REGISTRATION
APRIL 17 – 19, 2026
Take your writing to the next level! This could be the year you sell your book.
The Career Authors Retreat Is a Game Changer
Discover how one retreat really can change your writing life. Get individual attention for you and your work-in-progress from our dedicated team of experienced professionals—agents, editors, bestselling authors and publishing insiders—in this exclusive one-of-a kind weekend of craft, creativity, and camaraderie, all set in a gorgeous mansion (with fabulous food!).
This intensive three-day experience includes:
–Extraordinary insight and unparalleled access to our faculty that previous attendees have dubbed “the fab five”:
• Emmy-winning reporter & bestselling suspense author Hank Phillippi Ryan
• Literary agent and award-winning novelist Paula Munier
• New York Times bestseller Brian Andrews, part of the co-writing team behind the latest Jack Ryan novels for the Tom Clancy estate
• USA Today bestselling novelist & Writer’s Digest Editor-at-Large Jessica Strawser
• And longtime editor for major NYC publishers Dana Isaacson.
–Dedicated hour-long writing craft workshops presented by each member of our team
–Panels with plenty of audience Q&A on the business of publishing
–Critiques of your first pages in a small group setting, a positive, interactive workshop experience where everyone learns together
–One-on-one feedback on your first five pages with one of our faculty member
–Opportunities to practice your pitch (optional, for those at that stage)
–Networking with fellow attendees in a fully catered setting where everything is handled for you
Whether you’re struggling through your first draft, looking to take your self-publishing career to the next level, or dreaming of your big breakthrough with a finished manuscript in hand, the Career Authors can help guide you on your own path to success with your novel, nonfiction book or memoir.
Join us for a lineup of all-new classes—and focused attention to your ideas and your manuscripts. Schedule and session titles will be finalized in early 2026, but don’t wait to save your seat! Space is limited to provide for the inclusion of one-on-one consultations.
2026 AGENDA BELOW –
FRIDAY
1:00 – 2:00 Welcome and Lunch / Career Authors Introductions
2:00 – 3:00 All About YOUR Book: The Foundation of the CA Retreat Experience
*What Are You Writing and How Can We Help?
3:00 – 3:15 Break
3:15 – 4:15
Everything You Need to Know About Getting an Agent
Paula Munier, Talcott Notch Literary Agent and USA Today bestselling novelist
Whether you’re ready to submit or thinking ahead to your long-term goals, Paula Munier is your definitive source for strategizing your submissions, as she shares candid advice, best practices, and lessons learned from both sides of the desk.
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM First Page Critiques. PART 1
The Career Authors Discuss and Critique YOUR First Page
BREAK
6:00 PM – 6:30 PM Cocktail Party with Faculty
6:30 — 8:00 DINNER With the Career Authors
8:00 PM Writers Circles: Time provided for informal gatherings of attendees to find critique/practice partners and writers in your genre
SATURDAY
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Breakfast
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM How to Tell a Story (and How to Know If You Have One)
Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today and Amazon #1 bestselling author and Emmy-winning television reporter
You know you have a good idea–or do you? And if you do, how do you make that into a story? And if that works, how do you make it into a book? And then into a fabulous book? Hank will provide practical steps and news-you-can-use writing strategies to turn your gem of an idea into the fullness of a publishable novel.
BREAK
10:15–11:15 “Shock & Awe:” How to write cinematic ACTION scenes that will have your readers’ hearts pounding and turning pages.
Brian Andrews, New York Times bestselling author and co-founder of Andrews & Wilson Entertainment.
“Shock & Awe” will provide insights and methods for aspiring authors, regardless of genre, to transform static prose into propulsive, cinematic storytelling. This class deconstructs what makes an effective action scene. You will learn how to create and choreograph action sequences—from close-quarters combat to high-stakes vehicle pursuits—using prose, POV, and pacing techniques that heighten the reader’s pulse and drive the narrative forward with relentless momentum. Whether you are writing a military thriller or a novel of suspense, you’ll walk away with the tools to turn every action beat into a white-knuckle, climactic experience that immerses the reader in a movie in their mind.
11:15-12:00 First Page Critiques – PART 2
12 :00 PM – 1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Take Your Manuscript From Promising to Publishable
Dana Isaacson, Big Five publishing veteran and independent editor and book doctor
The ultimate publishing insider shares strategies—both big-picture and line-level—to elevate your writing and strengthen your story. In today’s competitive market, publishers expect submissions to arrive nearly publication-ready. Even small technical missteps—those tiny points of friction—can slow a reader down. Enough friction, and an agent stops reading. Dana breaks down what quietly diminishes your chances and shows you how to fix it. From eliminating technical errors to tightening narrative structure and refining prose, learn how to present a manuscript that feels polished, purposeful, and professional.
BREAK
2:15 PM – 3:15 PM
Manage Your Writing Life: Make More Time & Space
Jessica Strawser, USA Today bestselling novelist, Writer’s Digest editor-at-large, and mom
Whether your writing too often takes a back seat to your family and career responsibilities, or you’ve already developed a successful writing hobby that you hope to turn into your full-time dream, this workshop will help you rethink and restructure the way you prioritize writing in your life, while being both realistic and ambitious about setting writing goals that you can actually meet. Learn real-life strategies to adopt a more productive mindset, stay motivated through distractions and setbacks (big and small), harness the power of forward momentum, and persevere through rejection.
BREAK
3:30 – 4:15 The Ins & Outs of Publishing Today: Your Questions Answered
Career Authors Panel
4:15-4:45 First Page Critiques — Part 3
4:45 PM – 6:15 PM YOUR Personal Manuscript Consultation
Assigned time slots: One-on-one critique/consults with a Career Author mentor.
Each attendee will have their first five pages read and critiqued by one of the Career Authors, and get specific success-oriented book advice and career guidance!
6:30-9:00 PM Celebratory Cocktails and Banquet Dinner
9:00 PM Practice Your Pitch?
Informal gathering of attendees wishing to practice their loglines before the morning logline slam. (Attendees only; peer review opportunity.)
SUNDAY MORNING
8:00 AM Breakfast
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM Logline Slam
The Career Authors will listen, critique, and help take your logline to the next level
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM Ask Us Anything
The Career Authors tackle everything you wanted to know but didn’t know who to ask. We’ll have inside scoop, straight answers, and experienced guidance
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM Closing Remarks / Thank You
Book Signing
____________________________________
Here’s what some of our past attendees had to say:
“Whether you just have a vague idea of what you want to write or your novel is 90% finished, whether you intend to traditionally publish or self-publish, I’d recommend this retreat. There is literally something for everyone, from fine-tuning pitches (which can be useful to help you write your novel, believe it or not!) to pushing through the ‘sagging middle,’ to finding who you are as a writer, you will get help here. Bonus, the teachers are friendly and available at all times and you get the sense that they really want you to succeed.” —Laura K. Curtis, author of the Harp Security series
“The Career Authors retreat has been invaluable to my confidence as an aspiring author. I cannot say enough good things about Brian, Dana, Hank, Jessica and Paula – as individuals, they are each masterful in presenting specific industry insights, and I find myself hanging on their every word! Together, they are even better, if that’s possible: their combined experience, their rapport and genuine team leadership makes the retreat not only wickedly useful, but inviting and FUN!
I’ve thanked my lucky stars that I came across this life-changing retreat and would recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone ready to take the next steps in their writing career!” —Caitlin Gertsev
-
Writers' Retreat 2026
April 16, 2026 - April 19, 2026
5:00 pm - 12:00 pm