With a 3:1 student-teacher ratio, this fabulous workshop is always popular. You will share your first ten manuscript pages with an established author instructor and other members of your group before the conference. Then, during the conference, you will meet with your assigned group and receive specific feedback on those pages from your instructor and group. You will be expected to review the pages of each group member prior to attending the workshop.

Instructors will be announced after registration is full.

In this day and age, it’s hard to find time to sit down and read a book. That’s why so many people are turning to audiobooks and podcast serials to satisfy their thirst for a good story. In this class, author, narrator, and podcaster Jared Garrett will teach you how to turn your own books into audiobooks. Jared will show you the equipment you will need and teach you how to set up your own studio. Then, each attendee will get the chance to record a sample of their own story and get immediate feedback on voice and style.

About the instructor:

Jared Garrett is a family man, husband, dad, speaker, writer, coach, professional dabbler, hobby mentalist, and end-times cult escapee. He’s written and published eight books, traveled the world, and seen countless plays with his favorite person. He’s married to Annemarie Garrett and couldn’t be happier. Together, they might not be Voltron, but they’re close.

Walk through the process of preparing and perfecting your author submission packet with author and editor Jolene Perry. Every attendee will receive an emailed copy of a workbook prior to the class. During the class, you will address and workshop your story’s viability, pitch, query, synopsis, opening pages, and author bio. Additionally, learn valuable tips for the submission process, marketing, and presenting your query.

About the instructor:

Jolene (Jo) Perry is a middle and high school teacher turned author and a former “Author in Residence” at Alaska Pacific University. She married the guy she kissed on her high school graduation night, is a life-long Alaskan living in Colorado, and has spent months sailing in the Caribbean. She’s a multi-time Whitney Award finalist, writes in multiple genres, and creates workbooks and courses for DIY authors.

In this day and age, with so many new authors popping up on a regular basis, how do you keep your readers informed and interested in what YOU are writing? One way is to send out regular newsletters that are both fun and informative. This very hands-on class taught by newsletter guru Raneé Clark will help you get your newsletter started or jumpstart the one you already have. Learn how to set up and schedule your newsletters, learn how to get more readers, and most importantly, learn how to get readers to click on those book links!

About the instructor:

Raneé Clark has eight years of freelance editing experience and an eye for story. She loves helping authors find both little and big holes, as well as polishing grammar and punctuation. She has a degree in history from the University of Wyoming that she loves putting to use for her clients. She has an eye for perfection and seeks to make sure every client is satisfied with any project they work on together. She’s a multi-published author with experience in both the indie and traditional publishing markets. When she’s not chauffeuring her boys to various activities (and sometimes while she is), she loves to read, obsess over clothes, and figure out how to find Crumbl cookies in rural Wyoming.

When you read through your story, do you picture the events unfolding in your mind just like a movie? Do you dream of seeing your ideas on the big screen? Join bestselling author and screenplay writer Jenni James as she teaches you how to format your story into a marketable screenplay, the ins and outs of the industry, and how to submit your work. This class will last for BOTH SESSIONS of Thursday Workshops so Jenni can cover all the information you’ll need to make your dreams become a reality.

About the Instructor:

Jenni James is an award-winning, bestselling author of forty books. She has been working as a screenwriter, adapting her books to film since 2017. Her first book-to-film, Not Cinderella’s Type, won Best Feature Film in the 2018 LDS Film Festival.

Jenni is known as a beloved author for her clean works in adult, young adult, and children’s genres. Some of her series include The Jane Austen Diaries (Pride & Popularity, Persuaded, Emmalee, Mansfield Ranch, Northanger Alibi and Sensible & Sensational) as well as the Jenni James Faerie Tale Collection –Fairy tales the way they should’ve been written. She is also known for her Regency Romance series (The Bluestocking and the Dastardly, Intolerable Scoundrel, Lord Romney’s Exquisite Widow, and Lord Atten Meets His Match) and her acclaimed children’s book: Prince Tennyson, as well as many others.

Jenni has taught writing and marketing workshops and classes at many conferences around the United States. She loves to speak at schools and inspire students to follow their dreams.

When she isn’t creating, Jenni can be found chasing her children around the house, or kissing her hunky hubby. Her life is finally the fairy tale she’s always written about.

Agents and editors often complain that newer writers don’t understand the concept of character agency. What is it, and why does it matter? Bestselling Author Rebecca Rode will give you a quiz to determine your protagonist’s level of agency. Once the problem areas are identified, you will dive into the plot and free your characters so they can direct their own stories using Rebecca’s 5 Rules. Warning: Your characters may become more proactive than ever!

About the instructor:

Rebecca Rode is the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of TIDES OF MUTINY, the dystopian Numbers Game series, and the Ember trilogy. She is also the author of the inspirational book for moms, HOW TO HAVE PEACE WHEN YOU’RE FALLING TO PIECES, as well as a number of online newspaper and magazine articles. It’s her books about fierce teens smashing societal barriers, however, that she enjoys writing the most. Rebecca has five children, two cats, one husband, and a ridiculous number of books. She is represented by Kelly Peterson at Rees Literary.

Does your website have you pulling out your hair? It doesn’t have to be difficult. In this class, you’ll learn the basics of WordPress from Karlene Browning who has been an important figure in editing, promoting, and publishing books for many years. She’ll cover the WordPress dashboard, using themes and plugins to customize your site with the look and functionality you want, security tips and best practices, and more. [Advanced Beginner to Intermediate level; Karlene asks that you have a basic website before the conference.]

About the instructor:

Karlene Browning loves books! She loves reading them, talking about them, and making them shine. In fact, she is so enamored with books that she has requested her headstone simply read, “The woman who loved books.”

Karlene has worked in the publishing industry since the mid-1980s. She has owned a niche publishing company, acted as acquisitions editor for other publishers, worked for and with multiple printers and book presses, and even worked the sales side as assistant manager of a bookstore.

Do you want to become better at editing your own work? In this class, author and editor KayLynn Flanders will teach you how to recognize common issues, and help you learn to make the small changes that will take your writing to the next level. We’ll practice spotting problems and building up sentences in new and interesting ways to match your vision for your work.

About the instructor:

KayLynn Flanders graduated with a degree in English Language and editing, and spent many years as a freelance editor before turning her passion to writing. Her award-winning YA fantasy novel, Shielded, and its sequel, Untethered, were published by Delacorte Press/PRH. KayLynn loves reading, writing, traveling, and volleyball, and thinks there’s nothing better than a spur-of-the-moment road trip.