Dreams, Believe, Achieve: Unleashing Manifestation On Your Author Career

Track: All

This session will explore the transformative power of manifestation and how intentional thinking and visualization can create a path to success in writing.

Getting Out of Your Own Way

Track: Pre-Published Explorers, Emerging Storytellers

This talk will explore how to identify and overcome self-sabotage. Session objectives include empowering individuals to confront their fears, remove obstacles to progress, build confidence, and cultivate a support system.

The Artisan Author: Low-Stress, High-Quality, Fan-Focused Approach to Escaping the Publishing Rat Race

Track: All

This talk centers on a paradigmatic shift transforming Johnny B. Truant’s decade-long career from a focus on rapid-release, beat-the-algorithms approach to one in which quality and fan connection are everything. 

Invited speaker

he/him

Johnny B. Truant is part of the “old guard” in the publishing business and has seen SO many changes. After spending years pitching literary agents in actual letters, he found digital self publishing, began DIY’ing it, and soon co-created one of the OG info sources in the indie world—The Self Publishing Podcast—with Sean Platt and David Wright. With those same partners, Johnny hosted the Smarter Artist Summit for four years and wrote the indie cornerstone book “Write, Publish, Repeat.” 

Johnny juggled “being a writer” with “teaching authors” for a decade, then retired from the latter to only do the former. These days, he takes a slow, deliberate, craftsmanlike approach to publishing that he pretentiously calls “being an artisan author.” Taking a cue from Kevin Kelly’s famous “1000 True Fans” philosophy, Johnny is now far more interested in cultivating a small group of devoted readers than playing specifically to algorithms ... though that happens as a halo effect, too. 

Johnny’s best accolade is that he wrote the Fat Vampire series, the TV/film rights to which were acquired by NBC/Universal a few years ago. The result was a TV show on Hulu and the SyFy network called “Reginald the Vampire,” starring Jacob Batalon (“Ned Leeds” in the Spider-Man movies.) Two seasons have been produced, and they’ve all got their fingers crossed for a third. 

If you could read any book again for the first time, what would it be?

Pattern Recognition by William Gibson or Dune by Frank Herbert. (I know that's two. I hate choosing only one of anything.)

Dream Big: How to Set Goals and Get What You Want

Track: All

This talk will guide attendees through dreaming big, setting achievable pathways to goals, and leveraging the power of one's mind and author talents to manifest success.

Invited speaker

Laura is a USA TODAY bestselling author of romance and fantasy romance. She has been writing books since she was a child, developing a passion for fantasy early on. She's a mood reader who peeks at the ending before starting a book, just to check it has a happy ending. Laura has published over 30 novels and has a following of over 100K on TikTok. She specializes in using social media and mindset to sell books and build a memorable brand.

If you could read any book again for the first time, what would it be?

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

To Be a Young Author

Track: Pre-Published Explorers

This presentation will provide essential tips tailored for new, aspiring, or young authors entering the publishing industry.

Invited speaker

she/her

Margaret is a soon-to-be 6-time published author across multiple genres, including fantasy, romance, comics, and cocktail recipe books. She first began her publishing journey at age 17 when she discovered self-publishing. She enjoys working with younger creatives and hopes to inspire them to follow their passions no matter their age.

If you could read any book again for the first time, what would it be?

The Goldfinch

Sustainable Project Management for Creatives

Track: All

In this session, Marie will present her proven approach to project management for creatives. Designed with creatives in mind, this model focuses on achieving sustainable work-life balance, enhancing time management, and integrating essential self-care practices.

Invited speaker

she/her

Marie Whittaker is an award-winning essayist and author of fantasy for all ages. She is the creator of The Adventures of Lola Hopscotch. A past finalist for an Indie Book Award, many of her stories appear in various anthologies, including Weird Tales. She enjoys teaching about project and time management for creatives. Marie has worked as a truck driver and raft guide and is now Associate Publisher at WordFire Press and Executive Director for Superstars Writing Seminars.

A Colorado native, Marie is a mom to two adult children and Grammy to one who is made of pure magic. Marie resides in Manitou Springs, where she writes and enjoys hiking, gardening, and renovating her historic Victorian home. Marie is an advocate against animal abuse, a dog mom, cat mom, and bunny mom, and habitually adopts rescue animals. Find more about her at mariewhittaker.com. 

If you could read any book again for the first time, what would it be?

Where the Crawdads Sing. Or Patient Zero. Or Darkfever.

The Path Back to Joy

Track: Emerging Storytellers, Inquisitive Voyagers

This uplifting talk will present a framework and concrete strategies for writers to begin loving their craft again and operating their business in a way that doesn't suck the joy out of the creative process.

Game Board Strategies for Authors

Track: All

This presentation will provide attendees with a fresh strategy for long-term planning in their author careers and equip authors at all levels with a personalized roadmap to achieve their greatest career aspirations.

Invited speaker

she/her

Sarra Cannon is the indie author of close to thirty Young Adult contemporary fantasy novels, including her bestselling Shadow Demons Saga. Her novels are inspired by her love of gaming, anime, and shows like Buffy and Veronica Mars. If you love fast-paced stories with lots of twists, you’ll probably love Sarra’s books.

With over one million books sold, Sarra is also passionate about helping fellow authors learn to self-publish and manage their time in a way that puts joy and creativity at the forefront. She is the host of the successful YouTube channel Heart Breathings, where she talks about everything from productivity to plotting. Sarra lives in the Dallas area with her supportive husband and their two children.

Passion + Money: Strategies to Write What You Love and Make the Numbers Make Sense

Track: All

In this presentation, attendees will learn several mindset tools, practices, and frameworks that will help them draw a map from what they want to do to how to make real money at it. 

Invited speaker

she/her

Monica Leonelle is a former software engineer and marketing executive turned creative entrepreneur. She is a USA Today bestseller and writes both fiction and nonfiction. Monica is also a die-hard LEGO fan and creates visual art (which can be purchased as workbooks and tarot or oracle decks).

Monica has spent her entire life relentlessly pursuing her passions. She is a firm believer that passion is the #1 thing we should teach everyone on the planet, regardless of age.

Monica also believes that passion is the key to making the world a better place and that if everyone truly followed their passions—without all the ego and internal drama that often keeps us pursuing the wrong things—we could live in greater peace and harmony.

In Monica’s lifestyle company, you’ll learn about passion, creativity, and entrepreneurship—along with seeing her live her passions out loud. She is also the co-founder of Writer MBA, the Writer MBA Conference, and the Future of Publishing Mastermind. Monica has written two staple author series, The Productive Novelist and Book Sales Supercharged, which house 35+ books and workbooks.

Fit to Write: Maintaining Your Body So You Can Keep Writing

Track: All

Led by a seasoned fitness professional-turned-author, this session will focus on integrating a fitness and nutrition routine into the writing lifestyle to mitigate the health risks associated with prolonged sitting and enhance overall well-being for authors.

Invited speaker

Disabled Army Veteran and seasoned police officer turned publisher David Viergutz sold his training business after rediscovering the joys of writing and reading. David realized that authors everywhere were finding their audience and that there was a pathway for people like him who were both entrepreneurs and writers. However, he never forgot the lessons from his training career. Now, David considers himself fortunate to be part of a vibrant, supportive community that uplifts others.

He believes the world needs more authors and that a healthy body is crucial for a long, fruitful writing career. David has applied his knowledge of fitness and nutrition to his writing, allowing him to sit for extended amounts of time and put the words down on the page needed to craft 22 horror novels. Interested in the intersection of entrepreneurship, direct sales, in-person sales, and literary craft, David teaches writing at his local community college, aiming to inspire young minds to write so they never lose their creative spark, as he almost did nearly 20 years ago.

Sustainable Social Media Strategies

Track: All

This talk will explore the necessary mindset shifts for authors to maintain a sustainable and fulfilling social media presence without experiencing burnout. Attendees will learn practical strategies for engaging authentically on social platforms, overcoming common barriers, and integrating social media effectively into their broader business and personal goals.

Invited speaker

she/her

Cindy Gunderson has always loved storytelling. She grew up performing and writing poetry and short stories for fun, but coming from a family of doctors, she never believed it could be a viable life strategy. 

Cindy took writing classes in college for fun and enjoyed musical theater as a hobby. She also taught music while homeschooling her kids. When they participated in NaNoWriMo together, Cindy spent more time hashing out the stories than her children and became curious. Her husband gave her the final push, and Cindy dove into writing (even though she was genuinely terrible at first) and fell in love. Thanks to groups like 20BooksTo50k, Cindy ventured into indie publishing, though she also has two series with LMBPN and has learned so much from them. 

Cindy has now published twenty-two novels under two pen names and six children's books under a third. She learned audio recording and mastering and put her acting background to good use, producing audiobooks for herself and other authors. Cindy has built social media platforms that allow her to connect with readers and authors worldwide—it's simply the best. Cindy is just as smitten with this work as she was when she started her first book, and she can't wait until her published works are in the hundreds!

If you could read any book again for the first time, what would it be?

Red Rising