Join host Greta Kelly and guest authors/content creators Andy Peloquin, Tim Hickson (AKA Hello Future Me) and T. D. Orel for an Indie Appreciation Month panel on Making the Most of Conventions. During the panel, Andy, Tim and Tanner discuss first conventions, attending cons as a fan vs. as a professional, when to start attending conventions, selling books at cons and events, merch and swag, sales tactics and connecting with readers, pitching your books, imposter syndrome and social anxiety, making meaningful connections, balancing the professional and the personal, stepping outside of your comfort zone, trusting your instincts and more.
Masterclass Panel
SFF Addicts Ep. 210: Cover Art & Book Design with Jeff Brown, Rachel St Clair, Philip C. Quaintrell & Scott Palmer (Indie Appreciation Month)
Join host Adrian M. Gibson and guest authors/artists Jeff Brown, Rachel St Clair, Philip C. Quaintrell and Scott Palmer for an Indie Appreciation Month panel on Cover Art & Book Design. During the panel, Jeff, Rachel, Philip and Scott discuss what cover and book design are, creating a visual brand, the importance of typography and fonts, interior formatting and design, what makes a good vs. bad piece of art, due diligence and art/design no-nos, cover legibility and visual impact, evolving cover trends, setting reader expectations, commissioning artists, book titles, costs/budgeting, communication, timelines and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 209: Portal Fantasies with Seanan McGuire & Micaiah Johnson (Masterclass Panel)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and Greta Kelly for a masterclass panel on Portal Fantasies, featuring guest authors Seanan McGuire and Micaiah Johnson. During the panel, they open the door to portal fantasies, discussing what a portal fantasy is, the appeal of this subgenre, fundamental elements of portal fantasies, age markets and genre fatigue, portal sci-fi and secondary worlds, who has access to portals, establishing the rules of your portal, differentiating the “real” world and the “other” world(s), revealing the “new” of the portal world to readers, reflecting our own world through alternate worlds and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 197: How to Query Agents with Laura Crockett, John Baker & Jennifer Chevais (Masterclass Panel)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson & Greta Kelly for a masterclass panel on How to Query Agents, featuring literary agents Laura Crockett, John Baker and Jennifer Chevais. During the panel, they lay out the fundamentals of query letters and agents, discussing what literary agents do, what a query letter is, the anatomy of a query letter, comp titles, blurbs and author bios, whether or not social media presence is important, how authors can seek out agents (and how to find the right one for you), agents picking up self-published authors, query letter mistakes and no-nos, managing expectations, professional transparency and more.