Saturday, March 21st, 2026

Live Seminar Via Zoom 1:00PM – 3:00PM Eastern

Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button to talk with us. 

How to Hire a Virtual Assistant for Writers: Outsource & Write More

Most writers do ten jobs at once—drafting, editing, pitching, posting, emailing, marketing, invoicing, scheduling—and somehow also trying to live a life. No wonder the writing itself gets pushed to the bottom of the list.

This workshop teaches you how to get your writing time back by outsourcing the other stuff. Led by author and entrepreneur Tawny Lara and her longtime assistant Sarah, this class pulls back the curtain on how to outsource busywork, delegate strategically, and build simple systems that give you back your time, energy, and focus.

Before Tawny learned to delegate, she was balancing a full-time day job, a growing freelance career, podcasting, and writing her first book proposal. Once she learned how to hand off the right tasks—and stop trying to do everything herself—her creative output, income, and sanity improved dramatically. Now, as the author of Dry Humping, co-author of The Sobriety Deck, and the force behind multiple writing projects and courses, she credits her ability to delegate with keeping her focused on the work only she can do: writing.

Sarah, who has supported women-led businesses and writers since 2021, brings the behind-the-scenes perspective. She's helped Tawny build systems for invoices, email communication, scheduling, marketing organization, and workflow structure—all the unsexy-but-essential tasks that keep a creative business running.

Tawny turned her viral Business Insider essay into a live workshop that helps you learn what to outsource, how to delegate it, and how to create a sustainable writing life.

What You'll Learn

• What a virtual assistant actually does—and common misconceptions debunked
• Types of VAs, the tasks they handle, and how to think about rates and hours
• How to know when you're ready to hire (red flags you're doing too much)
• Where to find a VA that's right for you: platforms, referrals, directories, and what to put in your job description
• Red flags and green flags to watch for in your search
• How to build trust and delegate well without micromanaging or losing your voice
• Key questions to ask in an interview and what to listen for
• Real tools and systems Tawny and Sarah use to work together smoothly
• Marketing systems that don't require constant effort or burnout

This class ends with a Q&A so you can ask about outsourcing, delegation, workflow, systems, and anything else related to building a writing life that actually works.

Who This Workshop Is For

• Writers, authors, journalists, and writing coaches juggling more than just writing
• Creatives building a growing business around their words
• Solopreneurs who know they need help but aren't sure how to trust or delegate
• Writers who have tried outsourcing before but didn't get the results they hoped for
• Anyone who wants clarity on what tasks shouldn't be on their plate anymore—and how to let them go

Workshop Details

• Date: Saturday, March 21st
• Time: 1:00–3:00pm EST
• Format: Live online seminar with Q&A
• Duration: 2 hours

About Your Instructors

Tawny Lara is a writer, podcaster, and entrepreneur. She is the author of Dry Humping: A Guide to Dating, Relating, and Hooking Up Without the Booze and co-author of The Sobriety Deck. Her writing has appeared in Business Insider, and she hosts multiple podcasts and courses for creative entrepreneurs. Tawny teaches from experience—she built her writing career while working a full-time job and learned firsthand how delegation transformed her output and her life.

Sarah has supported women-led businesses and writers since 2021 as a virtual assistant specializing in the behind-the-scenes work that keeps creative businesses running. She brings the collaborator's perspective to this workshop, offering insight into what makes a writer-VA partnership thrive.

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
  

• Saturday, March 21st, 2026

• Live Seminar Via Zoom 1:00PM – 3:00PM Eastern

• A recording will be provided if you cannot attend live