The program is set for The Career Authors Retreat at Endicott House, MIT’s gorgeous event center outside of Boston, April 12-14, 2024. This year’s focus: Taking your writing to the next level.
We’re bringing back the format our repeat attendees love, with info-packed sessions on the craft and business of writing, pitching, and publishing—plus plenty of networking time in between. You’ll enjoy gourmet meals and accommodations, get to know fellow writers, make meaningful connections with our dedicated Career Authors team (four bestselling authors, two experienced editors, and our resident agent), and stroll beautiful gardens full of quiet spots to write.
New this year: One-on-one feedback on your pages, in addition to small-group workshopping of your pitch and your story’s opening.
Wondering if the Career Authors Retreat is the right next step for you? Here are five reasons it very well might be.
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We’ll meet you where you are.
Our faculty attends a lot of conferences and retreats of all sizes, nobody more than Paula Munier, a top literary agent and bestselling author of mystery novels and feel-good nonfiction guides.
“Writers of every level can learn something from our Endicott retreat,” she says. “What matters is an open mind, because writing is a craft and one can never be good enough at one’s craft. I’ve been writing for decades, and even after a dozen books or more I am always learning and continue to learn. I pick up tricks and tips and techniques at Endicott every year just by hanging out with such pros as Jessica and Hank and Dana and Brian. I also continue to read books on writing, even as I write books on writing. No matter how books you’ve written and published, with every book you raise the bar on yourself—and Conferences like Endicott help you hit that bar every time.”
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The faculty-to-attendee ratio makes for a highly personalized experience.
“What is it that we really want at a writing weekend? We want the truth. We want real answers. We simply want someone to tell us what we should do next,” says Hank Phillippi Ryan, Career Authors’ award-winning thriller writer and investigative reporter.
“Many writing events give you general information, and if you are lucky and wise, you will take home something that‘s relevant for your own work. But at the Career Author’s weekend, our entire focus is making your manuscript, the best it can be—to help you find your voice, and give manuscript -specific advice and guidance. When you leave on Sunday, you will have an individual template for your future—a personal and specific pathway forward for your book that you will not get at any other event.”
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It’s not just about your writing: It’s about you.
“You can’t beat the location, the accommodations, the food or the friendliness of the staff,” says past attendee Tonya Price. After all, the event takes place in a sprawling mansion with a gourmet chef. In past years, guests have been treated to impromptu kitchen tours, yoga on the lawn, and more. It all depends on where the conversation leads. Attendees have the option to stay on site or come and go as they please.
“I highly recommend the Author’s Weekend at MIT Endicott House to any writer, traditionally published, traditionally published wanna be’s, indie-published or unpublished writers wanting to learn more about the craft of writing, how to get published and the business of writing,” Price says. “The instructors are willing to talk to attendees about any subject and are readily accessible.”
That’s why we have so many repeat attendees, and welcome new faces, too. “The Career Authors weekend conference was a weekend where new friends were made and lifelong relationships formed,” says another past attendee, Joyce McChesney-Kaye.
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Whether you’re finishing your draft or preparing to pitch, we can help.
Take it from Dana Isaacson, our team’s Big Five publishing veteran: “This is an opportunity to receive individual attention and guidance from a trusted expert in the field. Without a crowd watching, writers get to let their hair down in focused conversations about their projects, which can be incredibly satisfying, useful, and a lot of fun.”
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We value your time as much as you do.
“As writers we know time and focus are arguably our most valuable assets,” says Brian Andrews, the Career Authors faculty member who is always trying something new: whether co-authoring a new suspense series or adapting a story for the screen. “We only have so much bandwidth, so devoting time to a retreat means giving up something else. But consider this opportunity as an exercise in efficiency. With this program, you’re trading hundreds of hours of DIY research online for a curated program where the answers are delivered directly to you.”
Interested? View the full retreat schedule here and register to save your seat. And if you’re already registered, visit Career Authors on Facebook to say hi!
We can’t wait to meet you. And to read what you’ve been writing.
