Balticon 2025 Schedule

With the Internet at our fingertips and social media on our phones, it’s easy to get distracted by what’s immediate and forget to stay focused on what’s important. But what if what’s distracting you is another great idea? Our panelists will share tools and strategies for staying on task, even when the distraction is coming from inside the house.

How do you get readers to find your short stories? There’s a variety of ways short stories are published today, from anthologies – online and in print, to zines, to single author collections. Writers specializing in short stories have difficulty connecting with and building an audience. How can you find the people who enjoy your work, and how can they find you in a cost effective way? We will discuss short story collections, social media, conventions, and other ways of reaching your readership.

(Virtual) Balticon was the first con to go virtual after COVID-19 hit. We’ve since evolved into a hybrid convention while others have gone back to solely in-person. What have convention runners learned from the virtual versus in-person experience? What’s missing when we’re not here in person, what did we gain through the virtual experience, and how do we keep the best parts of both?

So, you want to include a titanic space battle in your military SF novel or your galaxy-spanning space opera. But…who’s fighting? Why are they fighting? You’d like to make the battle realistic…but what tactics and strategies make sense? In this workshop, you’ll learn by doing as we collaboratively build an epic space battle.

It’s been said that “it takes a village to write a book.” Writers who are successful tend to have a strong support system of friends, fellow writing professionals, beta readers, and fans to help them. Find out how to build the kind of support system you need to become the writer you want to be.