Hello, ACFW!

THE ACFW VIRTUAL CONFERENCE: MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR FEBRUARY 24 – 25, 2024

Hello ACFW! I’m Kathleen Y’Barbo-Turner, a member of the ACFW Executive Board, and I’ve got great news for you!

If you’ve been a member of ACFW for any length of time, you’ve no doubt attended or at least heard about our fabulous ACFW Annual Conference–the premier conference for Christian fiction– where hundreds of us gather to learn, laugh, worship the Lord, and meet others who share our love of books and writing. It’s pretty much a family reunion for writers of faith, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Actually, I’ve only missed one ever since the very beginning and that was because I eloped to Hawaii with a certain handsome soldier.

But I digress.

For the past two years, that conference has been accompanied by an amazing readers’ gathering, Storyfest, going on at the same time. If you’ve not taken part in either of these events, start planning now for the 2024 Annual Conference that will be held in New Orleans from September 5 through 8, 2024. Start saving your pennies and watch our website for more information on registration and hotel rooms.

Oh, but September 2024 is almost a year away. That’s a long time to wait to attend workshops or set meetings with agents, editors, and specialty folks (publicists, etc.). Your ACFW board thought so, too.

Good news! We’ve got a virtual conference coming up February 24 – 25, 2024! Over the course of the two days, we’ll offer over a dozen workshops led by leaders in the industry, and appointments with agents, editors, and specialty. All for one set price!

Our virtual conference is jam packed with all the things you love about our in-person conference at a fraction of the cost. We’ve got amazing workshops hosted by industry superstars such as Jaime Jo Wright, Michelle Stimpson, Robin Lee Hatcher, Julie Gwinn, DiAnn Mills, and Tamara Alexander. Just to give you an idea of what’s in store, here are just a few of the workshop titles you can choose from over the two days of the conference:

The Skeletor Theory: Goodbye Plotting and Seat-of-the-Pants Writing (Jaime Jo Wright)

How to use AI as an Assistant (Michelle Stimpson)

Writing Real History in a Cancel Culture World (Tamara Alexander)

Blogging to Reach the World (Janice Thompson)

Swoony and Sweet (Jenny B. Jones)

What to Do When Two Worlds Collide: Managing Writing and Publicity Joyfully! (Jeane Burgess of Tall Oaks Media)

And that’s just to name a few…

If that’s not enough to entice you to hurry over and sign up, you’ll also have the option to meet one-on-one with agents, editors, or publicists just like you would if you were attending an annual conference. Okay, maybe not exactly like that, but it’ll be the two of you in an online Zoom room where you can speak just as if you were across the table. I don’t know about you, but I tend to be a whole lot less nervous when I’m sitting at home than when I’m in a chair in a room full of other writers trying to get their pitch in before one of Casey Miller’s team announces my time is up.

So, if you’re interested in meeting with editors from Harper Collins, Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense, Guideposts, or White Fire Publishing, they’ll all be there. Agents? We’ve got Cynthia Ruchti with Books & Such Literary Agency, Julie Gwinn with The Seymour Agency, and Michelle Grajkowski of 3 Seas Literary Agency. You’ll even have the opportunity to meet with award-winning publicist Marika Flatt of PR By the Book to talk about all things PR and book promotion.

Did I mention that all of these things are included with your registration fee? I know! Crazy.

But wait, there’s more! You’ll also be provided a link to download the entire virtual conference approximately two weeks after the virtual conference ends!

As always, ACFW offers special early bird discounts for members. Register before December 15, 2023 at 5:00pm Central time to get the lowest price.

Need more details or a link to register? Race over to https://acfw.com/acfw-virtual-conference/ and check it out. Ready…set…GO grab your spot today!

Kathleen Y’Barbo is a Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author of more than one hundred books with over two million copies of her books in print in the US and abroad. To find out more about Kathleen’s novels—including her newest release NEW LEASH ON LIFE– or connect with her through social media, check out her website at www.kathleenybarbo.com