Live Conference

April 29, 2025, 12:00 PM – May 1, 2025

Catholic Writers Guild

CWCL is Going to Naperville, IL!

The Catholic Writers Guild will hold its annual live conference April 29, 2025, 12:00 PM – May 1, 2025, in conjunction with the Association of Catholic Publishers (ACP) and the Protestant Church Owned Publishers Association (PCPA). We’ll be meeting at the Mariott Naperville, 1801 N Naper Blvd, Naperville, IL 60563.

Registration for the conference and info about the hotel room block are forthcoming. Registration is made through the Association of Catholic Publishers. (You do not have to join the Association of Catholic Publishers to register; proceed to register as a guest.)

 

“The CWG has been a blessing at both local and national levels. With the encouragement and support from you, I have truly grown as a fledgling writer. I look forward to next year!”

Paula Babadi

“Through all this week’s seminars I was so encouraged by such friendly members, and especially the liberty to express our faith throughout the writing process.”

Colleen Blevins

The 2025 Schedule

audience at CWCL2024

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10 AM CWG Room      Pre-session for newbies with Amanda Lauer, The CWG is Life-Changing: Why every success in my writing career can be traced back to the CWG. Includes time for Q&A about the CWG and information for first-time conference attendees.

Noon:                            registration

1 PM MAIN:                  Opening, ice breakers, introductions  

CWG Room:                 closed

3 PM MAIN:                  Carmela Martino, Gathering Your Circle of Saints: Catholic writers often seek the intercession of St. Francis de Sales, patron of writers and journalists. But given the varied challenges Catholic creatives face, we may want to gather a whole circle of saints to intercede on our behalf. Carmela, an author and writing teacher, will describe her process for selecting her saint squad and provide tips for helping you assemble yours. Attendees will be invited to share their personal patrons too. 

3 PM CWG Room:       Antony Barone Kolenc, Tips on Writing a Fiction Series: Tony presents seven tips that he’s learned (the hard way) from writing three different fiction series. He discusses such items as titling, plotting, and character arcs, as well as marketing and artwork.

4:30 PM MAIN:            Maria Riley, Self-Promotion is Prideful” and Other Lies About Marketing: Marketing is an essential part of being an author, but it can feel uncomfortable or even sinful to promote yourself to sell books. Maria will help authors understand the ministry of marketing and learn specific tips for both how to market and how to overcome mental blocks around marketing. 

4:30 PM CWG Room:  PITCH PRACTICE  with Katelin Cummins & pitch session team (mandatory for anyone pitching manuscripts during this conference.)

9 AM MAIN:                 KEYNOTE with Karina Fabian, Persevering in Your Writing: There are a million things that can get in the way of your writing, from writer’s block to busy lives to feeling guilty about the time it takes. With 30 years’ experience, Karina Fabian has faced many of these — many times over — yet she’s published more than 45 books. Karina shares her strategies for persevering, including practical tips and learning to accept and even love ourselves as writers.
CWG Room: closed

 10:30 AM MAIN:         Allison Gingras, Optimizing Your Reach: SEO, Algorithms, Hashtags, Current Trends, Reach vs Engagement — the digital divide with its many buzzwords can be overwhelming and even a little confusing. After 15 years of navigating this territory, Allison Gingras shares lessons and resources to help you use the powers of social media and online platforms for good! 

10:30 AM CWG Room:   Amy Schisler, Self-Publishing Secrets Amazon doesn’t Want You to Know: How do you publish with Amazon and Ingram consecutively? What’s the best ebook publisher outside of KDP? Can I publish with KDP as well as others? How can I create an audiobook? What is a BIASC code and what do I do with it? Do I really need an editor? And more.

NOON, both rooms:    Meals with Mentors (box lunch to be ordered at registration and included in conference fee)

1:30 PM MAIN:            Panel: Tips for Giving and Receiving Manuscript Feedback. As writers, we’re often too close to our work to evaluate it objectively, so it’s crucial that we seek out feedback, whether from a critique group, beta readers, or paid editors. But what happens when we disagree with or don’t understand that feedback? And how can we, in turn, provide useful critiques to other writers?
Moderator: Carmela Martino. Guests: Allison Ramirez, Sr. Allison Regina Gliot, Arthur Powers 

1:30 PM CWG Room:  Kass Fogle, Reels: Discover how to create impactful Reels that resonate with your ideal readers and grow your author platform. This workshop covers the basics of Reels, from identifying your target audience and crafting content to filming tips, harnessing Canva for design, and maximizing engagement with captions and trending audio. Whether you’re new to video or looking to refine your skills, you’ll leave equipped to create Reels that showcase your unique voice and build authentic connections. 

3:00 PM MAIN:            Lorelei Savaryn, Navigating Secular Publishing as a Catholic Author. Lorelei has navigated the waters of publishing as a Catholic in a secular market that has shifted away from Christian values in the past couple of decades in a significant way. She provides insights into navigating this world as a Catholic, and advice/strategy for authors looking to pursue this path or learn more about it. 

3:00 PM CWG Room:  Gabriella Batel, Hook, Line, and Sinker: Nailing the First Page to Make Your Reader Keep Turning. Gabriella dissects the pivotal components of a strong opening to a novel, including how to construct a question-inducing first line; how to form a clear, bracing atmosphere without info dumping in the first scene; and how to set reliable expectations and foreshadow the rest of the book. It illuminates common pitfalls and highlights best practices, preparing writers to craft a beginning that will leave readers, agents, and publishers alike itching for more.

4:30 PM MAIN: Closing session

8:00 – 12:00    Pitch sessions – Main Room

CWG Room: No events

Catholic Writers Guild

Conference Details

Stay tuned for details as we have them!

Grow With Others

Registration Fee

CWG Members Coming soon
Nonmembers: Coming soon

Hotel fee: Coming soon