Kevin J. Anderson has published more than 175 books, 58 of which have been national or international bestsellers.

He has written numerous novels in the Star Wars, X-Files, and Dune universes, as well as unique steampunk fantasy novels Clockwork Angels and Clockwork Lives, written with legendary rock drummer Neil Peart. His original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series, the Wake the Dragon and Terra Incognita fantasy trilogies, the Saga of Shadows trilogy, and his humorous horror series featuring Dan Shamble, Zombie PI.

He has edited numerous anthologies, written comics and games, and the lyrics to two rock CDs.

Matt Bialer has been a literary agent for over 35 years.  He has worked at some of the top agencies including Curtis Brown, Ltd, William Morris and Trident Media Group. He is currently an agent at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates and has been there for 23 years.  His clients include Patrick Rothfuss, Tad Williams, CJ Cherryh, Tracy Hickman (of Weis and Hickman) and Stephen Lawhead.

Jana S. Brown has been involved in publishing as an Author, Editor, Presenter, slush reader, executive secretary, and marketer for nearly 30 years. She is the acceptance editor for Book Cave and an editor and author coach specializing in self-publishing. She writes the weird and the wonderful with smoochies and runs Opal Kingdom Press where she and her pennames have published over twenty books, including new anthologies and collections! She's also frequent co-host with the Blasters and Blades podcast.

Jim Butcher is the author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera, and a new steampunk series, the Cinder Spires. His resume includes a laundry list of skills which were useful a couple of centuries ago, and he plays guitar quite badly. An avid gamer, he plays tabletop games in varying systems, a variety of video games on PC and console, and LARPs whenever he can make time for it.

Jim goes by the moniker Longshot in a number of online locales. He came by this name in the early 1990′s when he decided he would become a published author. Usually only 3 in 1000 who make such an attempt actually manage to become published; of those, only 1 in 10 make enough money to call it a living. The sale of a second series was the breakthrough that let him beat the long odds against attaining a career as a novelist.

All the same, he refuses to change his nickname.

jim-butcher.com

L. D. Colter has farmed with draft horses and worked as a paramedic, Outward Bound instructor, athletic trainer, roller-skating waitress, and concrete dispatcher, among other curious choices. She’s an author of contemporary, epic, and dark fantasy novels, a Writers of the Future winner, a WSFA Small Press Award finalist, and a two-time winner of the Colorado Book Award for science fiction and fantasy. Her novels have been published by WordFire Press, Rebellion Publishing/Solaris Nova, and Harlequin. Additionally, she is a freelance copyeditor for Jaymee Goh at Tachyon Publications.

Damon Courtney is the creator and CEO of BookFunnel, an ebook delivery service for authors and publishers. Though he would like to be a highly successful indie author, he can only lay claim to publishing a single fantasy trilogy that he does really like, despite its lack of sales. But self-publishing three novels did lead to the creation of BookFunnel, so he’s got that going for him. As a lifelong software engineer, Damon is an expert in just about everything technical and can offer unique insight on publishing as it relates to software and technology. Our lives as authors cannot survive in this new world without software, so that makes Damon feel really important.

Joshua Essoe is a full-time editor who has edited for NYT bestsellers including Piers Anthony, David Farland, and Dean Lorey. He has edited for USA Today bestsellers, Writers of the Future winners, and hundreds of independents. He was also lead editor at Urban Fantasy Magazine and founded the weekly writing podcast Hide and Create with Michael J. Sullivan, Diana Rowland, Jay Wells, and Debbie Viguie. You can find Joshua teaching at the Superstars Writing Seminar every February in Colorado.

Todd Fahnestock is an award-winning, #1 bestselling author of fantasy for all ages and winner of the New York Public Library’s Books for the Teen Age Award. "Threadweavers" and "The Whisper Prince Trilogy" are two of his bestselling epic fantasy series. He is a founder of "Eldros Legacy"—a multi-author, shared-world mega-epic fantasy series—three-time winner of the Colorado Authors League Award for Writing Excellence, and two-time finalist for the Colorado Book Award for "Tower of the Four: The Champions Academy" and "Khyven the Unkillable." His passions are great stories and his quirky, fun-loving family. When he’s not writing, he travels the country meeting fans, talks philosophy with his son, plays board games with his wife, dissects movies with his daughter, and plays to the point of bruises with Galahad the Weimaraner. Visit Todd at toddfahnestock.com

Ricardo Fayet is one of the four founders of Reedsy, a marketplace connecting authors to the world's top publishing talent—from editors to cover designers, book marketers, or literary translators. He's the author of two books on marketing for authors, and a regular presenter at several prestigious writers' conferences: NINC, AuthorNation, and The Self Publishing Show Live, among others.

‍

Lindsay Flanagan never planned to collect quite so many jobs in publishing, but here we are. She's an award-winning young adult author, a senior editor and ghostwriter at Eschler Editing, has worked with traditional publishers and literary agents, and somehow became the EVP and COO of Roan & Weatherford Publishing, where she oversees the young adult and romance imprints while navigating the ever-changing world of book marketing. After years of seeing stories from every side of the publishing desk, Lindsay's favorite part is helping writers solve the problems that keep them stuck. She has helped hundreds of writers diagnose story problems, strengthen manuscripts, and navigate the publishing journey, and she loves teaching writers how to think like editors without losing the joy that made them want to write in the first place. She has presented at Superstars Writing Seminars, Writing Day Workshops, StoryCon, LTUE, LDSPMA, and Writing & Illustrating for Young Readers. Lindsay is the author of the award-winning AnnaGrey and the Constellation, AnnaGrey and the Red Fox Girls, Little Red Wraith, and the Holiday Magic novels Under the September Sky and the forthcoming The October House.

Aaron Fors is an author, actor, filmmaker, creator thingy! An obsessive collector of obscure skills and knowledge, they love infusing their passion for the niche into their works. Aaron writes scifi, fantasy, and whatever fills their heart up and makes them feel like they’re going to explode if they don’t bring it into existence. Most recently published in “Weird Wilderness: A Cryptid Anthology” by Wordfire Press. Recent films include their portrayal of Sidney Lumet in As Long As I’m Famous, and Virgil in The Undead End. They’ve narrated audiobooks for folks like Kevin J. Anderson’s publishing program, Mark Leslie Lefebvre, Chris Mandeville, and multiple anthologies, and love it so. In 2024 and 2025 they wrote their first two novels “Pancake Heroes” an urban fantasy with tinges of cosmic horror, and “Peanut Butter and Pickles Won’t Keep on Mars” an LGBTQIA Neurodivergent Scifi YA set on, well, Mars. They write stories about hope, finding family and community, and lasting joy. They believe we are stronger together, the long arc of the universe is good, love is always the answer, and when we build out of love, we can find a way. They live in California with their beloved wife, best friend, love of their life across fractal eternities, Hannah, and two cats intent on world domination but too lazy to be a threat.

‍

A good story enriches the world, a great one can save it. Let’s write the future together shall we?

‍

Andre Gonzalez is the international bestselling author of the Wealth of Time Series, and co-owner of M4L Publishing.After surviving the Aurora Theater Shooting in 2012, Andre was inspired to chase his lifelong dream of pursuing a career as an author. This tragedy gave him a new appreciation for life along with a drive to make the world a better place by publishing books readers all around the world can enjoy.He has written over twenty-five time-travel, thriller, and horror books after spending many years reading and studying the works of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Keeping readers up late and their hearts pumping faster than normal is his ultimate goal. Andre was the recipient of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers 2021 Independent Writer of the Year award. When he’s not writing, you can find Andre buried underneath a long to-do list or chasing around his three hyper children. He and his wife are raising their family in their hometown of Denver, CO.

Natasha Gonzalez is a spirited author and co-owner of M4L Publishing who brings heart, resilience, and imagination into everything she creates. A survivor of the 2012 Aurora Theater Shooting, Natasha carries a deep appreciation for life and storytelling, using both to inspire and connect with others. She has been actively involved in the publishing industry since 2016, when she helped bring her husband Andre’s first books to life. Since then, she has played a key role behind the scenes in building a successful publishing business while also pursuing her own passion for writing.In 2022, Natasha released her debut children’s book, inspired by her three kids and a desire to create stories that are fun, meaningful, and relatable for families. Her writing style blends warmth, simplicity, and important life lessons that resonate with young readers.A lifelong Disney fan, Natasha can sing almost any Disney song by heart. When she’s not writing or working in publishing, she loves traveling with her family and creating lasting memories together in their hometown of Denver, Colorado.

Angela Haas was a buyer of art, books and gifts for fifteen years before moving on to teach communication, public speaking and mass media classes at University of Colorado Colorado Springs for eight years. She writes superhero fiction, romance novels and works with local businesses as a communication training consultant.

When Tanya Hales was a baby, she enjoyed books by chewing them to pieces before eventually moving on to the higher art of reading. Tanya splits her time between her work as a writer, an illustrator, and a mother, all of which she loves intensely. She now lives in Utah with her family, illustrating coloring books, writing YA fantasy, making cute stickers, and daydreaming constantly about imaginary worlds.

Kevin Ikenberry is a life-long space geek and retired Army officer.  As an adult, he managed the U.S. Space Camp program and served in military space operations before Space Force was a thing. He’s an international bestselling author, award finalist, and a core author in the wildly successful Four Horsemen Universe. His fifteen novels include Sleeper Protocol, Vendetta Protocol, Runs In The Family, Peacemaker, Honor The Threat, Stand or Fall, Deathangel, Fields of Fire, and Harbinger. August 2022 will see the release of his alternate history novel The Crossing from Baen Books.  He is an Active Member of SFWA, the International Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors (IASFA), International Thriller Writers, and SIGMA – the science fiction think tank.

Defying all odds is what #1 New York Times and international bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon does best. Since her first book debuted while she was still in college, she has placed more than 80 novels on the New York Times list in all formats and genres, including manga and graphic novels, and has more than 70 million books in print worldwide.

A pioneer in paranormal, fantasy, science fiction and romantasy, she has become one of the most popular and influential authors in the world (in adult, YA and middle grade fiction), with dedicated legions of fans known as Paladins–thousands of whom proudly sport tattoos from her numerous genre-defying series.

Her current series include: Dark-Hunters®, Chronicles of Nick®, Infernal Affairs™, Eve of Destruction™, Myths & Outlaws, Secret War, and The League®.

Over the years, her Lords of Avalon® novels have been adapted by Marvel, and her Dark-Hunters® and Chronicles of Nick® are New York Times bestselling manga and comics and are #1 bestselling adult coloring books.

Join her and her Paladins online at SherrilynKenyon.com and www.facebook.com/mysherrilyn.

‍

Michael La Ronn (also known as M.L. Ronn) has published over 100 science fiction & fantasy novels and self-help books for writers.

Michael also runs the award-winning YouTube channel “Author Level Up,” with over 40,000 subscribers and 2 million views. Writer’s Digest voted the channel one of the “Best Resources for Writers” in 2020.

Michael devoted himself to the writing life in 2012 after a near-death experience, writing 10 to 12 books per year despite working a demanding full-time job as an insurance executive, raising a family, and attending law school classes in the evenings. His productivity methods are so effective that his YouTube subscribers have accused him of being a cyborg in disguise (he pleads the fifth).

For more information on Michael’s books, visit his fiction website at www.michaellaronn.com and his resources for writers at www.authorlevelup.com.

Mark Leslie Lefebvre’s first story appeared in print in 1992, the same year he started working in the book industry. Under the name Mark Leslie he has published thrillers and fiction, paranormal non-fiction, and anthologies. His books about writing and publishing appear under the name Mark Leslie Lefebvre. His industry experience includes President of the Canadian Booksellers Association, Board Member of BookNet Canada, Director of Author Relations for Rakuten Kobo, Director of Business Development for Draft2Digital and Professional Advisor for Sheridan College’s Creative Writing and Publishing Honours Program.

Mark lives in Waterloo, Ontario and can be found online at www.markleslie.ca.

Chris Mandeville is an unrepentant coffee drinker, night owl, and binge writer. She can write anywhere, but her usual spot is a comfy chair at home in the Rocky Mountains with her service dog, Oski, snoozing by her feet. When she isn't writing, she loves to cook, travel, and teach writing workshops. She is a ten-year alum of SSWS—it's her favorite place o teach, lead “First Pages Parties,” and learn from other writers. Her published works include Quake, Shake, and Break (IN REAL TIME time travel trilogy), Seeds: a post-apocalyptic adventure, Oski Becomes a Service Dog, and 52 Ways to Get Unstuck. She’s also has two short stories published in anthologies that benefit Superstars' scholarship funds. Learn more about Chris, and her current projects and appearances, at chrismandeville.com.

Lisa Mangum is the Managing Editor for Shadow Mountain. She is also the author of four national best-selling YA novels, several short stories and novellas, and the nonfiction book Write Fearless. Edit Smart. Get Published. She regularly teaches at writing conferences. She lives in Utah.

Rebecca Moesta (pronounced MESS-tuh) is co-publisher at WordFire Press and a bestselling author. She writes SF/F and nonfiction books for writers, both solo and with her husband, Kevin J. Anderson. Her work includes novels in Star Wars, Star Trek, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer universes, her Crystal Doors and Star Challengers trilogies, and nonfiction books Million Dollar Professionalism for Writers and Writing as a Team Sport: The Complete Writer’s Guide to Collaboration. Currently, she’s working on several new books for writers.

Diana M. Pho is a Hugo Award-winning fiction editor with nearly 20 years of experience in publishing, including roles at Hachette, Tor Publishing Group, and the Science Fiction Book Club. Presently, she is Editorial Director at Erewhon Books, acquiring and editing genre-bending and game-changing fiction. Additionally, she has a double B. A. in English and Russian Literature from Mount Holyoke College and an M.A. in Performance Studies from New York University.Books she has edited have won the Thriller Award, the American Library Association’s Alex Award, the Nebula Award, the Lambda Literary Award, and a Kirkus Best Book of the Year Selection, among other honors. Diana herself is a two-time finalist for the Ignyte Award, a two-time finalist for the Locus Award, and a two-time Hugo Award recipient for Best Editor, Long-Form.  She lives in New York City with her wife and their cats Laszlo and Nadja.

Mary Robinette Kowal is the USA Today Bestselling author of the Lady Astronaut series and the Glamourist Histories. Her novel The Calculating Stars is one of the few works to win the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards in a single year. She is also a recipient of the Astounding Award for Best New Writer and multiple Hugo awards. A professional puppeteer for over twenty years, Kowal’s background in physical performance informs much of her approach to character in prose. She shares this craft expertise as a core cast member of the long-running, Hugo-winning podcast Writing Excuses. Kowal served as the President of SFWA and is an accomplished audiobook narrator. At home, she explores communication through a different lens with her cat, Elsie, who uses Augmentative Interspecies Communication buttons to “talk.” She also has an asteroid named after her.

Clark R. Rowenson is an award-winning author, blogger, and writing coach that studies magic-systems like others study oil-painting. The only things he loves more than writing are writing magic systems and helping people. If something in your magic system or story is broken, doesn’t feel right, or seems to be more difficult to do than it should be, Clark is here and he’s here to help. While Clark is a corn-fed, born and raised Nebraskan, he currently lives in Southern California with his unbelievably supportive wife and ridiculously cute dog. You can visit him at crrowenson.com  to witness, fuel, or join in his obsession.

Julia was a trial lawyer in Silicon Valley for over two decades. She still makes stuff up for a living. She attended U.C Berkeley and majored in Asian Studies. A graduate of Viable Paradise, she often writes with co-author Ken Bebelle. Their novel Ebony Gate was named a 2023 Golden Poppy Finalist for the Octavia E. Butler award. Julia is the editor of the forthcoming wuxia fantasy anthology Martial Hero.Julia has been an instructor or panelist at the San Francisco Writer's Conference for five years, is a board member and panelist for Superstars Writing Seminars in Colorado Springs, and has paneled at San Diego Comic Con, Emerald City Comic Con, and Rose City Comic Con.

Jennifer S. Wilkov is a multi #1 international best-selling award-winning author, an award-winning freelance writer, and a Hollywood consultant. She supports first-time writers and seasoned authors with the essentials to become a bestseller: a great project, a strong platform and a well-polished pitch, presentation and hook for their book, film, tv, streaming or theater project. She assists with the writing, editing, marketing, and publishing of their books as well as the building of their platforms to raise their visibility to readers, the media, Hollywood and beyond. She passionately teaches and educates writers as a speaker and program producer of workshops, at writers conferences and events coast to coast, and for groups such as the Writers Guild of America – East and New York Women in Film & Television. Her keen eye for stories that sell is trusted by industry professionals who appreciate her savvy in seeing the many possibilities a story lends itself to. www.YourBookIsYourHook.com

Bryan Young works in many different media. He's published thousands of essays and hundreds of short stories in publications like Marvel and Image Comics, Star Wars Insider, Huffington Post, SYFY, /Film, Script Magazine, Weird Tales, the Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Library Literary Magazine and many more. He’s worked in the Star Wars, Robotech, Doctor Who, Shadowrun and BattleTech universes, among others. He teaches writing at the University of Utah and Writers Digest’s Online University. He served two years as President of the League of Utah Writers, was named the League’s Writer of the Year in 2023, has won two Diamond Quill Awards, and the Utah Humanities Foundation awarded his novel BattleTech: A Question of Survival the 2025 Utah Book Award in the Speculative Fiction category. His latest novel is BattleTech: Ghosts of Timkovichi. His latest non-fiction tie-in work was the bestselling Big Bang Theory Official Book of Lists. He’s currently co-writing the upcoming BattleTech series of graphic novels alongside New York Times bestseller Michael A. Stackpole. Follow him on social media @swankmotron or visit www.swankmotron.com.