| Masterclasses (These courses are scheduled immediately before the main conference, from 8 to noon on Friday, September 26.) |
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| Author Platform: Build Your Marketing Superpower without Burning Out – Kirsten “Kiki” Ringer You don’t need a cape to build an author platform—you just need the right tools, a strategic plan, and a deep understanding of what truly connects with readers. In this hands-on 4-hour masterclass, literary manager and publishing strategist Kirsten “Kiki” Ringer will walk authors through the foundational steps of building an author platform that actually works—without faking, forcing, or falling into overwhelm. You’ll identify your strengths, clarify your brand, choose your ideal channels, and develop a marketing rhythm that supports your writing life, not steals from it. You’ll leave with a custom platform strategy, a month’s worth of content ideas, and a realistic roadmap to grow your reach and readership over time. No algorithms. No burnout. Just sustainable, authentic marketing—with a touch of superhero swagger. |
| It’s a Bird. It’s a Plane. No, It’s Super-Queries! – Kelley Lindberg Unlock the secrets to successful query letters in this hands-on workshop. First, we’ll discuss the dos and don’ts of successful query letters and deconstruct real-life examples to see what made them work. Then we’ll take what we’ve learned and elevate our own and each other’s query letters from so-so to super! Bring at least 5 copies of your query letter to edit and share. |
| Risky Business: Consciously Using or Avoiding Craft Departures – Karen Lin If you break a rule, will the writing police drag you away? How about your editor? Explore the so-called “musts” and “must-nots.” Learn their value before you consciously, strategically, and successfully violate conventions as creative expression. |
| The Novel: From Idea to Finished First Draft – Jonathan Maberry (Saturday Keynote) So, you want to write a novel. You have a good idea, the storytelling urge, and lots of enthusiasm. So… then what? This program is a crash course in the art and science of creating a saleable novel. Together we’ll explore: the novel idea, how to develop an IDEA into a PLOT, how to write a flexible and workable outline, scene creation, character creation, types of action that drives the narrative, setting daily word counts and goals, point of view and voice, pacing in the novel, plotters vs. pantsers and what’s a happy middle path, understanding the three-act storytelling structure, setting useful and stress-free work habits, research to give your novel a strong backbone, setting expectations for a first draft, the revision process (and how to make that faster and fun), coping with imposter syndrome, structuring the novel, and more! |
