Learning Labs
Start your conference experience
with an in-depth Learning Lab!
Wednesday 3:45 - 6:00 Eastern
LL1 – AI: Author Friend or Foe? – Liana George
Liana is the co-owner, operations manager, and marketing director of Scrivenings Press. Click here for full bio.
In this practical and encouraging session, Liana walks authors through what AI is, how it works, and how to use it ethically without compromising their voice or calling. You’ll learn key AI terms, explore real-life applications for writing and marketing, and discover how to set personal boundaries that align with your values.
This presentation also includes a hands-on practicum where attendees will learn how to “seed” their AI, write effective prompts using proven frameworks, and begin using AI as a supportive tool—not a replacement—for their creative work.
Whether you’re curious, cautious, or completely new to AI, you’ll walk away with clarity, confidence, and actionable next steps.
LL2 – Broaden Your Online Audience by Using SEO, AEO, & GEO to Take Truth to the World – Annette Marie Griffin
Annette has written hundreds of online Christian articles—many of these appear in the top three Google search engine spots. This year Annette received three traditional publishing contracts after growing her platform through high-ranking online articles. Click here for full bio.
Millions of people are searching for solid answers to life’s deepest questions. But instead of looking to the church or the Bible for spiritual guidance, today’s go-to source of enlightenment is Google and AI. This lab will cover five proven tips to ensure your online content ranks high in searches and reaches the world with God’s truth. You’ll also learn how writing high-ranking online content can grow your platform, get the attention of editors and agents, and become a stepping-stone for publishing contracts.
LL3 – The How and Why of Website Creation – Jonathan Shank
Jonathan is the Senior Website & SEO Marketing Consultant and Managing Partner of Celebration Web Design. He has passionately served non-profit organizations and Christ-focused authors since 2006. Click here for full bio.
Join our interactive two-hour learning lab where we will guide you through essential website development strategies tailored for authors. This comprehensive, hands-on lab covers a wide range of crucial topics:
Content Strategy Development: Learn the fundamentals of search engine optimization (SEO) and how to discover the right keywords to target your audience and improve your website’s visibility. Delve into the value of a well-defined content strategy, covering topic ideation, content planning, and consistency in posting to keep visitors engaged and coming back for more.
Essential Content for Author Websites: Discover the key elements that every author website should include, such as an author bio, book information, contact details, and upcoming events.
Blog Writing Tips: Receive guidance on crafting engaging blog content that resonates with your audience and showcases your expertise as an author.
Basic Web Layout: Understand the importance of an organized, visually appealing, and mobile-responsive layout, and how to create a user-friendly design that enhances user experience on various devices.
Social Media Integration: Learn how to effectively connect your social media accounts with your website to promote increased engagement and grow your online presence.
Crafting Persuasive Calls-to-Action (CTAs): Learn how to create effective CTAs that encourage visitors to take desired actions, such as signing up for newsletters or purchasing books.
We’ll also explore the various options for building a website, from do-it-yourself solutions and pre-made designs to hiring a custom designer. The learning lab will help you decide which choice is right for you. Through practical exercises, you’ll gain hands-on experience in discovering relevant keywords and refining your website messaging. By the end of this engaging learning lab, you will have the knowledge and tools to create a compelling author website that captivates your target audience and supports your writing career.
LL4 – Help! How Do I Run My Launch Team? – Tammy Karasek
Tammy has participated on over 425 Launch Teams since 2012 as a reader/reviewer, as well as helped author organize their teams. In 2019, she opened her own business, The Launch Team Geek. Click here for full bio.
Your book is set to publish and you have a date—now what? In this class, I’ll walk you through a timeline for a Launch Team Session. I’ll give you tips to organize the Launch Team which will help you get the buzz started for your upcoming book release. I’ll share details and the documents I use to create and manage a team.
There are different ways teams are run, just as there are different personalities. What I give you is my system. It works! Several of my authors continually end up #1 on the Parable Marketing Booksellers for their launch week. I’ve worked for a couple multi-published Revell authors for a few years. In 2022, their sister company, Bethany House, had a marketing rep reach out to me to do some of their authors’ launches. Many of my authors are repeat clients.
My way is not the only way, but the teams I’ve managed have provided assistance for successful launches. Let me help reduce your stress and enjoy your book launch. Whether you run a team yourself, or choose to hire a Launch Team Manager, I will give you actions you can do, or at least what to look for when hiring a Launch Team Manager. My goal is to educate, equip, and encourage you and the teams I manage for greater results. You can do this; I believe in you.
If you haven’t figured out how to be two places at once (or three or four), for only $59 you can purchase access to video replays of all nine learning labs PLUS all nine continuing sessions, 54 workshops, seven panels, and eight keynotes. The videos will be available early August, and you will have until the end of 2026 to view them. After the conference, the cost is $89. This special learning opportunity is available only to conferees.
LL 5 — Marketing Magic – Amy Deardon
Amy speaks regularly at conferences on ways to publish and market. Click here for full bio.
Congratulations on finishing your book! But with a new book published on Amazon every five minutes, how do you stand out? This learning lab covers essential marketing tactics to help launch your book and drive sales. Learn how to optimize your book’s quality, build your website and mailing list, lead your ARC team, leverage ads and platforms like Story Origin and BookBub, and tap into out-of-the-box strategies. It takes effort, but with the right plan, amazing sales are within reach. Let’s make it happen!
LL6 – Writing Faith in Children’s Fiction (Picture Book to Young Adult) – Penny Reeve
Penny is an Australian children’s and YA author of more than 25 books. Click here for full bio.
Take a deep dive into the world of children’s literature with award-winning Christian children’s and YA author, Penny Reeve. In this Learning Lab intensive, we’ll discuss the five rules for writing books for young people and analyze how the Christian worldview impacts “what,” “how,” and “why” we write for kids. Whether you’re writing picture books, middle grade, or young adult novels, for the Christian or general markets, this lab will help you write faith in children’s fiction without boring, patronizing, or beating your reader over the head with the spiritual truths of your story.
LL7 – Mastering Plotting – DiAnn Mills
DiAnn is the bestselling author of over 40 books with more than one million copies sold worldwide. Click here for complete bio.
Plotting is an art, a skillful expression of a writer’s creativity and imagination that sends a protagonist on an adventure. It is aesthetic, evocative, and invokes powerful emotions through the actions of three-dimensional characters who strive to achieve a goal. This two-hour, hands-on lab shows how to plot from the first sentence to the last, no matter whether you’re a new or experienced writer.
The character’s goal thrives on wanting something so badly that the protagonist or antagonist will venture to any lengths or depths to possess it. A want becomes a need when the character plods ahead to obtain it, and nothing exceeds prominence in the character’s life but reaching the goal or solving the problem. The characters incorporate sacrifices—physical, mental, and/or spiritual—in their quest. It becomes a holistic process that fuses scenes and sequels with every novel-writing technique to create a thrilling story. The protagonist accepts the challenge of the hardships and potential victories ahead and secures some skills along the way.
LL8 – Call to Action: The World Needs Your Writing – Dianne E. Butts
Dianne has been writing professionally since 1989 and is the author of fiction and nonfiction books. Click here for full bio.
Are you aware what is being published these days? We will look at what publishing at large is putting out that influences America and what we, as writers for Him, can do about it.
After the martyrdom of Charlie Kirk, tons of people of all ages and from all backgrounds are buying Bibles and reading them for the first time. They need help to grow in the Lord.
The world needs your fiction and nonfiction books, children’s books, articles, blog posts, newsletters, podcasts, and more. Whether you can find an agent, a traditional publisher, choose a hybrid publisher to help you, or choose to publish independently, people need what the Lord is calling you to write.
We can’t afford to have you discouraged or wondering if you are a “good enough” writer. The Lord brought you here to the WHA conference because your writing is needed—now.
LL9 – Canva for Authors – Catherine Jacobs
Catherine is a published author and children’s book illustrator and writer. Click here for full bio.
A basic intro to Canva – what it is, what it can do, and how it can help authors. How to work with images, text, color, fonts, shapes, backgrounds, layers, and multiple-page documents. How to find and create a folder for your files stored in Canva. How to create and schedule a social media post.