I went to Author Nation and Here's What I Learned

I’ve attended numerous conferences (read: a LOT) over the past decade, since I started working on my novel(s). Some of the smaller workshops have been helpful, but I always felt out of place. The larger ones were often about stiffly controlled processes (i.e., you must be traditionally published), pushy networking, and cutthroat competition. I’ve had enough of that as a lawyer.

Attending conferences was what I did instead of pursuing an MFA. The process helped me learn the craft of writing, editing, structure, marketing, and how to find an agent and a publisher. I did this at my own pace as life allowed.

I’m a lawyer by trade. In my head, I’ll always be a lawyer. I’m blunt, obnoxious many times, a little funny from time to time, but very opinionated. For thirty years, I dealt with other lawyers, judges, and clients who demanded I know my stuff and be vocal about it. I do, and I am.

That’s not the world of writers. Much of traditional publishing and printing is stuck in the 1940s (looking at you, printing companies), desperately creating new, not-well-thought-out applications and “services” as they ride the “AI” wave.

At all of these other conferences, I had to keep my mouth shut. In one instance, even small talk landed my foot in my mouth, and it was buried so deep I never got it out. I saw the person I’d offended several months later at one of my genre's conferences, and they were still offended. I am still mortified.

Then there were the large conferences with thousands of attendees, primarily those with traditionally published works or seeking traditional publication. While many were pleasant and helpful, I didn’t feel like I fit into their world. I’m too much of a renegade. I’ve been an entrepreneur of one type or another most of my life. I didn’t relish the thought of someone boxing my books in a corner.1

This new conference (for me) was held in Las Vegas. Not my favorite place by a long shot. I didn’t confirm anything until the month prior, since I’d changed my mind several times. This was just one more conference for a person who was exceedingly tired of them.

Yes, I Found My Tribe

Author Nation Live is the conference I attended, and Andy Weir (The Martian) will be the keynote speaker in 2026. There were 1,200 or more attendees, a large room full of vendors, and an organizational staff that was professional, helpful, and happy to be there.

Wait, what?

People from all over were happy to be there. This was not the typical conference I was used to, with stressed attendees trying to push their way into a group, cutthroat people not really there to be a part of something, but only to put themselves forward. Famous authors with their fawning readers. That’s not what this is.

AN was a group of very intense and professional writers who were there to learn how to improve their work, publish, market, and sell it in as many ways as possible. The conference began with Joe Solari’s opening remarks, asserting that the attendees should focus on improving the work. AN’s goal was to help us advance in the industry by being ahead of the curve. Then the rest of the conference proceeded to do just that. I came with two major problems and left with multiple solutions to both.

And I did not have to watch what I said about anything.

The sessions were recorded, and if you are interested in seeing if any might be helpful for you, you can watch them in January. But consider if the live event is something you’d like to do. Why? The networking was the best part of the event. It’s not just networking. It’s making friends. Bonding. Finding vendors who can really solve your problems or provide you with the latest thing that will make your life so much easier.

The photo below features a group of women I’d seen on Zoom, some of whom I had known for years, as part of the Women’s Fiction Writers’ Association. I’d never seen them in public, and was surprised the first day when we all met and had dinner together.

Professional, Informational, and Downright Useful

The conference was professional, something I honestly would not have expected from indie authors. I’ve been through almost ten years of off-hand comments, outright slander, and other nasty comments about the poor quality of Indie authors’ work. Most of the time, it's from traditionally published authors who don’t know any better. (Writers—you need to get your act together and understand what you’re talking about before you say these things.)

Are there folks who write things that I’ll never read? Yes. I’ve learned about extreme fantasy and space sub-genres that include subjects I’ll never read. But they are doing VERY well, so there are readers out there for their work. Just because I don’t read it doesn’t mean someone else won’t. These indie books are just as professional as any book from any publisher.

And the conference was equally professional.

One of my issues was to find either a Print-On-Demand publisher or a standard publisher that warehoused books for direct delivery. They were all there, and I got my questions answered and had follow-up appointments scheduled on the calendar. Some authors provided valuable insights by sharing the pros and cons of each vendor, and many included physical examples, such as the book below.

On the last day of the event was Reader Nation, a room filled with indie authors selling their books. J. R. Barker handed me a free one. (If you’re a thriller writer or reader, you know how great this is.) I think the tables are reasonably priced, and maybe next year I’ll have one for my books since I’ll have three published and several more on pre-order.2

Next year, however, I will rely on the good graces of my friend Wendy to tell me where to go to take a break and have some downtime. Not a writer, she visited just because we hadn’t seen each other in a while, and her focus after stopping by was hiking. This looks much better to me than Las Vegas.

The indie authors are growing. If you’re a reader and you’re ignoring this rapidly increasing group of professional writers, you’re missing out on a lot. And if you’re a writer and are not finding the support you need from the traditional side, think about exploring Author Nation and the numerous other indie organizations out there.

You can expand your horizons. I did. And it was exceptionally worth it.

Interested in what others had to say about Author Nation? Here’s a few Substack links below:

Vance Glostner

Russell Nohelty

Raconteur Press and Raconteur Press

J. Kevin Tumlinson

Melanie Rachel

Pamela Hines

Kristin McTiernan (video)

There are a lot more if you do a more detailed search outside of Substack. Drop the links in the comments if you find something you think is important.