Workshops

Here are some of the workshops you can look forward to at LittWorld:

Managing and Mastering your Finances for Lasting Publishing Ministry with Scott Mathews (CEO of Tyndale House Publishers, USA)

The careful management of finances is paramount to achieving sustainability in Christian publishing. What are the key policies, strategies, and action steps to help safeguard and optimize the financial resources that have been entrusted to you?

Adapting International Content for Local Audiences  with Carlos Astorga (Editorial Director at Lifeway Global, USA)

Ideas and learning experiences are generated worldwide, and many deserve to be shared across cultural boundaries. However, this requires an intentional process of adaptation and contextualization to fit their new local settings. In this workshop, we will explore a comprehensive framework for effective contextualization, enabling your content to successfully transcend global boundaries.

Serving and Growing Together: Mentoring and Staff Development on a Budget with Terumi Echols (President and Publisher of IVP, USA)

Terumi shares practical strategies for mentoring and staff development tailored to small non-profit Christian ministries and publishers. She will discuss how to foster a culture of growth and service, even with limited financial resources. Attendees will learn how to leverage existing strengths, build supportive relationships, and implement cost-effective training methods to enhance their team’s skills and performance.

Helping Your Authors before the Writing Begins with Bernice Lee (Managing Director of Graceworks, Singapore)

Bernice looks at how editors can help writers at the conceptualization stage—helping writers to think through and define the focus for the manuscript, know the intended audience, do the research and organize the material.

A Story to Tell: Writing the True-Life/Memoir Title with Jeanette Windle (CEO of J. M. Windle Editorial Services, USA)

Non-fiction biography is the bread-and-butter of freelance writing. Whether writing your own memoir or someone else’s “as told to” life story, this workshop will walk you through the practicalities of breaking down, organizing, and weaving into story form a compelling life narrative. Not writing a full book? Principles apply as well to the personal experience short story/article.

Write to Evangelize! with Ardy Roberto (Author, Philippines)

“I became a Christian because of your book!” After speaking at a church service in Tokyo recently, Ardy Roberto was approached by a young woman who excitedly shared with his book—Money That’s Never Short (Ang Pera na Hindi Bitin)—was used by God in her life. Although Ardy has written 11 evangelistic books, he was curious how God used his book about money to have this woman surrender her life to Christ. So he asked her…. Want to know what she said? Find out what AND discover how you too could write to share the good news—in all of your non-fiction or fiction writing/publishing projects–at this LittWorld workshop.

Building Complex Characters for Fiction with Balázs Zágoni (Author and Associate Professor at Babes-Bolyai University, Romania)

What are dynamic character traits and how can you use them? How do you build convincing negative characters? What is the role of social generations, transgenerational traumas, and professional background in building our fictional characters? 

Let the Whole World Know. Use Metadata! with Joshua Tallent (Director of Sales and Education at Firebrand Technologies, USA)

Metadata is integral to how your books are discovered and sold in the marketplace. If your metadata is lacking, either in what you are sending or how much you are sending, your sales will suffer. This session will cover the business implications of metadata and how exactly it impacts sales. We will also explain practical, real-world tactics you can implement today to supercharge your metadata quality and ensure you provide your customers with the best data. There will be ample time for questions during the session, and Joshua will also provide live metadata reviews of titles submitted by the audience. 

Developing a Publishing Philosophy to Help you Achieve your Publishing Mission and Vision with Carlos Astorga (Editorial Director at Lifeway Global, USA)

To pursue your publishing vision and serve the church, you must create primary guidelines that will form the core of a publishing philosophy. Learn the steps toward establishing a publishing philosophy that will guide the direction of your publishing program.

Soul Care: Nurturing Hope and Creativity to Honor God’s Call to Write with Joan Campbell (Author, South Africa)

No time is more profitably spent than that used to develop an intimate walk with God. The future he has planned for us will be built on the strength of character we forge by his grace. Dallas Willard

In this workshop we explore how to step into our unique calling and offer God our stories, backgrounds and the issues that touch our heart. Considering our modern era’s propensity for hurry, busyness, distraction and self-focus, we will personally identify the obstacles that keep us from a deeper relationship with God. We will discover anew God’s invitation to joyful creativity. This is a gentle, hands-on workshop that allows you to slow down and draw nearer to God and his creative heart. Our prayer is that it helps rekindle the vision and joy in your writing and publishing ministry, rooting everything you learn this week on the foundation of God and your relationship with him.