Inkers Con
What is it? Nope, not a Tattoo Convention.
I've been hearing about this Inkers Con for a couple of years. I decided to put the money out this year and attend the online version. I was afraid maybe I was a bit burnt out from all the other classes I'd been doing to get much out of it. Thank goodness I was wrong. The official dates of the online conference were July 22 - August 10, 2023. The in-person attendance dates were June 9-11, 2023.
Their marketing says:
"Inkers Con brings together best-selling authors and writing experts who share their knowledge and expertise. You'll learn valuable techniques, tips, and strategies that can significantly enhance your author's career."
The Pros of this online conference:
No hotel transportation or extraneous costs
The online conference is way cheaper than the in-person cost, only $249.00. If you purchased a ticket right now for next year’s in-person conference the cost is $649.00
$50.00 coupons available brought the price down further
Inkers con were able to bill my credit card in two installments
Most sessions were pre-recorded, so even though they offered a calendar to follow with suggested viewing days and times, you could watch the sessions whenever you chose to. This was a definite advantage when you had other obligations or could only take in so much information at one time. The fact that these sessions were pre-recorded and each session had transcripts that you could print out made everything easy for authors who are over-scheduled and trying to do too much (this covers everyone I know)
There was a good mix of craft, marketing, and personal care sessions
The presenters were tops in their fields
The presenter authors included writers of every genre
You could gorge on content or not. I watched or read the transcripts from many of these as my husband drove to our vacation destination
The conference ran over three weeks, and it wasn't even over when it was over. I am still accessing some of the content I missed. According to their website you have six years to access the content
They also offer a generous refund policy:
“We believe so strongly that you’ll learn and see an increase in your sales based on these classes that we’re proud to offer a 100% money-back “no questions asked” guarantee for 30 days after your purchase. If you don’t feel like you’ve learned something new that will expand your business and increase sales - just reach out to Terezia at terezia@inkerscon.com and we will refund you right away. There is no risk to try the conference out.”
Needless to say I didn’t ask for my money back
There were also live events with question and answer sessions, too, if you chose to attend, and even if you didn't, you could watch them later
There were writing sprints if you enjoy those
There were events to hang out with your peers if you enjoyed the social aspect
There were transcripts for all the presentations, so you didn't have to take notes. Thank you a thousand times for this; it allowed me to immerse myself and listen without taking notes. The presenters also downloaded their slides and/or other notes. For once, I could sit there, soak it all in, and then highlight the necessary parts
There was a good mix of sessions for those at different levels on their publishing journey. If you were just starting out you wouldn’t feel overwhelmed. At the same time, there's plenty for someone more experienced, looking for ideas to promote their backlists or thin down their mailing list
The Con's:
I wish I could have added my schedule to my Apple calendar instead of using Google
I know it's a lame complaint, especially when it's the only one I have.
In conclusion, I enjoyed the conference, and I can't wait to share what I learned with you in the coming weeks when I cover my top five presentations each week:
1. Elements of Click-worthy Cover Designs, Rebekah Haskell
2. Worldbuilding for any Genre, Leslye Penelope
3. Focus on Story Issues, Jen Graybeal
4. Stealing Secrets from Screenwriting: How to Make Your Books Bingeworthy, Inez Johnson
5. Creating a Thriving Email List with Automation with Holly Darling
For those excited enough to sign up for next years event. If you sign up now, it’s only a $199.00. The online event starts July 19, 2024.
If you joined from Facebook, thank you for subscribing. Now that it's back to school time, it's back to writing, and for those newbies out there…you've got to start somewhere. We all did. Just get something down, and you can worry about it later. We call it a first draft. You can come back to it later and edit and edit and edit some more. Ha!
It’s good to be back. Have a great week, and let’s get some writing done!