Indie Author Weekend
Your golden ticket to self-publishing success awaits. Bonus: Registrants get lifetime access to all recorded sessions. Registration Fees
Register NowIndie Author Weekend Registration Scholarships Are Now Closed!Please note that RWA is no longer accepting registration scholarship applications for Indie Author Weekend. All applicants were notified of their application status by September 18, 2026. Did you know that by joining RWA now, you can save 10% on Indie Author Weekend registration? Enjoy exclusive benefits like advocacy, community, education, contests, weekly newsletter, a monthly digital magazine, access to archived resources, and discounts on conferences, workshops, and more. Your career deserves this advantage—join today! Schedule*Friday, October 16, 2026
Saturday, October 17, 2026
* Subject to change. Workshop Details (Friday, October 16 – Saturday, October 17, 2026)Select a workshop title in the schedule to jump here. Use Back to schedule to return to the full Friday and Saturday list.  Author Case Study: a $100k MonthFriday, October 16, 2026 · 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. CT During the event, you’ll learn:
Bryan Cohen runs Best Page Forward, a company that helps authors to learn, profit, sustain, and scale their author careers. He’s helped over 30,000 authors through his Ad Challenges and his Sell More Books Show Podcast has run every week for over a decade. Bryan has worked with New York Times bestselling authors and seven-figure entrepreneurs to help them grow larger, more-engaged audiences through publishing. His Author Ad Agency manages ads for authors selling millions of dollars in book sales per year.
 The Best Practice of Bestselling Indie AuthorsFriday, October 16, 2026 · 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. CT In this engaging session, we’ll take a closer look at the best practices of the most successful self-published authors. You’ll hear simple, yet important strategies to help make your book more accessible, more discoverable and more desirable to readers. We’ll also provide a detailed look at how to work with Draft2Digital’s promotions team to get your books in front of the merchandising managers at retailers and libraries. Jim Azevedo is the marketing director at Draft2Digital (D2D). D2D is one of the world’s largest publishing & distribution platforms for indie authors and small publishers, serving over 300,000 authors who’ve collectively released over a million titles. Prior to D2D, Jim led marketing at Smashwords, the pioneering ebook self-publishing company, from 2011 until it was acquired by D2D in March 2022.
Celeste Barclay 
Virginie Carmichael How to Get More Book ReviewsFriday, October 16, 2026 · 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. CT Reviews are one of the most valuable tools in an author’s marketing kit, but getting them consistently can be tedious. Booksprout makes that process easier. Join us to learn how successful authors use the platform, and what it takes to build a review team you can rely on. Celeste Barclay, also writing Mafia Romance as Sabine Barclay, lives near the Southern California coast with her husband and sons. She loves her days at the beach soaking up way too much sun, a good Netflix binge, and a strong hot chai. Her heroines are independent women who can defend themselves but love their Alpha heroes who want nothing more than to protect their soulmates in her Highlander and Mafia Romances. She holds degrees in International Affairs (B.A.), Teaching Secondary Social Science (M.A.T.), and Political Management (M.P.S.). She’s Gen Y/Oregon Trail and loves creating engrossing historical romances that bring the heat and contemporary romances that’ll make your toes curl and your granny blush. Virginie has always loved all things neat and organized, so she was a perfect fit to join the team as VP of Operations. As a sweet small town romance author herself, she wants to make Booksprout the best product it can be for authors like her.
 How to Rock Your Launch — A Pre to Post Guide to Launching Your BookFriday, October 16, 2026 · 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. CT How to Rock Your Launch, a Pre and Post Guide for Launching your Book, covers how to establish a marketing cadence prior to release, recruiting an ARC / street team, planning PR boxes, and other marketing strategies on a budget. Learn how to create an actionable plan to prepare for your launch, the day of, and slide into the post-launch transition. AK Nevermore writes a lot. An award-winning, bestselling author of spicy dystopian, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance, she’s been traditionally, digitally, and indie published. She enjoys operating heavy machinery, freebases coffee, and gives up sarcasm for Lent every year. AK has extensive experience writing copy and a robust mailing list of 3,500+ active subscribers with click and open rates above industry averages.
 NetGalley and Booktrovert for DiscoverabilityFriday, October 16, 2026 · 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. CT Darcy Piedmonte, Director of Client Acquisition and Success, will host a dynamic session tailored to independent author publishers. Learn how you can use NetGalley and Booktrovert to reach book advocates, industry professionals, and enthusiastic consumers. Together, the two platforms help with end to end marketing from pre-publication buzz to backlist sales. Takeaways include: understanding the NetGalley Community and discoverability tools, how to encourage feedback for your books, and building ongoing marketing and advertising strategies with consumer campaigns on Booktrovert. NetGalley and Booktrovert tools can help you stand out in a fast-moving digital marketplace! Darcy Piedmonte, Director of Customer Acquisition & Success at NetGalley, assists publishers in promoting digital review copies and audiobooks to book advocates and professionals across the industry. With the launch of Booktrovert, Darcy also helps publishers and authors achieve their consumer marketing goals. Through partnerships, innovation, and best practices, Darcy ensures that NetGalley helps books succeed.
 From Idea to The End: The Three-Part System That Helps Writers Actually Finish Their BooksFriday, October 16, 2026 · 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. CT Many people start writing novels. Far fewer finish them. The difference isn’t usually talent, discipline, or inspiration. It’s understanding that finishing a book requires three separate skills: developing your craft, building a sustainable writing habit, and managing the mindset challenges that derail nearly every writer. In this practical session, Hayley Milliman introduces a simple framework that explains why writers get stuck and how to keep moving from first draft to final page. You’ll leave with concrete strategies you can apply immediately, whether you’re starting your first novel or finishing your tenth. Hayley Milliman is Director of Community for ProWritingAid, where she champions and mentors a global community of writers working to elevate their craft. She creates practical, inspiring learning experiences that help authors move from rough drafts to polished manuscripts with confidence. An accomplished writer herself, Hayley has contributed to dozens of publications across creative writing, education, history, entrepreneurship, and marketing — giving her a rare ability to bridge storytelling craft with strategic insight. Most recently, she led ProWritingAid’s Novel November challenge, rallying over 70,000 writers worldwide in daily sprints, craft workshops, and community events — helping thousands push past doubt and write 50,000 words in just 30 days.
 The Silent Conversation: Decoding the Visual Tropes in Book CoversFriday, October 16, 2026 · 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. CT What if book covers have tropes, too? Long before a reader opens the first page, a book cover is already telling them what kind of story to expect. From traditional romance covers to illustrated rom-coms, discreet editions, and today’s collector’s market, the visual language of romance continues to evolve—but what are readers actually decoding? In The Silent Conversation, Laura Hidalgo explores the visual cues behind book covers and how they shape reader perception, create story promises, and influence purchasing decisions. Drawing from two decades of romance cover evolution, we’ll look beyond what’s simply “pretty” or trending to understand what a cover is actually saying—and whether it’s saying it to the right reader. We’ll also discuss the realities of working with a professional designer, including budgets, timelines, revisions, change orders, market trends, and how to make informed design decisions with long-term brand longevity in mind. Because sometimes a rose means romance. But sometimes, it’s a red flag. Laura Hidalgo is the founder and Art Director of Spellbinding Design, a publishing-focused creative studio specializing in book cover design, special editions, and author branding. Since founding Spellbinding Design in 2012, Laura has designed more than 500 book covers across multiple genres and art directed more than 50 special edition projects for authors, independent presses, and publishing partners. Her work extends beyond beautiful design into visual positioning, reader psychology, genre expectations, market research, and the publishing strategy behind how books are presented to readers. From covers and collector editions to author brands, websites, newsletters, and launch campaigns, Laura approaches design as part of a much larger conversation between the book, the author, and the reader.
 Why Readers DNF at Chapter 3 (and How to Stop It)Friday, October 16, 2026 · 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. CT Whether it’s DNF reviews, KU pages that stall out, or just radio silence, the root cause usually lies in the first act. This workshop walks through the specific structural moves in Chapters 1–3 that separate novels readers abandon from those that are unputdownable. Creator of over 30 writing workshops and multiple courses, Daniel Kaplan is passionate about dynamic educational presentations and coaching authors. With over a decade of experience, his mission is to demystify intricate artistic concepts and make them accessible to everyone.
 Beyond the Stacks: Setting Up Speaking Engagements at LibrariesFriday, October 16, 2026 · 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. CT Your book may belong on the library shelf—but you belong in the room, too! Libraries are more than places for readers to discover books. They’re community hubs looking for authors, speakers, educators, and creatives who can bring engaging programs to their patrons. In Beyond the Stacks, award-winning bestselling author Sylvia Hubbard shares practical strategies for turning your knowledge, books, and expertise into library speaking opportunities. Learn how to identify the right library contacts, develop programs librarians can say yes to, pitch your ideas professionally, create effective event proposals, discuss payments, and help promote your appearance. Whether you’re a new author trying to get your foot in the door or an experienced writer ready to expand your platform, you’ll leave with actionable ideas for getting beyond the stacks—and in front of new audiences. Come with your expertise. Leave with a plan to get booked. Award-winning Bestselling Independent Author of over 60 romance suspense books since 2000, Sylvia Hubbard is an avid blogger, speaker, podcaster, literary guru, mompreneur expert, digital strategist, and an addicted writer. SylviaHubbard.com | MotownWriters.com
Siera London 
T.B. Bond / Tia Benson-Bond Terms of Service Are Your BusinessFriday, October 16, 2026 · 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. CT Most authors click “Agree” and move on. Smart authorpreneurs don’t. Every time you upload to platforms like Amazon KDP, Barnes & Noble Press, Kobo Writing Life or Draft2Digital, you’re entering a binding business contract, one that directly affects your rights, royalties, pricing control, and even your ability to sell elsewhere. This session breaks down how those Terms of Service could impact your author business and why ignoring them can quietly cost you income, readership, and ownership. You’ll learn how to spot red flags, understand exclusivity clauses, minimize account penalties, and make informed decisions that protect your intellectual property. Because the difference between a thriving author career and a stalled one often lives in the fine print. Siera London is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of contemporary and paranormal romance, romantic suspense, and women’s fiction. A retired military officer, she writes stories that center on women of color who are intelligent, flawed, desired, and deeply loved. Regardless of genre, Siera writes about heroines you know, heroes you love, and romance you can feel. Her next release, A Hard Habit to Break, in her Calvary Brothers series, released August 11, 2026, from Grand Central Publishing. Learn more about Siera and her literary catalog online at www.sieralondonauthor.com. Siera is represented by Lasheera Lee of SBR Medial. T.B. Bond / Tia Benson-Bond is a story teller with a keyboard, a sketchpad, and an unshakable love for pixels. When she’s not writing swoon-worthy scenes, doodling fantastical worlds or making websites look fabulous, she’s probably buried in a book or binging anime like it’s a full-time job. Certified Nerd Extraordinaire—she’s a proud Whovian, Trekkie, Otaku, and likely a few other fandoms she forgot to mention (but would totally argue passionately about at a convention). Visit her at www.bondgirlblue.com.
Saturday Workshop DetailsSelect a Saturday workshop title in the schedule to jump here. Use Back to schedule to return to the full list.  Beyond Coming Out: Expanding the Emotional Range of Queer FictionSaturday, October 17, 2026 · 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. CT Coming out stories matter, of course, but queer fiction can hold so much more than disclosure, rejection, shame, or self-acceptance. This session looks at how writers can give LGBTQIA+ characters fuller emotional lives on the page—ambition, desire, grief, humour, creativity, friendship, family, lust, faith, ageing, revenge, domesticity, adventure, joy. (Basically, the whole messy human buffet.) The focus is practical and craft-based: how to identify the deeper emotional engine of a queer story, how to avoid making queerness the only source of conflict, and how to build character arcs around longing, agency, belonging, and change. Stuart Wakefield is an Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach, novelist and screenwriter who helps writers develop emotionally compelling, character-driven stories. Drawing on 26 years of experience in theatre, broadcast media and coaching, he specialises in story development, character, emotional depth and the cause-and-effect that makes a story work. He holds an MA in Professional Writing, and his novel Behind the Seams was a semifinalist in the BookLife Fiction Prize. His screenwriting credits include Channel 4, and he hosts the Master Fiction Writing podcast.
 Swipe Write: How to Match With Your Perfect EditorSaturday, October 17, 2026 · 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. CT Learn what aspects to look for when researching the right editor for you and your story, create your own plan for self-editing and revising, and master a few mindset tips that will help you throughout your author career. Jessica Snyder is a romance editor, author coach, and host of The HEA Club, a community for romance authors. Her clients, who range from New York Times-bestselling authors to pre-published writers, appreciate her combination of honesty, kindness, snark and market knowledge to support their career growth. She leverages a background that includes three decades of romance reading, over ten years working in the publishing industry, military service and a lifelong love of language to help romance authors happily ever after.
 Beyond Craft: 10 Hidden Marketing Techniques That Can Make Your Romance Novel UnforgettableSaturday, October 17, 2026 · 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. CT In this eye-opening workshop from an author of 30 books, including “The Romance Novel Blueprint” and “The Seven Essentials of Romance Writing,” you’ll learn 10 psychological marketing techniques that keep readers emotionally invested throughout your entire story. These fast, easy-to-implement strategies are used seamlessly within your storytelling and enhance reader engagement—including special (and unique) marketing “tricks” for book and chapter titles, opening page turns, chapter endings, character introductions, internal dialogue, and even character naming strategies. You’ll also learn the “uniquely familiar” principle that immediately engages readers’ emotions; how “embedded commands” work to keep readers reading; and how certain craft choices create stronger emotional connections to make your story memorable, compelling, and harder to put down. It’s true: best-selling authors use these techniques—some knowingly, some unknowingly—and now here, you get a window into the secrets they use. Erin M. Brown, MA, MFA, is the author of 28 books; has been a conference and webinar speaker for over 30 years; is a long-time writing instructor; and has been a judge for multiple industry contests, including the RWA Diamond and Golden Heart Contests (formerly RITAs and Vivians); the RWANYC Big Apple Contest; the Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal Romance Writers PRISM Contest; and the Hearts Through History Romance Writers competitions. With more than 30 years of experience as a story consultant, editor, and educator who is published traditionally and as an indie author, she has helped writers identify the hidden structural patterns that transform good stories into unforgettable romances. Two of Erin’s books are on the craft of romance writing.
 Write On and Write-Off: Tax Planning and Preparation for WritersSaturday, October 17, 2026 · 10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. CT This program will cover:
Diane Kelly writes romance and mysteries featuring feisty female lead characters and their furry, four-footed sidekicks. She is the author of over three dozen novels and novellas, including the Death and Taxes white-collar crime series, the Paw Enforcement K-9 series, the House Flipper mystery series, the Busted female motorcycle cop series, the Southern Homebrew moonshine series, the Mountain Lodge Mysteries series, and the upcoming Fix-It Sisters series. When not writing, Diane enjoys volunteering at her county animal shelter, playing with her cats, or hiking with her dogs in the beautiful woods of her home state of North Carolina. Learn more about Diane and her books at www.DianeKelly.com. Find her at her Author Diane Kelly page on Facebook, or at @DianeKellyBooks on Instagram, Bluesky, X, TikTok, and YouTube.
 Reader Magnet to Read-Through: Build a Funnel That Helps Sell the Next BookSaturday, October 17, 2026 · 10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. CT A free reader magnet can grow your email list—but if it stops there, it is not doing enough work for your author business. In this practical workshop, indie authors will learn how to create a simple funnel that starts with a reader magnet and guides subscribers toward the next book, stronger read-through, and more intentional sales. Attendees will learn how to choose a reader magnet that fits their books and brand, map the reader journey from signup to purchase, avoid common funnel mistakes, and create a purposeful welcome sequence. They’ll leave with a reader magnet decision framework, a simple funnel map, a 5-email welcome sequence outline, and an implementation checklist. Michelle Miles writes fantasy, paranormal, and young adult adventures where magic crackles, danger prowls, and love refuses to back down. From fairy-tale retellings to angels and demons to Fae, elves, and time travelers, she builds big-hearted worlds full of quests, curses, kisses, and chaos—often in that order. When she’s not plotting her next emotional ambush, Michelle hosts Miles Beyond the Page, a podcast spotlighting writers’ real journeys.
 Creating Multiple Streams of Income as a WriterSaturday, October 17, 2026 · 10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. CT A sustainable writing career can extend far beyond book sales. In this interactive workshop, writers will explore a range of income opportunities, from freelance writing, editing, and teaching to self-publishing, paid newsletters, licensing, and more. Participants will identify options that align with their skills, interests, available time, and long-term goals while considering common roadblocks such as self-doubt, limited time, and fear of marketing. Attendees will leave with ideas for building their own income ecosystem and a mini business plan outlining practical next steps they can take within 30 days. As the bestselling author of twenty-five novels, Wren Valentino writes in multiple genres, primarily romance, thriller, young adult, and horror. To date, he has written more than seventy stage plays that have been performed in twelve countries in three languages. Wren graduated with honors from Oglethorpe University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and English. He earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Queens University. He is a graduate of the Professional Program in Screenwriting at UCLA. Wren teaches workshops for writers of all genres and of all levels of experience called Workshops with Wren.
 Queer Joy Is Not the Absence of Conflict: Writing Hopeful LGBTQIA+ Fiction with Real StakesSaturday, October 17, 2026 · 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CT Many writers are hungry for queer stories that are hopeful, tender, funny, romantic, or life-affirming, but hopeful fiction still needs tension. This session explores how to write queer joy without flattening the story into something cosy-but-static, and how to create meaningful conflict without defaulting to trauma as the only source of narrative weight. We’ll look at how joy, love, chosen family, humour, sensuality, and community can all generate story movement when they are tested, threatened, complicated, or hard-won. The aim is to help writers create LGBTQIA+ fiction that feels emotionally generous and dramatically satisfying. Stuart Wakefield is an Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach, novelist and screenwriter who helps writers develop emotionally compelling, character-driven stories. Drawing on 26 years of experience in theatre, broadcast media and coaching, he specialises in story development, character, emotional depth and the cause-and-effect that makes a story work. He holds an MA in Professional Writing, and his novel Behind the Seams was a semifinalist in the BookLife Fiction Prize. His screenwriting credits include Channel 4, and he hosts the Master Fiction Writing podcast.
 Back that Book Up: Five Strategies for Backlist PromotionsSaturday, October 17, 2026 · 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CT We’re often focused on the newest release of our catalog. Your backlist of books is always new to someone. In this introductory course, you’ll learn strategies to get your older books out in front of readers. There are five parts to this marketing strategy including Distribution (KU, Wide, Direct), Newsletters, CPC Ads, Social Media, and Paid Promotions. Aside from being a writer and professional reader, Ines Johnson is a seasoned educator. For over 15 years, she taught college level courses in screenwriting, story development, and media history. A lifelong learner (read: academic addict), she holds a Master’s in Instructional Design, and a Doctorate in Educational Technology. Ines is constantly taking courses on the latest digital marketing techniques, reading how-to books, and keeping her skills at the cutting edge, so that you don’t have to.
 Easy Formatting with VellumSaturday, October 17, 2026 · 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CT Your manuscript is finally finished. Now how do you turn it into a book? In this workshop, we’ll show you how to transform that giant Word file into an ebook ready for stores like Amazon and Apple Books, and a print interior you can use with print-on-demand services like KDP and IngramSpark. You’ll see how quick it can be to format your book, with a preview of more advanced techniques you can use for a special edition. Brad West is one of the creators of Vellum, and has been helping authors format their books and ebooks for over 10 years.  Circulate! Getting Your Books into Bookstores and LibrariesSaturday, October 17, 2026 · 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. CT Circulate! Getting Your Books into Bookstores and Libraries is designed to give authors the tools and knowledge they need to get their books on library shelves and in bookstores. Lisa Rabey is Nerd Girl Industries, where she empowers people to explore their digital life via workshops, tools, and personalized instruction. She reads heaving bosom books, watches trashy reality TV, and is working her way through Paul Hollywood’s cookbooks. Lisa can be found at lisarabey.com and NGI at nerdgirl.net.
 Writing for Narration: How to Make Your Book a Joy to Read AloudSaturday, October 17, 2026 · 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. CT Did you know that audiobooks make up roughly 6% to 9% of total book industry revenue in the United States, while overall consumer adoption continues to climb? We're talking $2.43 billion. Active audiobook titles surged 43% to reach 750,000 choices available on the market. The thing is, most authors never think about how their manuscript sounds until a narrator is already in the booth. This presentation covers just about everything any voice actor or narrator would want any author to know -- from dialogue tags and sentence rhythm to the AI vs. human narration question that’s on every author’s mind right now. Having sat on both sides of the microphone as both a writer and a narrator, Dena Kouremetis is able to offer a perspective you don’t often get. With nearly three decades as a professional writer, Kouremetis has been published in Forbes, Psychology Today, New York Post and Sacramento Bee, among a host of other publications. She has edited, ghostwritten, and authored hundreds of books and articles since 1997. She also narrates true crime, nature, and historical feature documentaries, both fiction and non-fiction.
 Wrote the Book? The Next Step Isn’t Marketing. How to Brand Yourself Like a BestsellerSaturday, October 17, 2026 · 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. CT
Maite (my-tay) Dalila is an ex-Disney designer turned brand + website strategist for authors. After 15 years designing for global brands, she now hands that same playbook to authors, empowering them to work without needing a big budget. She’s built 100+ brands and websites and keeps seeing the same thing: authors are guessing because no one ever showed them what each piece is for or how it all fits together. So she’s here to help authors finally understand how to connect with readers already looking for them, and build an author career, not just launch a book. Based in Madrid. Works with authors worldwide. See how other authors brought their brand to life at maitedalila.com.
 Dithering About Direct SalesSaturday, October 17, 2026 · 2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. CT The basics of dabbling in direct sales to support your publishing income or grow your newsletter. Whether you want to go full indie, build a supplemental platform to support your trad catalog, or a hybrid approach is your goal, direct sales can be a simple and fun way to connect with readers and expand your publishing portfolio. Emma is a Black and white Muslim American mom of five in her mid-forties, doing her best to live a life fueled by coffee, wine, and an unfortunate tendency to one-click every gorgeous special edition that crosses her feed. She writes romantic epic fantasy set in complex, diverse, sex-positive worlds filled with morally gray societies, powerful antiheroes with THAD energy, and multiracial heroines who are at least 35 years old—if not 350—discovering their power. At the heart of her stories is family in all its forms: messy, dysfunctional, supportive, and deeply worth fighting for.
Jordyn Kross 
Carol Potenza Business Continuity — Plan. Prevent. RecoverSaturday, October 17, 2026 · 2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. CT As an author, you’ve read the stories: a laptop crashed and a manuscript disappeared. A clever marketing idea went so horribly wrong the author’s publication was canceled. A preorder that was mysteriously canceled for no particular reason. Every business has the potential to be derailed by disasters. As an author, you’re the CEO of your own small business, and smart business owners have a business continuity plan. Business continuity is the ability to remain functional and even thrive despite disruption. Jordyn Kross, a hybrid author with over twenty publications and with decades of experience supporting small businesses, and Carol Potenza, with ten publications, will share how to plan, prevent, and recover from potential author disasters. You’ll leave this workshop with the skills to develop and maintain your own personalized plan to survive and thrive in this challenging career. Award-winning author Jordyn Kross is an unapologetically naughty romance novelist who spent years honing her writing skills with tech manuals and marginal poetry before finding her passion for writing sexy, boundary-stretching happily-ever-afters. When she’s not writing, she’s attempting to garden in the Desert Southwest, hiking with her insane pound hound, and admiring that handsome man wandering around her house who continues to stay. Find more about her at jordynkross.com. Carol Potenza is the award-winning author of Hearts of the Missing, a Tony Hillerman Prize winner, and Spirit Daughters, a Daphne du Maurier Mainstream Mystery/Suspense winner. She also co-writes “How-To” books for authors. She was a bench scientist (molecular genetics) and taught biochemistry at New Mexico State University before transitioning to a full-time mystery writer. She sets all her mysteries in New Mexico, her adopted home.
 5 Paths to Finishing Your First DraftSaturday, October 17, 2026 · 2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. CT Rather than just a plotter or discovery writer approach, this talk focuses on five drafting styles, and how each can be used to help you finish your first draft, with the emphasis on the fact that finishing is the skill that all writers must master. Troy is the author of over 40 novels, book coach, editor and plot doctor, and co-owner of Print to Pro editing services. He’s edited over 200 romance novels, and even written a steamy romance of his own (tell no one!). When not behind the keyboard he can be found exploring the northwest with his German Shepherd, McClane, and his loving life partner.
 Stop Trying to Do All the Things: A Marketing Framework for Overwhelmed Indie AuthorsSaturday, October 17, 2026 · 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. CT Indie authors are buried in marketing advice. Ads. Newsletters. TikTok. Promos. Reader magnets. Facebook groups. Direct sales. Oh, and apparently you’re supposed to write the next book somewhere in there?! The problem isn’t that you’re not doing enough. It’s that you’re doing too much. In this workshop, you’ll learn a simple framework for cutting through the noise, assigning a score to all your marketing tasks, and committing to one clear priority that deserves your focus right now (chosen by numbers, not vibes) so you can make real progress. Olivia Savage is an indie romance author who has written and published eight books. After years of studying book marketing, business strategy, and the many, many ways indie authors are told to “do all the things,” she developed a practical approach to help authors cut through the noise, choose their next best marketing move, and build momentum without burning out.
 Secrets of a Bestselling Amazon Book Page: Why Your Page Isn't Converting (and How to Fix It)Saturday, October 17, 2026 · 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. CT Your Amazon book page has two jobs: convince readers to buy your book and help Amazon understand exactly who should see it. Amazon discovery is changing. Keywords, categories, conversion, and the search model commonly referred to as “A10” still matter, but AI-driven discovery is adding a new layer focused on reader intent, context, and relevance. Amazon isn’t just asking whether your book contains the right words anymore. It’s increasingly asking whether your book is the right answer. In this practical session, Penny Sansevieri will show you how to strengthen your Amazon page for both readers and Amazon’s evolving discovery systems. You’ll learn how to improve your book description, keywords, positioning, A+ Content, Author Central presence, and overall page performance—plus what authors need to know about Amazon AI and the changing role of search. Penny C. Sansevieri is the Founder and CEO of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., and the author of 24 books. Learn more at www.amarketingexpert.com.
 Don't Launch to Crickets: Your First Two Years as an Author RoadmapSaturday, October 17, 2026 · 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. CT Many authors spend years writing their first book—and only begin thinking about publishing once the manuscript is finished. Unfortunately, that's one of the biggest reasons launches fall flat. This workshop helps authors shift from thinking about publishing one book to building a long-term author career. Together we'll map out your first two years as an author, including release timing, budgeting, reader growth, marketing priorities, and the systems that create momentum instead of starting over with every launch. Olivia Zugay is the founder of Story Flow Solutions, where she helps indie fiction authors turn completed manuscripts into sustainable publishing careers. She specializes in publication planning, reader growth, email marketing, and long-term launch strategy.
Gail Chianese 
Jamie K. Schmidt 
Regina Kyle 
Megan Ryder Ask Us AnythingSaturday, October 17, 2026 · 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. CT Join 4 amazing indie authors who are here to answer your questions about indie publishing. Gail Chianese is a multi-published author of contemporary, paranormal, and romantic suspense. InD'tale Magazine has called her “a marvel with words.” Her debut was published by Kensington before she went indie. Jamie K. Schmidt is a three-time USA Today bestselling author of steamy contemporary rom-coms and swoony paranormal romance. Regina Kyle writes steamy romance with heart and humor. She is a three-peat Booksellers Best winner (2016, 2018, 2020). Writing as both Megan Ryder and Sabrina Silvers, this bestselling romance author has published dozens of contemporary, paranormal, and fantasy romances filled with heart, humor, adventure, and happily-ever-afters. |
You can’t miss Indie Author Weekend—a two-day virtual self-publishing conference on October 16–17, 2026, designed to ignite your indie author potential! Whether you're starting your journey to self-publish a romance novel or a seasoned author looking to level up, this event connects you with key industry experts who’ll provide straight answers to propel your career forward.
Create, Connect, Grow: Social Media for Romance Authors
Friday, October 16, 2026 · 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. CT
Speaker: Kathleen Sweeney, Book Brush
Not sure what to post or tired of social media pulling you away from writing your next love story? Join Kathleen Sweeney from Book Brush for a lively, practical workshop packed with real-life content ideas you can start using immediately.
We’ll walk through easy ways to create consistent, engaging posts using tropes, tension, and those can’t-look-away moments readers love. You’ll see real examples that work for romance authors, and we’ll wrap with a quick live demo in Book Brush so you can create a ready-to-post graphic before you leave.
Kathleen Sweeney is the Chief Operating Officer at Book Brush, where she combines her love of technology and storytelling to help authors with book marketing. She has presented to over 350 author groups and thrives on making design and promotion easier (and more fun!) for writers of all genres.
She lives in central Illinois with her husband, three active boys and the two most handsome cats on the planet. Her hobbies include eating tacos and turning socks right side out.
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