Thank you for registering!

This is the page where you can access all conference sessions and other features exclusively for conference attendees – please do not share it with anyone.

To access each session, click on the link showing the time for that session (for instance, 1:00 – 1:45 Eastern). Many of these links will not be “live” until the time of the conference. Following each live session, the link will change from Zoom (for the live session) to YouTube (for the recording of that session) once the recording is available.

Please note: all times are Eastern; end times are approximate; Also please watch for schedule changes.

All sessions can be viewed at the times indicated below, or for 3 months following the conference

All times, sessions, and other conference information are subject to change

If you would like to sign up for any 1-on-1 meetings with selected speakers, here is where to do that. These virtual private meetings are informal 20-minute “get to know you” meetings where writers can convey information about their project and ask questions. They are NOT manuscript review sessions, and the speakers are under no obligation to follow up with you after your meeting. The cost of each meeting is $30 and is non-refundable. The supply of meetings for each speaker is limited, and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, until the end of the conference. Please do not sign up for more than 3 meetings. At some point after you sign up, the speaker will contact you to schedule a mutually convenient time to talk, sometime before, during, or after the conference.

If you would like to sign up for an elevator pitch critique session with Karen Neumair (literary agent) or Linda Howard (Tyndale House) you can do that here.

If you would like to sign up for an Open mic reading (Friday October 21 from 1:30 – 2:30 PM Eastern) you may do so here.

Don’t forget to check out our Bookstore! There you can learn about our recommended books on writing, marketing, and getting published, as well as books from some of our conference speakers.

(links to the entire conference will be shown below when available)

Monday October 17, 2022

  • 9:30 – 11:00 AM Eastern: Karen Neumair (literary agent)
    • 9:30 – 10:15 AM Eastern: “Landing a Literary Agent” – Get insider information on how to open the door to traditional publishing with the right representation. Senior Literary Agent Karen Neumair will answer all your questions about literary agents, including how to find the best fit for you and your unique writing aspirations. 
    • 10:15 – 11:00 AM Eastern: Q&A recording
  • 11:15 AM – 12:45 PM Eastern: Naomi Krueger (Beaming Books)
    • 11:15 AM – 12:00 PM Eastern: “Editing and Revising Picture Book Manuscripts” – Get an inside look at the editorial process from Beaming Books acquisitions editor Naomi Krueger. She’ll share how she approaches manuscript edits after acquisition and common pitfalls and issues she encounters in manuscripts again and again. She will also share some best practices for picture book storytelling. This is not a deep-dive on copyediting, proofreading, grammar, or style rules! We’ll be looking at elements of storytelling such as the narrative arc, page blocking, meter and rhyme, and how to write with illustrations in mind. You’ll come away with some practical ideas for how to revise your own manuscript before you even submit it for publication. The focus will be on picture books, but the tips will have crossover relevance to other types of books as well.
  • 1:00 – 1:45 Eastern: Networking Break
  • 1:55 – 3:30 PM Eastern: Xochitl Dixon
    • 1:55 – 2:45 PM Eastern: “The Christian Writer’s Journey” – Over the years, aspiring writers have asked me about my writing journey. Many times, those writers were really looking for a proven plan to success or secrets of the trade that would get them to their goal as fast as possible. I’ve learned that no two writers can share the same right path, even if they share similar writing goals. However, in The Christian Writer’s Journey, I’ll be sharing six steps that will lead to peace, satisfaction, and purpose-driven success, whether you are interested in self-publishing or traditional publishing.
  • 3:45 – 5:15 PM Eastern: Linda Howard (Tyndale House)
    • 3:45 – 4:30 PM Eastern: “How to Partner with your Publisher to Market your Book” – More and more, publishers are looking to authors to help share the new about their books. But what can you do that will make a difference? Can you really help your publisher sell books? The answer is yes, and you’ll learn how you can take sales to the next level as you work hand in hand with your publishing team.
    • Linda Howard’s slides
    • 4:30 – 5:15 PM Eastern: Q&A recording
  • 5:30 – 6:00 PM Eastern: Q&A with Lizz Enns Petters about her new book – you can learn more here

Tuesday October 18, 2022

  • 9:30 – 11:00 AM Eastern: Glenys Nellist
    • 9:30 – 10:15 AM Eastern: “Crafting an Excellent Children’s Book Proposal” – What is a book proposal? Why do I need one? How do I write it? Join Glenys Nellist, best-selling author of over thirty titles, as she answers these questions and leads you, step by step, through the process of crafting an excellent children’s book proposal. We’ll cover all the essentials: from the font, to the format, from the framework to the finish. By the end of this presentation, you’ll be able to write a proposal that’s as excellent as your book. (All attendees will receive a downloadable template prior to the presentation.)
    • Book proposal template
    • 10:15 – 11:00 AM Eastern: Q&A recording
  • 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM Eastern: Q&A recording: Sarah Efird (aka Refried Bean) discusses her ​Complete Imaginary Mice Series
  • 1:00 – 1:30 PM Eastern: special announcement!
  • 2:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern: Jennifer Grant
    • 2:00 – 2:45 PM Eastern: “Eight Weeks to Optimum Creativity” – First published in 1997, Dr. Andrew Weil’s groundbreaking book on integrated health and medicine, Eight Weeks to Optimum Health, has sold millions of copies. In the book, Dr. Weil provides readers with a week-by-week, step-by-step plan to improve and protect their physical health. So…what does this have to do with writing? In Eight Weeks to Optimum Creativity, author and editor Jennifer Grant will suggest a slate of best practices for improving and protecting our creative lives—including ways to take artistic risks, manage and minimize disappointment, eliminate distractions, avoid common manuscript errors, network effectively, craft a workflow document or schedule that works for you, and find joy in your writing. Come to this tip-abundant session, try out Grant’s suggestions and strategies, and then incorporate—long-term—the ones that generate the most ideas, productivity, and energy in your own creative life.   
    • Slides
    • 2:45 – 3:30 PM Eastern: Q&A recording
  • 7:15 – 8:45 PM Eastern: Khristi Lauren Adams
    • 7:15 – 8:00 PM Eastern: “On Being a Black Woman Author in the Publishing Industry” – In an industry that has long been criticized for having few BIPOC authors, I will expound on my experience as a Black, Christian woman author that is newer to the publishing world having been an author only for the past 4 years. I will also share suggestions for newer BIPOC authors who are interested in becoming a published author and offer any added wisdom from my experience as both a self-published and industry published author.

Wednesday October 19, 2022

  • 10:00 – 10:30 AM EasternMelissa Collier Gepford (Dandelion Marketplace)
    • Dandelion Marketplace is a platform that provides progressive spiritual formation content for families and communities. Learn more here
  • 11:15 AM – 12:45 PM Eastern: Keely Boeving (literary agent)
    • 11:15 AM – 12:00 PM Eastern: “What Do the Best Author-Agent Relationships Look Like?” – Landing a literary agent is the first step—but what comes next? What can you expect from your agent, and what is outside the scope of their role? How do you know if your agent is the right fit—and what do you do if they aren’t? Literary Agent Keely Boeving of WordServe Literary walks you through what the best agent-author relationships can look like, and offers tips on pitfalls to avoid and warning signs to heed when it comes to finding the perfect partner for your writing career.
  • 1:00 – 1:30 Eastern: Q&A recording with author Dorena Williamson – learn more about Dorena here
  • 2:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern: Jeannette Larson (Flyaway Books)
    • 2:00 – 2:45 PM Eastern: “From Idea to Book: How an Author and Editor Refine a Picture Book Text Together (and More)” – For many creative projects, good collaboration leads to the best outcome. What does that look like in children’s book publishing? How does a writer stay true to a vision while being open to another perspective? What do editors consider in assessing an author’s text? And what about the illustrator? Using Kathleen Long Bostrom’s The Worst Christmas Ever, we’ll explore the genesis of the story, see concrete before-and-after revision examples, and consider how collaboration influences results throughout the creative and production process.
  • 3:45 – 5:15 PM Eastern: Roger Hutchison 
    • 3:45 – 4:30 PM Eastern: “Learning to See” – Please join Roger Hutchison, Christian educator, artist, photographer, and author of eight books including the forthcoming Sparrow’s Prayer (Beaming Books, 2.14.2023) as he explores various grounding practices and strategies that he uses to inspire his creativity and enhance his writing. There is prayerful poetry woven through Roger’s work, a gentle reverence in his tone and posture toward the heartbroken. It’s Roger’s ambition to use art, color, and poetic language to communicate love and promote healing and hope in today’s hurting world. Roger lives with his family outside of Houston, TX.
    • 4:30 – 5:15 PM Eastern: Q&A recording
  • 5:30 – 6:00 PM Eastern: Q&A recording with Sharon Norris Elliott, the new acquisitions editor of a new imprint, Little Blessings Press, a division of Winged Publications – learn more about Sharon here

Thursday October 20, 2022

  • 9:30 – 11:00 AM Eastern: Stephanie Carter (Teleion Books)
    • 9:30 – 11:00 AM Eastern: “Life After Publication – Insights on Author Opportunities & Responsibilities After Pub Date” – New authors often assume their work ends when final manuscript edits have been submitted. They soon discover that an author’s opportunities and responsibilities do not end with publication. Join Stephanie for a chat with best-selling author Glenys Nellist to learn more about life after publication. Topics will include book marketing, author website management, book signings and readings, and reader relationships.
    • School Visit Order Form
    • School Author Visit One Sheet
  • 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Panel “Creating balance in children’s books” with Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Roger Hutchison, and Patrice Gopo
  • 1:00 – 1:45 Eastern: Networking Break
  • 2:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern: Traci Smith
    • 2:00 – 2:45 PM Eastern: “Writing for an Audience of One (or Thousands): What’s the Difference?” – Bestselling author Morgan Housel once said “I’m writing for an audience of one, and that’s me.” He’s sold hundreds of thousands of books. Many bestselling authors say this: they write for themselves. Is it true? In this workshop we’ll talk about who we write for. Do we write to scratch our own itches, or do we write for the world?  In addition to examining our motivations for writing and the audiences we have in mind, we’ll talk about different perspectives for different types of writing. We’ll take a look at different types of writing many authors have going at the same time: writing under contract, writing to build your audience, writing for personal exploration and growth. This workshop will also give a brief overview of writing for hire, ghostwriting, and traditional book contracts. 
  • 5:00 – 5:30 PM EasternCharlotte Jones Voiklis and Jennifer Adams – learn more about Charlotte here 
    • Charlotte and Jennifer discuss their new book “A Book, Too, Can Be a Star: The Story of Madeleine L’Engle and the Making of A Wrinkle in Time”

Friday October 21, 2022

  • 9:30 – 11:00 AM Eastern: Katherine Jacobs (Zonderkidz)
    • 9:30 – 10:15 AM Eastern: “Crafting Your First Page” – Think about what goes into the first page of your manuscript and how best to hook your reader. Zonderkidz senior acquisition editor Katherine Jacobs will lead you through examples from published books in order to shed light on how best to craft the first page of your project and set your submission up for success!
    • 10:15 – 11:00 AM Eastern: Q&A recording
  • 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM Eastern: Brian Allain
    • Live Zoom How to Heal Our Divides book introduction – this new book, the second in the series, lifts up and builds awareness of organizations that are taking real action to heal serious divides – particularly racial and political divides. The book is not an attempt at glossing them over or “making happy” but instead highlights tangible efforts that are actually decreasing divides in practical ways.
  • 1:30 – 2:30 PM Eastern: Open mic recording
  • 2:45 – 3:45 PM Eastern: Elevator pitch critique groups: Karen Neumair (literary agent)

Friday October 28, 2022

  • 3:00 – 4:00 PM Eastern: Elevator pitch critique group with Linda Howard (Tyndale House)