24th annual Writers’ Institute a great success

A special thanks to all who made this year’s event the best ever

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who made the 24th annual Writers’ Institute more than we could have hoped. That includes instructors, agents, publishers, and most of all the more than 300 writers who came to improve their craft, meet fellow writers, and pitch their works to people in the publishing business.

Save the date!

The 25th annual Writers’ Institute will take place Apr 4-6, 2014.

Audio clips from 2013 panels

Excerpted from panel discussion “The Traditional Publishing Process: The Author, Agent and Publisher of A Real Emotional Girl Take You from First Draft to Release Day and Beyond,” panelists Gordon Warnock, Tanya Chernov, and Julie Matysik.

You’ve collected glowing rejections, now what? An agent’s perspective	Click to listen»
How to get an editor’s attention and make her day. An editor on her role	Click to listen»

Excerpted from panel discussion “Moving Beyond Print: Selling Your Work Within Other Platforms,” panelists Marilyn Atlas, Gordon Warnock, Jeff Kurz, Ken Miyamoto, and Danielle Jackson.

Script? Novel? How versatility can make it harder to fail as a writer	Click to listen»
Write your best—and don’t throw anything away	Click to listen»

What participants say about the 2013 Writers’ Institute

“This was an exciting event, enthusiastically and competently conducted. It was especially important for me to meet and exchange ideas with other writers, as well as agents and publishers. Bravo!” —Karl Stewart

“I just loved so many things—especially the final panel about taking the book from beginning to end. Wow! That was fantastic.” —Marian Fredal

“Excellent institute! Thank you!” —Steve Rulseh

“What a wonderful smorgasbord of workshops and discussions. The passion of the presenters was uplifting and inspirational. And the opportunity to meet with so many creative people energized me.” —Greg Renz

“Thank you for your hard work on behalf of writers. There was so much friendliness and useful info at this conference. One thing I learned is that having a full-time day job is not an excuse for not writing and not trying to get published.” —Susannah Michaels

“Thank you guys again for taking such good care of us! I feel like the experience is so educational for someone who’s been writing all her life, majored in creative writing, but never learned about the unexplained area of the business end: publishing. Also, it is so valuable to get so many great opportunities to network and create relationships with either new business connections and/or with future writing colleagues. I am always looking for other writers to form a community with, so it’s great to be around so many like-minded people. I came to this conference last year not knowing what to expect and not knowing how to network. This year has virtually been an entirely different experience—in a great way!” —Pamela Hsieh

“Nice job! I love this conference!” —William Rurleson

“Thank you so much! This helped me enormously. It helped me think outside the box about my writing. I expect it to have a positive impact not only on what I produce, but on the breadth of my word.” —Susan Smetzer-Anderson, PhD

“Well done, well organized, relevant, good variety of seminars, speakers and panels, upbeat and hopeful tone.” —John Howard Prin

“This was my first conference and it was great. I got a lot of information, connections, and feedback. Great confidence boost.” —Lisa McDougal

“The networking opportunities are unparalleled—agents, editors & experts in the filed mingle with new, inexperienced writers with the joint goal of publication. A joyful, inspirational, and extraordinarily informative event with support that extends throughout the year.” —Kathleen D. Tresemer

“My writing gets better just being here. Thank you!” —Meredith Johnston

Questions? Email Institute director Laurie Scheer or call her at 608-265-3972.