Imaginarium 2026 is proud to announce the addition of four new Workshops and one new Panel to our programming! There will be over 135 panels and workshops hosted in our 13th year, so make sure to check back regularly on our official site to see all new additions!
The titles, presenters, and descriptions for these new programming additions are as follows:
New Workshops Added:
Diversification Strategies to Build an Ironclad Author Career: Presented by Lydia Sherrer. Come learn proven strategies for diversifying your operations and exploiting your IP to the fullest in order to create stability and longevity for your career.
As the independent author industry matures and technology advances to bring more opportunities to individual entrepreneurs, there are a myriad of traditional as well as new and innovative ways for authors to exploit their Intellectual Property, grow their brand, and find new income streams. Join award-winning and USA Today-bestselling author Lydia Sherrer to learn proven strategies for diversifying your operations and exploiting your IP to the fullest in order to create stability and longevity for your career.
Intended audience: Emerging and established authors
By the end, the audience will understand:
-How to balance your core income activities with new diversification opportunities
-What sorts of diversification strategies are available (different media types, publishing avenues, retail platforms, and creative ways of exploiting your writing skills and story IP)
-How to determine what diversification opportunities are right for you
(90 min)
Jungian Psychology (with a little Joseph Campbell thrown in) for Character Development: Presented by Darlene Franklin Campbell. This presentation delves into using Jungian Psychology (with a little Joseph Campbell thrown in) for character development. We will explore the basics of cognitive functions and how they factor into character behavior and motivations. We will then discuss Jungian archetypes and how the hero’s journey might look for different dominant personality traits. What motivates characters, and how can we make those motivations and actions feel real? In essence, we’re going to get inside our characters’ heads and hearts. (90 min)
Mastering Facebook Marketing: Presented by David Sherrer. Selling books is tough. Studies show that only 0.06% of authors sell more than 1,000 books in their lifetime.
However, in January alone, we sold 4,737 titles through our Shopify store.
Success in book sales isn’t about luck—it’s about strategy. A good book doesn’t simply find its audience; you have to find the audience for your book. With 60 million books on Amazon, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle.
Today, I’ll walk you through a proven method to sell books using Facebook ads.
Step 1: Build Great Ads
A compelling ad consists of three main elements:
Images – Eye-catching and relevant to your book’s theme.
Headlines – Short, attention-grabbing, and clearly conveying the book’s value.
Body Text – Persuasive copy that connects with your target audience.
Step 2: Create a High-Converting Sales Page
A dedicated sales page increases conversions by 2x to 3x compared to generic book listings.
Your sales page needs at least a 20% conversion rate. Sales industry standard is 2%.
Key elements of a strong sales page:
Clear book descriptions.
Testimonials or reviews.
A strong call to action.
Step 3: Bundle Your Books for Higher Profits
Bundling books is one of the most effective ways to maximize profitability.
If your books are over 60,000 words, bundle 3 or more together.
If they are under 60,000 words, bundle 5 or more together.
If you don’t have enough books yet, focus on building a fan base instead of immediate profitability. Use strategies like:
Growing a mailing list.
Gathering reader feedback.
Testing the market before investing years in a book series.
Step 4: Implement an Order Bump
Offer additional books at checkout to increase the average order value.
Provide related titles or exclusive content that will keep readers coming back.
A strong order bump strategy requires:
4+ titles (60k+ words each) or 6+ shorter titles (novellas, short stories, etc.).
A compelling reason to buy more, such as a discount on a series bundle.
Step 5: Optimize Your Checkout Page
The platform you use matters. Shopify has the highest conversion rates for e-commerce.
Ensure the checkout process is seamless and fast to reduce cart abandonment.
Step 6: Use Post-Purchase Upsells
After a customer completes their purchase, offer them an exclusive deal.
Make it feel reward-based with messaging like:
“Congratulations! You’ve qualified for a 20% discount on the next trilogy!”
Many customers won’t take the upsell immediately, but they might later if nurtured correctly.
Step 7: Build and Leverage Your Mailing List
A strong email list stabilizes your income when ad performance fluctuates.
Use your email list to:
Send sales codes or discounts.
Introduce new book releases.
Cultivate super fans who will buy everything you publish.
The email platform we use is Klaviyo—it offers powerful automation, like birthday discount codes.
A well-managed email list can generate up to 50% of your total sales!
Conclusion
Selling books isn’t just about writing great stories—it’s about strategic marketing. Follow these six steps to maximize your book sales using Facebook ads. Start with great ads, optimize your sales funnel, and leverage your mailing list to build a sustainable author business. Don’t wait for readers to find your book—actively bring your book to the right readers! (60 min)
Writing the Ancestors: Presented by Christina Marrocco. Whether you work in memoir, essay, or fiction, this workshop will use a meditative listing and inquiry process to not just generate writing but to engage our ancestors in order to write them honestly, deeply, and fully. There is no more important writing than that which tells the story of those who came before and tells it well. In order to do that, we must move beyond our own memories and thoughts and link to their lives and times. The central aim is to help participants write about their ancestors in a way that goes beyond surface-level memories. Rather than just recalling facts or stories, the goal is to fully embody and reimagine the lives, personalities, emotions, and struggles of those who came before us.
Be ready to engage, to write, and to discuss what you experience.
This workshop isn’t just about writing about ancestors, it’s about connecting to write with them, not just in mind, but in body, heart, and imagination. Let’s fuse creative writing, emotional inquiry, and ancestral reverence. (90 minutes)
New Panel Added:
Humor on the Page vs Humor on the Stage: Moderator – Brent Terhune. It never hurts to be a little funny, but how do you actually BE funny? This panel will deal with writing funny for the page as well as live performance. Also, joke construction, the writing process and how to deal with bombing. (60 min)
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