Welcome to the Summer Writers’ Conference sponsored by the West Michigan Author Alliance, a program of the Lakeshore Literary Foundation. This season’s theme is “writing, together” with a focus on the business and marketing aspects of growing your community as an author.

The agenda is as follows:

9 a.m. — doors open, free coffee.
9:15 — welcome, housekeeping, and a brief “state of the community” review, with a previous of the 2025 TNT program year (led by Jason Gillikin).
9:45 — In-Person Author Networking (led by Allison Hawkins).
10:45 — break.
11:00 — Essential Skills and Tools for Platform Growth (led by Jason Gillikin). This session will introduce the tools (website, social platforms, newsletters, events) you need to grow an audience, even before first publication, and best practices for maintaining them over the long run.
Noon — lunch (on your own). Writers will have the opportunity to noodle on their own professional-growth strategies.
1 p.m. — Workshop. Everyone shares the specific plans they developed, with friendly critique and feedback from the group as well as open Q&A.
2:30 p.m. — Community Awards. We’ll celebrate the high-achievers of the TNT programs from 2023 and 2024.

Summer Writers’ Conference 2025

Grow Your Platform; Boost Your Audience