A couple of weeks ago, in addition to blinking lights, ever-present neon signs, and the kaleidoscopic mirage of the Sphere, a different kind of energy zapped the Strip in Las Vegas. Over 1,100 writers, editors, book marketers, and technologists met and were excited into a higher state of connection.

Author Nation, the revamped and revitalized 20BooksTo50k conference, bills itself as a place where “community support helps authors earn more and reach profitability faster.” I arrived cautiously optimistic about the potential impact on my writing and editing career. By the end, I was certain I would be returning next year. The reason? The conference creates unparalleled opportunities to build and strengthen connections between authors and editors.

This year, the EFA was a sponsor of the conference. Our volunteers met writers at our exhibitor’s table and booked mini-consultations with them. In addition, I presented on how to find and work with editors, showcasing our Job List and Member Directory, alongside Kristen Tate, a fellow member of the EFA Board of Directors and our leader on all things event-related. During the presentation, Kristen and I answered questions about meeting genre expectations, using editing tools to polish a manuscript before sending it to editors, how to plan for editing costs, finding editors who are genre specialists, and more. Overall, the EFA’s involvement was an awareness-raising, profile-building investment in reaching a key audience: our members’ potential clients. We’re currently discussing how we grow our involvement going next year.

The value of interacting with authors shouldn’t be underestimated.

Dozens of authors spoke to volunteers at our table. The EFA is grateful to Kristen Tate and Oliver Ray for organizing EFA’s presence at the conference as well as Kara Espy, E. Prybylski, and Lorna Stuber for their valuable time volunteering and helping to educate authors and encourage them on their paths to publication.

I asked each of our volunteers what they took away from the conference, and here are their responses:

Kristen Tate: “I love the energy and can-do optimism of indie authors, who are creative, adaptive, and entrepreneurial. I came away with new ideas for my own writing and business, as well as a lot of much-needed hope for the future of writing and publishing.”

Lorna Stuber: “Talking to authors and potential editors about how the EFA and its members can help them was rewarding and reminded me why I find my membership so valuable.”

Kara Espy: “I had a great time at Author Nation; I met some wonderful people and had some fascinating conversations. The overall attitude of goodwill and friendliness was refreshing! I was impressed by the diversity of writers represented, and I hope the conference continues to encourage participation from underrepresented authors.”

There were a few flashing signs of caution that change is coming. The challenges of navigating new tools and platforms that are betting heavily on artificial intelligence came up again and again in conversation. We discussed the potential benefits and pitfalls of using AI tools in the drafting and editing process, the possibilities for speeding up workflows, the need to modify contracts to create trust and clarity, and the overall pace of change in the publishing industry. (See the proposed deal on AI that HarperCollins is offering its authors as one example.)

Overall, the conference was extremely well organized. Organizers deliberately created a central meeting space with plenty of seating (and even snacks!), so attendees could focus on conversations and connection. However, the meetups were a bit spotty and haphazard. I am encouraged by the conference team’s willingness to listen to feedback and improve next year.

On a personal note, I came away from the conference with new big-picture thinking about my writing and editing career trajectories as well as specific and actionable fixes for my workflow, project management, marketing, and communications channels. In addition, seeing Kristen Tate’s book on story structure and discussing her current project inspired me to take on a new creative nonfiction project about the legacy of utopias in literature. And most importantly, I emerged energized and inspired by this electrifying event.

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Cody Sisco, Co-Chair
EFA Board of Directors