Convention Recap: Atlanta Self Publishing Conference 2024

This past weekend I had the awesome opportunity of getting to present at the Atlanta Self Publishing Conference! This is my second year presenting there, and it was just as much fun this go round as last! So lets dish!

This one day event is put on by the Atlanta Writers Club each year, bringing together a swathe of super qualified experts, which they promptly muck up by letting me speak. Last year I gave a presentation on "Earnings Beyond Royalties! - How to Diversify Your Revenue as a Creative!" (you can watch a video of me presenting this on my own time HERE). This year, based on questions from last time, I spoke on "What Authors Need To Know About AI."

The day started early, with the GPS taking me to the wrong side of campus, and then my map reading took me to the back of the building, but I eventually made it inside! Like the rebel (idiot) that I am, I was the only person who came in through the back door. But that hurdle crossed, I helped set up really quick, then threw up my table. The presenters got to set up on the entry hallway, so I got literally every bit of possible foot traffic, which was great. I got to talk at length with a number of folks (like the gentleman pictured below), and was asked all sorts of really great questions. I also got a bunch of newsletter signups, which was nice.

Then it came time to present. My talk ran for about an hour. As it was my first time giving it, I was a little nervous. Had I made it long enough? Too long? It ended up being just right on length thankfully. It took a little bit, but I eventually got the crowd warmed up enough that they laughed at my terrible jokes/puns. Self-deprecating humor abounded. Then I got to answer a broad array of questions about AI. There were tons of really great questions.

Afterwards I had a number of folks come up to me and either tell me the enjoyed my talk, or to ask follow up questions. One kind woman even came up and bought some of my books, telling me that she doesn't read my genre but she wanted to thank me for what she learned from me. Which, damn. That felt really, really good, I'm not gonna lie.

Another huge perk for me was getting to hang out with the other presenters and AWC team during the other presentations. I got to see George and Kim which is always fun. And Michelle Thompkins was running around like a madwoman handling everything, but I got to hang with her off and on, and also got to meet her husband for the first time. Tenesha (who ran things last year) was back again, she's always a delight to be around. Brittany Dowdle & Linda Ruggeri are a team of editors who were a blast to hang out with, they were the table next to mine. And then I got to spend time talking with Milton J. Davis. I've been at a number of the same events as Milton (including Jordancon just the week before), but this was my first time getting to talk with him. Damn...I feel like he's forgotten more than I will ever know about writing and selling books.

On the money side of things (because I know that's what everyone wants to know), I ended up making 395 between my appearance fee (250) and book sales (145). I'd have done it for free, but I'm not going to lie...money is nice.

So yeah, all in all it was a fantastic day in Atlanta (even if 285 remains my nemesis)!