A successful event marketplace depends on thoughtful structure and meaningful vendor participation, not just the number of listings.
That’s exactly what Prolific Writers Life achieved with WC Vendors. By combining a clear mission with the right technology, they built a scalable platform where industry experts can host workshops, offer services, and connect directly with writers.
In this case study, we’ll explore how Prolific Writers Life built and scaled a service-based marketplace for authors, writing coaches, and creative professionals.
With 50+ workshops hosted monthly and vendor participation doubling in under a year, their story offers a proven roadmap for anyone building an event marketplace.
About Prolific Writers Life: An Online Platform For Writers
Prolific Writers Life was created to give writers consistent, meaningful access to expert guidance and peer support. Writing is often solitary, and the platform was designed to connect writers with coaches, publishers, and editors in a structured, collaborative environment.
The founder, Lorraine Haataia, PhD, saw a recurring problem. Writers were navigating fragmented networks—local critique groups, conference circles, online meetups—all operating in silos.
Despite decades in the literary and academic world, Lorraine hadn’t seen a single platform where writers could reliably return to find encouragement, guidance, and community.
She imagined a better alternative: a centralized space where writers could meet regularly with trusted experts, stay motivated, and work through their goals without feeling isolated or overwhelmed.
To help bring this idea to life, she teamed up with her husband, Bob Haataia, who now leads platform operations and technology.
His work behind the scenes helped shape the marketplace’s structure and make it scalable for both experts and members.
Built for Writers by Writers
Today, Prolific Writers Life is home to a global community offering a wide variety of events and services tailored to writers at every level.
Each expert runs their own store on the event marketplace, offering a blend of services, workshops, and digital products.
“Our values—open-mindedness, presence, and harmony—shape everything we do. We believe in building long-term relationships among writers and creative professionals who support each other with encouragement, accountability, and practical tools.”
—Bob Haataia, Co-Founder of Prolific Writers Life
Event and Service Categories
Writers on the platform can choose from several interactive event formats:
- Expert-led Workshops: Focused on productivity, storytelling, self-publishing, book marketing, and more
- Work Sessions: Pomodoro-based co-working sessions, including Word Count Writing Sessions, Blogging Work Sessions, and Build Your Author Platform Work Sessions
- Live Conversation Events: Writer-to-writer and writer-to-expert sessions, including Let’s Chat and Ask Me Anything formats
- Panel Discussions: Expert panels via the Prolific Writers Café, followed by live Q&A with attendees
- Private Coaching Sessions: One-on-one support with writing and publishing experts tailored to individual goals
In addition to live events, the marketplace also offers:
- Books: Member-authored titles and curated writing industry reads, available through the main store and individual expert storefronts
- Writer-themed Merchandise: T-shirts, mugs, license plate frames, and other motivational items for writers
Prolific Writers Life reflects the diversity of the modern writing community, with contributors and attendees from over a dozen countries. These include Brazil, Canada, Mexico, the Soviet Union, Taiwan, the U.K., and Australia.
Writers of all kinds join for support, accountability, and access to industry expertise.
“Our vision is to be the leading global community where writers expand their creativity, perspective, and possibilities.”
Prolific Writers Life as a Global Writing Community
At its core, Prolific Writers Life is about helping writers stay connected and make progress. Through live experiences and expert-led sessions, the platform delivers an environment where momentum and support are always within reach.
Participants range from bloggers and screenwriters to poets, editors, and novelists. The platform makes it easy to find trusted experts and maintain writing routines. In addition, writers can access tailored services without the barriers of scattered groups or overwhelming conferences.
Writers can:
- Join expert-led workshops on storytelling, publishing, and marketing
- Participate in recurring work sessions for focused writing time
- Attend live Q&As, peer chats, and professional panel discussions
- Book coaching sessions with vetted experts
- Shop curated books and writer-themed merchandise
Prolific Writers Life isn’t just a meeting space. It’s a sustained writing environment where community, expertise, and consistency come together.
Why They Built An Event Marketplace For Writers
Writers often struggle to find consistent, real-time support. Local writing groups operate in isolation. Conferences can be inspiring but overwhelming. And affordable expert guidance is hard to come by.
Prolific Writers Life was created to change that. Lorraine envisioned a space where writers could:
- Get support from vetted experts
- Attend live marketplace events regularly
- Find curated content that aligns with their unique writing paths
By listing services and workshops as products, the team created an event marketplace that allows recurring revenue, automation, and vendor control while keeping the writer experience simple.
WC Vendors As An Ideal WordPress Marketplace Plugin For Events
Prolific Writers Life first experimented with WCFM and other booking plugins but quickly realized they needed something more focused.
The decision to adopt WC Vendors came down to three core goals:
- Simplify the experience for non-technical vendors
- Eliminate unnecessary features
- Create a scalable, service-first platform
WC Vendors stood out because of its clean vendor dashboard, compatibility with WooCommerce marketplace plugin tools, and the ability to integrate with their existing Memberships and Subscriptions setup.
“Our vendors are experts, not developers. We needed something lightweight and simple. WC Vendors gave us that.”
By using WC Vendors, they could empower experts to:
- List workshops and services as products
- Offer discounts to paid members
- Track sales and manage bookings
This gave them the flexibility of a WordPress multi vendor marketplace tailored specifically for event management and expert-led services.
How They Built An Event Marketplace With WC Vendors
The team began by combining the free version of WC Vendors with FooEvents for scheduling and ticketing. While it worked initially, vendor onboarding and listing creation proved clunky, even with additional tools like WP Frontend Admin.
They also considered WooCommerce Bookings but found it unnecessarily complex for their use case. FooEvents remained the better fit for straightforward event scheduling.
Eventually, they upgraded to WC Vendors Pro, which solved their biggest friction point: listing setup.
- Before Pro: Manual support was needed for nearly every vendor submission.
- After Pro: Experts now self-manage event creation using an optimized form integrated with FooEvents.
This change drastically reduced the team’s support load and allowed vendors to operate independently.
Key WC Vendors Features That Made A Real Impact
Automated Payouts & Commissions
According to Bob, this is arguably the single biggest operational time-saver. Before WC Vendors, they were manually calculating commissions, tracking payouts, and initiating transfers would have required hours of admin time each month.
With WC Vendors Pro, commissions are calculated automatically and payouts are processed via PayPal. This ensures that both the platform and vendors receive their payouts accurately and on time.
“This alone saved us hours. No more spreadsheets or tracking down vendor payments.”
Vendor Dashboard & Self-Management
The ability for vendors to independently create, edit, and manage their workshops and consulting sessions has been transformative. Through the WC Vendors dashboard, they can:
- Add/edit workshops
- View orders and revenue
- Duplicate recurring marketplace events
The WC Vendors Pro version’s improved layout and integration with FooEvents created a smoother, more intuitive listing experience.
Before the upgrade, onboarding vendors required hand-holding for every listing. Afterward, vendors could set up and manage events on their own, dramatically reducing support tickets and accelerating launch timelines.
Integration with Memberships & Subscriptions
Prolific Writers Life uses a paid membership model to provide ongoing value to its community.
WC Vendors’ compatibility with WooCommerce Memberships and Subscriptions enabled a flexible way to manage access and perks:
- Vendors to offer member-only pricing simply by selecting a category
- Members to receive automatic discounts
- Tiered access to events based on membership level
This setup supports retention while rewarding both vendors and members, without requiring custom development.
Growth Results In Numbers
Since launching their WC Vendors-powered event marketplace, the platform has seen strong and measurable growth.
| Metric | Before WC Vendors Pro | After WC Vendors Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Active Vendors | 10+ | 20+ |
| Monthly Events | ~30 | 50+ |
| Monthly Ticket Sales | ~100 | 175–200 |
| Monthly Site Sessions | 500 | 1,700+ |
| Avg. Time on Site | — | 10+ minutes/session |
Ticket sales show clear month-over-month growth, validating both demand and user engagement.
The number of marketplace events also scaled, reflecting vendor engagement and operational scalability.
These metrics reflect both strong vendor participation and high user engagement. Additionally, average time on site shows that users are deeply exploring offerings and event pages.
Building Community Through Marketplace Events
One standout initiative is the Expert Collaboration Roundtable, a monthly gathering for their 20+ vendors. Coaches, publishers, podcasters, and editors use this time to exchange insights, share progress, and support each other.
This intentional community-building has led to cross-promotional projects, podcast invites, and increased expert visibility.
“We don’t just offer events. We’ve created a collaborative business ecosystem.”
Because vendors manage their own listings and recurring events, the platform continues to scale without needing equivalent growth in staff or admin resources.
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive:
- Experts value the ability to manage listings without needing developers
- Writers appreciate the ease and reliability of a centralized platform
- The ability to duplicate recurring events is frequently praised for saving time
The vendor dashboard is praised for being simple, functional, and non-intimidating.
Advice From Prolific Writers Life For Events And Service-Based Marketplaces
Bob shared a few lessons from their experience building a service-based event marketplace:
- Be intentional about who is brought on as vendors. An open approach may seem inclusive at first, but vetting experts who align with platform values ensures long-term cohesion and trust. A structured onboarding process helps maintain that alignment from the start.
- Right-size the tools. Platforms with extensive features can be appealing, but more isn’t always better. Choosing WC Vendors provided exactly what was needed—nothing more, nothing less—which made scaling the platform more manageable.
- Give vendors the ability to manage their own listings. Experts value autonomy. Transitioning to WC Vendors Pro significantly reduced support demands and empowered vendors to take ownership of their offerings.
- Build a culture of collaboration, not competition. True growth often comes from community, not just features. A supportive environment where vendors exchange ideas and celebrate each other’s successes leads to a more engaged and sustainable marketplace.
“Our platform isn’t built for gurus. It’s built for collaborators who know that no single expert has all the answers.” —Bob Haataia
Conclusion
Prolific Writers Life shows what’s possible when a mission-driven event marketplace is paired with the right tools. By choosing WC Vendors, they built a vendor-powered platform that supports expert autonomy, recurring revenue, and a deeply engaged writing community.
Explore the full story:
- About Prolific Writers Life
- Why They Built an Event Marketplace
- WC Vendors as a WordPress Marketplace Plugin
- Key WC Vendors Features
- Measurable Growth from WC Vendors Pro
- Building Community
- Advice From Prolific Writers Life
If you’re building a WordPress multi vendor marketplace for services, workshops, or live events, WC Vendors Pro helps you grow while keeping admin work low and vendors happy. Explore WC Vendors Pricing and Features today.
