Are you attending the Nonfiction Writer’s Conference? If not, let me ask:

How long have you been wanting to write a book? Months, years, decades?

I’ve met people who’ve had book ideas for twenty years. The ideas were small, burning fires within them, but they hadn’t taken the time to kindle the fires.

They put off writing their books because there wasn’t enough time. Or they weren’t confident in their ideas. Or they thought they weren’t “good enough” writers to become authors. Or they thought someone else (ahem, big publishers) needed to validate their book ideas before they were worthy of being written.

Well, let me just say:

• You’ll never have enough time—you need to make time. If it’s important to you, you’ll make it happen.
• Your idea is awesome—or there’s another idea inside you that has the potential to be awesome—and you don’t need a big publisher to validate that for you. (It is, however, wise to have a professional help you in the early stages of writing your book.)
• If you’re not the best writer in the world, no worries—that’s what editors are for!
• YOU ARE SMART, YOU ARE KIND, YOU ARE IMPORTANT. (One of my favorite quotes of all time, and so applicable here.)

Probably the biggest challenge aspiring authors face is where to start. That’s why I’m so excited to be part of the Nonfiction Writers Conference, taking place this May 3–5, 2017. The best part? It’s completely virtual. Attendees participate via phone or Skype, with 15 speakers over three days.

Learn more and register here.

It’s not just for new authors, though. There is so much valuable information in this conference. You get to spent three days listening to top industry leaders from the comfort of your own home. Win!

If you haven’t already stopped reading this post because you clicked over to register, let me introduce you to this year’s speakers:

NY Times Bestselling Author – Surprise Keynote (we’re keeping it a mystery, but trust us, you’ll love this session!)

Brooke Warner – Self Publishing 101

Kathryn Miller Goldman – Intellectual Property and Other Legal Concerns for Writers

Jeff Kleinman – Land that Book Deal: A Literary Agent’s Perspective

Stacy Ennis (that’s me!) – Finish that Book! Writing Routines, Goal-Setting and Planning Your Next Book

Corey Perlman – Creating Consumable Content for Social Media

Michael Port – Heroic Speaking: How to Give the Best Presentations of Your Life

Liz Bedor – Building Blocks of Content Strategy for Authors

Stephanie Barko – Book Publicity in the Digital Age

Richard Rieman – How to Produce Audio Books

Stephanie Chandler – The Profitable Influencer: Revenue Streams for Authors

Suzannah Baum – Public Speaking: How to Leave Your Audience Wanting More

Dave Chesson – Mastering Amazon Kindle Book Sales Strategies

Phil Frost – Advertising with Facebook and Google

Sue B. Zimmerman – Instagram for Authors

I’m confident this will be worth the investment (and I’m extremely careful about what and who I endorse). You can join me by registering here. You’ll see all sorts of happy registration bonuses on that page, too, like a “Self-Publishing Checklist” and “Sample Query Letters that Worked.”

I hope to see you there!

P. S. To prep for the conference, I highly recommend downloading and completing this free workbook: 4 Steps to a Great Book Idea: Create or Clarify the Topic of Your Next Book.