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Writers Have a Cornucopia of Conferences to Choose From

When DBW tried to boost attendance at its now-defunct conference by adding an indie author track, I noted that there were cheaper and better conferences where authors could learn more about the business of writing.

A couple of those better options just crossed my desk.

The Virginia Writers Club is holding its annual symposium on 5 August. Navigating Your Writing Life will be held in Charlottesville, VA, and will feature a keynote address by Jane Friedman.

This year’s theme is Taking the Next Step in Your Writing Journey, and will feature workshops and panels on a variety of topics to help you move forward with your writing goals.

The symposium runs one day, and costs $90 to attend. (Many attendees will probably spend more on travel expenses.)

In comparison, the much better-known Writer’s Digest conference runs for three days in August and costs $469. I thought that was a good value when I attended last year, even with the travel expenses.

And then there’s the BookBaby Independent Authors Conference, which lasts for 3 days in Philadelphia in November. I just learned about BookBaby’s conference and cannot comment, but I do like the $99 price tag.

Writers really do have an excess of conferences they can attend and learn about their craft and business. The three conferences mentioned above are simply the tip of the iceberg, events I heard about through word-of-mouth at local writer’s clubs.

I have found that a lot of conferences are not well-advertised; I have only heard of them through word-of-mouth. And that is a shame because they can be so incredibly useful.

What’s your favorite writing conference?

Plea let us know in the comments!

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Comments


Susan Mark June 13, 2017 um 11:28 am

Wyoming Writers Inc. always puts on a great conference the first full weekend in June each year. WyoPoets does a one-day workshop every April – the 2018 event is going to be held in Cheyenne, so very accessible from Denver and the Front Range. I’ve also heard great things about the Story Catcher workshop put on by Chadron State College, too, although I haven’t had the opportunity to go yet.

Nate Hoffelder June 13, 2017 um 12:00 pm

Thank you, Susan!


Bill Peschel June 13, 2017 um 11:51 am

The 20Booksto50K Facebook group has put together its first convention in Vegas, Nov. 3-5. Guest speakers include Honoree Corder, Michael Anderle, Chris Syme, Chris Fox, Michael Cooper, and Scott Paul. (Website: http://20booksvegas.com/).

If you’re not familiar with 20Booksto50K, Anderle started it to share what he learned while writing his books. Anyone can join, but there’s absolutely no self-promotion (people get kicked off for doing so), and we try to keep the vibe positive. Cost: $99.

Nate Hoffelder June 13, 2017 um 12:00 pm

Thanks, Bill!


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