It is my pleasure to announce the first-ever in-person Novel Marketing Conference! 

The Novel Marketing Conference will be held in Austin, Texas, on January 26th and 27th, 2024, and will be unlike any other writers event you’ve attended. 

How is it different, and why are you hosting a conference?

I see a couple of recurring problems for authors that the Novel Marketing Conference can solve.

First, podcasts are a great way to communicate knowledge, but the more you learn without putting that knowledge into practice, the more overwhelmed you become. Knowledge alone is not enough and can be overwhelming.

Second, success in this business has a lot to do with who you know. 

Nowadays, we have more access to more knowledge than ever before but fewer opportunities to connect with people in real life. 

I know you’ve been wanting to connect with other Novel Marketing listeners. You’ve arranged meetups of Novel Marketing listeners at various conferences and writers events. Sadly, I’ve missed those meetups because I don’t travel to other cities for conferences at this stage in my family life. 

Although our online AuthorMedia.social community is very cool, there is something special about connecting in real life. I would love to meet you in person!

One advantage of in-person conferences over virtual summits is that in-person events help you make real-life author friends. The biggest thing holding most authors back in 2023 is a lack of real-life connections. 

I don’t know a single bestselling author who became successful without first developing a friend group of authors. Novel Marketing listeners take their writing seriously and are exactly the kind of authors you want to connect with. 

Why host the Novel Marketing Conference in January?

Flights and Hotels are Cheaper in January 

You can find nice hotel rooms for $99 in Austin in January. Flights are also easy to book and inexpensive compared to December or April. 

Balmy Winter Temps

Austin, Texas is in a sub-tropical zone and often has amazing January weather. Our default January weather is 60 °F and sunny. That’s roughly 16 °C for those of you across the pond. 

Fresh Start 

January is a great month for planning your year. Our goal is for everyone to leave the conference with a plan of action to make 2024 your best year ever for book sales. 

Fewer Options for Writers in January

Many writers conferences are held in the spring and summer. In January, fewer writers conferences are competing for writers’ attention.

What is the 2024 Novel Marketing Conference? 

The Novel Marketing Conference will be a unique, hands-on experience where you’ll learn by doing as much as you will from listening to speakers on the stage. 

This interactive conference will not be recorded, and it will not be like listening to an in-person Novel Marketing Episode. The sessions will not be a series of recorded lectures you can listen to later. Sessions will be packed with fun, interactive elements. You won’t want to miss a minute!

You’ll be working on your marketing right there at the conference. While you work, you’ll get coaching and support from me, the other instructors, mastermind coaches, and your fellow authors. You will leave the 2024 Novel Marketing Conference with a written plan to make 2024 your best year ever as an author.

What are the session topics? 

You will learn:

• How to spend less time on marketing. We will talk about productivity and how to avoid time-wasting superstitions. 
• How to create an irresistible brand. I am excited about the interactive elements of this session.
• How to quickly get more email newsletter subscribers, featuring a guest speaker.
• How to confidently ace TV, radio, and podcast interviews. Trust me, live TV is not where you want to learn lessons the hard way. 
• How to advertise your book on Amazon, Facebook, and others. 
• How to present your book in a way that makes readers want to buy it now and start reading it right away.  

And so much more…

Many people get overwhelmed with marketing because they do what doesn’t need to be done at all or what doesn’t need to be done now. 

If you know what to work on next, marketing suddenly becomes easier because you have one task to work on next.

I will be presenting most, but not all, of the sessions. Stay tuned because I’ll announce our guest speakers in the next few weeks. 

Secret Sauce of the Novel Marketing Conference

Our secret sauce will be the ongoing interaction between you and other authors. You will be part of a writer’s group of seven authors who are similar to you. I will personally assemble the writers group to try to make the best matches possible. You can also request to be in a friend’s group if you want.  

During the hands-on breakout sessions, you will work with your writers group to help one another hone your pitches, brands, and promotions. I’ve never seen a writers conference use this group-based approach before, and I’m excited about it. 

Don’t worry, if you’re extroverted and want to meet everyone, you’ll have many chances, but even if you’re shy, I’m hoping you will leave the conference with seven new author friends. 

The small group-based model is inspired by my time in Boy Scouts. Boy Scout troops are broken into patrols, which make a big troop feel smaller and give the boys more opportunities to practice leadership.

Some universities have similar small groups during welcome week. 

How many tickets are available?

We are trying out many new things at this event, so I want to keep things small. We’re limiting registration to just 160 authors. For some comparison, Novel Marketing has twice that number of patrons. There’s a good chance tickets will sell out. So, grab your ticket now before it is too late! 

Purchase your ticket today.

If any tickets are left, we’ll sell them at NovelMarketingConference.com (coming soon!) without a discount.

Two Kinds of Tickets: Early-Bird Pricing!

There are two kinds of tickets for the 2024 Novel Marketing Conference.

$399 Ticket (early-bird price)

Includes:

• Admission to the 2024 Novel Marketing Conference 
• 2 Breakfasts 
• 2 Lunches

$799 Ticket + Pre-Conference Website Workshop (early-bird price)

Includes:

• Admission to the 2024 Novel Marketing Conference 
• 2 Breakfasts 
• 3 Lunches
• Admission to the Pre-Conference Website Workshop

Where is the Novel Marketing Conference held?

The Novel Marketing Conference will be held at the Fickett Center, a conference center owned by the Boy Scouts of America, but it’s no cabin in the woods. The Fickett Center is a fancy conference venue on Interstate Highway 35 and is covered in solar panels. It’s within walking distance of half a dozen hotels and within a short drive of hundreds of others, most of which will offer deals in January. 

The Novel Marketing Conference will be a big room conference where you will be seated at tables so you can write. You can bring a laptop, but you may need to provide your own power since we will have limited outlets.

What’s the Pre-Conference Website Workshop?

If you want help with your website, bring your laptop to this hands-on event. Work on your website while my team and I answer your questions and offer advice. 

I’ll also talk about search engine optimization and how to make your WordPress website more appealing to readers. But most of the time, it will be hands-on, interactive website building and improvement.

If you need to update your website, this workshop will be the perfect time to make that happen. To reach tech support, you’ll only need to raise your hand.

If you don’t have a website, we will walk you through building your first-ever website. You can start building your website now with the help of our free course on building websites. But wherever you are in the website building and improvement process, we will help you take the next step. 

Requirements

Authors who already have a WordPress website or want to build a WordPress website with our help will get the most out of this pre-conference workshop. If your website is on Wix, Squarespace, or Weebly, this pre-conference workshop won’t be as helpful. 

The pre-conference workshop is limited to just 30 people. Reserve your spot now by purchasing a conference ticket with the Pre-Conference Website Workshop.

Who is the conference for? 

The Novel Marketing won’t be for everyone. To get the most out of this event, you must already have a book for sale on Amazon or plan to launch your first book in 2024. 

This conference won’t replace a traditional writers conference. To learn how to write a book or get published, I recommend attending the Write to Publish Conference in Wheaton, Illinois. 

Why are you using Kickstarter for the Novel Marketing Conference?

Launching an in-person conference is a big financial risk. The speakers, venue, food, and staff cost tens of thousands of dollars. Since my work at Author Media is how I provide for my family, I can’t afford to lose money on the conference. 

Kickstarter allows us to test the waters and see if authors are interested in attending the conference. If the Kickstarter campaign fails to fund, no one will be charged for the tickets, and the conference won’t happen. As of this recording, the Kickstarter campaign is 16% funded. 

If it is 100% funded by Friday, October 6, 2023, I will see you in January!!

Kickstarter also has great transparency. Progress is very public, so you can see how many tickets are left. 

Writer’s Digest has repeatedly featured our website, AuthorMedia.com, as one of the most helpful websites for authors. But a great website is not enough. There’s something special about connecting in real life. When you take a break from screens, you can think clearly, and that can transform your book sales. 

So, sign up for the 2024 Novel Marketing Conference before tickets sell out. 

Is there anything special for Novel Marketing patrons?

Yes!

Thursday night, January 25th, the evening before the conference starts, I’ll host a patron-appreciation ice cream social. The ice cream social is for all patrons. That means you can come to the ice cream social even if you can’t attend the conference. If you are a patron in the Austin area, please join us! The ice cream social will be free for patrons, but you must be a Novel Marketing patron to attend. 

Check out our Kickstarter Campaign or purchase your ticket here.

Featured Patrons

Special thanks to our new patrons who joined in August. 

New August Patrons:

• Karen Brown
• Jaccii B 
• Andrew Lazar