2025 Schedule

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2025 Sessions

Special Editions: Planning, Design, Printing, and Distribution
Day Leitao
Special editions are a great tool for authors looking into direct sales, Kickstarters, and events. This presentation will discuss how these books can help your author career, and how to get them produced. We’ll cover some essential elements as well as how to find and vet service providers. We’ll discuss print runs and what you need to know about dealing with overseas printers as well as fulfillment to Canada and the US.

Author Branding
Mark Leslie Lefebvre
Your author brand is far more than the name and font chosen for your cover, or the bio that appears on the back of the book and your website. A strong and consistent author brand can not only help to differentiate you and provide readers with an ongoing sense of familiarity, reliability, and comfort, but can also help you generate long-term reader loyalty. And by employing the very skills you leverage in writing and storytelling—along with some core questions to consider about your long-term author career goals, your author brand can extend well beyond the mere books themselves and become part of the overall reader experience and journey.

Advanced Authors: Scaling Beyond 5 Figures
Tao Wong, Elayna R. Gallea & Rachel Rener
Once you’re making five figures or more, the usual indie author advice stops applying. This panel brings together experienced authors to share real-world strategies for scaling beyond that threshold. From advanced marketing tactics to diversifying income streams and pushing through growth plateaus, our panelists will offer insight into what’s worked—and what hasn’t—on their path to the next level.

Social Media for Indie Authors
Elayna R. Gallea
BookTok. Every author has heard of it, but it can be an intimidating place to venture. As a six-figure indie author, I use TikTok and Instagram daily as my main marketing platforms. In this presentation, I’ll breakdown what type of content has worked for me, tips and tricks for using TikTok and Instagram, and why social media marketing can be such a powerful tool.

Publishing Promotional Scheduling
Tao Wong
Planning a promotional schedule for a publication vary greatly, depending on whether it’s a sequel, a new work or a debut. As goals change, the tools required change too. In this presentation, Tao Wong will outline the basics considerations in building a promotional schedule and show how it might be done with simple, easy to access scheduling tools and promotional venue suggestions.

Win This Author Game
Becca Syme
When the stakes are high and the chips are down, we all know what to do with our protagonist… Yet somehow, when the stakes are high and the chips are down in our writing career, we struggle to know what to do next. This workshop will cover the major mindset shifts needed to put gamification to work in your author career. The hope is to walk away with some actionable steps to make this game one you can win.

Direct Sales: Ditching Conglomerates to Sell Your Brand
Rachel Rener
Join international bestselling romantasy author Rachel Rener as she discusses the wide and varied world of direct sales – making the transition from Amazon to Shopify, earning customer trust and eyeballs, and leaving behind the dark days of putting all your e-book eggs in the KDP basket!

Marketing Beyond Kindle Unlimited
Tao Wong, Mark Leslie Lefebvre, Day Leitao & Rachel Rener
This panel will explore effective marketing strategies for authors whose books are available outside of Kindle Unlimited. We’ll dive into techniques for promoting wide distribution across platforms and diversifying income through author shops, subscriptions and crowdfunding. Whether you’re looking to reach new readers or grow your indie author brand, this panel will help you build a diverse marketing plan for a successful career.

Career Longevity: Building a Lasting Indie Author Career
Mark Leslie Lefebvre, Rachel Rener & Terry Schott
Explore the strategies that will help you build a career that lasts as an indie author. We’ll discuss strategies for staying motivated, handling ups and downs, and evolving with the industry.. Whether you’re just starting out or are already a seasoned author, this session will help you build the foundation for a lasting career that keeps you writing and publishing for years to come.

2025 Workshops

How To Hook Your Readers In Less Than One Page
Day Leitao
As a restless reader, Day decided to figure out why some books kept her awake at night while others couldn’t grab her attention for more than two paragraphs. The results surprised her. It’s not about writing fast-paced scenes, for example. She realized there were three super easy principles to keep readers hooked. In this workshop, we’ll discuss how to apply these principles to your books, with a focus on the first 200 words, AKA the super important first page.

Get Results with Facebook Ads
Steph Sterritt
Curious about Facebook Ads but not sure where to start? In this workshop, Steph Sterritt, Starlit Publishing’s Marketing Manager, will walk you through how to set up your first profitable ad campaign. You’ll learn the key components of a successful ad, how to test and tweak for better results, and how to use your data to keep improving month after month.

Crafting an Emotional Marketing Hook
Elayna R. Gallea
In this workshop, we’ll work on forming emotive and powerful hooks for marketing by first looking at an example scene and the hooks derived from it, and then pulling from our own works to learn how to draw readers in quickly on social media.

A Hands-On Approach To Working with Libraries and Bookstores
Mark Leslie Lefebvre
A BookNet Canada study in 2024 shows that reader preference for books is print (59%), eBook (20%) and Audiobook (13%). So what are the ways that you as an author can ensure your books’ availability in those formats in both online and brick-and-mortar stores? But beyond just plain availability, what are specific strategies you can use? This interactive workshop will provide you with key questions, idea-generation tools, and worksheets to help you narrow down your own unique approach to finding solutions that work for you and your books.

The 3 Biggest Mistakes Authors Make When Networking
J.F. Garrard
Over the course of the pandemic, many people have grown out of practice in social circumstances and have difficulties connecting. By using her author network, JF has successfully published short fiction in books that are not advertised, launched a literary podcast and became the President of the Canadian Authors Association’s Toronto Branch. At the end of this presentation the audience will know: 1) Why an author network is important, 2) the 3 biggest mistakes one can make when networking and how to avoid them, and 3) how to use the author network.

Navigating Canadian Business for Indie Authors: Grants, Taxes, and More
Tao Wong & Mark Leslie Lefebvre
Join this Q&A workshop to explore business essentials for Canadian authors, including applying for grants, utilizing Public Lending Rights, and managing taxes. We’ll dive into financial planning, accounting tips, and show you how to leverage programs designed to support indie authors in Canada.

Worldbuilding through Culture
J.M. Frey
Every memorable speculative fiction story has a world we wish we could live in – from Westeros to Middle Earth, from the USS Enterprise to Panem. The geography of your secondary world is key, but the culture and the way it influences your characters is even more important. This session will focus on the nitty gritty of the influence of culture, values, and hegemony on your societies, people, places, and plot. We encourage authors to bring their ideas for their own worlds and cultures to the table, as well as note-taking materials.

Crafting Enduring Romances in Romantasy
Rachel Rener
Sit down with international bestselling romantasy author Rachel Rener as she discusses how to hone realistic, powerful, heart-rending romances across all genres, with a special focus on romantasy. There will also be a discussion around avoiding common romance pitfalls, crafting fully-fleshed out characters (particularly when their flesh is fully out!), and making sure your plot isn’t lost in all that smolder and steam!

Publishing Widely with Kobo
Tara Cremin & Rachel Wharton
For indie authors, Rakuten Kobo plays a vital role in digital book sales worldwide. Gain insights into Kobo’s non-exclusive subscription program, Kobo Plus, and find out how subscriptions are tapping into a new readership and increasing author earnings. Plus, learn about the marketing strategies that work and find out what promotional opportunities are available to authors publishing through Kobo Writing Life.

The Kobo Writing Life Podcast: Live!
Tara Cremin, Rachel Wharton & Tao Wong
Join us for a live recording of the Kobo Writing Life Podcast, where we bring you insights and inspiration for growing your self-publishing business. The KWL team will be interviewing Tao Wong all about his career, the self-publishing industry in general and running the Toronto Indie Author Conference. You won’t want to miss it.

2025 Office Hours & Roundtables

Kobo Office Hours
Got questions about selling your books on Kobo? Whether you’re new to the platform or a longtime user, meet Kobo reps in this open office hour to get insights on maximizing visibility, leveraging promotions, and making the most of their ecosystem. Drop in and chat about all things Kobo!

Office Hours with the Better-Faster Academy
Struggling with burnout? Want to write smarter, not harder? Terry Schott of the Better-Faster Academy is here to help! Drop in for an open Q&A session on mindset, productivity, and how to align your writing career with your strengths.

First Chapter Critiques with Editors Canada
Wondering if your opening pages hook the reader? Editors Canada is offering on-site critiques of first chapters, giving professional feedback on structure, clarity, and style. Please note that advanced sign-up is required in order to secure your spot.

Agents for Indie Authors: Q&A Session
Curious about landing an agent as an indie author? In this intimate, small-group session, get your questions answered about what agents look for, how representation works for hybrid and indie authors, and whether an agent is the right fit for your career. Perfect for those considering traditional deals, foreign rights representation, or other agented opportunities.

First Impressions Matter: Cover & Blurb Clinic
Your book’s cover and blurb are crucial in capturing a reader’s attention and driving sales. In a 10-minute one-on-one session with our experts, you’ll receive feedback on your cover design and blurb. They’ll assess visual appeal, genre alignment, and marketing effectiveness to help your book stand out in a competitive market. Please note that advanced sign-up is required for this event in order to secure your spot.

The Writer’s Lounge
The Writer’s Lounge is your space to chat, share ideas, swap lines, and connect with fellow creatives. Whether you’re brainstorming plots, talking shop, or just vibing with other writers, this is the place for open conversation and collaborative energy.

Writing Room
The Writing Room is dedicated to quiet, independent work. It is a no-chat zone, free of distractions. If you are looking to get into the zone and make real progress on your writing, this is your place.

Roundtable Sessions

The roundtable sessions offer an engaging platform for interactive discussions and knowledge-sharing. Attendees gather around designated tables, each facilitated by an expert in the field. Within a half-hour timeframe, authors have the opportunity to pose questions, seek advice, and engage in lively conversation with both the table expert and fellow writers. After the time is up, all attendees will move to a different table.

Topics will include: promotional scheduling, direct sales, social media, productivity, author branding, special editions, worldbuilding, networking, publishing wide, working with influencers, and editing.