The gap between writing and publishing can make you feel crazy.
hope*writers helps smart, creative writers like you get your words out of your head and into the hands of a reader — without feeling lost, discouraged, or overwhelmed.
Sharing your writing isn’t as simple as it sounds. First, it’s exciting — but then things might get weird..
No one responds.
Someone unsubscribes.
Every time you post you wonder what your critics think of you and then feel dumb for caring so much.
Or the part that no one talks about: maybe lots of people respond positively and you immediately want to hide under your coffee table.
Who are these people and why is this so uncomfortable?
Congratulations, my friend. This is where you realize writing and publishing are two different things.
We get it. It’s awkward to go from hobby writer to working writer. It’s not your fault and you are not alone.
Writing is a weird job where the very thing that makes you great at the trade is also the thing that can hold you back from getting better. You’re good at having time alone for deep thinking and observation, time to connect the dots and put them into English. But then, when it comes time to share your work, you feel like you have to become a cartoon version of yourself with all the people in every way and it just gets twisty.
It's official. You've outgrown Google.
Those online searches aren’t helping you anymore.
The results might give you ten tips to write a book proposal but they won’t tell you how weird it feels on the inside as a human person sharing your work with the world. Robots can't empathize. You need humans for that.
Before you back out of your calling, hang with us.
You’ve basically got two choices.
You can keep writing alone, without the risk of exposure, rejection, or discomfort; without a plan, without support, without an income and only a best guess for your next right step.
Or, you can do the opposite of those things. It's time to ditch the robots and find your writing people.
What if we told you it didn't need to be that hard? And you could just find YOUR people who you know will LOVE your work? We can help.
We help smart, creative writers do their work forever without losing their minds today.
Guess what people don't want to do forever? Things that make them feel weird.
After three years of building this community, we’ve discovered writers quit when they don't have:
- A clear plan - They skip important early, foundational stages of writing and publishing, then burn out before they even get started.
- Support - They romanticize the writing life and try to do it all alone.
- Income - They don't know how to make money as a writer.
- Selective social media vision - They feel like they have to be everywhere at once and get discouraged by all newest, shiny strategies.
If sharing your writing makes you feel weird, you won’t do it. We think that would be a huge shame.
We believe your words can change the world. We think you believe that, too.
There is a path and you're already on it.
As a hope*writer member, we'll help you identify where you are on the writing path and give you the tools and direction you need to move to the next stage in your writing and publishing journey.
Hope*writer membership leads you from hobby writer to working writer in three simple movements:
Identify
Start small and celebrate progress by identifying and accepting where you are on the writing journey.
Learn
Move at your own pace through your particular stage with provided checklists and benchmarks
Connect
Participate in our project-centric writer small groups we call hope*circles for support, ideas, and accountability.
Jenni Burke, Literary Agent
"The work you're doing inside hope*writers is so important. You're helping so many writers which, in turn, helps us in the publishing industry to have so much good, quality content. I've gotten proposals from hope*writers that are so good it's slowing down my process!"
Hope*writers is a community of working writers
dedicated to the success and creativity of each member.
We take serious the creative, social, and spiritual call to the deep work of sharing our stories and ideas with the people who need them the most.
We believe this because words have changed our worlds, shaped our narratives, and brought us back to life.
You need a go-to place and a solid plan with people who are doing the work and can respond directly to your questions about writing, publishing, and launching your work without going crazy.
Working alone is for hobbyists. If you’re ready to stop dabbling and become a writer who writes words people want to read, join us.
a few words from working writers
first book contract
“Two years ago I was lost, discouraged and wondering whether to pack it all in.
With the teaching, practical help and encouragement I found at hope*writers I've felt understood, believed in and equipped.
At hope*writers I’ve found my people.
I now have a book deal and I couldn’t have done it without my hope*writers family.”
Niki Hardy, first book under contract with Revell Books
hobby to pro
"For years I treated writing like a once-in-a-while hobby.
I now have writing hours each week, send out a weekly email to my subscribers, completed a book proposal and published two Bible studies.
I could not have completed these things without the accountability, inspiration, and encouragement I've found here."
Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young, Author and Speaker
published author
"Our hope*circle has been a safe place to process almost everything you could imagine.
For some of us, it's been the first place where we shared our book concepts and our book covers.
It's where we share our frustrations, but also the safe place where we pop in to celebrate our milestones.
For me, it's been a lifeline!"
Jennifer Dukes Lee, Author of It's All Under Control and Acquisitions Editor at Bethany House Publishers
Here’s exactly what you get when you join hope*writers today:
Your monthly fee includes:
✳ weekly Tuesday Teacher trainings
✳ access to our engaging Facebook membership community
✳ our complete online library of video trainings and how-to articles
✳ a small group hope*circle mastermind for feedback and direction.
A membership site is the way to have the writing community you need:
"I had joined a similar group in the past, but felt lost in the crowd. Hope*writers is such a warm, encouraging, humble community!"
Jana Snyder
"I absolutely would not be where I am or come how far I’ve come if not for this community. My expectations have been far surpassed. This is the only membership subscription I have to anywhere."
Hannah Savage
"I have made some great writing friends, mentors, and prayer partners who truly understand the writing life, and sharpen me while giving me grace. It is the most worthwhile subscription I have ever tried."
Gretchen Ronnevik
"It is a true community - one which shares in troubles and successes. It is where I come to share things about my work but also to check in with others. I have definitely been more focused and consistent in my work because of hope*writers."
Elli Johnson
hope*writers has hosted guest teachers from:
Hope*writers understand publishing is a business.
Instead of shaking our fist at the publishing machine, we believe that writers and publishers are all on the same team. We learn, we ask questions and we figure out how we can all win.
When you become a hope*writer, we’ll bring you with us behind the curtain as we ask editors, agents, and other publishing professionals the questions you really want to know.
Current training videos include conversations with:
Andrea Doering
Acquisitions Editor at Revell Books
Carolyn McCready
Executive Editor at Zondervan
Chad Allen
Writing Coach, Book Proposal Academy
Stephanie Smith
Acquisitions Editor at Zondervan
Mark Lane
Graphic Designer at Tyndale House
In hope*writers, we help you craft quality writing that encourages, informs, and inspires without being preachy.
As a member, you’ll have access to training from thoughtful writers and teachers on how to create a writing routine, build your writing team, develop your craft, and (finally!) call yourself a writer.
Current training videos include conversations with:
James Bryan Smith
Author of Good and Beautiful God
Marion Smith
Author, The Memoir Project
Ian Morgan Cron
Author, The Road Back to You
Sarah Arthur
Author of A Light So Lovely
Al Hsu
Author and Editor InterVarsity Press
Hope*writers identify and serve our ideal reader (and don't worry about the rest).
We help you figure out who your writing is for and discover the corner of the room you are called to serve. This makes everything easier and more successful — from writing to marketing to introducing yourself at parties (trust us!).
Current training videos include conversations with:
Lisa Jackson
Alive Literary Agency
Jennifer Allwood
Blogger + Podcast Host
Cindy Bunch
Director of Editorial InterVarsity Press
Rachelle Gardner
Literary Agent Books & Such
Crystal Paine
New York Times Bestselling Author
Hope*writers apply marketing strategylike humans, not robots.
We learn the foreign language of marketing, not for personal gain or self-interest, but because the only way our words can impact people is if people know that those words exist.
When you become a hope*writer, you’ll have access to our weekly training from marketing experts and working writers who are doing it right:
Mike Kim
Consultant and Copywriter
Tim Grahl
Author of Your First 1000 Copies
Alicia Kasen
Marketing Director at Zondervan
Kendra Adachi
Writer + Teacher at The Lazy Genius
Twila Bennett
Marketing + Publicity Consultant
Ruth Chou Simons
Author of Gracelaced
Hope*writers write meaningful words without sacrificing our meaningful lives.
As a hope*writer, you’ll be welcomed into an active and supportive community of smart, creative writers. You’ll have access to exclusive interviews about the working life of a writer. And it won't take more than one hour a week (unless you want it to!)
Current training includes candid conversations with:
Erin Loechner
Author of Chasing Slow
Deidra Riggs
Author of One: Unity in a Divided World
Allison Fallon
Author and Book Coach
Melanie Shankle
New York Times bestselling Author
Tsh Oxenreider
Author of At Home in the World
Lisa-Jo Baker
Author of Never Unfriended
Hope*writers champion the work of fellow writers.
We reject the myth that writing is a solitary act and believe our best work is done when we know we are safe, we are seen, and we are supported.
We are wholeheartedly committed to being writers who choose connection over comparison.
We work hard to cultivate a no-self-promotion zone among members so the valuable conversation and curious questions don’t get lost in countless threads of outside links and sales pitches. Keeping our group uncluttered and focused is a high priority.
Meet the hope*writer founders
Your message matters! We're here to encourage you each step along your writing journey.
Emily P. Freeman
Director of Content
Emily is committed to help you serve your reader and find your lane so you can do your good work forever. She is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of five books. Her most recent release is The Next Right Thing and she's host of The Next Right Thing Podcast.
Brian J. Dixon
Director of Growth
Brian is a tech, video, and marketing guru who wants to help you grow your email list and create your first online product. He helps explain the overwhelming technology necessary to serve your readers. His next book, Start With Your People, will release in September 2019.
Gary Morland
Director of Community
Gary knows the mighty courage it takes to let God use your soul to encourage others in your writing, and he’s driven to inspire that courage in you. He’s Emily’s dad, and loves being an “it’s never too late” example, publishing his first book at age 66.
You've put it off too long. Now is the time to take your writing seriously. Because if not now... then when?
"Before I joined hope*writers, I had notebooks full of writings but never in a million years would I have called myself a writer. Hope*writers has given me not only the confidence to say I am a writer, but concrete ways to live this out and a tribe of people who understand what this writing life is like. It has changed my whole perspective."
Leigh Sain
"Before hope*writers I was a blogger who wrote for fun and mostly to indulge myself. Through the gentle guidance of this community I’ve learned how to uncover what my message actually is, who my reader is, how my message can serve her, and the gift I’m offering."
Amber Salhus
"Before hope*writers, I had plans to be a writer someday. Hope*writers has taught me more about being a writer than all the college writing classes I have taken in the past four years and I will be forever grateful for how much I have grown because of this community and resources."
Beth Richardson
"I'm the member who has wrestled feeling totally out of place. Total newbie. Afraid of putting any words together, much less sharing them. Yet, somehow, very slowly and ever so gently, the Lord has used this group, the many lovely voices here I follow and learn from, to help me."
Paola Barrera Ruiz
"Before hope*writers, I thought making money with my writing or blog was self-promotion. I never saw the value of the words I wrote until hope*writers. I always wanted to write a book. It was a dream I put on hold. I would have NEVER called myself a writer when introducing myself to a new group of people. Now, I do and I picture the faces here in this group. It's no longer just a dream. "
Sarah Frazer
How does it work?
When you join hope*writers today, here's how you'll grow as a working writer:
1. Identify your stage on the hope*writer path
We organize the writing life into six stages. These are fluid and we often move between them as writers, but as soon as you join, you’ll identify which stage you’re in and know exactly what you need to do to move on to the next one.
There’s no rush and no timeline – but there are actual steps to take. Writing and publishing don’t have to feel like a unicorn mystery. You can go at your own pace and design your writing life one step at a time.
2. Learn current trends and best practices in our weekly Tuesday training
We go live each week on Tuesdays at 2 pm EST for an hour, offering members the most up-to-date information from editors, agents, authors, and marketing professionals. We ask the questions you want to know.
Can't make that time? No problem: all training is recorded and made available to you in our member library.
- Tuesday*Teaching: A weekly mini-workshop with a publishing professional
- Tuesdays*Together: A Live Q&A with the co-founders every other month
- Co*Founder Coaching: Focused conversation with 3 members on the hot seat
3. Connect with our supportive private community
Ask the questions a search engine can’t find and get kind responses from writers who are with you and ahead of you on the path.
- Test your post idea, book title, event angle, or tagline and receive valuable feedback from other members.
- Share your writing weekly in a dedicated thread called Friday Shares and offer support for the work of others.
- Celebrate your wins as well as your losses and be received by people all over the world who are doing similar work and have been there, too. We celebrate the book deals and the rejection letters because they both mean you are a working writer.
4. Find the Amy Poehler to your Tina Fey in a project-centric hope*circle
Before anyone knew their names, Tina and Amy met in a Chicago Improv group. They grew up together in their life and work. As a working writer, it may seem like you need a big break or someone to discover you, but really you just need to link arms with your own Amy.
Hope*circles is where you can find her. Your hope*circle is a small group of your writing peers who are in a similar stage to you: whether you’re just starting out, looking for an agent or launching a book.
Hope*circles are where you’ll receive:
- Care and support specific to your writing stage
- Brainstorming help with specific goals, tactics, and ideas related to your writing project
- Flexible and potentially life-long connections with like-minded writers who get it
A few more words from members of hope*writers:
reluctant marketer
“Writing has been my Rosetta Stone, the language to translate my heart back to me. But even if you manage to pour words on the page, how do we get readers to them?
I didn’t need a writer’s group to navigate the writing process, although there’s so much encouragement for that too.
I needed to accept that part of the process was advocating for my words without the dreaded stereotypes of selling my soul or becoming a greasy-tongued marketer.
I needed permission and hope that my story would serve people and were worthy of being seen and then, I needed help to make that happen.
Hope*writers helped me realize it's not enough to write words, I need to serve my readers and I have to invite them to the table.”
Alia Joy, Author of Glorious Weakness, Baker Publishing Group (April 2019)
writing teacher
"Being a writer can feel like being adrift at sea. It can be lonely and difficult to navigate as we try to grow in our craft and our publishing know-how.
Hope*writers serves as an anchor for me in the deep sea of publishing, giving me a safe place to explore all of the necessary elements of a writing career with fellow travelers on the same journey.
Hope*writers is an investment in my future as working writer, and I’m grateful to have their support, experience, and teaching available whenever I need it.”
Kimberly Coyle, writing teacher at Fairleigh Dickinson University
It's decision time...
From here you have two options:
1. Keep writing the way you've always done — on your own, without being bothered by pesky feedback, advice or someone you trust calling you out on your stuff)
2. Make the investment in becoming a working writer — get the training and encouragement you need, a simple path for your calling and a community who'll be there for you the whole way.
No matter where you're starting from, we are here to support you in each stage of your writing journey.
What are you waiting for?
If fear is holding you back, it's time to tell yourself a different story. Let that new narrative start today.
Click the button and say YES to joining us. We can't wait to meet you!
your hope*writers membership guarantee
To make your decision to join hope*writers even easier, we offer a 60 day "tried and applied" guarantee. Test drive hope*writers for the next 60 days. See if we're a good fit for you. Log into the member library, engage in our Facebook group, and join a hope*circle. If you don't find that we offer value to help you move forward in your writing, just reach out to us for a full refund. We want to make sure this is the right fit for you!
watch our member stories
Frequently asked questions
What if I join and decide it's not for me?
You can cancel your membership at any time.
How often is enrollment open for hope*writers?
We only open membership three times used to be open always but in order to better serve our current members, we have now decided to open our doors just three times a yea.
I am a writer but I'm not ready to write a book and am not even sure I want to. Will this still help me?
If you are a writer who wants to share your words with a reader (no matter the format!) then hope*writers is for you.
Is hope*writers only for non-fiction writers?
No! Fiction writers are welcome (and celebrated) in hope*writers. Our goal is to equip writers to do their good work forever and we do have fiction writers in our community who have found great value. We've also had several tuesday teachers who specifically focus on fiction.
What if I can't watch the live training on Tuesdays? Do I miss out?
Never! We have members from all over the world and realize not everyone can join us for our live elements. Everything we provide live will also be recorded and available in the member library.
Is there homework?
There isn't homework but we do provide simple benchmarks and checklists to help keep you on track as you move through the various writing stages at your own pace.
Is hope*writers only for faith-based writers?
Hope*writers is for any writer who wants to offer hope to the world. While many of our members find their hope in their faith (and for many that's Christianity, as hope is a pervading message of that faith), any writer with a message of hope is welcome and will be embraced and helped. It will not be assumed that you hold certain beliefs.
Okay but is it only for women?
It didn’t start out that way, but the hope*writer approach seems to be attracting far more women than men.
We do have a few men (and two of our co-founders are men!) The fellas are welcome as long as they are comfortable with pink.
I want to join but my spouse/ partner isn't on board, what do I do?
Great question! You're not alone. In fact, we get this question so often, we made a video for you and your spouse to watch. .
Who is hope*writers NOT for?
Cut-throat competitors: We know how to work hard and we take our work seriously, but we don't have time for the drama and anxiety of comparison and competition. We don't compete with each other, we champion each other. Success for one is success for all.
Self-promoters: There is a difference between sharing your work and self-promotion. If you don't know the difference yet, that's okay! We welcome writers who want to learn to share their work better. But if writers come in just to grandstand, we'll know.
Robots: What works for one may not work for all. We understand that and work hard to encourage hope*writers to find ways to do their good work without going crazy. We're looking for writers with heart who want to share their work with a reader while also becoming more fully themselves in the process.
I still have a few questions and would love to talk to a real person. Can I do that?
Of course. We're here for you! Give us a call toll free at
833-501-3800
I'm ready to sign up. What do I do next?
Yay! Click the button below to choose your membership level. We can't wait to welcome you into hope*writers!