It’s been an unbelievably busy year around here for Where Writers Win, and not just for us. Seems like every author, service provider, consultant and publisher is experiencing an incredible rush of new business, new ideas and new connections in 2016.

This year, when we’re not locked onto the laptops updating new conferences, clubs and reviewers in the Winner Circle, seems we’re packing or unpacking for the latest, greatest event on an ever-growing schedule of quality programming for authors and publishers…

IBPA Publishing University: Quality Education!

A week ago we were having an incredible time connecting with old friends and new at the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) Publishing University. What a fantastic event! With an incredibly useful lineup of talks (with plenty of concurrent sessions, those we couldn’t attend we bought audiotapes for) and speakers, the two days in Salt Lake City went by in a flash. There with editor Ellie Maas Davis of Pressque, we had the opportunity to meet dozens of indie publishers and indie authors, all working hard to promote their titles – an invigorating group!

Here, some takeaways and freebies for you from that event, before we preview a few more coming up:

Joel Friedlander remains my hero. Joel and I finally got to meet in person, and we’ll be connecting for some special offers for both our tribes in the near future. If you’re not already familiar with his Book Design Templates, head on over to his sites.

My personal favorite, an EASY template for building an author media kit. Hint: We’ll be using this for our authors, too. And when you head over to learn more about all the great stuff Joel and his team have to offer, sign up for his list and get his free ebook with self-publishing tips.

On April 19, just a few short days from now, you’ll want to grab the new release from digital branding expert Fauzia Burke, Online Marketing for Busy Authors: A Step-by-Step Guide (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, April 2016).

Fauzia is the founder and the president of FSB Associates, and has promoted books by authors such as Alan Alda, Arianna Huffington, Deepak Chopra, and many more. She gave an entertaining talk on social networking and the importance of making those one-on-one connections on social media that bring us all more readers.

We also had the opportunity to catch up with Christine Munroe at Kobo Writing Life. Another great site full of useful tools for authors; check it out! And, speaking of useful tools, Robin Cutler and Nathan Pabst from Ingram Content Group were both there as panelists and sponsors.

If you haven’t been to IngramSpark lately, you need to pay them a visit. Our favorite pages there are the new Blog, and their Experts page (three guesses why…) Hint: Click on Where Writers Win on that page for some special offers!

Coming Up!

Even as we’re still listening to tapes from IBPA on everything from cool new apps to alternative retail locations to sell books, we’re getting ready for the next events on our busy spring calendar:

First on the schedule, something that requires no packing — just a comfy place to sit by your phone for a free webinar on finding your best influencers. Presented by Wheatmark’s Author Academy, I’ll be doing this one hour free class, discussing how cultivating relationships with book reviewers, book bloggers, booksellers and live book clubs can tip the sales scale in your favor!

This is one of my very favorite topics and what every author needs, so please do join us! It takes place Thursday, April 21, at 2 p.m. EST. Click here now to register.

A week later it’s off to Seattle, then a lovely drive up to Bellingham, WA for the Chanticleer Authors Conference 2016. Held in combination with a great book fair, it all takes place April 28 – May 1, and we’re super excited about their lineup. I’m honored to be presenting a workshop with the famed Pulpwood Queen, Kathy Murphy, as well as panels on blogging and publishing.

A week after the Chanticleer conference, we’re all Chicago bound May 11-13 for Book Expo America! If you’re anywhere near the midwest and you’re an author, or hope to be one, it’s an event you should experience. Besides great panels for authors (we’re doing one with Ingram Spark and another talk on the Author UPubU stage), it’s simply the annual mecca for publishers and booksellers.

Thousands of square feet of booths, hundreds of authors signing and giving away books, every major publisher and clever book gadget on hand… it’s exciting and at times overwhelming. We’ll also be attending the Bloggers conference to meet the newest and most influential book bloggers and learn what they’ll be looking to write about in the months to come (so stay tuned!)

Hint: If you’re heading to BEA, bring an extra suitcase for all those books!

Have an event to share with us, or your experience with one (or all) of these great conferences? Leave a comment or jot us a note at [email protected] — See you on the road!