Career Authors Writers Retreat 2025

Take your writing to the next level! This could be the year you sell your book.

The Career Authors Road Map to Success

Discover how one retreat really can change your writing life. Get individual attention for you and your work-in-progress from our 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!).

With extraordinary insight and unparalleled access,  the Career Authors can show you the way  to success with your novel, nonfiction book or memoir with classes, critiques, and behind-the-scenes straight talk about publishing.

Join us for a lineup of all-new classes–and focused attention to your ideas and your manuscripts. 

Space is limited to provide for the inclusion of one-on-one consultations.

FRIDAY

1:00 – 2:00 Welcome and Lunch / Career Authors Introductions

2:00 – 3:00 Paula Munier, literary agent and USA Today bestselling author

Think Like An Agent: How you can land an agent, interest an editor, and sell your book by adopting an agent’s mindset.

3:00 – 3:15 BREAK

3:15 – 4:30 All About YOUR Book: The Foundation of the CA Retreat Experience

*What Are You Writing and How Can We Help?

4:30-4:45  BREAK

4:45 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

Informal gathering of attendees to find critique/practice partners and writers in your genre

SATURDAY

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Breakfast

9:00 AM – 10:15 AM   Everything you need to know to write your book!

Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today and Amazon #1 bestselling author and Emmy-winning reporter

Yes. It’s true. We’ll reveal everything you need to know. Of course, you can’t sell your book until you write your book. But what’s more, you can’t sell your book unless it’s a terrific book. Some of it is talent, but some pathways to success can be learned. From beginning to end, we will lay out, with practical suggestions and a step-by-step process, exactly how to make sure your book is solidly structured, appropriately paced, and an example of polished, professional and commercial writing.

BREAK

10:30–11:45  Workshop Your Point of View 

Dana Isaacson,  Big 5 publishing executive and editor

Different POVs—first person, omniscient, etc.—tell different stories. Crafting a novel means strategically choosing your story’s POV and understanding how it influences the way your story is told. Using your WIP, we’ll explore the various options to help you determine how best to tell your story.

BREAK

12:00–12:45  First Page Critiques – PART 2

12 :45 PM – 1:30 PM  Lunch

1:30  PM – 2:30 PM

10 Questions for Your Revision: How to Know When You’re Ready to Submit

Jessica Strawser, USA Today bestselling author and Writer’s Digest Editor-at-Large

Does your premise check the right boxes? Can you get by with feedback from beta readers, or might it be wise to hire an editor to help? Are you struggling with your query so much that you’re worried the manuscript is missing something? If you keep revising, are you just going to mess it up? Determining when your project is ready to submit can be tricky. An editor-turned-USA-Today-bestselling novelist shares the 10 most important things to ask yourself before you hit send, with key lessons learned from both sides of the desk.

BREAK

2:45 PM – 3:45 PM  A Crash Course on the Business of Writing 

Brian Andrews, Wall Street Journal and Amazon #1 bestselling author

Believe it or not every published author is also a small business owner and entrepreneur. In this session, we’ll trade our MFA hats for MBA caps to touch on brand building, sales and marketing, finance, accounting, and other common business elements associated with being a career author.

BREAK

4:00 PM -4:30 PM The Ins & Outs of Publishing Today: Your Questions Answered 

Career Authors Panel

BREAK

4:45–5:30 First Page Critiques — Part 3

5:30 – 6:30 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!

6:45 -9:00 PM Celebratory cocktails and Banquet Dinner (separate ticket)

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

Book Signing