Looking for the best conferences for self-publishers in 2023?
You’ve come to the right place.
This year, the team here at Storiad decided to compile an official list of the best conferences for self-publishers and indie authors in 2020, ranging from popular conferences for all types of authors, like BookExpo America and 20to50k Vegas, to small, genre-specific events, like Thrillerfest XV the Indie Romance Convention.
In addition to listing the conferences, we decided to do a little bit of extra research and clearly list each’s dates, location, venue, ticket pricing, registration link, and more.
P.S. These events are listed in chronological order (from the first conference of the year to the last). Interested in adding your conference to the list or being moved to the top as Storiad’s Featured Conference of 2020? Feel free to reach out to ramzi@storiad.com directly with your info.
Without any further ado, let’s jump in.
LTUE
Best Conference for Self-Publishers Who Love Fiction & Fantasy
Dates: February 13-15, 2020
Location: Provo, Utah (Provo Marriott Hotel & Conference Center)
LTUE (or Life, The Universe, and Everything) is a three-day academic symposium and conference for self-publishers that explores all things science fiction and fantasy. At LTUE, you’ll hear from panels, watch presentations, and be able to read papers on writing, art, literature, film, gaming, and other facets of speculative fiction. Most importantly, LTUE is a place for sci-fi and fantasy authors, creators, and fans to meet, showcase their works, and share their love of all things amazing, obscure, and even not-quite-real.
Ticket Cost: $0-$125
Register for LTUE 2020 via their Eventbrite!
Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference
Best Conference for Self-Publishers Who Love Literary Craft, Culture, and Community
Dates: February 20-22, 2020
Location: Tempe, Arizona (Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University)
Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference is a unique and creative writing experience that brings together over 300 writers from all backgrounds, genres, and levels of experience for two days of literary craft, culture, and community every late February at Arizona State University Tempe. In addition to the conference’s 50+ craft talks, panels, and presentations, it also offers writers three-hour advanced workshops with select faculty and an entire literary fair featuring talks, readings, and other literary performances.
Ticket Cost: $0-$300
Register for Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writer Conference here!
SelfPublishingAdviceConference
Best Online Conference for Self-Publishers
Date: March 14, 2020
Location: Online
SelfPublishingAdviceConference, or #SelfPubCon2020, is an annual online author conference hosted by the Alliance of Independent Authors. The conference covers topics like the best strategies for indie authors and self-publishers and features speakers such as Joanna Penn, Mark Dawson, Adam Croft, and our personal favorite, Dale Roberts from SelfPublishingwithDale.
Ticket Cost: $0-$199
Register for #SelfPubCon2020 via last year’s registration page!
IBPA Publishing University
Best Educational Event for Self-Publishers
Dates: April 3-4, 2020
Location: Redondo Beach, California (Crowne Plaza Redondo Beach and Marina Hotel)
IBPA Publishing University is an annual publishing conference for self-publishers, indie authors, and industry professionals, based in beautiful Redondo Beach, CA. Unlike other conferences, IBPA is no-fluff and focuses solely on industry networking, educational presentations, and talks from an expert panel that understands with proven success in the publishing world (this year includes a keynote from Barnes & Noble CEO, James Daunt).
Ticket Cost: $195-$495
Register for IBPA Publishing University 2020 via their registration page!
Chanticleer Authors Conference
Best Conference for Self-Publishers in the Pacific Northwest
Dates: April 16-19, 2020
Location: Bellingham, Washington (Hotel Bellwether)
Chanticleer Authors Conference is a unique and progressive conference for self-publishers designed to share insights and business knowledge about the book marketing and business side of being an author and/or publisher. This year’s presenters include critically-acclaimed New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon Best Selling Author, Robert Dugoni, as well as Paul Cutsinger, Head of Amazon Alexa, who will discuss voice-enabled technology and how it affects storytelling and book distribution.
Ticket Cost: $75-$575
Register for Chanticleer Authors Conference via the left-side registration bar on their website!
The Self-Publishing Conference
Best Conference for Self-Publishers in the U.K.
Dates: April 25, 2020
Location: Leicester, England (Stamford Court Conference Centre at University of Leicester)
The Self-Publishing Conference is the UK’s only dedicated conference for self-publishers, offering authors a chance to find out about a wide range of publishing options, to hear from and question those who work within the thriving self-publishing world, and to network with fellow authors, many of whom will already be experienced self-publishers.
Ticket Cost: £75
Register for The Self-Publishing Conference via their registration page!
BookExpo America
Best Conference for Self-Publishers in the U.S.
Dates: May 27-29, 2020
Location: New York, New York (Javits Center)
BookExpo America is one of the most well-put-together events and conferences for self-publishers you’ll find on this list. Hosted in New York City, the conference is where all the major players in the publishing industry—authors, booksellers, distributors, librarians, literary agents, publishers, and more—unite to network and build relationships (both personal and for business).
Ticket Cost: $0-$350
Register for BookExpo America 2020 here!
InkersCon
Best Conference for Self-Publishers Looking to Step Up Their Business Game
Dates: June 3-7, 2020
Location: Dallas, Texas
InkersCon is one of the few hybrid live-and-online conferences for self-publishers that is created for the purpose of author networking, education, and inspiration. Whether or not you’ve sold one book or one million books, their marketing presentations, business classes, and advertising classes showcase the latest, proven strategies to help you take your writing career to the next level (including courses like “90 Minutes to Better Facebook Ads” and “AMS Ads for Beginners”). Needless to say, we’re big fans of what’s on the agenda for this year.
Ticket Cost: $195-$1,195
Register for InkersCon 2020 (live conference, online conference, or bootcamp) through their website!
Thrillerfest XV
Best Conference for Self-Publishers Who Love Thrillers
Dates: July 7-11, 2020
Location: New York, New York (Grand Hyatt Hotel New York)
ThrillerFest is the annual conference of international thriller writers and the premier event of the year for thriller fans, authors, and publishing professionals. Of course, like any grand event or conference, it’s hosted in none other than New York City. This year’s conference includes exciting and informative panels, author book signings, and an awards banquet with cocktail parties before and after (featuring John Sandford, Michael Connelly, and more).
Ticket Cost: $100-$1,220
Register for Thrillerfest XV through their registration page!
Penned Con
Best Conference for Self-Publishers Looking to Have Fun While Giving Back
Dates: September 17-19, 2020
Location: St. Louis, Missouri (Red Lion Hotel St. Louis City Center)
PennedCon is an annual three-day book convention that brings together over 150 authors and more than 1,000 readers in one place. This year’s conference will feature educational workshops, inspiring keynotes, and a two-day book signing event. In addition, Penned Con will host VIP after-parties, a lip sync battle sponsored by Red Coat PR, and a themed awards event to round out the conference. Best of all, 100% of proceeds will go to Penned Con’s charity, Action for Autism!
Ticket Cost: $10-$400
Register for Penned Con via their Eventbrite!
NINC
Best Conference for Self-Publishers and Career Novelists
Dates: September 23-27, 2020
Location: St. Pete Beach, Florida (Tradewinds Island Resort)
NINC is an annual conference for self-publishers that brings together authors of all different genres and levels of success, as well as who publish however they please, into one place (which just so happens to be a lovely resort on the beautiful gulf coast of Florida). While we’re still waiting on updates for this year’s event, we can share the one thing we do know: the theme is “The Future Is Now”.
Ticket Cost: TBD
Register for NINC via their registration page (officially opening in January 2020)!
Indie Romance Convention
Best Conference for Self-Publishers Who Love Indie Romance
Dates: October 7-10, 2020
Location: Lebanon, Tennessee (Comfort Suites Hotel Lebanon)
Indie Romance Convention is a small-but-mighty event held in Tennessee that brings together indie romance readers and authors, alike. This convention includes intimate panels and workshops throughout the day, as well as fun activities into the night (for three days and four nights straight!). If you’re passionate about indie romance, this is definitely the event for you.
Ticket Cost: $45-$140
Register for Indie Romance Convention via their website’s registration page!
Sanibel Island Writers Conference
Best Conference for Self-Publishers In the Making
Dates: November 5-8, 2020
Location: Sanibel Island, Florida
Sanibel Island Writers Conference is one of the most well-regarded conferences for self-publishers and writers in Florida (and hosted by Florida Gulf Coast University). While we weren’t able to find a wealth of information on this year’s event, the website says it will be updated come summer and this conference received a fair share of love from the Reddit community. We’ll be updating once we know more!
Ticket Cost: TBD
Keep an eye on SIWC’s homepage to find out when registration opens!
20 Books Vegas
Best Conference for Self-Publishers Looking to Meet Other Self-Publishers and Have a Blast
Dates: November 10-12, 2020
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada (Sam’s Town Hotel)
20 Books Vegas is easily one of the most popular and fun-looking conferences for self-publishers on this year’s list. Created by Craig Martelle and Michael Anderle, this conference brings together more than 1,000 authors (all in one hotel, with no outside guests during the event) to network and hear from self-publishing industry experts. While the speaker panel and schedule are still being ironed out, we’re certain that this is an event worth looking into for any indie author or self-publisher (or casual fan of Vegas).
Ticket Cost: $199-$299
To register for 20booksto50k, you must first join the 20booksto50k Facebook Group!
Wow, thanks so much for the shout-out! And, double thanks for the list of conferences. Some of them I need to check out. I’ve been going to a lot of video creator conferences, but have yet to break ground in the self pub con arena. This might be the year I finally do it.
I have attended Penned Con for the last five years and I can guarantee, IT IS A BLAST!! I have met so many wonderful readers and authors over the years. Most come back year after year to visit, share news, and get the latest books! The volunteers from the Action for Autism organization and fabulous and Amy and Rick are top notch leaders! Everyone involved does a great job running this HUGE event. Author spots for the next year fill up literally before the event is over because we all can’t wait to come back. The after signing events are a complete hoot! And this years’ theme of Pirates and Mermaids will be tons of fun! If you can’t come as an author, just come as a reader and experience first hand all the fun. Then sign up quick for the next year! LOL!