A field guide to the moots, meetups, and midnight signings of the indie book world.
2026–2028: the reader cons, self-publishing conferences, and audiobook gatherings where indie authors sign and narrators sign beside them — with dates, prices, and who to email, kept as current as the organisers' own announcements allow. Last checked September 2026.
A note: I keep this map, though I walk few of its roads. No affiliation, no promise of my being there — only the lanterns, lit and left where you'll find them.
The whole hoard, in order of appearing — gold marks the indie-author gatherings. Dates were verified against official sources in September 2026 — but conventions are fickle creatures; confirm before booking travel.
The heart of this guide: gatherings run by and for independently published authors — self-pub and hybrid, the ones who own their rights, commission their own audio, and build their own tables. Craft, business, marketing, and the rooms where indie authors and narrators actually meet.
Indie Flagship · Direct-Hire Networking
Nov 10–13, 2026 · Horseshoe, Las Vegas, NV (annual; Nov 2027 & 2028 TBA)
The largest indie-author conference in the US — grown out of 20BooksTo50K, ~1,500+ writers deep. Sessions on ads, wide vs. exclusive, and series strategy, plus a dedicated Audio & Narration track, an Industry Expo day where narrators can exhibit, and open speaker applications. Indie authors here hire narrators directly, with no publisher in between.
Indie & Hybrid · Career Novelists
Sep 23–26, 2026 · Sep 22–25, 2027 · Sep 20–23, 2028 · TradeWinds Island Grand, St. Pete Beach, FL
The professional organisation for career novelists — indie, hybrid, and traditionally published side by side. Roughly 45 workshops on craft, business, and mindset, plus a Thursday intensive. Small, senior, and famously candid about money; industry guests attend by invitation.
Indie Business · Seminar
Feb 4–6, 2027 · Colorado Springs, CO (annual, early Feb)
A business-of-writing seminar rather than a craft workshop — taught by working career authors (Kevin J. Anderson and company) with heavy emphasis on rights, licensing, and audio. Fiercely loyal alumni tribe; small enough that everyone actually meets.
Indie Authors · Libraries · Free
Nov 13–14, 2026 · public libraries across the US (annual)
A single weekend when hundreds of libraries host their local independent authors — readings, panels, local-author fairs, and self-pub help desks. Free, hyper-local, and welcoming; the easiest doorway into the indie scene in your own town.
Indie Authors · Online · Free
Oct 17–18, 2026 · online, twice yearly
The Alliance of Independent Authors' free online conference — two days of sessions from indie authors and service providers worldwide, including regular audiobook and narration tracks. Watch live for free; recordings for members.
Indie Authors · Online · Free
Fall: Oct 24–25, 2026 · Spring 2027 (TBA) · online
A free twice-yearly virtual festival built around independent authors — panels, spotlight sessions, and the BookFest Awards. Low-stakes, no travel, and a good place to meet indie authors while they're actively promoting.
Indie-Friendly · Craft & Pitch
Oct 1–4, 2026 · Hyatt Regency Aurora-Denver, Aurora, CO (annual, early Oct)
Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' long-running conference — genre-forward, welcoming to indie and hybrid authors, with craft workshops, pitch sessions, and a contest. Regional in scale, which makes the connections stick.
Indie Authors · Online
March 2027 (annual, early March) · online
Four days of virtual sessions for women across publishing — heavily indie-author, with marketing, production, and audio tracks, plus a companion book-marketing event (#WIPCON) in the spring. Recordings included, so time zones don't bite.
Indie Authors · Canada
Spring 2027 (TBA; 2026 ran Apr 18–19) · Toronto, ON
A friendly, affordable weekend for Canadian self-publishers — craft, publishing logistics, and marketing, run by indie authors rather than a vendor. Under $200 CAD, which makes it one of the lowest barriers on this list.
Indie Authors · UK
Jun 10–11, 2027 · County Hall, London, UK
The live edition of the Self Publishing Show — Britain's biggest indie-author gathering. Ads, wide distribution, series planning, and a strong audiobook and Kickstarter thread. The natural counterpart to Author Nation for the UK and EU scene.
Indie Authors · LitRPG & Progression
Jul 9–11, 2027 · Grand Hyatt, Denver, CO
Small, cheap, and almost entirely indie — the con for LitRPG, progression fantasy, and cultivation authors and their readers. The single most audiobook-hungry genre in indie fiction; these authors commission constantly and know their narrators by name.
Romance and romantasy reader conventions — signing halls built almost entirely on indie and hybrid authors, and the ones where narrators sign alongside them. Most take author and narrator interest forms; the purple mark means narrator programming is confirmed.
Reader Con · Romantasy
Aug 18–22, 2027 · Gaylord National, National Harbor, MD
Jennifer L. Armentrout's flagship con — 160+ authors, a massive signing hall, panels, vendors, and 1,000+ readers. The official site lists attending narrators as their own category, and narrator interest forms for 2027 are open.
Reader Con · Romantasy · 18+
Orlando: Oct 22–24, 2026 (Lake Buena Vista) · LA: Feb 25–27, 2027 (The Biltmore) · Edinburgh: Jul 15–16, 2027 · Orlando: Oct 28–30, 2027
Immersive three-day romantasy con — 150–200+ authors, cosplay contest, fantasy ball, murder mystery. Event listings explicitly include narrators among signing guests. LA 2027 tickets are on sale; Orlando 2027 is listed as on sale soon, and a first UK edition lands in Edinburgh.
Reader Con · Multi-genre · 18+
Apr 22–24, 2027 · Hilton Anatole, Dallas, TX
Big 18+ reader con — 200+ authors plus a dedicated "Attending Narrators" section with narrator signings, themed parties, and panels. Romance-heavy but multi-genre, which suits stories with teeth. Returning to the city where it started.
Reader Event · Signing
Aug 28–29, 2026 — now past · Horseshoe Pavilion, Midland, TX (2027 dates TBA)
West Texas romance signing hosted by Love Affair Bookstore — authors, narrators (2026 guests include Shannon Myers, Kate Oliver, Jered Sternaman), cover models, and vendors. Doubling in size for 2026; a UK edition is planned for 2027.
Reader Con · Indie Signing · Twisted Tale Events
Aug 14–15, 2026 — now past · Sharonville Convention Center, Cincinnati, OH
Twisted Tale Events' flagship — a two-day signing built entirely on independently and hybrid-published authors, with panels, keynotes, bookish vendors, and an event photographer. Bring a children's book for the Enchanted Pages Project and earn a lanyard ribbon; the donations go to Cincinnati Children's Hospital. The 2026 charity anthology is The Soundtrack of Love and Lies.
Reader Con · Indie Signing · Twisted Tale Events
Nov 14, 2026 · 10am–5pm · Union Depot, St. Paul, MN
The winter edition — one long holiday-lit day in a grand old railway hall, connecting indie and hybrid authors with the readers who buy them, alongside narrators, cover models, and bookish vendors. Enchanted Pages donations go to Minnesota Children's Hospitals & Clinics; the anthology Twinkle Lights and Tinsel Tails benefits Can Do Canines.
Reader Con · Romance · Twisted Tale Events
Jun 17–19, 2027 · Las Vegas, NV (venue announced March 2027)
Three days of romance in Vegas, and the one on this list with an attending-narrator application of its own sitting right beside the author and vendor forms. Enchanted Pages books go to the Sunrise Children's Foundation and Spread the Word Nevada; the charity anthology High Stakes & Heartbreaks benefits Las Vegas Ronald McDonald House Charities and the Discovery Children's Museum.
Reader Con · Indie Signing · Twisted Tale Events
Aug 13–14, 2027 · Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, SD
The 2027 flagship moves to the northern plains and a much larger hall. Same shape as Cincinnati — indie signing floor, panels, vendors — with Enchanted Pages donations going to REACH and Sanford Children's Hospital, and the anthology Under Wild Dakota Skies benefiting Children's Home Society of South Dakota and Sioux Empire United Way. Author and vendor applications are open now.
Reader Con · Authors & Voice Actors
Apr 23–25, 2027 · Grand Oaks Resort, Weirsdale, FL
A brand-new convention built from the start around authors and voice actors together rather than treating narrators as an afterthought — one of its eight co-founders holds the title Director of Narrator & Audio Talent Relations. Three days of signings, panels, workshops, and live readings — hearing the voices behind the characters is billed as part of the programme, not a side attraction. Friday opens with A Night in Venice, a black-tie awards evening honouring authors, narrators, and creators, with proceeds going to a scholarship fund for independent creatives. Also an event passport, a vendor marketplace, and a charity book donation drive. They call it "Chapter 1" — and first-year cons are where a narrator can help set the shape of the thing.
Reader Con · Indie-Heavy · Intimate
Feb 25–28, 2027 · The Shores Resort & Spa, Daytona Beach Shores, FL (15th year)
A beachside urban-fantasy and romance con of a deliberately small size — featured authors are overwhelmingly indie and small-press, and readers spend four days actually talking to them. The 2027 featured-author list is closed; the 2028 form is open.
Reader Signing · Indie Romance · Charity
Jul 10, 2027 · Embassy Suites, East Peoria, IL
100+ romance authors in one room — mostly indie, with bestsellers scattered through — for a single day of signing, selfies, and stacks of paperbacks. All proceeds go to Thistle Farms. The 2027 author interest form is already open.
Reader Con · All Genres
Apr 9–11, 2027 · Javits Center, New York, NY
The revived mega-con for readers. The sold-out 2026 relaunch included an audiobook narration panel (Julia Whelan, Rebecca Soler, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Helen Laser) — a real stage for narrators, plus every publisher under one roof.
Reader Con · Romance
Apr 1–4, 2027 · Gaylord Rockies, Aurora, CO (unconfirmed — site unreachable at research time)
Large romance con with dozens of listed narrators (Emily Woo Zeller, Jason Clarke, Greg Tremblay, Karen White, Erin Moon…). Caveat: the 2024 edition was infamously dubbed the "Fyre Festival of books," and the Feb 2025 event was canceled with refunds. Research before committing.
Reader Event · 21+ Vibe
Oct 3, 2026 (4–9 pm) · Bartle Hall, Kansas City, MO
A "grown-up book fair" for ~7,000 readers — signings, panels, vendor marketplace, cocktails. 2026 headliners skew SFF/romantasy (TJ Klune, Mary E. Pearson). Narrator presence unverified; author-focused lineup so far.
Reader Event · Romance
LoveLit Cruise: Mar 1–6, 2027 · Virgin Voyages' Scarlet Lady · next land con TBA
Romance reader weekend with author and narrator signings (2026 San Diego edition included narrators). For 2027 the con becomes a cruise; watch for a land edition to return.
A deliberate sprinkling of the larger gatherings — the free book festivals and literary cons where indie authors still get a table, a panel, or a stage. The media mega-cons (comic, anime, and their kin) are left off this map on purpose; this guide keeps its lantern turned toward books.
Fan Con · SFF · Audio Track
May 28–31, 2027 · Baltimore, MD
Baltimore's SF/F con runs the longest-standing audio "New Media" track of any SF con (since 2005) — panels like "Narrating Podcast Fiction" and its own con podcast. A very realistic panelist berth in the audio-fiction community.
Festival · Free
Aug 22, 2026 — now past · Convention Center, Washington, DC (annual, late summer)
The Library of Congress's free national festival — 80+ authors, and the 2026 lineup includes a panel of popular audiobook narrators with the National Library Service. Guests are LOC-curated, but it's a rich day of craft and networking for the price of nothing.
Festival · Free · Audiobook Stage
April 2027 (TBA, typically mid-late April) · USC, Los Angeles
The largest US book festival debuted a dedicated Audiobook & Podcast Stage in 2026 — seven panels featuring narrators like Andi Arndt and January LaVoy. If the stage returns, narrators are the programming, not the audience.
Festival · YA · Free
Nov 13–14, 2026 · Charleston, SC (YALLWEST: Apr 2027 TBA, Santa Monica)
The country's biggest YA festivals — 70+ authors, street-festival energy. Author-focused rather than narrator-focused, but free and dense with publishing folk.
Festival · Free
Nov 14–15, 2026 · State Capitol grounds, Austin, TX
300+ authors, free, at the Capitol. Has hosted Libro.fm-sponsored audiobook panels ("Narrating the Narrative") in past years; mainly dense author/publisher networking.
Industry conferences, awards, and craft retreats — where the trade gathers, publishers listen, and narrators sharpen their teeth. Increasingly, it's also where indie authors come looking for voices.
Industry · Flagship
2027: New York City, dates TBA (typically spring, near the Audies)
The audiobook industry's flagship conference — publishers, producers, rights holders, narrators. The primary visibility-and-networking event for narrators seeking publisher work. The 2026 edition was virtual; 2027 returns to NYC.
Industry · Awards
Mar 2, 2027 · Pier 60, Chelsea Piers, New York, NY
The "Oscars of audiobooks." Finalists announced each February; the gala is recognition, networking, and visibility in one glittering room.
Industry · VO Conference
Mar 18–21, 2027 · Hilton Atlanta Airport, GA
The world's largest voiceover conference (~1,000 attendees, 150+ sessions) with a dedicated audiobook program curated by Scott Brick, featuring publishers and working narrators.
Industry · Virtual
Typically late July, virtual (2027 TBA)
The Professional Audiobook Narrators Association's full-day virtual conference — panels, producer coaching, and a talent showcase, by narrators for narrators. No travel required.
Industry · VO Conference
Aug 20–23, 2026 — now past · Hyatt Regency DFW, Grapevine, TX (2027 TBA)
Major US voiceover conference with an awards ceremony (Aug 22) and audiobook narration among its session genres.
Industry · UnConference
Oct 15–18, 2026 · Embassy Suites, New Orleans, LA
World-Voices Organization's "UnConference" — attendees set the agenda on arrival. Peer-learning and community for working VO talent, narrators included.
Industry · Regional VO
Nov 13–15, 2026 · Westin Dulles, Herndon, VA
Well-regarded, intimate Mid-Atlantic voiceover conference (11th year) with narrator-relevant sessions, coaching, and close-quarters networking.
Craft Retreat
Oct 19–21, 2026 · The Warren Center, Ashland, MA
Small in-person retreat from veteran narrator-coach Johnny Heller (successor to his "Splendiferous" workshop) — coaching from top narrators and publisher guests. Single rooms already sold out as of May 2026. He also runs one-day NYC intensives (~$385).
Craft Retreat
Aug 27–30, 2026 — now past · Clifton Cultural Arts Center, Cincinnati, OH (2027 TBA)
Jennifer Jill Araya's four-day craft-and-business retreat for experienced narrators (not for beginners). The 2026 edition sold out; no 2027 announcement yet.
Craft Retreat · Application-Based
Oct 23–25, 2026 · Casa Bella Tara, Palm Springs, CA
Ron Butler and Andi Arndt's intimate cohort-of-12 retreat for working narrators, with guest producer Steve Wagner. Applications open; pricing shared on application.
Craft Retreat · Cruise
Apr 4–10, 2027 · Celebrity Silhouette, from Ft. Lauderdale, FL
A week-long workshop cruise for professional narrators — seven-plus seminars and group coaching between Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel.
Industry · Libraries
Jun 24–28, 2027 · New Orleans, LA · Jun 22–26, 2028 · Denver, CO
15,000+ librarians — major audiobook buyers and superfans. Publisher booths host narrator signings (Julia Whelan via OverDrive); narrators can also book an IBPA cooperative signing table (~$110 for members).
Events that were, and mostly are not. Kept here so nobody chases a ghost.