It’s a good idea to have a supply of business cards on hand.  I usually print up several business card stock pages worth and pack them in my suitcase.  Pens, a writer can never have too many pens.  I always carry several notebooks of varying sizes.  You never know when you’ll need one.

     If you have a finished book, bring along a synopsis and the first two chapters.  You might get a chance to pitch it.  Speaking of pitching your book, make sure you have your ‘elevator pitch’ perfected.  You use that one when someone asks what your book is about, if you can crunch your synopsis down to one sentence, you have it.

    Comfortable shoes to wear because you’ll do a lot of walking between sessions.  Good clothes, you do want to make a good impression on people.

     My roommate and I make sure we have snacks and bottled water because bringing our own saves us big bucks.  I print out envelopes marked ‘housekeeping’ to put the housekeeping tips in each day.  Do remember to tip, skimp somewhere else, but don’t skimp on tips.  Remember these people work for minimum wage and they work hard.  Don’t forget the wait staff, bartenders, and bellhops too.  They remember those who tip them well.