2026 FULL SCHEDULE
friday, JULY 24, 2025
Wide Isn't Just Where You Publish: It's How You Think About Your Books and Your Readers
Mark Leslie Lefebvre
3:00 PM CDT
A brief introduction of what WIDE publishing is (high level), but with a reframing of the wide-versus-exclusive conversation for authors who've heard the basics already. The talk moves past "which retailers should I be on" into the mindset shift: how going wide changes your marketing, your audience-building, your release planning, and your relationship with risk. Includes the most common ways authors go wide but shallow — and how to avoid it.
Beyond Amazon: Direct Sales & Curated Book Boxes for Indie Authors
Angela J. Ford
4:15 PM CDT
Learn how to build stronger reader relationships, increase revenue and create memorable fan experiences with direct sales. This session covers practices strategies for selling directly to readers, developing special editions and themed boxes.
The Author’s Relationship With No: How to Survive the Publishing Rollercoaster Andrea Waltz
5:30 PM CDT
What happens when your book doesn’t take off right away?
When the reviews are slow, the marketing flops, the launch underperforms, or nobody seems to notice your work at all?
In this honest and motivational session, bestselling author, publisher, and speaker Andrea Waltz, co-author of Go for No!, shares the emotional side of publishing that is rarely discussed openly, along with practical strategies for handling failure and rejection.
From self-publishing Go for No! and helping grow it into a long-term success story over many years, to facing rejection, enduring spectacular failures, and moments of wanting to quit, Andrea explores what it really takes to survive the publishing rollercoaster.
Key takeaways:
You’ll learn the difference between explicit and implicit rejection
How to use the Go for No mindset to take more creative risks, market more consistently, recover faster from setbacks
How to treat failure as feedback instead of proof you should stop
This session is about building courage and resilience long after the initial excitement fades, because in publishing, success often belongs to the authors who stay in the game.
Saturday, july 25, 2026
From Overwhelmed to Organized: A Writer’s Guide to Working with a Virtual Assistant
Kevin Tumlinson
9:00 AM CDT
Many authors know they need help but have no idea where to start. This session walks through the first tasks to delegate, how to communicate clearly with a VA, and how to build simple systems that reduce stress and increase output.
From Passion Project to Long-Term Author Brand
Joe & Sibella Giorello
10:15 AM CDT
Building a successful author career takes more than publishing a single great book. In this session, Joe and Sibella Giorello share what they’ve learned about turning creative passion into a recognizable, sustainable author brand.
They’ll discuss audience building, long-term thinking, protecting your intellectual property in the AI era, and the lessons they learned while growing their books into something much bigger than a one-time release.
The Invisible Author: Why Readers Can’t Find You and How to Fix It
Stu Grant
11:30 AM CDT
In this practical and future-focused session, international speaker and author website specialist Stuart Grant explores why so many authors remain “invisible” online, and what can be done about it. From Google search and author websites to AI-driven discovery, metadata, reader journeys, and emerging technology, this session breaks down the modern visibility strategies helping authors get discovered in an increasingly crowded digital world.
From Confused to Confident: Managing the Business Side of Being an Author
Seth Norris
1:00 PM CDT
"I know I should be tracking something...I just don't know what."
If that sounds familiar, this session is for you. Seth Norris, CPA, will share a practical framework for managing the business side of being an author. You'll learn what to review daily, weekly, and monthly, which numbers deserve your attention, and how to build simple habits that give you a clearer picture of your business and greater confidence in the decisions you make.
The C.R.A.F.T. Content System: How to Turn One Conversation into a Month of Marketing Content
Kevin T. Johns
2:15 PM CDT
Most authors know they need to be creating content. They also know it never seems to happen because every post feels like starting from scratch, and the social media hamster wheel never stops spinning. The result: burnout, inconsistency, and marketing that takes more energy than the writing itself.
In this session, Kevin T. Johns introduces the C.R.A.F.T. Content System — a simple, repeatable five-step workflow that solves the blank-page problem for good. CRAFT stands for Converse, Record, Amplify, Format, and Transfer. The key insight: talking is always easier than writing, and one recorded conversation already contains a month of platform-specific content. You just need a system for extracting it.
You'll walk away knowing how to generate a rich source of content without sitting in front of a blank screen, how to use AI to amplify and repurpose what you've already said, how to format a single idea into posts, emails, quote graphics, video clips, and more — and how to do all of it without spending your creative energy on content instead of your book.
For authors who feel invisible online and don't know where to start, or who have started and burned out, this session is the reset.
Beyond the Basics: Creative Ways to Market Your Books
Kathleen Sweeney
3:30 PM CDT
Get ready for a full session of "I never thought of that."
We'll move from one creative example to the next—book trailers, Amazon A+ Content, character cards, vertical videos, logos, event displays, and more. You'll see dozens of ideas authors are using to market their books.
This isn't a how-to class. It's a gallery of ideas. Some will make you think, "I could do that." Others will make you think, "I want one of those."
Bring something to take notes with. You'll leave with fresh inspiration and a notebook full of ideas for marketing your books.
100% virtual. Watch sessions on your own time.
SUNDAY, JULY 26, 2025
Red Flags and Rip-offs
Michael LaRonn
9:00 AM CDT
Authors—especially those navigating the indie publishing world—are frequent targets for scammers. From vanity publishers to fake contests and phishing emails, bad actors exploit both our enthusiasm and our inexperience. In this eye-opening session, you’ll learn how these schemes typically operate and how to recognize the warning signs. You’ll leave with practical strategies for evaluating offers, reviewing contracts, and protecting yourself from fraudulent or misleading opportunities that could harm your author career.
What You’ll Learn
How to identify red flags in solicitations, publishing offers, and agent outreach
The SALSA Test for identifying phishing emails
Key contractual terms that could jeopardize your rights and royalties
How to respond to questionable offers—and when not to respond at all
Trusted resources for vetting services
Where to report scams and seek redress
Tips on Submitting to a Publisher, Pros and Cons
Reagan Rothe
10:15 AM CDT
What makes a publisher take notice—and what sends a submission straight to the rejection pile? Join publisher Reagan Rothe for an insider's look at crafting a compelling submission, avoiding common pitfalls, and recognizing the red flags every author should know before signing with a publisher.
How to Run Better BookBub Ads
Audrey Derobert
11:30 AM CDT
Ready to level up your BookBub Ads campaigns? In this session, we'll cover the most common mistakes advertisers make, and share practical tips on how to avoid them — and improve your results in the process. Learn best practices for campaign strategy, image design, targeting, and more, and walk away ready to start your next campaign with confidence!
A Dozen Killer Tools for Author Success
Judith Briles
1:00 PM CDT
Over a dozen tools will be identified and demonstrated in this fast-paced session. Tools that are designed for building influence and support book marketing. Many are free to authors. Participants will understand WHY and WHAT the Ultimate Tool is that every author must have and use. The great news … being a techno-nerd is not required.
Producing an Audiobook - It's Easier & Cheaper than You'd Think
Tara September
2:15 PM CDT
Steps to producing an audiobook and the cost-effective services and options available.
How to make your backlist profitable again.
Marketing your audiobook.
Using AI as Your Executive Marketing Assistant
Chelle Honiker
3:30 PM CDT
Most authors use AI to write a caption and call it a day. The real shift is handing it the whole job — not "write me a launch post," but "my book comes out in three weeks, build me the launch." In this session, Chelle Honiker shows how to set up marketing projects in Claude Cowork so AI runs the repeatable work — launch timelines, newsletter drafts, turning one announcement into a month of social, review-team outreach — while you keep the decisions only you can make: your story, your voice, your readers
FOR A LIMITED TIME.
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