Inside the
2026 program.

Drawing on her professional background, thriller author Tikiri Herath flips traditional marketing on its head. While intelligence operatives survive by blending in, authors thrive by standing out. Using Inversion Thinking, this session helps you cut through the noise of superficial trends and identify the signal of your unique voice and values. Attendees will leave with a practical roadmap using the Author Business Model Canvas and Ikigai philosophy to clarify their brand and build a sustainable author career supported by 1,000 true fans.

Fantasy author Tao Wong and horror author Mark Leslie Lefebvre share insider strategies for selling in person, from book signings to live events. Learn practical tips, explore ideal and starter booth setups, uncover common pitfalls, and discover sales techniques to maximize your next event’s success.

In this class, sci-fi author and ads expert Malorie Cooper discusses some of the key changes Facebook has undergone in the past year and how those changes affect the way we advertise our books. You’ll learn key steps for building ads, getting them in front of the right readers, and setting up both your ads and your brand for ongoing sales.

USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author Zoe York shares insights from over a dozen years of publishing, helping you discover how to keep your creativity alive and your career sustainable. You’ll learn how to find fresh paths within your existing brand, embrace the core story that defines your work, and reignite your excitement for writing genre fiction.

In this session, bookfluencer Jessica Rampersad (@jessbeyondthepages) breaks down how authors can leverage influencer marketing to grow visibility, build genuine reader connections, and support book launches. You’ll leave with practical strategies you can apply immediately.

This panel examines how authors can leverage their intellectual property beyond primary book sales. Discussions will cover wide distribution strategies, direct sales, product and format expansion, licensing opportunities, and creative ways to extend IP into new revenue streams.

This moderated discussion brings together authors with differing approaches to AI, including those who intentionally avoid AI and those who use it selectively (excluding fiction writing). The panel will explore how AI is affecting the publishing ecosystem, where authors are drawing ethical and practical boundaries, and what long-term implications may lie ahead. There will be no live audience Q&A, so please submit your questions in advance to this form.

This panel focuses on selling books widely and effectively marketing to readers outside the US. Topics include (but are not limited to) platform differences, discoverability challenges, ads versus organic reach, and what actually moves the needle in international markets.

In partnership with Editors Canada, join a panel of experienced editors for an interactive Q&A session where you can get your burning questions answered. From polishing your prose and refining your plot to navigating revisions and understanding what readers really look for, this session offers insider insight into the editing process.

A great opening line will only work so well if the rest of the opening is slow, boring, or lacking tension. In this workshop, fantasy author Andy Peloquin will provide actionable, practical insights on how to craft opening scenes that will have readers blazing through the book, movie, comic book, or graphic novel to find out what comes next. The session may include LIVE readings from submitted manuscripts. Submit your first chapters for selection to this form.

LitRPG author Michael Chatfield breaks down the key numbers you need to track to know whether your marketing is working. It wasn’t until he mastered these metrics that he was able to make over five figures a month. The session also includes a hands-on workshop where you’ll review advertising ideas, validate them, and build on them. Come with your questions, come with your ideas! Lets build your marketing powers.

Speculative fiction author, editor and publisher JF Garrard leads a fast-paced, interactive networking session connecting writers in similar genres for collaboration, support, and creative inspiration. After a brief introduction with practical tips on networking and breaking the ice, you’ll rotate through timed one-on-one conversations to exchange ideas, share projects, and build lasting connections within the writing community.

Mystery writer Charlotte Morganti leads a highly interactive session where you’ll help build the skeleton of a murder mystery. Using prompts from the audience, you’ll choose the sleuth, brainstorm the victim, setting, and sidekicks, and suggest clues, red herrings, character traits, and plot twists to heighten suspense. By the end, you’ll help create a list of suspects, each with a motive and opportunity.

Fantasy author Tao Wong guides you through the contracts every author will eventually face. Whether it’s for a small press, short story, audiobook, or distribution, contracts are part of author life. You’ll review real-life terms and conditions, discuss common pitfalls, and explore key considerations when signing a contract.

Your book is written, but it won’t sell itself—at least not without the right packaging. In this workshop, Andy Peloquin will show you the four crucial elements you need to get right to set your book up for sales success. He’ll also provide practical examples of books that get it right and what you can do to make yours stand out on the shelf and online.

Not every author wants—or needs—to live in Facebook Ads Manager. In this session, romance author Eve Silver explores high-ROI marketing alternatives, including newsletter promos, BookBub and other deal sites, Kobo’s promotion dashboard, Google Play and Smashwords campaigns, reader magnets, BookFunnel promos, podcast and influencer outreach, and strategic price stacking. You’ll learn how to layer diverse marketing tools, track results, and reach new readers without relying solely on Amazon or Meta platforms.

While blurbs can be written in a thousand different ways, there are a few key elements that every blurb needs. In this class, sci-fi author Malorie Cooper helps you tease those elements out of your book. You’ll learn how to craft a compelling blurb that hooks readers while conveying key genre and trope information, so they’ll be saying, “This book is for me!”

Writing to your fans is about learning how your audience and your genre is changing and writing series to meet your audience expectations in an ever evolving marketplace without losing the excitement to write those stories.

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. Send 1–2 pages of your recent work to info@editors.ca with the subject line “TIAC First Page Edit” by April 14 at 5 p.m. ET to secure your spot. Selected participants will submit their work in advance and attend a 15-minute pre-scheduled consultation between 10:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 19, 2026, in the lobby of the TIAC conference.

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 include:

Longevity with Zoe York | Book Packaging with Andy Peloquin | Author Branding with Tikiri Herath | Facebook Ads with Malorie Cooper
Networking with JF Garrard | Working with Influencers with Jessica Rampersad | Writing Mysteries with Charlotte Morganti
Marketing Plans with Michael Chatfield | Selling in Person with Mark Leslie Lefebvre | Contracts & Agents with Tao Wong
Publishing Wide with Kobo Writing Life | Audiobook Digital Distribution with Dreamscape & Author’s Republic | Worldbuilding with VVD