ALLi Exclusive: Fuel Your Craft, Business, and Creative Spirit with Writers’ Conferences
Attending writers’ conferences offers invaluable opportunities for authors; from learning the basics of self-publishing to mastering advanced marketing strategies, conferences provide a platform for growth, networking, and inspiration. And attending in-person conferences not only provides educational benefits but can build your community of fellow writers and publishers as well.
In this article, ALLi ambassadors and advisors share how attendance at writers’ conferences changed their lives, and how you can tap into those same opportunities.
“When I attended 20Books Vegas, now Author Nation, in November 2023, I knew it would help my longtime indie author career,” says ALLi ambassador Dina Santorelli. “But I didn't know it would completely upend it … in a good way. I made very big decisions at that conference—decisions that I don't think I would have made otherwise: to start a new genre, to create a pen name, to pull back on my in-person appearances, to focus on financials. Why did I make these decisions? Because I learned. A lot. Conferences are the only places I can think of where indie authors can immerse themselves in the business for an extended period of time and have access to experts in a semi-relaxed atmosphere with no distractions. I think about that conference often. It truly changed my life and helped me to discover what was important to me and where I should be spending my time as an indie author. And that has made all the difference.”
How can you best take advantage of these opportunities depending on the stage of your indie publishing business?
For Beginning Authors: Prepare to Connect
For beginning authors, the learning opportunities offered by conferences can be the initial draw. You’ll be able to benefit from the knowledge and experience of a vetted group of subject matter experts to hone your craft and develop your publishing business.
But perhaps an even more valuable benefit is the opportunity to form personal connections not only with these experts but also with your fellow attendees. The idea of reaching out to these people might seem intimidating, but ALLi Crowdfunding Advisor Russell Nohelty shares how to pave the way to those interactions.
“Instead of focusing on that first introduction, project forward to the second or third interaction, when everything is relaxed and comfortable,” he says. “The awkward bit is only a means to that fun end.”
Attend conferences prepared to connect to get the most value.
For Emerging Authors: Develop a Strategy
Once you have a few conferences under your belt, you can strategize about how to optimize your conference-attending approach.
“I've recently begun attending what I call ‘not-my-genre in not-my-town’ conferences,” says ALLi Advisor Anna Featherstone. “As a nonfiction author, I get energy from learning from and bouncing around ideas with Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Crime, and Romance writers. And being in a new town is challenging, invigorating, and turns all the receptors on. There's a sharing of creative and business brilliance when you step outside your comfort zone.”
What is your strategy for deciding the conferences in which you will and won’t invest your time and money to attend? Consider whether the approach of stepping outside your comfort zone appeals to you, or whether you prefer to dive deep into a particular topic that directly impacts your writing and your business. Does reducing stress by traveling to a known venue pay you back in your ability to concentrate on the conference topics? Whatever your answer, it isn’t a decision you make once and permanently—it’s one you should assess regularly to best meet your evolving educational and networking needs.
For Experienced Authors: Continue Engaging and Sharing
Once you have invested in honing your craft and have a well-established and efficiently operating publishing business, you may feel conferences have less to offer you—after all, you’re now the subject matter expert.
But the publishing landscape is continually evolving, and conferences can provide up-to-the-minute updates on new technologies, platforms, and market shifts.
“In 2017, I went to my first-ever live author event, and it was not just career changing; it changed the trajectory of my life,” says ALLi Business Advisor Joe Solari. “But most of that stuff I learned isn't relevant today. We need to be investing time to keep sharpening the saw. You're going to need to keep your professional training going, and certainly with the innovations that are happening, being in a place where you can see what's happening sooner than later means you have a better opportunity of becoming an early adopter. And those learnings are as likely to happen in a hallway conversation as from the speakers on the stage.”
As an experienced author, you can share your expertise in both scenarios as a conference speaker. Attending conferences as a speaker not only builds your resume and your standing in the community, but it also can bring other benefits, including compensation for event tickets, coverage for travel and living, and speaker fees. And it will continue to provide the boost of creative energy that you experienced at your very first conference.
“Wherever you are in your career, attending writing conferences will leave you more energized and motivated than ever to pursue your passion. More importantly, conferences are the places where you build long-lasting friendships,” says ALLi Marketing Advisor Ricardo Fayet.
“The atmosphere of exploration and creativity is invigorating—the sense that you're among other people who are your tribe, who are doing the things you do, and networking, the unexpected new friendships, the meetings with people you've known in forums or online groups,” Morris says. “I'll never forget my first London Book Fair as an indie author. It was like a big party where we were all recognizing names and pictures from our online world.”
Santorelli advises that, regardless of your experience level, what you don’t do at a conference is as important as what you do. “I find that less is more, both in the number of conferences I attend and also the sessions I go to,” she says. “Taking time out from a conference while there, to relax or explore, is beneficial, as it gives you the time and space to digest what you're hearing.”
Don’t forget to reserve time for when you return home from your conference, both to recover from what will doubtless have been an exhausting yet exhilarating experience and to plan how you will incorporate everything you’ve learned into your own writing and publishing work.
Looking for more great conference attendance tips? You can check out Santorelli’s full write-up on her experience at 20Books Vegas, the precursor to Author Nation, at https://selfpublishingadvice.org/20booksto50kvegas-2023-part-two-alli-out-and-about-with-dina-santorelli.
Want more on why live events are worth it? Check out this article from Solari: https://selfpublishingadvice.org/live-events.
Matty Dalrymple, ALLi Campaigns Manager
