NINC 2020 Conference: Full Schedule

6:30pm EDT

All Attendee Orientation

Get up to speed on the changes to this conference with respect to policies, procedures, social distancing and more.

Wednesday September 23, 2020 6:30pm - 7:00pm EDT
Tarpon & Sawyer Key

Audience All

10:00am EDT

The Psychology of Fandom (Virtual) 2 Hour Masterclass

Building a strong fanbase is an important element of a successful author career. In this special Master Class Session, Dr. Jennifer Barnes, one of the world's leading experts on the cognitive science of fiction and the imagination, will offer a 360-view of how writers can use the psychology of fandom to write fandom-enabling books, attract and energize fans, and cultivate a creative culture around their works.

Speakers

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Author and professor Jennifer Barnes has a Ph.D. in psychology from Yale and currently works at the University of Oklahoma, where she is one of the world’s foremost experts on the cognitive science of fiction and the psychology of fandom. Jennifer is a Fulbright Scholar, emeritus... Read More →

Thursday September 24, 2020 10:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Tarpon & Sawyer Key

Workshop Tarpon and Sawyer Key, Virtual presentation

Audience All

1:30pm EDT

Market, Data and Trends: Does the book market need a vaccine or not? (Virtual)

Imagine you could cut through the results of hundreds of thousands of books to see what is happening in the market and what marketing strategies seem to work better than others. This session explores how the 2020 pandemic has impacted book markets, its various genres, and what authors and publishers can learn from it. Alex will also provide an update on longer-term market developments and trend spotting. Don't worry if you are not a numbers person. Alex has a unique talent to convey seemingly complex matters in an easy-to-understand and fun manner that lets you walk home with actionable insights.

Speakers

Alex Newton

Alex Newton is the founder of K-lytics.com, a leading provider of book market research. His Genre Reports and Amazon category performance database have brought the power of "Big Data" to the indie publishing world. Alex's research from analyzing millions of books over the last five... Read More →

Thursday September 24, 2020 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
Tarpon & Sawyer Key

Workshop Tarpon and Sawyer Key, Virtual presentation

Audience All

3:00pm EDT

Decoding the Secrets of a Bestseller

A bestseller isn’t born, it’s carefully created through sharp plotting, strong and varied characters, perfect pacing and intelligent edits. In this live event, New York Times bestselling author and Authors AI president Alessandra Torre will dissect 4 blockbuster novels and reveal the common elements that made them successful - and how you can find and cultivate those same traits in your next book.

Speakers

Alessandra Torre

Alessandra Torre is an award-winning New York Times bestselling author and the president of Authors A.I. She’s written more than 20 romance and suspense novels. Three of her books have been optioned for film, and her books have been translated into 10 different languages in more... Read More →

Thursday September 24, 2020 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Tarpon & Sawyer Key

Workshop Tarpon and Sawyer Key, In Person

Audience All

4:30pm EDT

Book Brush Tutorial: Popular Features & Hidden Gems

Whether you have never used Book Brush or have been a user for many years, you can learn something from this workshop. In this live session, we will cover how to best use the most popular features and some "hidden gem" features that you can use to start creating more unique and attention-grabbing images. We will also cover the newest features and answer questions from the audience. Bring your laptop and walk away with a graphic you can use!

Speakers

Corey Alderin

Book Brush

Corey is the lead developer and co-founder at Book Brush. He is responsible for making the user experience exceptional, implementing new features that authors love, and making it easy for authors to create great graphics. He has been developing websites for 10 years and enjoys the... Read More →

Thursday September 24, 2020 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT
Tarpon & Sawyer Key

Workshop Tarpon and Sawyer Key, In Person

Audience All

10:00am EDT

Advanced Email Marketing

Make your emails work harder and smarter. This advanced workshop will teach how to increase open rates, clicks, conversions, and book sales.

Speakers

Alessandra Torre

Friday September 25, 2020 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Tarpon & Sawyer Key

Workshop Tarpon and Sawyer Key, In Person

Audience All

11:30am EDT

The Popularity Effect

What’s the difference between a book that sells 3000 copies in one day (and none for the rest of the month), and a book that sells 100 copies a day for a month? Hint: the answer involves Amazon’s ABSR, its structure and the popularity effect of sales. Dave Chesson will discuss this phenomenon to help authors understand what it means and how to make it happen for their books.

Speakers

Dave Chesson

Kindlepreneur.com

Dave Chesson is the creator of Kindlepreneur.com, a website devoted to teaching advanced book Marketing which even Amazon KDP acknowledges as one of the best by telling users to “Gain insight from Kindlepreneur on how you can optimize marketing for your books.” Having worked with... Read More →

Friday September 25, 2020 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Tarpon & Sawyer Key

Workshop Tarpon and Sawyer Key, In Person

Audience All

2:00pm EDT

How to Launch a Bestseller (Virtual)

Are your new releases reaching more readers than your last one? Visibility and marketing in the book world are constantly evolving. Find out what’s working now to make the most of your time and money. This workshop includes specific launch strategies for a real book release including advertising, packaging, and viral marketing strategies to make a book launch bigger. This workshop is designed for authors with an established platform who are looking to grow in 2021.

Speakers

Skye Warren

Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance with over one million books sold. Her author business started as a five-figure struggle with long hours and a constant fear she wouldn’t make enough to pay the mortgage. Investing in marketing and advertising... Read More →

Friday September 25, 2020 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Tarpon & Sawyer Key

Workshop Tarpon and Sawyer Key, Virtual presentation

Audience All

3:30pm EDT

Stuck, Blocked, and Burned Out: A Writer's Guide to 2020 (Virtual)

Writing less than you had planned in 2020? Wondering why the words aren't coming? Stuck or stalled in big decisions right now? You need to come to this hour-long workshop on the impact of stress on the writer's brain. Success coach and author Becca Syme will tackle the difference between blocks and burnout, the influence of stress and struggle on the writing psyche, and how to get things done when it feels like you just can't.

Speakers

Becca Syme

Becca Syme has coached 2500+ authors and creatives through her Write Better-Faster and Strengths for Writers programs: six- and seven-figure authors, major award winners, midlisters, and new authors alike. She holds master's degree in transformational leadership and has been a success... Read More →

Friday September 25, 2020 3:30pm - 4:30pm EDT
Tarpon & Sawyer Key

Workshop Tarpon and Sawyer Key, Virtual presentation

Audience All

10:00am EDT

Success Metrics and the Elusive Why: 2 Hour Masterclass (Virtual)

There is more than one path to success, and knowing which path you should take is the question we’re all asking. In this presentation, success coach and author Becca Syme will unpack common success metrics for authors based on real results of real successful authors. {This is a two-hour long session with one five-minute break.}

Speakers

Becca Syme

Saturday September 26, 2020 10:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Tarpon & Sawyer Key

Workshop Tarpon and Sawyer Key, Virtual presentation

Audience All

2:00pm EDT

Mastering Amazon's A9 Algorithm and Your Book's Rankings in the Market

Ever wonder why Amazon shows someone else's book over yours in the search results? Or why you can't seem to be found for a keyword you've targeted? In this session, we'll take a deep dive into Amazon's A9 algorithm, how it functions, and how you can make simple changes to control your book's discoverability...and no, this isn't about keyword stuffing or hacking the system.

Speakers

Dave Chesson

Kindlepreneur.com

Saturday September 26, 2020 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Tarpon & Sawyer Key

Workshop Tarpon and Sawyer Key, In Person

Audience All

3:30pm EDT

Annual General Meeting (30 minutes)

The Annual General Meeting (NINC Members Only)

Speakers

Tawdra Kandle

President, NINC

Tawdra Kandle is programming chair and 2020 interim President of Novelists, Inc.In her life as an author, Tawdra writes romance, in just about all its forms. She loves unlikely pairings, strong women, sexy guys, hot love scenes and just enough conflict to make it interesting. Her... Read More →

Saturday September 26, 2020 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT
Tarpon & Sawyer Key

Workshop Tarpon and Sawyer Key, In Person

Audience NINC members only