Writers' Institute: Another Great Conference

The Writers’ Institute conference was a blast this past weekend. It always takes a couple of days to recover from having my brain filled with so much great information.  The conference was also awesome for catching up with other writers and forging new friendships and professional connections.

Particularly helpful to me were the sessions on Independent Publishing – a topic often ignored at other conferences where acknowledging this increasingly successful trend appears to be taboo.  Indie publication authors were also given the chance to be part of a book signing and sales event and not relegated to second-class status.  Indeed, many of these titles are out-selling traditionally published books.

Kimberli Bindschatel (below with her book at the sales/signing event) presented two seminars full of helpful information for those considering this route to publication. She has indie published her young adult novel, The Path to the Sun. 

Nathan Bransford, author of the popular Jacob Wonderbar middle-grade series, How to Write a Novel writing guide, and a helpful blog on writing, presented a number of informative sessions in his friendly, down-to-earth manner.

Another favorite of mine was Michael Perry, Wisconsin native and bestselling author of Population 485 and Truck: A Love Story. I read his column every Sunday in the Wisconsin State Journal, so I knew I was going to enjoy his take on “Writing in the Heartland.” But I had no idea how gut-busting funny this guy could be. I’m sure I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time.  Check out his weekly column or his website (sneezingcow.com) for some amusement of your own.