Your Guide to Navigating Online Summits as a Writer
6 Steps To Get Real Value From Free Online Learning Events
It’s summit season again!
School is back in session, and so are online summits for aspiring authors. These summits gather bestselling authors, booked-out coaches, and experienced publishing professionals to share their knowledge with you. Industry professionals dive deep into topics, and I can’t count the number of times something has finally clicked for me as a result of one of these talks.
And in most cases, they’re free to attend!
I’ve gotten so much out of these summits as a writer, so I’m thrilled for the opportunity to give back with a presentation of my own at the Plot to Publish Fiction Author Summit 2025. It’s my first summit as a speaker, and I’m pinching myself over being part of the same line-up as people like:
My book coach, Stacy Frazer, who’ll be discussing Mastering Scene Structure: How to Craft Moments that Move Your Story Forward.
Editor Stacy Juba, who’s talking about Outline, Hook, and Tweak Like a Seasoned Author
Author and book coach Kat Caldwell, presenting Building a Story
I’ve come away with incredible takeaways from each of these presenters in the past, so I’ll be tuning into their presentations pen in hand next week.
There’s still time to sign up if you’re interested. The summit takes place on September 2nd and 3rd. It’s free to come live, with the option to upgrade to VIP for extended access and other goodies from presenters. Reserve your spot.
Online Summits are an excellent learning opportunity for writers. But they can also be overwhelming. Here are some tips for getting the most out of these events:
1. Prioritize
If you’ve opted for free access, you’ll have a limited time—usually 24 hours—to access each day’s presentations. Unless you’ve been able to clear your schedule, you won’t have time to catch them all. Choose the top 2-3 you think you’ll benefit from the most each day, and prioritize listening to those.
2. Plan
Set aside time to watch and/or listen to your selected sessions. Sitting at your desk with a notepad out is great, but that’s not the only option. I frequently play one session during lunch, another while I make dinner, and a third while folding laundry.
3. Maximize
Every summit I’ve attended has been full of amazing presentations. But that doesn’t mean every one of them is for me. If you’re 5-10 minutes into a presentation and it’s not what you expected, don’t feel bad about closing out and choosing a different one instead. Your time is valuable, and not every speaker will resonate with every person.
4. Participate
If there’s a chat or a comments section, jump in. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you’re wondering something, someone else is probably wondering it, too. Don’t feel comfortable asking in public? Shoot the presenter an email. We’re all presenting because we want to make connections with participants. While I can’t speak for everyone, I know I’d be thrilled to hear from you and will absolutely make time to answer individual questions.
5. Be sure to check out the VIP Offerings
Most summits have a VIP offer, which gets you long-term access to the content. This saves you the trouble of picking and choosing between sessions, or making time on the specific days it’s happening.
Lately, I’ve been seeing more and more summits offer extras from presenters in addition to extended access. These include mini-courses, webinars, memberships, and other offerings that aren’t usually free. If a few of these are something you’d otherwise pay for, the VIP package can be a really great deal.
Even if you have VIP access, make a plan for when you’ll watch the content. You don’t want it to become another thing you buy and never get to. (I have way too many of those unwatched courses on my shelf already, so I usually pick the free option. That way I’m forced to consume the sessions while they’re available.)
6. Implement
Learning’s great, but then you have to implement. When you’re done watching a session, jot down the key takeaways. Then review them before your next writing session. You’ll be surprised at how those little tidbits inspire your creativity and improve your story.
Reminder: Save your place at the Plot to Publish: Fiction Author Summit.