Life of an (Independent) Author – Part 4 – Professional Organizations and Conferences

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Professional Organizations and Conferences

Welcome back to my Life as an (Independent) Author series. As you can tell from the title, professional organizations and conferences are an important part of being an independent author. They aren’t just a way to meet fellow creatives, but great resources to help you in your journey to being an author.

Professional Organizations

First and foremost, professional writing organizations are a wealth of information. Many will have lists of recommended books to help with the craft of writing. They will typically offer online sessions covering a specific topic, whether it deals with the craft, marketing, social networks, or even SEO help for your site. These are all pieces of the greater puzzle of being an author.

Meeting fellow creatives couldn’t be easier in these organizations. After all, that’s why they exist! Some will have contact information and email lists to receive news. Others may have discussion boards or Discord servers that promote talking to each other.

Here are the ones I belong to:

American Christian Fiction Writers (www.acfw.com) – This group is heavy on the romance, historical, and contemporary fiction genres. When I joined in 2023, science fiction and fantasy writers sat in a corner wishing someone would talk to us. Today, the number of sci-fi/fantasy writers has increased, but we’re still in the minority.

The biggest benefit to me is their Scribes critique email loop. I can submit a chapter for critique by a minimum of two others on the loop. Of course, I need to critique at least two in return. There is a mix of newbie writers and award winning authors in the loop.

Realm Makers (www.realmmakers.com) – So, part of the reason sci-fi and fantasy authors aren’t in ACFW is that they are here. Realm Makers spun off from ACFW in 2012 because the “weirdos” didn’t fit well. They have grown considerably since then.

They have their own RealmSphere server for people to communicate with each other, share news, and generally have fun! I can post if I need help with something, and people will answer rather quickly. They are a great group.

Authors Guild (www.authorsguild.org) – Authors Guild is an advocacy group for published writers. Their mission is to support working writers with legal services, insurance, and educational events. While not a strictly Christian organization, all are welcome.

Christian Writers Institute (www.christianwritersinstitute.com) – CWI hosts many courses about the craft of writing. I’ve taken advantage of many of their classes.

There are many more out there.

Conferences

If you want to schmooze with other authors, agents, and publishers, conferences are where you want to go. The ones I’ve attended have classes, a bookstore, appointments with agents, publishers, or mentors, and an expo with creatives from all over the country and all types of media.

Arguably, the biggest reason to attend a conference is the opportunity to pitch your novel directly to agents and publishers. The normal process could land you on what’s called the “slush” pile in an agent’s inbox and sit there for weeks to months. So, you can see why an in-person meeting can be extremely valuable. You’ll get immediate feedback from the agent or publisher. Granted, some of that feedback could be, “no thanks.” Ah, the two words a prospective author should be prepared to receive with grace.

Both ACFW and Realm Makers have their own conferences. I’ve been to both and learned a lot, met lots of creatives, talked to agents (and yes, I received the “no thanks”), and bought way too many books. If you follow me on Instagram (@keblissauthor), there’s a post with the stack of books I bought at the last Realm Makers conference.

Other Christian writers conferences of note:

Blue Lake Christian Writers Conference (www.bluelakecwr.com)

Write to Publish (www.writetopublish.com)

Taylor University Professional Writers Conference (www.taylorprofessionalwritersconference.weebly.com)

There are dozens of other conferences throughout the U.S. These three are of note because of word of mouth from people I met at ACFW or Realm Makers. In the case of Taylor University, I have attended this one and found it very reasonably priced.

Check them out!

See you next month.

Kenneth Bliss writes Christian science fiction and Christian LitRPG fantasy featuring spiritual warfare, battles reminiscent of TTRPG encounters, and heroes whose faith shapes the outcome of impossible conflicts. As an unabashed nerd, he has read hundreds of sci-fi/fantasy books and played TTRPGs and MMORPGs for decades. He turned his sights to the written word to express his love of God, sci-fi/fantasy, and psionics. He lives near a small town in Michigan with his two cats.

Author website link: https://www.kebauthor.com

Amazon link Canthany Rising: https://www.amazon.com/Canthany-Rising-Christian-LitRPG-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0GZ598XPX

Amazon link The Accident: https://www.amazon.com/Accident-Story-Faith-Psionics-Supernatural-ebook/dp/B0FSH7NPPF