Kevin J. Anderson, a.k.a. “Master of Universes”

I write. I make up stuff. I adventure hard, so you don’t have to.

Kevin J. Anderson has published more than 190 books, 58 of which have been national or international bestsellers.  He has written numerous novels in the Star Wars, X-Files, and Dune universes, as well as the unique Clockwork Angels steampunk trilogy with legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart. His original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series, the Terra Incognita fantasy trilogy, the Saga of Shadows trilogy, his humorous horror series featuring Dan Shamble, Zombie PI and The Dragon Business series. He has edited numerous anthologies, written comics and games, and the lyrics to two rock CDs. Anderson and his wife Rebecca Moesta are the publishers of WordFire Press.

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Bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson has given hundreds of inspirational, informative, and entertaining talks on four continents, at business, government, and military facilities, universities, writing conferences, and pop-culture conventions. He is equally at home speaking on productivity, writing, hiking, and professionalism.

Places he has spoken include the US Air Force Academy, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, The Explorer’s Club, Sharjah Book Fair (UAE), Book Expo America, Frankfurt Book Fair, Supanova Sydney, Brigham Young University, Writers of the Future, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, University of Colorado Boulder, Superstars Writing Seminars, San Diego Comic Con, DFW Writers Conference, Brisbane Writers Festival, Cal State Fullerton, Supanova Perth, Pikes Peak Writers Conference, LDStorymakers, LA Times Book Fair, When Words Collide (Calgary), the Science Fiction Museum (Seattle),  the Air and Space Museum (San Diego),  Johnson Space Center (Houston),  Kennedy Space Center (Cape Canaveral), Celsius 232 (Spain), World Horror Convention, and the Challenger Centers for Space Science Education.

Kevin J. Anderson is one of the most popular and prolific writers working in his field, with more than 190 books published, including 58 national or international bestsellers, with 24 million copies of his books in print in 34 languages. Along with his own fiction, he has been fortunate enough to write in such famous universes as Star Wars, Dune, X-Files, Batman, Superman, and others, as well as projects with the legendary rock band Rush.

One of Kevin’s favorite sayings is, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” He has earned his success through a combination of persistence, reliability, and a passion for his work. He loves sharing with audiences the lessons he has learned in his adventures along the way. In 1998 he even set the Guinness World Record for “largest single-author book signing” in Hollywood, California.

He is the author of the key nonfiction books Million Dollar Professionalism and Million Dollar Productivity, as well as the seminal writers’ guidebook Worldbuilding: From Small Towns to Entire Universes.

Kevin’s insatiable curiosity compelled him to get a degree in physics and astronomy, so that he could better understand the science in his science fiction stories. These science studies led to many years of work as a technical writer for a large government research laboratory, the US Air Force, and technical societies. Twenty years ago, he quit these “day jobs” to become a full-time writer, as well as speaker, instructor, and publisher.

Throughout Kevin’s successful career, he has demonstrated that his core principles of professionalism, persistence, and productivity—coupled with success-sharing—can apply to a wide range of professions and interests. He enjoys passing on his how-to knowledge to others, and learning from the broad spectrum of interesting people he meets in the process.

Kevin has been featured in Alaska Airlines Magazine, Good Housekeeping, USA Today, Colorado Country Life, Publisher’s Weekly, and hundreds of other publications.

Photo Credit: T. Duren Jones

As a member of The Explorers Club living in beautiful Colorado, Kevin is an avid outdoorsman. He is goal-driven and persistent. He has climbed all 54 of the “Fourteeners” (peaks over 14,000 ft elevation) and hiked the ~500 miles of the Colorado Trail through the heart of the Rocky Mountains.

He is a fan of fine microbrew beer and rock music, especially progressive rock (such as Rush, Dream Theater, Styx, Pink Floyd, Kansas). For more than 25 years Kevin has been married to New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Moesta, who is his copublisher at WordFire Press and often teaches seminars with him.

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Testimonials

Kevin Anderson is the perfect conference presenter. He’s generous with his expertise, inviting in his interactions with attendees, and very, very knowledgeable. He’s also savvy in what conferences try to achieve, which makes him an invaluable and easy-to-work-with participant. Don’t wait, don’t hesitate, book him while you still can.
—Mark Todd, Program Director, Writing the Rockies, Western State College

Kevin J. Anderson’s keynote and presentations were brilliant, with just the right mix of practical knowledge, humor, and inspiration. His unique ability to share his wisdom in a way that connects with everyone makes him extraordinary. Kevin was very friendly and engaging with everyone at the conference. In our organization’s 82-year history we have only had a handful of guests as fantastic as Kevin. We absolutely recommend him, with his highly intelligent and entertaining personality. —Jared Quan, President, League of Utah Writers

Each member of the audience walked away electrified by grace and imagination. As if he wasn’t talented enough in his writing, Kevin J. Anderson also possesses a natural oratorical skill. For well over an hour he mesmerized the crowd with the story of his hard work, his rise from obscurity, and his continued persistence and innovation in the face of a radically changing market. And, he did all of this with humor and humility. Indeed, no one in that audience could’ve left the auditorium without reveling in a sense of wonder. For, Kevin doesn’t just explain his sense of wonder, he invites all into a transcendent and all-encompassing sense of wonder.
—Bradley Birzer, University of Colorado, Boulder, Department of Conservative Studies

Kevin J. Anderson came to our writers conference as a keynote speaker and presenter. He delivered an inspiring keynote address full of hope and encouragement. His workshop gave attendees good information on how to improve their writing careers and practical tips that can be implemented right away. Kevin was friendly and approachable, knowledgeable, easy to work with, and added to the encouraging and professional atmosphere we strive for at our conference. We highly recommend him as a speaker to any conference looking for a successful author who knows what he’s doing and can communicate it in an engaging way.
—Jaime Theler, Co-Chair, LDStorymakers Conference

Author Kevin J. Anderson has earned Pikes Peak Writers’ highest praise and strongest recommendation as a workshop presenter and faculty member. He presented several workshops at the 2012 Pikes Peak Writers Conference and impressed us with his knowledge, approachability, and accessible presentation style. Kevin teaches, among other topics, how to behave as a professional, and he follows his own advice: he’s friendly and kind to everyone, meets every deadline, and follows through on every obligation. He was on time and well-prepared for every workshop, presented insightful and worthwhile material, conducted the presentations at an appropriate pace, and gracefully got through all the material he planned to present in the time allotted. What impressed us most was how he made himself available to attendees, gave generously of his time and knowledge, and answered questions genuinely and professionally no matter the question or who was asking. He’s proven himself to be down to earth, a hard worker, and an excellent panelist and presenter. We have no hesitation recommending him to speak at other conferences, conventions and workshops, and we’d be happy to respond to any questions or inquiries about our experience working with him.
—Chris Mandeville, President, Pikes Peak Writers

Sample Speaking Topics

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