AWP: The Conference Where Writers Pay to Present

Writers want to be read. We want our books in people’s hands. We want to be noticed, celebrated, and remembered. That’s the dream. And because of that dream, the writing industry has its share of people eager to capitalize on our desire.

Writing conferences are one of the best places to spread the word about your work. They offer networking opportunities, exposure to new readers, and a chance to sharpen your craft. Some are excellent. Some are even career-changing.

But as with anything… buyer beware.

What Is AWP?

The Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) is one of the largest literary organizations in North America. Its annual conference and bookfair attracts thousands of attendees: writers, editors, publishers, educators, and students. Hundreds of sessions cover every corner of the writing world, from craft workshops to publishing panels. On paper, it’s a marquee event—one many writers dream of attending.

That’s why Michelle Barker and I were eager to apply. We’ve presented at a variety of conferences, running craft workshops based on the Chopping Blog and our books Story Skeleton and Immersion and Emotion. Those events have always been worthwhile. We connect with writers, expand our networks, and sometimes sell a handful of books.

So when we put together a master list of conferences across North America, AWP was near the top.

Red Flags

Our proposed workshop on narrative structure was automatically categorized by their online system as a “panel.” Fair enough—except we were told we needed to provide our own moderator. Just the two of us speaking wasn’t enough. Odd, but manageable. We found someone.

And then we were accepted. Hurray. Sort of. Our workshop wouldn’t be live. It would be pre-recorded and uploaded to the conference platform. Strange, but still—we went along with it.

Then came the surprise: to present, even online, we’d each need to pay a $60 USD registration fee. The moderator would have to pay, too. Our $120 “opportunity” ballooned to $180 USD—for the privilege of offering a pre-recorded session.

Writers Already Work for Free

Here’s the problem. Writers are already underpaid. For most of us, writing doesn’t pay the bills. Teaching, editing, or side work fill the gap. When opportunities come along to share our expertise, we should expect to be compensated—not be asked to hand over money.

Reputable conferences understand this. They pay their presenters. The really good ones cover travel and accommodation. At the very least, they provide an honorarium— because they recognize that content drives attendance, and content comes from presenters.

That’s why “pay to present” feels exploitative.

The AWP Response

When Michelle pushed back, AWP’s organizers sent us this:

For the upcoming 2026 AWP Conference & Bookfair, hundreds of events have been accepted to the conference schedule, representing thousands of individual presenters. For each conference, we wish we had the resources to offer compensation to all accepted presenters. Because presenters make up such a large portion of our total attendees, waiving registration fees or offering compensation would mean drastically increasing registration costs for all other types of attendees, including exhibitors, students, and seniors. We try to keep costs as low as possible across all attendee types.

Two things stand out:

1. Thousands of individual presenters.

2. Presenters make up a substantial portion of attendees.

   
   

In other words, presenters are the paying customers. By requiring fees—and pre-recording sessions so they can accept virtually everyone—AWP ensures its programming is vast, while funding much of the conference through the presenters themselves. Whether those sessions are actually attended matters less than the money already collected.

This isn’t the outright fraud of a vanity press. But this model borrows from the same playbook: tapping into writers’ hunger for recognition and turning it into a revenue stream.

The Takeaway

Writers shouldn’t be paying to work. Not when the labor is intellectual and creative. Not when our industry already undervalues us at every turn.

Plenty of conferences do it right. They treat presenters as contributors, not customers. But AWP’s current model is a cautionary tale. If you’re considering applying, ask yourself what you’re truly getting in return.

Opportunities are valuable. Exposure is valuable. But only when it runs both ways.