Fictional Influence

Fictional Influence

Author's Craft

Author Conventions... or CONS?

When is the expense worth it?

Kristin McTiernan's avatar
Kristin McTiernan
Nov 14, 2025
∙ Paid

I recently returned from Author Nation (formerly 20 Books to 50k Convention). It was the first time I attented since the change in leadership. The first thing I noticed was that the price for a ticket had doubled. The second thing I noticed was that the lineup had dramatically improved.

I’ll let you decide if those two things are connected.

For authors just starting out, it can be a tough call as to whether an event like this is worth it, even with the separate “tracks” each session is coded with (not yet published, published, and full-time income authors). So for your viewing pleasure, I published my thoughts on the conference, whether I thought it was worth it, and what changes I’ll be making based on what I learned there.

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