“Only pay for what you need” – does that sound familiar? Our May 2022 online writers “conference” will have a different format than our previous online conferences. This time you can pick and choose – you can register separately for each session that you find to be most relevant for you. The sessions in this conference will “dig deeper” into several different aspects of writing and marketing adult and children’s spiritual books. Speakers include authors Barbara Brown Taylor, Amy Julia Becker, Brandan Robertson, Xochitl Dixon, Glenys Nellist, Jennifer Grant, Carl McColman, Kate Rademacher, literary agents Barb Roose, Karen Neumair, and Quantrilla Ard, associate publisher Linda Howard (Tyndale House), managing editor Edwina Perkins (Harmabee Press / Iron Stream Media), and industry consultants Lyn Cryderman and Brian Allain.
The conference takes place May 9-13,2022, all online, but don’t worry – attendees can enjoy recordings of all sessions they register for until August 13, 2022.
You do not need to be an experienced writer to attend. Our conferences have a reputation for very high quality speakers, collegiality, and a lack of competitiveness among attendees, so please do not be intimidated if you have not yet published much. Come join us and enjoy the supportive environment!
Previous Writing for Your Life conferences have been rated over 4.6 out of 5 by attendees!
Registration Now Open! Click on the links below to register for each session (credit cards, debit cards, or PayPal are accepted; all payments are processed through PayPal). After you pay, an email confirmation will be sent to the name and email address you enter into PayPal (or the one associated with your PayPal account) within 7 days. Please check your Spam or Promotions folders in case our emails get stuck there. If you need to change the name or email address on your registration please let us know.
Please note: all times are Eastern; end times are approximate. All times and other details are subject to change
Monday May 9, 2022
- 10:00 – 11:30 AM Eastern: Barb Roose (literary agent) – Register for this session here ($59) – learn more about Barb here
- “Platform 101” – Platform isn’t everything in landing a publishing contract, but it is an important part of the picture. In this workshop, Barb will explain the three types of platform-building approaches. She will also provide step-by-step instructions, encouragement and lots of resources that will equip you to launch from zero platform and move with intention toward your publishing goals.
- 12:00 – 1:30 PM Eastern: Carl McColman (author) -cancelled
- 1:40 – 2:20 Eastern: Networking Break – unmoderated, informal time for you to chat with other conference attendees
- 2:30 – 6:00 PM Eastern: Linda Howard (Tyndale House Publishers) -SOLD OUT ($149 – limited to 10 attendees) – learn more about Linda here
- “Writing an Attention Getting Proposal” – Have you sent proposals in to multiple editors or publishing houses and not heard anything back? Not even a, “No thanks”? Publishers get thousands of proposals and year, and it’s easy for your information to slide through the cracks. But, you want to make yours jump to the top of the pile so it at least gets a fair shot. Join us as we walk through the proposal writing process, one step at a time. We’ll discuss the specific items publishers are looking for, things that catch editor’s eyes, and information to avoid adding to your proposal. By the end of our time, you’ll have a great start on your personal proposal and the tools you need to take it to completion!
Tuesday May 10, 2022
- 9:15 – 9:45 AM Eastern: Q&A with author Patrick Henry – learn more about Patrick here
- 10:00 – 11:30 AM Eastern: Glenys Nellist (author) – Register for this session here ($59) – learn more about Glenys here
- “Marketing Your Book: Beyond the Basics” – Every publisher expects their authors to partner with them in marketing their book. This session takes you beyond the basics of marketing to an in-depth exploration of running a successful launch team, how to partner with schools and connect with independent bookstores to ensure that your children’s book gets the attention (and sales) it deserves.
- Anyone can also register for Glenys’s children’s book manuscript critique – learn more here
- 12:00 – 1:30 PM Eastern: Barbara Brown Taylor (author) – Register for this session here ($119) – learn more about Barbara here
- Barbara’s presentation: “Writing To Be Heard Above All The Noise”
- Up to 6 attendees who register for Barbara’s session, can also register for Barbara’s one-on-one writer’s workshop! Learn more here
- 2:30 – 4:00 PM Eastern: Jennifer Grant (author and freelance editor) – Register for this session here ($59) – learn more about Jennifer here
- “Be Your Own Best, First Editor: Self-Editing Tips for Writers” – Voltaire (reportedly) said, “The secret to being boring is to say everything.” In this lively and practical presentation, author and editor Jennifer Grant will give a brief overview of the main types of editing, including developmental editing, copy editing, and proofreading. She will then dive deep into how you can self-edit to avoid “being boring” and instead grab and keep your readers’ attention. Grant is the author of six books for adults and several more for kids. She is also a professional editor and consultant and member of the Academy of Christian Editors (ACE). She is currently working for Guideposts as a project editor.
- Anyone can also register for Jennifer’s children’s book manuscript critique – learn more here
- 4:30 – 5:50 PM Eastern: Kate Rademacher (author) – Register for this session here ($59) – learn more about Kate here
- “Navigating a Bi-Vocational Life: Juggling Writing with Other Passions” – God calls many of us to more than one vocation. If one of your callings is to write, how do you honor that along with other parts of your life? This question has both practical implications (e.g., How will you find time for it all? How will you earn your living?) as well as spiritual dimensions (e.g., How do your vocations interact and ‘speak’ to one another?) Being bi-vocational also impacts the types of “platforms” we create as writers. If you have more than one vocation, how do you communicate about the various aspects of your life, including on social media? During this session, we will explore practical considerations including strategies to manage your time and craft your message. Participants will also engage in dialogue with one another about how we can discern and honor where God is calling us next.
- 8:00 – 9:00 PM Eastern: Second Tuesdays Writer Discussion Group with Marilyn McEntyre – our topic will be “Disarming: Unpacking Loaded Language”
Wednesday May 11, 2022
- 9:15 – 9:45 AM Eastern: Q&A with author Tambry Harris – learn more about Tambry here
- 10:00 – 11:30 AM Eastern: Lyn Cryderman (industry consultant and ghost writer) – Register for this session here ($59) – learn more about Lyn here
- “Discouragement—A Writer’s Unwelcome Companion” – In the thirty or so years I’ve served at writer’s workshops, I would estimate that around a third of the attendees express mild to acute discouragement in their journeys as writers. In a recent workshop, in fact, two writers confessed to being so discouraged that they intended to quit—to give up their dream of being a writer. This workshop is for those who are currently experiencing some degree of discouragement as a writer. We will explore together how discouragement affects your writing, the sources of discouragement, and most importantly, how to move beyond those episodes of discouragement.
- 12:00 – 1:30 PM Eastern: Edwina Perkins (Harambee Press) – cancelled
- 2:30 – 4:00 PM Eastern: Xochitl Dixon (author) – Register for this session here ($59) – learn more about Xochitl here
- “Writing in Rhyme” – Learn to write in rhyme, one beat at a time. Writing a rhyming picture book requires more than ensuring the last word of one sentence rhymes with the last word of another sentence. Every syllable of every sentence in every stanza works together, drawing readers into a storyline with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Discover how repetition, sound, sentence structure, and creative word choices can create lyrical stories that young readers will ask to read again and again and again.
- 4:30 – 5:50 PM Eastern: Kate Rademacher and Brian Allain – Register for this session here ($59) – learn more about Kate here and Brian here
- “Marketing as a Spiritual Practice” – The Christian path – as exemplified by Jesus – is to embrace a life of downward mobility. As we seek to share our work with the world, we must never turn our back on Jesus’ most fundamental call to servanthood. Yet if we seek to increase our “discoverability” and build robust platforms, do we inevitably slip into self-aggrandizement, competitiveness, stress, and fear? How do we stay true to our deepest values and intentions as we seek to market our work and increase our impact? This session will offer both a conceptual model and practical tools for how to approach marketing as a spiritual practice. You will learn that building a “platform” is not about cutesy, self-promotional tactics. Rather, you will gain concrete strategies to find and use your authentic voice, identify and meet the needs of your target audiences, and serve more people while staying grounded in practices like contemplative prayer, discernment, humility, stewardship, trust, and mutual ministry.
Thursday May 12, 2022
- 10:00 – 11:30 AM Eastern: Amy Julia Becker (author) – Register for this session here ($59) – learn more about Amy Julia here
- “Writing about Hard Topics”: Disease, death, grief, racism, injustice, even faith–all of these are topics we are told to avoid at the dinner table. But writing well about topics that help us explore the deep human questions of meaning and purpose is also crucial for engagement with what it means to be human and live in community with others. How do we craft narratives about the hard stuff of life in a way that welcomes readers and encourages thoughtfulness? How do we make particular experiences into stories that resonate with a broad audience? In a world of endless light content, short attention spans, and ceaseless opportunities to be entertained, how do we write stories that draw readers in and help them think and grow? And how do we bring hope without becoming trite or sentimental?
- 12:30 – 1:30 PM Eastern: “How to Independently Publish Your Book” with Adam Thomas – free session for all conference attendees – learn more about Adam here
- 1:40 – 2:20 Eastern: Networking Break – unmoderated, informal time for you to chat with other conference attendees
- 2:30 – 4:00 PM Eastern: Quantrilla Ard (literary agent) – cancelled
- 4:30 – 5:00 PM Eastern: Introduction to “How to Heal Our Divides: An Abundance of Opportunities” which is the second book in the How to Heal Our Divides series
- 5:15 – 5:45 PM Eastern: Q&A with author Lisa Robinson – learn more about Lisa here
Friday May 13, 2022
- 9:15 – 9:45 AM Eastern: Q&A with author Marva Smith – learn more about Marva here
- 10:00 – 11:30 AM Eastern: Karen Neumair (literary agent; Credo Communications) – Register for this session here ($59) – learn more about Karen here
- “Landing a Literary Agent” – Get insider information on how to open the door to traditional publishing with the right representation. Senior Literary Agent Karen Neumair will answer all your questions about literary agents, including how to find the best fit for you and your unique writing aspirations.
- 12:00 – 1:30 PM Eastern: Open mic (via Zoom)
- 2:30 – 4:00 PM Eastern: Elevator pitch feedback session with Brian Allain
- 4:30 – 6:00 PM Eastern: Brandan Robertson (author) – canceled
Don’t forget there are several things for all conference attendees to enjoy:
- Networking Breaks – unmoderated, informal times for you to chat with other conference attendees
- Optional 1-on-1 online meetings with selected speakers (separate registration required; limited availability) – additional details here
- Anyone can also register for children’s book manuscript critiques from Jennifer Grant or Glenys Nellist
- Open mic (via Zoom)
- “Submit your pitch” program (by email)
- Elevator pitch feedback session with Brian Allain
- Independent publishing demo by Adam Thomas
- Conference contact list
- Introduction to “How to Heal Our Divides Volume 2: An Abundance of Opportunities” which is the second book in the How to Heal Our Divides series
- Private Facebook Group for WFYL conference attendees
Details on many conference features (Meetings with speakers, Submit Your Pitch, Open mic, Elevator pitch practice, and much more)
Optional online seminar, June 14-17: The Business of Being a Spiritual Writer (separate registration required)
Optional private 1-on-1 meetings with selected speakers (separate registration required; sign-up available after you register) – additional details here
Bookstore – learn about and purchase books about writing, publishing, and marketing, as well as some from our conference speakers
By registering, all conference participants agree to abide by our Code of Conduct and Release Agreement.
All conference and seminar information are subject to change.