Be Your Own Publicist
How to Promote Your Writing
with Tawny Lara
Live Seminar Via Zoom Tuesday, June 16th, 2026
nstructor Tawny Lara is a journalist with a business degree who understands both sides of the creative life: we want to create cool shit, and we also want to make a living. 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 co-founder of the vinegar-based botanical beverage (parentheses). She's also an exhausted Capricorn who's obsessed with her dog, Stevie Nicks.
Read an Interview with Tawny about How to be Your Own Publicist.
This class helps writers, researchers, artists, and entrepreneurs learn how to promote their work without that cringey OMG-I-hate-self-promotion feeling. Whether you're looking for strategies on promoting an existing piece of work or creating a platform to prove that you're the expert on a subject, Be Your Own Publicist is the class for you.
This Be Your Own Publicist class is more than PR 101; it's a chance to reframe self-promotion as a strategy to promote your hard work and expertise.
Participants will emerge from this seminar with a comprehensive understanding of what exactly a publicist does and some DIY skills so attendees can approach publicity on their own.
Tawny Lara shares from personal experience as an author, co-founder of a drink brand, and tired Millennial with a business degree. She unpacks the promotional strategies she’s used in the past while sharing what worked, what didn’t, and what she’d do differently.
SEMINAR TAKEAWAYS:
Identify Your Niche Without Feeling Typecast: Discover how Tawny created a niche and The Sober Sexpert persona, leveraged them both into a book deal, and pivoted that expertise to the non-alcoholic drink industry. She’ll also discuss the reality of turning herself into a personal brand and why she wouldn’t do it again, providing tangible tips for those debating on doing the same thing.
Preorder Campaign: Learn about Tawny’s preorder campaign for Dry Humping and the current preorder campaign for her forthcoming card deck. She’ll then share lessons you can apply to your own book launch or product launch campaigns.
Real Talk About Hiring a Publicist and a Virtual Assistant: Understand how much it costs to hire a publicist or an assistant while also seeing what they do. From there, you can make an informed decision on whether you want to hire help, fly solo, or create a hybrid approach for your promotional strategies.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
This seminar is perfect for writers, researchers, artists, and entrepreneurs who want to effectively promote their work without feeling overwhelmed or uncomfortable with self-promotion. Whether you have a completed project that needs visibility or are looking to establish yourself as an expert in your field, this class will provide you with the strategies and skills to handle your own publicity with confidence.
Join us if you:
Struggle with the idea of self-promotion and want to learn how to do it authentically.
Are looking to create a robust platform to showcase your expertise.
Want to understand the roles and costs associated with hiring a publicist or virtual assistant.
Need practical tips for launching a successful preorder campaign for your book or product.
Are curious about leveraging your niche to create a personal brand.
With Tawny Lara’s guidance and real-world insights, you'll leave the seminar empowered and ready to promote your hard work and expertise effectively.
Can't Make It Live?
No problem! The session will be recorded and available to watch after the seminar concludes.