Ready to connect with literary agents, editors and other writers at a writers conference?
If you’re tired of learning about interesting opportunities just a little too late, bookmark this list of annual writers conferences for future planning, so you can join in on the mingling, learning and inspiration in years to come!
General interest
1. Writer’s Digest Conference
When: Annually in August
Where: New York City
The Writer’s Digest editors bring you this annual conference with resources for craft, career and creative inspiration. More than 50 agents and editors participate in the infamous Pitch Slam, and dozens of industry experts lead educational sessions.
2. San Francisco Writers Conference
When: Annually in February
Where: San Francisco, CA
Held annually in February, this conference is a “celebration of craft, commerce and community.” Connect with industry experts, bestselling authors, agents, editors and leaders in both self-publishing and traditional publishing.
3. San Francisco Writing for Change Conference
When: Annually in September
Where: San Francisco, CA
This annual one-day conference asks nonfiction writers, “Can your book change the world?” The conference brings together writers and industry experts to teach nonfiction writers about writing, publishing, marketing and technology.
4. Northern Colorado Writers Conference
When: Annually in Spring
Where: Fort Collins, CO
The Northern Colorado Writers group provides support and encouragement to writers of all genres and levels through this annual conference, as well as through monthly meetings, classes and other networking and social events.
The event is limited to 130 attendees, so you want to snag your registration fast!
5. Association of Writers and Writing Programs
When: Annually in Spring
Where: Various North American cities
Each year, the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) hosts the Annual Conference & Bookfair in a different city. The event celebrates authors, teachers, students, writing programs, literary centers and publishers in the region hosting the conference. With more than 13 thousand writers and readers attending in 2014, AWP is the largest literary conference in North America.
6. Las Vegas Writers Conference
When: Annually in April
Where: Las Vegas, NV
Henderson Writers Group hosts this annual conference for writers. In their own words:
“Our goal is to help aspiring writers who desire to see their works published. In 2003, the group hosted the first of our annual Las Vegas Writer’s Conferences, bringing top agents and publishers from across the country to the Vegas valley.
“Henderson Writers Group is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization. Our mission is to provide a networking and critiquing forum for writers of all skill levels with resources devoted to education and craft development.”
7. Midwest Writers Workshop
When: Annually in July
Where: Muncie, IN
“This is widely regarded as being one of the Midwest’s premiere events,” says Chuck Sambuchino, who spoke at the event in 2012.
The Midwest Writers Workshop gives writers the opportunity improve their craft, mingle with industry experts and successful writers, and network and socialize with peers and colleagues.
8. Writing Day Workshops
When and Where: April, 2017 in Louisville, KY; and July, 2017 in Nashville, TN
Each of these day-long workshops offers a crash course on how to get your book published, with classes and presentations on everything from writing queries to working with an agent to marketing your book.
9. Show Me Writers Masterclass
When: Annually in November
Where: Columbia, MO
Missouri Writers’ Guild and Mizzou Publishing present this conference for writers of all genres. Show Me Writers includes a pitchfest, one-on-one critique sessions, events for teens and roundtable sessions with professional writers.
10. Writer’s Winter Escape Cruise
When: Annually February-March
Where: Departs from Miami, FL for Nassau, Bahamas and Cozumel, Mexico
Join this unique writers’ conference… at sea.
For five nights, writers can enjoy the beauty of the Caribbean Sea, Cozumel, Mexico and Nassau, Bahamas, while networking and learning about the publishing industry.
Genre fiction
11. Romance Writers of America Annual Conference
When: Annually in July
Where: Location varies
Romance writers gather at this annual genre conference to learn more about the business of being an author. Get an opportunity to meet and mingle with budding and successful romance authors, as well as workshops and events to boost your author career.
12. SleuthFest
When: Annually in February
Where: Boca Raton, Florida
SleuthFest is an annual conference for mystery, suspense and thriller writers sponsored by the Florida chapter of Mystery Writers of America.
This conference includes writing and marketing workshops, networking events, and pitch sessions with guest agents and editors. It even includes hands-on forensic workshops!
13. Worldcon and North American Science Fiction Convention
When: Annually
Where: Various locations around the world
The World Science Fiction Convention (“Worldcon”) is an annual gathering of the science fiction and fantasy community, held in a different location around the world each year. When Worldcon is held outside of North America, the corresponding NASFC is held in North America.
This five-day international conference is attended by thousands of writers, artists, fans, editors, publishers, academics, and dealers. The event embraces “science fiction in all the forms in which it appears, including film, TV, art, comics, anime and manga, and gaming.”
14. Killer Nashville
When: Annually in August
Where: Nashville, TN
While attractive to mystery/thriller authors and screenwriters for its unique crime-focused sessions, Killer Nashville welcomes writers of all levels and genres. Conference sessions fall under seven categories: General Writing, Genre-specific Writing, Publishing, Publicity, Screenwriting, Sessions for Fans, and Forensics.
“Imagine hearing a CIA Analyst, an FBI agent on terrorism, Dr Bill Bass on The Body Farm, bestselling CJ Box on how he juggles his writing and plans his days, Heyward Gould on screenplays, and so much more. They even had a crime scene, with awards to those those who studied the clues and figured out the mystery,” mystery author C. Hope Clark reflected on her 2012 Killer Nashville experience.
15. Thrillerfest
When: Annually in July
Where: New York City
“It is the only conference where I really feel at home — and [International Thriller Writers] is truly the tribe I belong to . . . I can sit in the bar talking about ways to murder people and weapons of choice and not feel weird. I can learn from some of the biggest names in the business, whose hours of writing experience number in the many thousands.
“The education program is absolutely the best in the thriller business. I can fangirl like a geek with big name authors who are actually just a load of bookish geeks too. I can have a drink with people I have only previously worshipped from afar. I also feel absolutely accepted as an indie, with no judgement around my business choices . . . I love ITW and I absolutely loved Thrillerfest!” says Joanna Penn (thriller author J.F. Penn) at The Creative Penn.
Blogging
16. BlogHer
When: Annually in Summer
Where: Various U.S. cities
“During keynote speaker presentations some people will snicker under their breath, while others will find themselves crying. Which only goes to demonstrate the subjectivity of the entire business of blogging. You can’t appeal to everyone,” says Janie Emaus in her post Top 10 Things I Learned at Last Year’s BlogHer Conference.
17. BlogU
When: Annually in June
Where: College Park, MD
BlogU is a conference presented by The Blog University for women, moms, bloggers and writers. Speakers are bestselling authors, powerhouse bloggers and strong women across industries.
18. World Domination Summit
When: Annually in July
Where: Portland, OR
“One phrase we always throw around in our meetings is ‘surprise and delight.’ How can we give people something they aren’t expecting, even if it’s really small?
“Things like spending extra money to ensure it’s something people will actually use, having volunteers go around our registration line with sunscreen, or enlisting the help of the unipiper to cruise through the ‘Portland Experience’ with his flaming bagpipes.
“It could also be big things like giving every attendee a $100 bill, like we did in 2012, or this year [2014] when Chris knew where every single person was in the audience and gave away a few special experiences to help attendees fulfill a lifelong dream of theirs,” says Sean Ogle, a WDS organizer, in his post 8 Lessons Learned from Producing an Event for 3K People
19. South by Southwest
When: Annually in March
Where: Austin, TX
South by Southwest has become the country’s premier event for the music, comedy, film and digital technology industries — basically, any creative person or fan! Bloggers should keep an eye on the details for SXSW Interactive, the festival’s “incubator for cutting-edge technologies and digital creativity.”
“What I love about SXSW — it always brings out my spontaneous side. I don’t make any plans until five minutes beforehand, and I love it,” says Jenny Blake in a post on LifeAfterCollege.org, The Number One Tip for SXSW Newbie.
Freelancing
20. American Society of Journalists and Authors Annual Conference
When: Annually in Spring
Where: New York City
More than 150 speakers and 650 attendees join this annual event to “hobnob with agents who are looking for the next bestseller and editors who are eager to buy stories.” Speakers and events cover writing business topics like storytelling, custom content, self-publishing and negotiating.
21. Society for Professional Journalists Spring Conference Series
When: Annually in Spring
Where: Various U.S. cities
These day-long professional development meetings take place across 12 regions throughout the U.S. They draw pros, students and educators for networking and training in topics ranging from writing skills to using new technologies.
22. Society of American Business Editors and Writers
When: Annually in Fall and Spring
Where: Fall in New York City, Spring in Various U.S. cities
Learn about new media for journalists, writing for various industries, managing your freelancing business, and more in this two-day conference for journalists and business writers and editors.
Children’s book writing and illustrating
23. SCBWI Annual Conferences
When: Various dates
Where: Various locations
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators hosts a slew of regional conferences around the world throughout the year, including the Annual Summer Conference in Los Angeles each August, and the Annual Winter Conference in New York each February.
24. WriteOnCon
When: Annually in August
Where: Online, WriteOnCon.org
WriteOnCon is a free, online-only writers’ conference for children’s writers. Publisher’s Weekly describes the features of this unique virtual conference experience:
“Without incurring travel expenses, lining up childcare and battling crowds, more than 11,000 aspiring children’s and young adult authors attended WriteOnCon, a free online writing conference . . . From the comfort of home, they were able to log onto the conference’s Web site and view blogs, vlogs, panel discussions, workshops and live streaming presented by literary agents, editors and published authors.”
Christian writing
25. Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference
When: Annually in May
Where: near Asheville, NC
Held annually at LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center nestled in the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina, The Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference is the premier training and networking event for both seasoned and aspiring writers and speakers.
International (Outside of U.S.)
26. The London Book Fair
When: Annually in Spring
Where: London, UK
In their own words: “The London Book Fair is the global marketplace for rights negotiation and the sale and distribution of content across print, audio, TV, film and digital channels.”
LBF brings together authors, publishers, and readers in the cultural hub of London to explore and understand the rapidly-changing publishing world.
27. Surrey International Writers’ Conference
When: Annually in October
Where: Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
The Surrey International Writers’ Conference is the “most comprehensive conference of its kind in Canada.” Open to writers of all levels and genres, the conference offers an opportunity to show off your work to the international literary marketplace as well as to hone your craft and business skills.
28. The Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival
When: Annually in October
Where: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
In the cultural heart of Vancouver, B.C., on Granville Island, this festival invites authors, poets, spoken word performers, and graphic novelists to celebrate the art of the story. It takes place for six days each October and continues throughout the year through the Incite reading series.
In their own words: “The Vancouver Writers Fest turns reading into a community experience, bringing people together to share thoughts, explore ideas and witness brilliant conversations.”
Indie publishing and self-publishing
29. Indie Author Fringe
When: Annually in March, June and October
Where: Online
This online conference for authors interested in self-publishing runs fringe to the London Book Fair, Book Expo America and Frankfurt Book Fair.
The conference is free and runs 24 sessions — one an hour for 24 hours. You can register to learn how to attend the next conference, and you can attend sessions live or catch up on your own time.
30. Self-Publishing Book Expo
When: Annually in November
Where: New York City
The expo features informational sessions on self-publishing topics ranging from formatting to marketing, along with genre-specific workshops. It’s also a place for authors to show off and sell their books to the public, and for companies to show off their goods and services for authors.
This post originally ran in September 2014. We updated it in December 2016 so it’s more useful and relevant for our readers!
Have you been to any of these writers conferences? Or did we miss your favorite event? Share your advice in the comments!
Thank you so much for including BlogU on your list! We are looking forward to our third year. This year our conference will be held June 10-12 at the University of Maryland. It’s going to be the best one yet! We would love to see you there!
Is there any book conferences, book events, or book cons, around or in Seattle WA, even Spokane would work…
There is the annual Write On The Sound weekend conference in Edmonds, just 10 miles north of Seattle. There is also a year round writers group, EPIC Group Writers. For more info, go to http://www.epicgroupwriters.org.
The Philadelphia Writers Conference, (PWC), is a great conference. It’s a small conference held annually and has workshops in many genres. It’s good for beginners as well as for those with experience.
The Writers Work conference in New York is really unique. It’s limited to 30 guests so everyone gets lots of attention. The fall conference is catered toward people who want to expand their creative ideas and follow through on their dreams. The Spring conference is about making professional connections with agents, editors, and publishers to help you get to the next level. They’re always a lot of fun and very inspiring (and relatively cheap compared to other NYC conferences). http://www.writerswork.org
The LIMCon Chicago event is showing as canceled when I went to their FB page. Nothing scheduled in 2016 and no mention of 2017.
Thanks for the heads up, Mark! We’ll get that taken care of on the post 🙂
Jessica
Editor, The Write Life
Ah, why are they all based in the US? I suppose I can still attend the online ones from my humble Asian home haha!
– Charmaine
http://charmainenyw.com
Great point, Charmaine! We’ll add that idea to our list to create a post for international conference opportunities.
Jessica
Editor, The Write Life
Hello Dana.
Thanks for this helpful reminder. I will be moving over to Bahamas soon next year. Then I will begin to attend some of these conferences. I love connecting with fellow authors so that we can collaborate to get few works done.
I’m the kind of person who doesn’t miss seminars and conferences organized for my niche. And ever since I started attending some of these conferences, my value keeps increasing.
Authors and freelance writers who don’t attend conferences are missing a whole lot in this industry.
Emenike Emmanuel
Fantastic resource!
Another top-notch international writers conference is held every February in San Miguel de Allende in central Mexico. I attended some of the sessions last year while spending a few weeks in the city.
https://sanmiguelwritersconference.org/
Here’s a GREAT ONE FOR INDIES 😀 (and trads too!) UTOPiA Con in June 2017 in Nashville. This will be the 6th year. All Genres are welcome aside from erotica, there are lots of helpful panels, fun activities, an award’s ball, etc. Can go as a writer, exhibitor, and/or a reader (all levels of tickets avail.).
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/utopia-2017-book-lovers-convention-for-writers-and-fans-tickets-26100588563?aff=utopiaaffiliate2017&afu=91548884479
My favourite writer’s conference is Write Canada 🇨🇦 put on by The Word Guild (Canadian Christian Writer’s Guild). It’s always been in June.
The writer’s conferences are a great idea, as Zimbabwean currently living in the UK would have problems to attend some which will help me to develop my writing ambition. Applying for a visa to enter the USA I wonder if some of the conferences could be held in the U. K. which would make people like me to attend.
Since we’re plugging other conferences, I’d like to add Write on the Sound in Edmonds, WA, held the first weekend in October. I am the conference coordinator. There are several conferences in Washington (state), Oregon and California worth mentioning, as well!
I went to my first Imaginarium conference in Louisville, Ky. this past October. It focuses on sci-fi, fantasy and horror but also had sessions for other genre writers as well. Inexpensive but packed with informative panels and authors.
The James River Writers Conference (www.jamesriverwriters.org) in Richmond, VA, is celebrating its 15th year in 2017 (October 14-15, 2017). Since 2003, the James River Writers Conference has attracted prize-winning authors and highly regarded editors and agents from around the country to share their wisdom about writing and publishing. More than 300 people attend this multi-day event, known for its inspiring, collegial atmosphere and Southern hospitality. It’s a wonderful opportunity to connect with other writers, authors, and agents and push your writing to new heights.
Find inspiration at the West Texas Writers’ Academy. Inspiration to perfect a story that needs to be told. Inspiration to never give up on a publishing dream. Inspiration to build a brand for yourself. Inspiration that you are not alone in your writing journey.
Renowned authors and experts in the field serve as teachers and mentors to guide authors to their goal, whether it’s perfecting technique, writing the best query letter, or marketing a self-published book.
Small class sizes create an interactive and personal learning environment, and the all-inclusive University campus experience tucks participants away from the world to create the most intensive, writing-focused week of their lives. Participants leave the Academy with the means to accomplish their goal, a supportive group of cheerleaders and a tribe with whom they belong.
West Texas Writer’s Academy 2017
ThrillerFest in New York is really fun and unique. The summer conference is designed towards individuals who want to expand their creative ideas by learning from the professionals themselves. It’s a great opportunity to network and grow professional connections with agents, editors, and publishers to help you. This includes PitchFest where you could find an agent to help get your book published. It’s also a great event for readers! You’re able to meet some of your favorite authors! I would really recommend this conference. Registration is open for the July 2017 Conference! http://thrillerwriters.org/thrillerfest-xii-register-today/
Here’s another coming up in March 2017 in Guntersville, Alabama!
http://www.mountainvalleywriters.com/conference/
A great conference for business writers who want to learn how to use their book as a platform for their business is through Jack and Patti Phillips with The Business Writers Exchange http://www.business-writers-exchange.com/ Their event is in Birmingham, AL on April 19-21 2017.
Here’s one of my favorites: Writers Who Run Retreat in North Carolina. It’s a destination writing getaway that includes a 10k trail race. http://www.writerswhorunretreat.com and http://www.writerswhorun.com
The Dallas-Fort Worth Writers Conference, or DFWCon, is May 6-7, 2017 in downtown Dallas. It’s the 10th year. It will have more than 65 writing classes, panels and workshops and more than a dozen literary agents in attendance. http://www.dfwcon.org
The Writing Intensive at St. John’s College is Saturday, June 3, 2017 in Annapolis. It is a fun, inspiring, and instructive day where writers of all levels have the opportunity to meet and share the experience with kindred spirits. There will be seven impressive presenters (including nationally acclaimed novelists, a media branding expert, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist). The event includes breakfast, lunch, afternoon coffee, and a wine reception so there is ample time for networking. For specific details about workshops:
https://www.sjc.edu/annapolis/programs/fine-arts/spring-writing-intensive