drops, pauses, or hang-ups, then you can be fairly confident your computer is up to the task of Zooming.

Privacy


How can I keep my information safe and secure online?

As we all know, keeping our personal information secure online is important. Please do not share personal information in a Zoom meeting. If it’s not something you would share on a public social media page for the whole world to see, then don’t share it in a Zoom meeting. Your opinions, questions, and input are always welcome! Be smart and safe, though, in what information you share. To help with this, Zoom offers a variety of privatization and customization features. You can edit the name that appears (use a nickname if you’re more comfortable with that!), and you can upload a profile picture as well. If you join via phone, we strongly suggest that you customize your name. If you do NOT customize your name, your phone number will be displayed instead. All attendees have access to Zoom’s customizable
features that will allow them to determine what information is displayed, and we urge you to take advantage of these features. ACFW Virginia is not liable for private information that appears online because an attendee didn’t enable the available privacy features.

Tech Support

What happens if I need technical support during the conference? Help me (pretty please with a cherry on top)!

If you are teaching or hosting a class and run into technical issues, please contact Gregg Bridgeman using the phone number provided to you during our tech rehearsal. If you are attending the conference and have technical difficulties, please contact us at acfwvirginia@gmail.com and put Tech Assistance Needed in the subject line. If you would like us to call you, please include your phone number. If possible, also include a screen shot of whatever issue or error message you are seeing. Someone will be monitoring the email during the entire conference and will be able to quickly get your contact information to the technical-guru-on-call so that he/she can get back to you as quickly as possible.

Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the
LORD your God has blessed you.
~Deuteronomy 16:17