On the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, host Joe Solari explains how attending live events changed the course of his career and why in-person conferences still matter. He discusses how to choose the right event, prepare effectively, and build lasting connections that support a profitable publishing business.
Listen to the Podcast: Live Events Drive Author Success in a Changing Industry
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About the Host
Joe Solari assists authors in developing successful businesses as the managing partner of Author Ventures LLC. In his role as a business manager, he supports his private clients, who collectively achieved gross royalties of twenty-two million in 2023, with an average pre-tax profit of 44%. This remarkable success results from implementing disciplined business strategies and maintaining an unwavering dedication to enhancing the customer experience.
Read the Transcripts
Joe Solari: In 2017, I went to my first ever live author event, and it was life changing, not just career changing or helping me to get a better understanding of the career; it changed the trajectory of my life, and that's what I want for you.
We're going to talk about it today on this episode of Publishing for Profit.
I'm Joe Solari and I help authors build great businesses.
In 2017, I went to an event. I came there as a speaker. I was asked to speak on what I've been known for, which is helping authors with their business strategy, as a speaker on business.
I observed some pretty amazing stuff. I saw what was going on in the industry and recognized the opportunity that somebody there was going to create iconic intellectual property that would create generational wealth for their family, the next Star Wars, the next Marvel, that kind of stuff. I saw it at this indie event.
Didn't know who it was, it didn't matter. I wasn't there to find that person.
I was there to see an opportunity and know that if I was around this, I could help and I could somehow be part of this amazing golden age of content creation that we're in right now.
It may not feel like it, but it is. It really is.
Does it require you to make some hard choices, and are there going to be ups and downs? Yes, that's business and that's what we're here to talk about. Today, we're going to go through why attending a live conference may be the right thing for you, and then if you choose to do that, how to get the most out of it. How to make sure that there is a real return on investment for going to an event.
So, let me talk a little bit further about what's changed since 2017.
While that event did set me on this new path and I created new businesses around it, and full disclosure, one of the reasons why we're talking about this in this particular podcast is I run the largest indie author event, and in our partnership with ALLi, I was asked to help the community to figure out how to get the most out of any show.
So, that's what we're going to do.
How Conferences Help You Adapt to Industry Changes & Make Connections
Joe Solari: But where I was going with all of this is this idea that, while that event was so monumental for me and led to me going to a lot more events, I go to a lot of author conferences, the people have changed, and the relevance of the information that I learned at that first conference has changed.
The reality is that, in this timeframe that we're talking about since 2017, the industry has had a lot of change and a lot of turmoil and a lot of things that we've had to adjust to.
That's why I think events are so important, because to attend an event today means you're going to be connecting with like-minded people that are really thinking about how they can level up their game.
Joe Solari: So, let's dig into the why.
The number one thing is the people. An event like an indie author conference is going to attract the people that you want to hang out with, right? It's the whole idea of, who you surround yourself with determines the person that you'll be.
If you're at an event where there are people that are very focused on improving their craft and their business acumen and their marketing, and they're looking to connect with other authors to help them up and to find their own mentor, you're going to get a small subset of the community that is the people you want to be with.
Now, that may seem a little daunting, right? I don't think I'm ready for that. But that's where you push yourself into that uncomfortable space where you go there with the intent of connecting with those people and them working in a collaborative way with you to bring you to where you need to be, so that in the future you can help others just like you've been helped by them.
So, the first idea is knowing that these people that you're going to be surrounding yourself with on your journey are the right people, and an event is a great filter for finding those right people.
Joe Solari: So, the next thing is, how do you manage your business?
One of the things is understanding as much as you can about how your business works, your business within the bigger publishing community, the publishing community and the wider economic situation, and the macroeconomics that are affecting it. And where you're going to be exposed to the latest and greatest ideas is at an event right, in two ways.
First off, and we're going to get into this in our second part of this session with how, like how do you get the most out of event. But who's on stage, who's in the panels, who's talking about what? That is going to be a great indicator for you of what the direction of the industry is, and if it aligns with your views of what you're trying to do with your business.
So, there's that component. The bigger, broader, theme of whatever show it is you're going to.
The second part is the people that are attending. If thematically it's right for your business, the people that are there have a like-minded take on those themes, you're going to connect up with people that are going to help you to evaluate those themes and niche down into something that's probably more applicable for your business.
You're an indie author, you're going direct, and you write paranormal romance, right? It's not necessarily the case that there would be somebody talking about that topic at a show, but there may be somebody that's talking about direct sales, and there may be somebody that's a paranormal romance writer just like you sitting in that audience that afterwards you can go off and have a cup of coffee and talk through the pros and cons of what you heard and how it's relevant to how you're experiencing your business in that particular genre.
So, really the magic is going to happen around people, and knowing that there's serious people there.
I know for a lot of folks that are doing this economics come into play and I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad about what their economic situation is and their capacity to pay to go to a show, but people that are deciding to spend the kind of money and time to go to an event are demonstrating their commitment to their business and to being part of the industry in a different way.
For me, those are the people that I want to be around. Those are the people that I think are going to be the most helpful to me and the most influential on the overall industry.
So, the next thing of why is understanding what's going on, and I referenced this in my opening comment about how I went to this event, and it transformed me in 2017, but then later said to you, but most of that stuff I learned isn't relevant today.
That's true in any industry, and it's true with the pace of how technology and how the economy is going. We need to be investing time to keep sharpening the saw. The old Stephen Covey idea of keeping our skillset up.
And in, in any industry, you're going to need to do that. You're going to need to keep your professional training going, and certainly with the innovations that are happening, being in a place where you can see what's happening sooner than later means you have a better opportunity of becoming an early adopter.
I've observed that across multiple shows over many years. That's not specific to one event, one year. Ironically, it isn't something that may come off of the stage as it is conversations that happen in the hall. That's where some real magic happens, and we'll go deeper into the whole networking idea later on.
But I want you to understand that from a higher level, being at events, you're going to be able to take the temperature of the industry better and see where the trends are going, and when you evaluate the shows that you go to, ones that are trying to bring new ideas to you sooner, you'll find that you have an advantage and you'll get more return on investment out of a show like this.
A Conference’s Role in Helping to Navigate Economic Cycles
Joe Solari: The second thing is the macro-economic situation and how it changes. One thing that I've observed being in the industry, the time that I have, is that there isn't a real deep connection with the idea of what it means to write as a lifetime job.
This is your full-time job and you're going to be doing this for decades. That means you're signing up for being an entrepreneur, running a business where you're responsible for the success of it. You're the creator of the product.
But more importantly, it doesn't matter what business you would choose to go into, whether it would be writing or plumbing or selling insurance, if you're going to be doing this for 10-20 years, that means you should expect to go through ups and downs in the overall market. That's the reality of the world we live in is it's cyclical and there is boom and bust cycles that happen, and building a business that is resilient to that is part of it.
But then also being at a place where the conversation is about what's going on in the industry can give you some intelligence as to what part of the cycle, we may be in. So, for example, in the publishing industry, things that I've observed is, it's been at shows where the early adopters see things like changes to direct sales, from single platform sales, moving into audio, moving into translations.
These are all things that were really topical, sometimes one or two years before they really took off, and the people that succeeded the most were the ones that were learning about that and talking about it, and then implementing it when it was right for their business.
So, I think there's two parts to this. One, shows being a place where you can really see that early trend and see if it's right for you. Two, as somebody that is looking to do this for the long run, having a place where you are getting a better understanding of the industry macro cycles of boom and bust.
We're currently in a situation where there's a lot of economic uncertainty and that's going to lead people to reserve their spending. Most of what we do as authors is somebody else's discretionary spending, and if they're uncertain, they're going to hold off on purchases just to see, and that means our economic opportunities are lower than they are when people are not uncertain.
So, it's not, oh, it's my business. It's, oh, the industry is going to face these kinds of things. How do we all design resilient businesses to get through that?
That's something that I've seen develop at shows.
What are the Different Types of Author Events?
Joe Solari: Let's start out with talking about the different types of events. There are large events, like Author Nation, where it is specifically focused on indie authors and it is focused on author education. So, you're going to be getting craft and marketing and all the things that'll help you with your business and they'll be networking. That's different than like a trade expo where it may be the industry, it's all the industry suppliers, and they're just talking about the industry and services.
Those two events serve very different purposes. So, while they could be the same size or maybe a trade expo could be much larger, like London Book Fair, what you get out of it is going to be different. We're going to go deeper into how to decide what's what, but just so you understand the different context of shows.
The next thing is smaller regional events, like meetups where it could be 50 to a hundred people just getting together, and then even smaller and more specific is something like a mastermind where maybe you're meeting on a regular basis or you're meeting once a year at a specific place.
The Masterminds tend to come out of established relationships, and you focusing deeper into those that have the same kind of business as yours and the same genre and same focus on what you're trying to do, and you're keeping it a much closer circle with a higher level of trust.
Those all serve different purposes, and you may do multiple of these.
I think, as somebody who is evaluating to do a show, there's what you're trying to get out of the event and what your budget is. A larger event may require a hotel stay and travel, and then your food along with that lodging, and then the ticket. Whatever that budget may be, and let's just say for argument's sake, it's $2,000, if realistically that's not in your budget, then maybe you do something that's smaller but similar, that's local so that you can save on the travel, save on the lodging, and get, not maybe the bigger exposure of a larger group, but get the same kind of connections in real life.
I think that's an important part for you to differentiate in your head is the idea of a virtual event does not have the same impact as a live event does. If you are thinking you can get the same out of it, you can't because your downtime between sessions and what you're doing is going to be not the same enriched environment. You're not going to be surrounded with like-minded people. You're going to get off that event and go to your kitchen and make yourself a cup of tea.
You may be thinking about what you just learned, but you're not going to have the opportunity to be exposed to conversation and connection.
How to Approach Networking at an Author Event
Joe Solari: Let's just slide right into that and talk about probably one of the most significant parts of live events that may be the most daunting for author, and that is network.
What's funny is someone who runs a conference, the most asked for thing is, help me connect with other authors. And the thing that is shown is the part that authors have the most concern about is networking and connecting.
Whether you're introverted or not, we're all very focused on how we're perceived in a new community and that whole connection, and the best way you can prepare yourself for that is, first off, in a mindset way, understanding that most people are thinking the same way.
There's only two kinds of people that are at a show. They're the ones that are concerned about networking and the ones that are not concerned about networking.
Those of us that love to network and love to connect and want to help people, we're going to go the extra mile to try and help you get out of your shell if you tend to be a little more introverted.
There are people at shows that are natural connectors and they're going to be connecting.
The rest are people that are concerned and feel maybe they don't have the skillset or they're a little self-conscious, or their energy type is one of being an introvert. The community is widely that, and you therefore can think about how you would like to be treated and treat others that way.
If everyone comes to that event with that kind of energy where, hey, we know everyone here might be a little sensitive to the whole networking thing, how can I be cool about that with other people?
Introducing myself, and having what I find is the most important skillset; not to have a particular agenda coming in, but to be listening for how I can help. Not looking for what I want you to do for me, but how I can listen and be in service to others.
Because what'll come out of that, if you're always listening to see how you could be helpful to this person, whether it's somebody you've met that you could introduce them to, or you could help them carry something to a table. It doesn't matter how that help comes out, but that spirit creates reciprocity in the community.
This gets a little woo and karmic, but it's true. When people see you as opportunistic and a taker, they're going to always keep you at arm's length. But even if somebody understands that maybe you're just starting and they're much further along, but they see you're being helpful and you've got the right energy, they're going to be more inclined to help you.
Second part of this is have a way to follow up.
What really creates memorable connections is what you do after the fact. Did you get an email? Did you get a text? Did you follow up and answer that question that they had, or send them that book that you guys were talking about? Whatever it might be, figure out how you can do that.
A great thing to do is, when you're at an event, and we're going to get to in a minute, preparing for an event. When you leave an event, talk to somebody in the audience.
If you had a plan to talk to maybe the speaker, that's great. Look to do that. A lot of times at most of these events, there's only so much question time and there might not be the opportunity to follow up with that speaker.
But if you can't, have that conversation with somebody in the audience. Turn to somebody and say, hey, this is something I was thinking about talking about to the speaker, what do you think? Those conversations are just as important.
How to Prepare for an Author Event
Joe Solari: So, as we wrap up here, let's go into how to do some homework before you go to the event so you can make sure that your time really counts when you're at this event.
First thing is, overall, deciding what event you're going to go to.
Really do the research on the event and understand, are they messaging to what you're looking for? If you're looking to do trade deals and query letters and find agents, then look for shows that are really focused on that.
If you're taking a more entrepreneurial, direct approach where you are self-publishing and you're focusing on building your brand your way, then look for events that are focused on that kind of conversation.
Do the research into the particular speakers and understand that you're not going to be able to see everything there, find the ones that you really want to be ready for, and start thinking about questions you may have on that subject already so that you know what you're trying to get out of these sessions when you're going there.
A big part of why people don't get as much out of a show is they're not thinking about where they are today and where they want to go and not, hey, I haven't written a book, and I want to be a millionaire author.
That's too big of a gap. It's, I haven't written a book. What are the five things that I need to know how to do to get that book published by the end of the year?
Now, you have some really content concrete things to be talking to people about, and I guarantee you at a show, that could be all wrapped up in one conversation over a couple of drinks with one author. You could get that list of somebody or several authors that walk you through how they did that. Not something that you necessarily need to hear from the stage.
So, understand what you're trying to get out so that when the opportunity presents itself, you're able to ask and get that.
Really focus in on who you want to meet, and if you were to meet them, what would be the questions or conversation, or what could you offer them that would get them interested in having a conversation with you? Have those things thought through going in there.
I remember years ago, a long time ago, I had a mentor who said to me, I was going to an event, it was a global economic summit, and made me go through the list and he said, which one of these speakers would you want to talk to? I was like, I'd really love to talk to Steve Wynn. He said, okay, so if you were to go to that session, what question would you ask Steve?
What became a really interesting closure was that, when I got that opportunity, I knew what to do and what to say, and I shared this previous story of me and my father meeting somebody that worked for him in this conversation we had, and when he heard me say that, he stopped all the people that were talking to him and he zoned right into me and we had this really great conversation that I've remembered since that day. And it was all because I was prepared to do that.
Now, the story could have gone a different way. It could have been that he didn't stop, and he went on, but I was ready for my part in that conversation.
That really gets to like, don't try and do everything, really zone in on the 20% that's going to get you to 80% of your impact at a show.
So, if you're just getting started, don't be trying to go to advanced advertising sessions and things that are beyond your scope right now. You really need to be focusing in on what it is that gets your business to the next level. If it's to get to publishing, if it's to get to profitability, if it's to drive into a specific segment, like translations or audio, know that and really have that thematically in your head going into the show.
Joe Solari: So, let's wrap up with some takeaways here.
First off, focus on quality, not quantity. Both in the events that you go to and the connections you try to make. If you come away from a show with one or two connections with other authors that are like-minded, that's going to be what really drives your business.
Underlying all of what I'm talking about here is research that I've done and understanding that the things that really separate highly successful author businesses from other ones is authors that do three things. They have a peer group. They have an accountability system, and they have a mentor.
If you have those three things, your business is going to get profitable 18 months sooner, and it's going to be four times more profitable than the average. So, those are all things that are well within your control, and they are things that you can get at any show.
One final takeaway to remind you is the best networking happens when you're contributing, not just seeking.
Remember that even if it's just the act of listening, that is giving into the community, and it's over time that you will find that that investment pays back in dividends that are far bigger than whatever you invested in the show.
So, hopefully this gives you a strategy to apply to your next event, and more importantly, if you haven't been thinking about events that you at least start doing the research to figure out what the next right event is for you, and preparing yourself financially and for the time to invest in that event and connect up with the people that are the right people to support you and the success of your business.
Till our next episode, keep writing and keep profitable. I'm Joe Solari and this is the ALLi Publishing for Profit stream.
