time
Session
Speaker
Room
8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Opening Remarks and Announcements
Kevin J. Anderson
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
KEYNOTE: Your Writing Career: The Long View
Kevin J. Anderson
10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Idea to Concept to Premise to Plot
Angie Hodapp
How to Find and Audition Narrators
Brenda McGinnis
Making Your Magic Matter
Clark Rowenson
Your Publishing Contract
Julia Vee
The Business of Fear
Mark Leslie Lefebvre
Diamonds in the Slush: What Publishers are Looking For
Panel
Plotting Tips, Tricks, and Tech to Keep Stories from Running Amok
Panel
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Writing with a Strong Emotional Core
Tim Waggoner
Deep Dive into the 5 Phases of an Author Business
Becca Syme
Unconventional Marketing: A Starter's Guide to Thinking Outside the Box
M.L. Buchman
Clause-by-Clause Through a Contract
Robert J. Sawyer
Working With Bookstores & Libraries
Mark Leslie Lefebvre
Traditional Publishing Outlook for 2026
Panel
Indie and Hybrid Publishing Outlook for 2026
Panel
LUNCH BREAK
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Agent AMA
Cherry Weiner
How Publishers Think About Rejection—and What Authors Can Do Next
Anne Fonteneau, Marilyn Kretzer
The Complexities of Heroes and Villains
Rachel Howzell Hall
Marketing Your Book to Success: Before, During and After Publication
Jennifer S. Wilkov
Money Matters
Charles E. Gannon
Mentors and Mentoring (a.k.a. What are Mentors Meant For?)
Kevin Ikenberry
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Building Your Author Dream Team
Panel
3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
Choice is Everything
Jim Butcher
Bad Romance: Capitalizing on the Dark Romance and Horror Romance Boom
Jennifer Brody
Direct Sales Demystified: How to Turn Readers Into Customers and Customers Into Superfans
Nick Thacker
Publishing Tips for Frugal Authors
Matty Dalrymple
Best Practices: Author Bio & Photo
Chris Mandeville
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Bring Your Stories to Life
Lisa Kastner
Patreon: The View from the Trenches
Charles E. Gannon
Endless Love: Crafting Captivating Romance Stories for Today's Market
Jennifer Brody
How to Sell More Books by Getting Inside Your Readers’ Heads
Johnny B. Truant
Tax Myths Costing Authors Money
Seth Norris
Preserving Personal Safety as Public Authors
Panel
Self-Publishing Round-up with Industry Service Pros
Panel
5:45 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Announcements
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Welcome Mixer
