On October 14-15, in Indianapolis, ASI hosted their first Indie Author Conference, which will presumably become an annual event. I think it was a smart, strategic move to bring this virtual, online community together in the "real world." Although the conference was not free, the two day schedule was filled with useful events and opportunities that could be considered worth the expense for the right attendee. From what I could gather, a new author that was fairly unfamiliar with the publishing industry in general would be an ideal attendee.The conference aimed to give aspiring authors the chance to network with publishing professionals and other authors as well as explore and learn about the world of publishing. I think ASI was successful in presenting a program that did not appear to be specifically aimed at gaining new clients for themselves or just promoting the glories of self-publishing.
Every attendee could choose to participate in 5 (out of a list of 18) seminars covering a variety of topics ranging from cover design to marketing tips. Most of these seminar subjects would be useful whether an author chose to self-publish or pursue a more traditional route. ASI also had two keynote speakers, the Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers, Michael Hyatt (Thomas Nelson and ASI partnered in 2009 to launch Westbow Press, which is a Christian self-publishing imprint) and Lisa Genova, a best-selling self-publishing author. It appeared to be a well thought out program and an event that would only gain credibility each year if promoted and executed well.
ASI did a fair amount of promoting the event beforehand through their webpage and especially on Facebook. The event had its own Facebook page and several times in the past month ASI created posts on their Facebook page with different details and enticements for the conference. I am interested to see if any information is posted about attendance, any subsequent news or if any online discussions happen on these pages now that the event has passed. I am slightly disappointed that the ASI webpage only has a basic "thank you for attending" note and one link to an article from an Indiana Star writer (despite the way ASI positioned it, the article is not really coverage of the event.) I hope in a little more time ASI (or others) will have more to say specifically about the event and possibly things that come about as a result of this event.
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