Authors and editors discuss what makes a first line successful at a craft level, breaking down their favorites and sharing their own strategies.

Read more about Crafting the First Line (Sponsored by Plottr)

Authors (parents!) talk about finding time and balance between the needs of family and writing–how to keep motivation, and how to prevent and deal with overwhelm.

Read more about Writing and Parenting: Finding Balance and Time (sponsored by plottr)

Experienced authors and editors discuss how the middle grade and young adult markets shifted due to COVID-19 and how they stay agile as the rules begin to shift.

Read more about How Quarantine Has Changed the Middle Grade and Young Adult Markets (Sponsored by Candlewick press)

Panelists discuss the methods that help them navigate writing through pain and fatigue, and share strategies for writers in similar situations.

Read more about Writing Through Pain and Fatigue (Sponsored by Tj Berry)

Editors discuss how they approach pitching books featuring marginalized identities and non-western inspired worlds in acquisition meetings to marketing and sales teams that might fear they are not “commercial enough.”

Read more about Taking Marginalization to Acquisitions (sponsored by Liminal Fiction)

Experienced freelance editors give insights on how writers and publishing professionals can set up their own businesses in editorial.

Read more about Hanging up Your Shingle: How to Start in Freelance Editorial (Sponsored by podium audio)

Join short fiction writers for a discussion about best practices for assembling and publishing a collection of your own stories.

Read more about Assembling a Short Story Collection (sponsored by Kurth Lampe Worldwide)

Authors and editors discuss why they choose to publish with a small press rather than a “Big 5” house, including the ups and downs.

Read more about Thinking Big, Publishing Small (sponsored by liminal Fiction)

Authors across the publishing spectrum discuss how they interact with, acknowledge, and encourage their readers while maintaining personal boundaries.

Read more about Setting Boundaries (Sponsored by Podium Audio)

Northern Illinois University hosts short exciting talks by STEM experts and the reactions of speculative fiction authors to the research, technology, and artistry that will transform our future.

Read more about Speed Date a Scientist (Sponsored by tor)