Thursday November 13th, 2025

Live Seminar Via Zoom 6:00PM – 8:00PM Eastern

Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button (lower left) to talk with us.

Led by Tawny Lara, author and writing coach, with Sarah Wolford, virtual assistant and founder of Virtually Sarah.

Considering hiring a Virtual Assistant but unsure where to begin? This workshop, led by an author/entrepreneur and her Virtual Assistant (VA) of 4+ years, takes you behind the scenes of the writer and assistant dynamic. NOTE: This workshop is for writers who want to hire human assistants—not robots.

Tawny was burning the candle at both ends before finally admitting that she needed help balancing her workload. She juggled a full-time day job, budding freelance career, and cohosting a podcast—all while working on her first book proposal and trying to find that whole work/life balance thing. Now, she’s the author of Dry Humping: A Guide to Dating, Relating, and Hooking Up Without the Booze and The Sobriety Deck: Practical Practices for a Booze-Free Lifestyle, and several other creative projects. She credits delegating tasks to her virtual assistant, Sarah, for much of her career success.

Sarah has been helping women-led business owners and writers since 2021 as a virtual assistant. Sarah assists Tawny with tasks such as managing invoices, responding to email communications, and updating her Google Calendar. Sarah’s work helps Tawny focus on writing and teaching so she doesn’t get bogged down by tedious tasks that distract her from the skills that actually earn income.

Together, Tawny and Sarah will walk you through the ins and outs of finding, hiring, and collaborating with a VA. Learn honest insights, practical tips, and real talk about what works (and what doesn’t). 

This course expands upon Tawny’s viral essay for Business Insider, including answers to the most-asked questions from readers. Whether you're ready to hire an assistant or just VA-curious, you’ll walk away with clarity, confidence, and a toolkit to take the next step.

Who This Workshop Is For:

• Writers, authors, journalists, and writing coaches who are juggling way more than just writing
• Creatives building a business around their words, like course development, media outreach, client communications, and more
• Writers who’ve hired help before but didn’t get the results they hoped for
• Writers who are curious about what a VA can actually do for their business and how to find the right VA who understands their niche.

Key Takeaways:

• A clear understanding of what a VA can (and can’t) do for your business
• Tips on how to confidently hire and onboard the right person for your unique needs
• Real-life insight into what makes a client–VA relationship thrive
• A checklist of what to delegate, starting now
• Tools to take the guesswork out of hiring
• Perspective from both sides: the writer/business owner and the VA who helps grow the business

This class ends with 15-20 minutes of Q+A time so students can ask any VA-related questions.

TESTIMONIALS:

“When it comes to non-fiction, a big part of an agent’s job is wrangling a book proposal together with their author. Digging into the why of the project, discussing platform, and the like. It only benefits you to be more prepared. The more you have in there, the better. When Tawny’s proposal arrived in my agent inbox and I opened it, it was like that scene in Pulp Fiction when they open the briefcase and all golden light shines out. It was perfect. And I called her the same day asking to work on the project. You’ll learn a lot from her, absolutely” -Eric Smith, author & Tawny’s agent

“The publishing world is a minefield, and Tawny is a Bloodhound. Over the past decade, she's learned how to navigate this clusterfuck of this industry, cutting through the BS, so you can actually get published and your voice heard.” -Zachary Zane, Author of Boyslut, A Memoir and Manifesto

“Tawny is such an excellent resource for someone navigating publishing and proposals for the first time. I am a DIY-type who usually just uses Google to teach me everything, but having Tawny's help saved me weeks if not months of research and helped me feel extremely clear and prepared as I began the process. Very grateful for her expertise!” -Mariana Louis, archetypal tarotist

"Tawny Lara's class on writing non-fiction book proposals is a lighthouse for anyone eager to explore mental health topics with depth and empathy. Her expertise not only helps writers to craft impactful narratives but also to navigate the complexities of mental health with sensitivity and insight." - Sophie Saint Thomas, author of Reproductive Rites

“Tawny is not only an experienced journalist and writer, but she’s also a marketing wiz who can bring that extra special sauce to your book proposal. If you want to actually sell your book, there’s no one else that I’d rely on to teach me the 101.” - Irina Gonzalez, editor, journalist, and author of the Raising Gen Alpha newsletter

"Tawny is a master when it comes to marketing yourself as a writer. She will help you focus your vision and tap into insider knowledge of the publishing world." -Gemma Hartley, author of Fed Up: Emotional Labor, Women, and the Way Forward

“Tawny will help you sell your book proposal. She knows the game, and she will teach you how to play it.” -Paulina Pinsky, co-author of It Doesn’t Have to be Awkward

"Tawny, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for what was a chock-full-of-info book proposal seminar yesterday. I am so glad I came; it was worth my time in all respects! Thank you for being so generous and forthcoming and giving us so much knowledge about the book proposal process in such a clear and seamless way. I feel like every minute had something valuable to offer. My kind of seminar!" -former student

"This seminar got me excited to explore and think about how I might take what I already do and turn it into a card deck and if so...what would that look like. Tawny was knowledgeable and open and kept on time with things, which I always appreciate. It was well worth the investment." -former student.

"This seminar exceeded my expectations! It was super helpful and informative about an emerging area of publishing. The most helpful part: Tawny's slide deck; the comparison between self-publishing and traditional; talking about how publishers have different imprints for paper products. Thank you!" -former student

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

• Instructor: Tawny Lara
  

• Thursday November 13th, 2025

• Live Seminar Via Zoom 6:00PM – 8:00PM Eastern

• A recording will be provided if you cannot attend live