SelfPubCon 2025: Full Agenda and Speaker Line-Up Announced

The Self-Publishing Advice Conference (#SelfPubCon25) is almost here! Mark your calendars for Saturday, October 18th to Sunday, October 19th, 2025, running from 8am–4pm (ET) / 1pm–9pm (UK) each day. With two full days of expert-led sessions, panels, and networking, this year’s conference promises fresh insights and practical takeaways you won’t want to miss. Free access is available to all during the conference weekend.

What is #SelfPubCon?

The Self-Publishing Advice Conference (#SelfPubCon) is a free, online event run in association with the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi). Since its debut in 2013, it has grown into one of the longest-running and most trusted conferences for indie authors worldwide. Each year, SelfPubCon brings together top self-publishing experts, service providers, and successful authors to share insights, strategies, and inspiration through a mix of expert-led sessions, panel discussions, and sponsor presentations.

Free access is available during conference weekend, but ALLi members enjoy year-round access to the full SelfPubCon archive of 100+ sessions — along with a host of other member benefits. Join ALLi today to unlock the archive and get the most from your indie author journey.

New 2025 Format & Trend

This year, we’re introducing a new structure based on ALLi member feedback. Instead of our traditional 24-hour marathon, #SelfPubCon25 will unfold across two days, giving you more time between sessions to connect, reflect, and network with fellow indie authors.

Our theme for 2025 is New Trends in Self-Publishing. Together, we’ll explore the shifts shaping the future of indie publishing, from social media strategies to new developments in print, audio, rights licensing, and more.

With a stellar line-up of speakers including Ricardo Fayet, Joanna Penn, Orna Ross, Mark Leslie Lefebvre, Adam Beswick, Sacha Black and many more, plus sponsored sessions from Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Gatekeeper Press and Reedsy, this year’s conference is set to deliver the most up-to-date strategies for authors of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

Competitions, giveaways, exclusive offers, and live networking will add to the excitement across the weekend, making #SelfPubCon25 a truly interactive experience. We'll also be announcing the winners of our “Write Your Why” Competition (with big prizes up for grabs from ALLi partner members).

Whether you’re joining live or catching up on replays, the conference platform SelfPubConnect gives you everything you need to get the most out of your SelfPubCon experience.

How to Attend SelfPubCon for FREE!

The Self-Publishing Advice Conference takes place October 18–19, 2025.

Free access is open to all during the conference weekend, and for two days after. Simply create a free account on our conference platform, SelfPubConnect, to join live sessions, watch replays, enter giveaways, and connect with fellow attendees in the networking chat.

After the free access period ends, sessions move into the conference archive. ALLi members and Access Pass holders enjoy unlimited access to the full archive, which now includes more than 100 sessions from past conferences.

SelfPubConnect access will open to all on Monday 13th October, 2025. In the meantime, you can register for updates here and we'll send you an invitation to join SelfPubConnect once the 2025 conference space opens.

The Self-Publishing Advice Conference: For ALLi Members

ALLi members are granted automatic access to the 2025 conference through your SelfPubConnect account, home also to the ALLi Member Forum.

IMPORTANT: Please note that the conference platform (SelfPubConnect) will not recognize your ALLi membership credentials. It is a separate platform. You must register there separately. For ease, you may wish to keep your login details the same across both the member and conference websites.

1. Simply create your account here and choose the ‘ALLi Member Plan'.
2. Answer the required questions and a moderator will give you access.

Please note: Access to the 2025 conference space will be granted automatically on October 13th to all ALLi members via SelfPubConnect. 

The Self-Publishing Advice Conference October 2025: Agenda

Note: All times are in EDT (New York, USA) & BST (London, U.K.) time zone. Find the times local to you here.

View, download or print a PDF copy of our agenda here.

Friday 17th October, 2025

Kick off your SelfPubCon experience with our special live orientation and recorded bonus sessions on Friday, October 17. These events are designed to help you settle in, explore the platform, and get into learning mode. Bring your questions to the live orientation, then enjoy exclusive bonus content to inspire and prepare you for the full weekend ahead.

10am (ET)/3pm (UK) – Start Here: Conference Orientation

Hosted by ALLi Director Orna Ross, ALLi Campaigns Manager Matty Dalrymple, and SelfPubCon Manager Kayleigh Brindley, this session will give you everything you need to make the most of your two-day online conference experience. Whether you’re new to SelfPubCon or a returning attendee, this session will ensure you’re fully prepared to get the most from every moment of the conference.

Pre-Conference Bonus Sessions

• 11am (ET)/4pm (UK) – Indie Author: A Documentary – Director’s Cut with Adam Grandy

Join us for an exclusive screening of Indie Author: A Documentary, featuring a special director’s cut with insights from filmmaker Adam Grandy.

• 12pm (ET)/5pm (UK) – Owning Your Readership: Authentic Growth and Trends in 2025

Discover how indie authors can embrace new publishing trends while staying true to their voice. In this session, Gatekeeper Press explores Substack, communities, and email as powerful tools for connection, showing how authenticity—not algorithms—builds loyal readership and sustainable success in today’s shifting publishing landscape.

This session is proudly sponsored by Gatekeeper Press.

• 1pm (ET)/6pm (UK): Troy Lambert – Taking it Easy: Seven Ways to Create More Time for Your Writing

In a world of AI and distractions, how do you make more time to focus on your writing? Some days, it seems like every tool in your arsenal is vying for your time, attention, and money. This session will focus on seven methods for using both your tools and the time you have more efficiently to create and protect your writing time.

• 2pm (ET)/7pm (UK): Laurence O'Bryan – Liquid Content for Indie Authors: Future-Proofing Your Stories Across Formats

In a world where content is no longer bound by form, indie authors have unprecedented opportunities to expand how their stories, poems, or knowledge reach audiences. We’ll explore how indie authors can strategically adapt and repurpose their work to meet the preferences of modern readers, listeners, and viewers.

Saturday 18th October, 2025

8am (ET)/1pm (UK): Amazon KDP Panel – New Strategies for Marketing and Growth: Maximising Your Author Profile with Amazon KDP

Discover how to build your author profile, increase visibility, and maximise earnings using new features, best practices, and innovative approaches to reaching readers. An author panel will also share their experiences and strategies for success in today’s evolving self-publishing landscape.

This session is proudly sponsored by Amazon KDP.

9am (ET)/2pm (UK): Ricardo Fayet — Preparing for the Future of Search: Staying Visible in an Evolving Landscape

In this workshop, Reedsy’s Ricardo Fayet will show authors exactly how to prepare for the era of Generative Engine Optimization. You’ll learn practical strategies to position your books so that they’re easily discoverable—and recommendable—by the latest generation of AI search tools.

This session is proudly sponsored by Reedsy.

10am (ET)/3pm (UK): Alliance of Independent Authors — ALLi Team Roundtable: Navigating New Trends in Self-Publishing

Join a dynamic live roundtable with key members of the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) team as they share expert guidance on navigating today’s evolving self-publishing landscape.

11am (ET)/4pm (UK): Marvin Wey — The TikTok Slideshow Strategy: Faceless Videos A Secret Weapon for Indie Authors

TikTok isn’t just for dances and Gen Z anymore — it’s quickly becoming one of the most powerful (and misunderstood) sales channels for indie authors. In this session, Marvin, co-founder of AuthorScale, will break down the viral rise of slideshow-style BookTok videos: faceless, emotionally charged scenes from books paired with dynamic visuals.

12pm (ET)/5pm (UK): Mark Leslie — Back To The Future: New Trends in Print Publishing for Authors

While indie authors have dominated the eBook space, they are now moving into print in new ways. Learn effective strategies and ideas for marketing and selling your print books direct to consumers and via online and brick-and-mortar bookstores and libraries, with a focus on what’s working now as never before.

This session is proudly sponsored by Bowker.

1pm (ET)/6pm (UK): Maggie Marr — Copyright Protection and AI: What Every Author Needs to Know

In this session, Maggie Marr will guide you through the key strategies and legal tools authors need to safeguard their work and their income. Maggie will explain how copyright works today, how it can protect you, and what steps you can take to stay ahead in a rapidly changing publishing landscape.

2pm (ET)/7pm (UK): Orna Ross, Sacha Black & Adam Beswick — New Self-Publishing Models for Authors: Exploring the Tools Shaping Modern Publishing

What’s really happening with author income in the age of digital publishing, creator economy, and AI? Join Thad McIlroy, publishing analyst, and Matty Dalrymple for an essential session unpacking the latest data and offering evidence-based insights to authors. Expect analysis of income trends, business models, and the current strategies of higher-earning indies—and find out what it all means for your own writing and publishing.

Sunday 19th October, 2025

8am (ET)/1pm (UK): IngramSpark Panel — Beyond the Book: New Pathways to Readers with IngramSpark

This insightful panel session led by Ben Hughes, IngramSpark’s senior manager for UK & AU, explores how independent authors are building global brands, connecting with reader communities, and driving sales in new ways on the IngramSpark platform, through social media selling and other strategies.

This session is proudly sponsored by IngramSpark.

9am (ET)/2pm (UK): Julie Broad — AI, Authority & the Author Advantage: Book Marketing That Works in 2026 and Beyond

Julie Broad unveils the three non-negotiable strategies every non-fiction author needs to stay relevant in 2026, and how to use AI to amplify authority, not automate mediocrity.

You'll also review tools that will help make it faster and cheaper to do book marketing, from positioning to podcast pitching, without losing your voice.

10am (ET)/3pm (UK): Joanna Penn & Orna Ross — New Trends in Tools and Tech: Joanna Penn in Q&A with Orna Ross

Discover the latest shifts in writing, book production, smarter marketing, and time-saving workflows in this insightful session with Joanna Penn and Orna Ross. You’ll learn what tools and technologies to experiment with now, what to skip, and how to stay ethical while growing your writing and publishing career.

11am (ET)/4pm (UK): Orna Ross — New Takes on Marketing Must Dos: Insights from ALLi’s Reach More Readers Guidebook

In this friendly SelfPubCon session, Orna Ross gives classic book marketing must-dos a 2025 refresh—rooted in your values as an author-publisher and grounded in ALLi’s guidebook ‘Reach More Readers’ and ALLi’s Ethical AI policy. We’ll cut through content glut, algorithm churn, rising ad costs, email deliverability headaches, and reader-trust wobbles to a human-first playbook.

You’ll leave with a quick mini-audit you can run on your current marketing and a short, doable upgrade list to reach more readers—calmly, ethically, and on your own terms.

This session is proudly sponsored by Publish Me.

12pm (ET)/5pm (UK): Jeff Elkins — Writing for the Streaming Generation: Deepening Cinematic Stories

Streaming has changed how people engage with story: scenes are tighter, character interactions are central, action moves faster, and emotional punches need to be powerful and instant.

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, you will leave this talk with a deeper understanding of how to capture attention with your story telling in the golden age of streaming.

1pm (ET)/6pm (UK): MaryCatherine Jones — Voicing the Future: Self-Narrated Audiobooks are Now Premium

Thinking of narrating your own audiobook? In the age of AI audiobooks, human narration is now the premium choice for readers, especially when it's an author narrating their own work.

In this 60-minute session, audiobook producer Mary Catherine Jones shares expert tips to help you prepare both your manuscript and your voice for a smooth, professional-sounding recording.

2pm (ET)/7pm (UK): Tiffany Obeng — Beyond the Buy Button: Bulk Sales & Community Partnerships

Most authors focus on Amazon rankings—but what if your next bestseller wasn’t a single sale, but 100 copies to one buyer? This session introduces a rising trend in self-publishing: leveraging mission-aligned bulk buyers like schools, nonprofits, and professional associations to drive revenue, expand impact, and scale visibility.

Tiffany shares her behind-the-scenes playbook for pitching, packaging, and partnering with organizations that believe in your book’s message—and are willing to fund it.

3pm (ET)/8pm (UK) Authorpreneur Panel — Success Spotlight: Innovative Strategies from Indie Authors

In this pre-recorded session, we shine a light on some of the most successful authorpreneur members of our community. Hear firsthand how they are embracing new trends in self-publishing, sharing innovative strategies, creative approaches, and practical insights that are shaping the indie author landscape today.

This session is proudly sponsored by Writers Online.

4pm (ET)/9pm (UK) Thank You & Highlights

We close out the Publishing for Profit Conference with a look back at some of the highlights and a very big thank you to everyone involved.

Don’t Miss Out – Register Today

The Self-Publishing Advice Conference (#SelfPubCon25) is your chance to learn directly from the very best in indie publishing. With two full days of cutting-edge sessions, inspiring speakers, and interactive networking, this year’s event will give you the tools and insights to future-proof your author career.

When: October 18–19, 2025
Where: Online via SelfPubConnect
Cost: Free during conference weekend

Make sure you don’t miss a moment. Register now for updates and join thousands of indie authors from around the world for the biggest learning and networking event in self-publishing. (Note: we'll send an invite to everyone who's registered for updates once the conference space opens on October 13th).