Author Events to Empower Your Writing and Publishing Goals

Photo Courtesy of Alisa O’Donnell

If you've ever considered writing a book, you know that it's pretty common for the initial idea to be an explosion of passion and excitement. But when you sit down to do the work, it turns out to be much harder than you expected. Sustainable writing practices, plotting, character and world building, and editing are just a few pieces of the process that can quickly become draining. It's not uncommon to have various projects collecting dust (digital or physical) because you got burned out trying to make it work.

When you actually complete a manuscript, you get a momentary high until you remember that you've only just begun the process of creating a book. Although a book is a book, whether it's written just for you or it becomes a bestseller, if you choose to pursue publication, the actual writing process is only one piece of the bigger project.

No one can write your story for you. But you can enlist help from others to keep your motivation and excitement going through the writing process and beyond. And one of the easiest ways to do that is to find an author event that excites you and focuses on the part of the process you're working on right now.

Author events are prolific across the Internet. Whether you need something to help you power-write your manuscript, something to get you in the habit of writing regularly, help perfecting your pitch, or help fine-tuning your query letter, the World Wide Web has an event for you. And while we can't provide an exhaustive list, we'll highlight some that we find interesting to get you started on your quest.

Writing Challenge Events

Naturally, the first step in writing a book is the actual writing. It may be surprising to you that many famous and bestselling authors also struggle with the writing process. Being gifted with words and imagination doesn't always translate into easy, breezy drafting. Whatever challenges bog you down (perfectionism, plot holes, the war between wanting to write and wanting to do literally anything else), writing challenge events can help you find your creative heart again. So here are just a few options you can consider.

NaNoWriMo

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) takes place every November. The goal is to throw caution (and perfection) to the wind and write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. People from all walks of life and all geographic locations gather on the Internet, and in-person sometimes, to support one another and enjoy the process of writing a story.

NaNoWriMo breaks the process down for you: if you write 1,667 words every day for the month of November, you'll complete your manuscript on November 30th. This can seem like a breeze or a gauntlet, depending on the day. However, the community they have built since getting started in 1999 is invaluable to writers. Whether you're perusing the forums to connect with other writers or find motivation, or you're reading the weekly pep talks crafted by published authors, the wonderful people behind NaNoWriMo do their utmost to help you find success within yourself.

As a side-note, you may be surprised to learn that some very well-known authors and books got started during NaNoWriMo, including Sara Gruen, Erin Morgenstern, Marissa Meyer, and Rainbow Rowell.

Writer Ciara Bowen first heard about NaNoWriMo during college.

“I decided to give it a shot the next year because it sounded like a fun challenge,” she said.

One thing she quickly learned is that deadlines and framework helped her actually get writing done.

“Writing is a lot harder than people like to think, and I think it's largely because when we give ourselves unlimited time to do something, we don't have any pressure to get it done,” she said.

Bowen found that she works better with the framework of NaNoWriMo, so she tries to act like she is participating every month, setting herself goals and targets to meet.

And whether the goals get met inside or outside of NaNoWriMo, the progress itself is rewarding, she said. “You've got words, and those are words you didn't have before,” Bowen said.

Camp NaNoWriMo

If November is a no-go for you, but you're interested in the style of NaNoWriMo, the nonprofit offers Camp NaNoWriMo every April and July. Camp is a more laid-back version where you set your own writing goal and pursue it throughout the month. Although the website only officially tracks word count goals, the folks have made a handy conversion chart if you're trying to hit a certain page count or challenge yourself to write a certain amount of time each day.

Though not as big as NaNoWriMo, Camp does still have the community and pep talks to provide you with extra motivation when you need it.

FFxiv Write

FFxiv Write is a daily writing challenge that encourages participants to break free from perfectionism and embrace the joy of writing. The moderator posts a writing prompt each day in September and participants have 24 hours to write a piece of any length and submit it to be entered into the prize raffle.

Elizabeth Ballinger came across another author's collection of FFxiv writings and decided it would be fun to try when the challenge next opened up. She jointed a community for Final Fantasy xiv fanfic writers and readers who were getting ready for the challenge.

“I couldn't ignore that I wanted to do it, too,” she said.

The challenge was more attractive to Ballinger because instead of a daily word count to hit, FFxiv Write participants can explore the prompt (usually a single word or a short phrase) and write whatever comes to mind, she said.

One goal of the challenge is to help writers break free from the pressures of perfection. By establishing a 24-hour deadline to be entered for the raffle, the challenge's creator pushes writers to turn in something, even if they feel it isn't perfect.

“The hardest time I had posting a fill was day one,” Ballinger said. “The second day and every day after was easier and easier, until day 30 came around I didn't even hesitate.”

The challenge helped Ballinger break the habit of making up excuses for not writing, she said. She is more consistent now in showing up to her writing each day.

If Final Fantasy xiv isn't your thing, the prompts posted during the challenge are easily modified to fit any other writing genre or fandom, Ballinger said.

Pitch Parties

Pitch parties, primarily hosted on Twitter, have boomed in recent years. The idea behind them is that editors and agents of a given genre will peruse the hashtags and express interest in the pitch(es) that catch their attention. There's no guarantee that your pitch will be chosen or that you'll land an agent or editor, but it's a chance to work on your pitch and potentially make some connections.

You can find a pitch party to fit nearly any genre and/or age group, however you'll want to make sure that the event you're interested in is still running. Unfortunately several of the events have shut down over the last couple years. As of publication, the events mentioned below have confirmed that they plan to do events in 2023. If exact dates have not been announced yet, we've done our best to include that.

Diversity Parties

The pitch parties listed below are what we'll call diversity parties, events designed to help boost historically underrepresented creators' work. For these events, creators who self-identify with the specified group are encouraged to pitch their work. Note: for most of these parties, works do not have to address or focus on minority/underrepresented status. These events really are just to help diversify the pool of creators.

APIPit

Held during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month each May, APIPit invites authors and illustrators who self-identify as Asian and/or Pacific Islander to pitch their manuscripts on the specified day in May. This heritage includes all of Asia, and the Pacific islands comprising Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. The exact date for 2023 has not been announced yet.

DVPit

This event is hosted in partnership with DiverseVoices Inc, and was created to showcase pitches by unagented, marginalized authors. The event has expanded to also include pitch showcases for artists and illustrators.

Among the diverse voices they seek are, BIPOC creators, creators with a disability (including mental illness and neurodivergency), LGBTQIA+ creators, and creators on the marginalized ends of religious, cultural, or geographic spectra. Event organizers leave it up to the creator to determine if he or she is eligible. The exact dates for 2023 have not been announced yet, though it usually takes place in August.

LatinxPitch

This event focuses on helping self-identified Latin-American authors and illustrators increase representation in the industry, specifically in kidlit. Authors and/or illustrators who create anything from board books to young adult novels are encouraged to participate in this annual event. The date for 2023 has not been announced yet, though it usually takes place in September.

PitBLK

This event invites Black authors of all genres to pitch their work and, hopefully, get noticed by industry professionals. The inaugural event took place in September 2022. The event will be held over two days in 2023, June 14 and 15.

PitchDis

This party is open to all authors self-identifying as disabled, neurodivergent, and/or chronically ill. Unagented authors can pitch their finished and polished manuscripts and try to connect with agents and editors. The 2023 event will be held June 22.

SWANAPit

This event invites Southwestern Asian and North African authors to pitch their manuscripts during the one-day event. All ages and genres are welcome in this event. The next pitch event will take place in the fall of 2023, exact dates to be announced later.

Genre Parties

Some pitch events, like those listed below, are geared toward specific genres or styles of book. Authors (and illustrators where allowed) should pitch completed works that either fit the genre (romance, sci-fi, etc.,) or the style of book (picture book, children's lit, etc.).

KidLitGN

This annual event is held every October and invites authors and illustrators of graphic novels for kids (middle grade and lower) to pitch their manuscripts. Exact dates for 2023 have not been announced.

PBPit

This picture book pitching event is hosted three times a year, in February, June, and October. Unagented authors are encouraged to pitch their children's picture books during this one-day event. The next round of PBPit is June 15, 2023.

PitDark

This event is held twice a year, each May and October, and aims to highlight manuscripts with darker stories. This can be anything from horror to murder mysteries, dark fantasy to dark nonfiction. The exact dates of the 2023 events have not been announced yet.

PitLight

Unlike other events geared toward matching with industry professionals, PitLight is an author-driven event that focuses on spreading positivity and encouragement within the writing community as a whole. The 2023 line up of events includes April 8 for adult works, August 5 for kid and teen works, and December 9 for marginalized voices. Participants can share their works-in-progress via traditional pitches, mood boards, art, or any other medium that suits them. Other authors are invited and encouraged to interact with the tweets and help encourage them to keep going.

SFFPit

This twice-yearly event focuses on science fiction and fantasy manuscripts. Dates for the 2023 events have not been listed yet.

SmoochPit

The creators of SmoochPit offer two events each year: an annual pitch party on Twitter that focuses on romance manuscripts (with a primary focus/emphasis on authors of color) and an annual mentor program where chosen authors and their manuscripts are paired with a mentor to help prepare and walk through the querying process. Their pitch party will be held in June 2023 and the mentor program will be in September 2023, exact dates to be announced.

WMPit

WriteMentor's event invites authors of children's and YA fiction to participate in the event and possibly catch the interest of an agent and/or editor. No date for 2023 has been announced yet, but the event is usually held in April.

Query Contests

In the pitch party events listed above, authors participate through Twitter, adhering to the character count of Tweets, which essentially mirror what a pitch should be—short and sweet, enough to intrigue and leave a person wanting more.

The query contests we'll discuss below may use Twitter for participation, but authors submit their materials through the event's website because the hosts and editors want a full query letter—a business letter or email that includes a pitch but also an introduction and short author bio that outlines why this author is right for writing this book.

As an author, you might find that both these kinds of events are helpful in getting you some feedback and building a network among other authors and writing professionals.

Pass or Pages Query Contest

Pass or Pages is a contest where writers submit a polished query letter and first page for a chance to get feedback from agents on why they would pass on the query or request pages. The contest holds three rounds each year, with a specific genre for each round. Rounds usually begin in the spring, summer, and fall. Dates for 2023 have not been announced yet.

This contest is ideal for writers who are getting ready to send query letters or who have started the process but aren't getting the responses they want. It's a chance to get feedback from professionals on how to take your query to the next level and, hopefully, get your foot in the door.

RevPit

Revise & Resub is a Twitter-based writing community focused on helping fiction authors get their materials polished and ready to submit to agents.

The annual contest allows authors to submit a full manuscript and query letter for a chance to win a full manuscript edit by one of the professional editors participating in the event. Runners up may also receive some critique and/or coaching services. The submission window is open from March 16-19, 2023,

Writing Conferences

Conferences can be excellent places to network, get plugged into community, and learn from the experts. You can find conferences everywhere from locally to internationally, and often you can find various genres as well. These can be long all-day or multi-day events or small events that only last a couple of hours. Some will feature well-known and/or bestselling authors, others might feature local authors and/or self-published authors. Some features may appeal more to you than others, depending on your writing and publishing goals, but chances are you'll be able to get a lot out of any conference you attend.

Oftentimes, simply being around other writers and connecting with creativity is enough to get you re-energized for whatever step you have to take next.

Self-published author Kel O'Connor attended her first Georgia Romance Writers Conference after one of her books was nominated for an award.

“I learned so much, I made it an annual must-do, except for the Covid years,” she said. O'Connor's next book is due out in February 2023.

As much as you can, you should choose a conference that matches your writing genre. O'Connor said she doesn't believe a generic writing conference would be as beneficial to her, but with the romance conference, “I have always felt I got more than my money's worth.”

Many conferences offer a mix of workshops and classes to help you put pen to paper and get practicing with the tips and tricks presenters have to offer. Attendees are able to pick which classes and workshops they attend, depending on which areas of writing and publishing they want help with. O'Connor has learned about newsletters, marketing, social media, and manuscript polishing from attending conferences over the years.

“Workshops and classes have elevated all aspects of my career,” she said.

But it's not only the presenters who teach at a conference.

“The best part is being around other authors, finding your own tribe,” O'Connor said. Authors can learn a lot from one another, as well. And while online writing communities and friendships are great to maintain throughout the year, “gathering in person is different, more special,” O'Connor said.

Finding the Right Event

We've tried to include a variety of different events that may appeal to different writers and needs, but keep in mind that there are plenty more events out there. It can be overwhelming to look at everything available and have to decide which event or events to participate in. But remember, anything you try is sure to give you valuable insight as long as you approach it with an open mind.