After successful previous events in Austin, Writing Day Workshops is excited to announce The 2024 Writing Workshop of Austin — a full-day “How to Get Published” writing event in Austin, TX on Friday, March 1, 2024.
This writing event is a wonderful opportunity to get intense instruction over the course of one day, pitch a literary agent or editor (optional), get your questions answered, and more. Note that there are limited seats at the event (120 total). All questions about the event regarding schedule, details and registration are answered below. Thank you for your interest in the 2024 Writing Workshop of Austin! We are very proud of our many success stories where attendees sign with agents following events — see our growing list of success stories here.
(Please note that this is an in-person event. We at Writing Day Workshops plan both online/virtual as well as in-person events. This next WWA is an in-person event happening in Austin on March 1, 2024. See you there.)
WHAT IS IT?
This is a special one-day “How to Get Published” writing workshop on Friday, March 1, 2024, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Austin Arboretum. In other words, it’s one day full of classes and advice designed to give you the best instruction concerning how to get your writing & books published. We’ll discuss your publishing opportunities today, how to write queries & pitches, how to market yourself and your books, what makes an agent/editor stop reading your manuscript, and more. No matter what you’re writing — fiction or nonfiction — the day’s classes will help point you in the right direction. Writers of all genres are welcome.
This event is designed to squeeze as much into one day of learning as possible. You can ask any questions you like during the classes, and get your specific concerns addressed. We will have literary agents onsite to give feedback and take pitches from writers, as well. This year’s agent and editor faculty so far includes:
- literary agent Monica Rodriguez (Context Literary)
- literary agent Mark Falkin (Falkin Literary)
- editor Carina Licon (Macmillan Children’s, Henry Holt Books)
- literary agent Trinica Sampson-Vera (New Leaf Literary)
- literary agent Teffanie Thompson (Falkin Literary)
- editor Christina Lopez (St. Martin’s Press)
- and possibly more to come
By the end of the day, you will have all the tools you need to move forward on your writing journey. This independent event is organized by coordinator Chuck Sambuchino of Writing Day Workshops. (E-mail him to register for the event at WritingDayWorkshops@gmail.com and say you’re interested in the Austin event specifically.) And thank you to our local writing group helpers hailing from Novel in Progress: An Austin Writers’ Group.
EVENT LOCATION & DETAILS
9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Friday, March 1, 2024: Embassy Suites by Hilton Austin Arboretum, 9505 Stonelake Blvd, Austin, TX 78759.
(Please note that this is an in-person event. We at Writing Day Workshops plan both online/virtual as well as in-person events. This next WWA is an in-person event happening in Austin on March 1, 2024. See you there.)
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE & INSTRUCTORS (MARCH 1, 2024)
8:30 – 9:30: Check-in and registration at the event location.
9:30 – 10:30: An Overview of Your Publishing Options Today. This workshop examines the two largest routes any writer can take with their book: traditional publishing and self-publishing / e-publishing. We will examine the upsides of both routes, the challenges with both, and the next steps no matter what you decide. In today’s publishing world, a writer has to understand what they’re in for before they send their book out. This session is designed to prepare them for what’s to come and what options exist
10:30 – 11:45: Everything You Need to Know About Agents and Query Letters. This workshop is a thorough crash course in dealing with literary agents. After quickly going over what an agent is and what they do for writers, we will discuss resources for finding agents, how to ID the best agents for you, query letter writing, as well as the most important things to do and not to do when dealing with representatives.
11:45 – 1:15: Lunch on your own. There are several restaurants within quick driving distance on the block.
1:15 – 2:30: “Writers’ Got Talent: A First Page Critique-Fest.” In the vein of American Idol or America’s Got Talent, this is a chance to get your first page read (anonymously — no bylines given) with our attending agents commenting on what was liked or not liked about the submission. Get expert feedback on your incredibly important first page, and know if your writing has what it needs to keep readers’ attention. (All attendees are welcome to bring pages to the event for this session, and we will choose pages at random for the workshop for as long as time lasts.)
2:45 – 3:45: Advice and Tips for Great Writing: A Look at Character, Structure, Voice, and Rule-Breaking. This speech, taught by an editor and author, will take a look at the evergreen elements of good writing that you should know and master. Learn about making your characters more real and relatable. Learn about the basics of structure — for both fiction and nonfiction. Learn about what voice is, and how to create tone. And understand that rules are made to be broken.
4:00 – 5:00: Ten Keys to Writing Success. Learn 10 things you can be doing right now that will help get your book(s) published and have more control over your writing destiny. This is a general course that addresses commonsense things any writer can do to give their work the best shot at getting published, such as writing the best thing they can, stealing from themselves, and why writing for love and money is a good idea.
All throughout the day: Agent & Editor Pitching.
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PITCH AN AGENT!
Mark Falkin is a literary agent and founder of Falkin Literary. Mark transitioned from entertainment and intellectual property attorney to literary agent starting ten years ago.
Falkin Literary represents fiction and nonfiction, leaning toward upmarket thrillers like client Louisa Luna’s Edgar-winning Alice Vega Novels and Peter Benchley’s Jaws; horror like Gemma Amor’s The Folly and Matt Serafini’s Feeders; and literary gems like Brittany Ackerman’s The Brittanys, Ery Shin’s Spring on the Peninsula, and Mark Dunn’s Ella Minnow Pea.
In nonfiction, he prefers to work with big idea books written by people with big ideas like peace activist Christian Picciolini’s memoir White American Youth, political columnist David Masciotra’s Exurbia Now, sexperts Amy Baldwin’s and April Lampert’s Shameless Sex, and the several film and pop culture books by filmmaker Laurent Bouzereau, the most recent being Spielberg: The First Ten Years, and the forthcoming The De Palma Decade.
He is the author of the novels The Late Bloomer, Contract City, and Days of Grace. An Oscar-winning producer has just optioned his short story “The Rock Statue,” which will publish in the spring issue of UK literary journal Supernatural Tales. (A screenwriter on the Hulu series The Bear is adapting.) His recently published horror story, “QR Codes of the Dead,” is now on the syllabus for a horror literature course at Indiana University Northwest.
Born and raised in Tulsa, Mark graduated from Southern Methodist University then the University of Oklahoma College of Law. Working on his next writing projects, he lives with his wife and family in Austin where he reads, misses coaching recreational soccer, plays in a men’s over 50 Sunday death league, tries to find time to paddle Texas waters, and keeps a sharp eye on his daughters, snatching hugs here and there.
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Monica Rodriguez is a literary agent at Context Literary.
Monica is looking to uplift underrepresented voices, including, (but not limited to) authors who identify as People of Color (BIPOC), disabled, neurodiverse, and LGBTQ+. In children’s literature, she is actively looking for PB, MG, YA & Graphic Novels. She is also open to adult and nonfiction submissions.
“I run the official book club for Find A Lovely Life, our IG is @findalovelybook. I’m a contributing writer at Latina Media Co. where I cover TV Shows and Movies. I am the Director of Brand Management at Context Literary, where I help authors promote their books before and after they’ve hit the shelves.I’m currently bilingual, learned Spanish & English at the same time & I’ve been learning French and Portuguese!”
Across all genres & age groups, she’d love to find: stories about identity, specifically first-gen stories or immigrant experiences; stories about self-love with coming-of-age themes. (I believe we are always coming-of-age, regardless of age!); stories about family relationships, messy/dysfunctional families or found families; stories about sibling relationships or cousin relationships, specifically navigating adult sibling relationships or cousin relationships with cultural differences. (i.e. first-gen themes); stories about travel, where the book is set outside the U.S. or even traveling to the U.S.; stories with messy characters who are trying their best; stories with characters who are curious about therapy or where mental health is advocated for; stories about badass women doing badass things; stories about cultures that are rarely explored.
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Carina Licon is an editor for Macmillan Children’s and Henry Holt Books for Young Readers.
“I am actively seeking compelling middle-grade and young adult fiction across genres with complex characters who sit at the heart of a story and leap off the page. Overall, I’m looking for stories that lift a mirror to the experiences of diverse children and young adults who feel big and overwhelming things–love, grief, joy, and everything between.”
In picture books, she seeks: books that explore difficult experiences/emotions in nuanced ways; books that center BIPOC and queer joy; intergenerational households/settings; the fun, imaginary, and magical; the humorous, goofy, and silly; the tender, touching, and sweet.
In middle grade and young adult, she seeks: complex, whipsmart protagonists; contemporary YA horror and thrillers in the vein of Courtney Summers; spooky, atmospheric MG; gothic YA horror or fantasy; stories about mental health; coming-of-age stories; friendship stories; a modern day Jessica Darling series that reflects our diverse world; intergenerational BIPOC stories; stories of everyday life in a BIPOC household (especially Latinx); romance with lots! of! angst!; contemporary, grounded fantasy OR high fantasy with strong real world/relatable themes.
She is not a good fit for high fantasy or in-verse novels.
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Trinica Sampson-Vera is a literary agent with New Leaf Literary & Media.
Trinica is accepting children’s and adult fiction and nonfiction. Across age groups, she loves adventurous, character-driven stories with largely emotional stakes. Trinica is passionate about championing diverse and marginalized voices.
She is seeking: speculative fiction (especially horror, cozy-to-high fantasy, hopepunk, and near future science fiction); romance and romcoms (especially featuring sapphic/queer relationships); NA campus stories (especially dark academia); Caribbean (especially Trinidad & Tobago) characters/settings; reality TV premises; unreliable narrators; stories that support women’s wrongs; found family (give me the intensity of the Fast & the Furious franchise); messy, doomed, heartbreakingly passionate tragic romances featuring people who make each other worse (I want the intensity of the relationship between Will/Hannibal, iykyk); retellings – I prefer retellings that are “inspired by” rather than faithful retellings. I love to be surprised by a twist or a new way of imagining an old story.
Fun facts about me: I play online Survivor (like the CBS show!) and have won twice. My name comes from Trinidad and California, where each of my parents was born. I’ve cooked my way through two cookbooks and am always looking for new recipes to try!
Trinica graduated from Antioch College with a degree in Creative Writing and French. After several editorial internships during college, she moved to Austin and found an unexpected home in social services, where she worked for five years as a case manager to those experiencing chronic homelessness. Prior to beginning at New Leaf, she worked as an independent editor with Salt & Sage Books and Writing Diversely.
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Teffanie Thompson is a literary agent with Falkin Literary.
She is seeking: fabulism, commercial, contemporary, dystopian, historical, literary, middle grade, romance, romcoms, speculative, suspense, thriller, women’s, and young adult. BIPOC voices welcome.
Originally from Texas, Teffanie attended Prairie View A & M University and graduated from Excelsior University. She obtained her graduate degrees from the acclaimed Writing Popular Fiction program at Seton Hill University. Teffanie has over two decades of experience working with writers in various roles including mentoring, sensitivity reading, critiquing, and editing.
She is also an author. Teffanie is a contributor in Like Sunshine After Rain (Raw Dog Screaming Press), When I Go Outside, I Go Inside (MMH Press), pictureless books, and Many Genres One Craft (Headlines Book, Inc.). Teffanie attended the 2018 Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival in Dubai, UAE. In 2016, her magical realism middle-grade novel, DIRT (Brown Girl Books), won an African American Literary Award at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library. She is currently writing a nonfiction blog series detailing her expat experiences on the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia.
Teffanie dreams to see more diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in genre fiction. She wants to represent authors who write for young adult, new adult, and adult audiences. Today, her favorite reads are Xenogenesis Series, The Hunger Games, The Alchemist, and The Giver. If asked tomorrow, this list will probably change.
Outside her fiction addiction, she embraces the joy of spinning hula hoops. Teffanie is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc.
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Christina Lopez is an editor with St. Martin’s Press where she works on adult commercial fiction including rom-com, women’s fiction, and historical fiction as well as YA. She is now actively acquiring and is dreaming of a fun Texas book in any of the previously mentioned genres with a diverse cast. Before being hired full time, Christina was the editorial intern at SMP. She currently lives in Austin, Texas. Aside from reading, she enjoys spending time with her cat, Nova, and watching bad reality TV.
“I am actively seeking adult and YA commercial women’s fiction/ book club fiction, rom com, contemporary romance, fantasy, domestic thriller, and historical fiction. I’m also open to YA/adult crossover stories, especially in the new adult space. I’m open to nonfiction having to do with pop culture (reality TV (especially dating shows), and growing up in the late nineties, Disney Channel era), identity and societal issues, and memoir in the vein of Everything I Know About Love.
“I’m currently obsessed with that soft spot of books that sits on the line between women’s and literary-leaning commercial fiction (think Happy Place by Emily Henry). I’m especially interested in anything with characters from historically underrepresented backgrounds (especially Latinx characters, as I’m from a border town in Texas), anything with complex family dynamics spanning several generations (especially mother/daughter stories), speculative fiction or magical realism (The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue) stories about found family or finding home in people instead of places, historical fiction like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo that move between the past and the present, and stories involving romance, but where it isn’t the sole driving force of the plot, like In Five Years.
“Regarding rom-coms, I’d love to find the next Katherine Center, who writes commercial rom-coms with strong upmarket hooks and deeper emotional nuance. I’m also looking for stories that uplift women, such as How To Fall Out Of Love Madly, and stories that give insight into the complexity of existing in the world with an intersectional identity. I’d love a book about twenty-somethings and the directionless but hopeful feeling that drives this space in life. I’m also seeking fantasy books in the vein of Fourth Wing by Rebecca Ross with intuitive world building and a romantic thread.
“I want books that capture the enormity of emotions in the most mundane elements of life. I’d also love stories about diverse people doing everyday things and getting a happy ending! I’d also love stories about diverse people doing everyday things and getting a happy ending! I want a book that feels like a Taylor Swift song; dramatic, relatable, inspiring! Overall, I’m drawn to books with diverse, complex characters that make me feel big emotions.”
Christina is not the best fit for science fiction, horror, animal stories, war stories, and Western.
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ADDED ONLINE PITCHING: To ensure that writers have a robust and diverse lineup of agents & editors to pitch, 2024 Writing Workshop of Austin attendees will have the ability to also pitch literary agents at the Writing Day Workshops *online* event that follows the 2024 WWA on our event calendar.
That event is the 2024 Online Colorado Writing Workshop, March 8-9, 2024, which will have 30-40 agents taking one-on-one Zoom virtual pitches.
This means that 2024 WWOA attendees can have access to pitching all those online Colorado agents — pitches still at $29 each — without being a formal registrant for the online March 2024 CWW. (That said, if you want to formally register for the March 8-9 CWW and have access to all classes and panels, let us know, as there is a discount for confirmed Austin attendees.)
If you are interested in this added pitching opportunity, the first step is to get formally registered for Austin. Following the WWOA one-day conference on March 1, 2024, we will be in touch with all Austin attendees and ask them if they want to partake in pitching online agents at the 2024 CWW (March 8-9). At that time, you can communicate your pitch requests and purchase meeting time.
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More 2024 agents may be added at any time.
These one-on-one meetings are an amazing chance to pitch your book face-to-face with an agent, and get personal, individual feedback on your pitch/concept. If the agent likes your pitch, they’ll request to see part/all of your book — sending you straight past the slush pile. It also gives you an intimate chance to meet with an agent and pick their brain with any questions on your mind.
(Please note that Agent/Editor Pitching is an add-on, separate aspect of the day, for only those who sign up. Spaces are limited for these premium meetings, and pricing/detail is explained below.)
PRICING
$169 — EARLY BIRD registration pricing! This is the complete base price for registration to the 2023 WWA and access to all workshops, all day. As of fall 2023, registration is now open. E-mail Chuck Sambuchino at WritingDayWorkshops@gmail.com to register, and tell him you’re interested in the Austin conference specifically.
Add $29 — to secure a 10-minute one-on-one meeting with any of our literary agents in attendance. Use this special meeting as a chance to pitch your work and get professional feedback on your pitch. (Spaces limited.) If they wish, attendees are free to sign up for multiple 10-minute pitch sessions at $29/session — pitching multiple individuals, or securing 20 minutes to pitch one person rather than the usual 10. Here are quick testimonials regarding writers who have signed with literary agents after pitching them at prior Writing Day Workshops events. (Our bigger, growing list of success stories can be seen here.)
“I met my client, Alison Hammer, at the Writing
Workshop of Chicago and just sold her book.”
– literary agent Joanna Mackenzie of Nelson Literary
“Good news! I signed a client [novelist Aliza Mann]
from the Michigan Writing Workshop!”
– literary agent Sara Mebigow of KT Literary
“I signed author Stephanie Wright from
the Seattle Writing Workshop.”
– literary agent Kathleen Ortiz of New Leaf Literary
“I signed an author [Kate Thompson] that I
met at the Philadelphia Writing Workshop.”
– literary agent Kimberly Brower of Brower Literary
“I signed novelist Kathleen McInnis after meeting her
at the Chesapeake Writing Workshop.”
– literary agent Adriann Ranta of Foundry Literary + Media
Add $69 — for an in-depth, personal critique of your one-page query letter from instructor Chuck Sambuchino, formerly of Writer’s Digest. (This rate is a special event value for Writing Workshop of Austin attendees only.) Registrants are encouraged to take advantage of the specially-priced critique, so they can send out their query letter with confidence following the workshop. Also, if you are meeting with an agent at the event, you’re essentially speaking your query letter aloud to them. Wouldn’t it be wise to give that query letter (i.e., your pitch) one great edit before that meeting?
Add $89 — for an in-depth personal critique of the first 10 pages of your novel. Spaces with faculty for these critiques are very limited, and participating attendees will either 1) get an in-person meeting at the workshop, if the faculty member is attending the live event, or 2) get a 15-minute phone call with the faculty member, and have notes passed along via email, if the critiquer is not attending the live event. Options:
- Middle grade and young adult (in-person meetings): Faculty member Madeline Smoot, an editor and writing coach, will get your work in advance, critique the first 10 double-spaced pages of your book, talk with you for 15 minutes in person at the workshop to discuss her thoughts, and pass along written critique notes at the meeting or after.
- Romance, women’s fiction, science fiction, young adult, or memoir (virtual critiques): Faculty member Jenny Bardsley, an author, will get your work in advance, critique the first 10 double-spaced pages of your book, talk with you virtually (Zoom/phone) for 15 minutes sometime around workshop to discuss her thoughts, and pass along written critique notes.
- Middle grade, young adult; adult fiction in the areas of low fantasy, literary fiction, romance, contemporary fiction, women’s fiction, historical fiction, and mainstream fiction (virtual critiques): Faculty member Joel Brigham, a writing coach and author, will get your work in advance, critique the first 10 double-spaced pages of your book, meet with you online (Zoom, etc.) or by phone for 15 minutes sometime around the workshop to discuss his thoughts, and pass along written critique notes before or after the meeting.
- Women’s, mainstream, science fiction, fantasy, romance, crime, thriller, mystery (virtual critiques): Faculty member Michelle McGill-Vargas, a writing coach and author, will get your work in advance, critique the first 10 double-spaced pages of your book, meet with you online (Zoom, etc.) or by phone for 15 minutes sometime around the workshop to discuss her thoughts, and pass along written critique notes before or after the meeting.
- More critique options possibly forthcoming
How to pay/register — Registration is now open. Reach out to workshop organizer Chuck Sambuchino via email: WritingDayWorkshops@gmail.com, and he will provide specific instructions for payment and registration to get you a reserved seat at the event. Payment is by either credit card, PayPal, Venmo, or check. Because Chuck plans different workshops, make sure you note that you’re inquiring about the Austin workshop specifically.
REGISTRATION
Because of limited space at the venue of Embassy Suites by Hilton Austin Arboretum, the workshop can only allow 150 registrants, unless spacing issues change. For this reason, we encourage you to book sooner rather than later.
(Please note that this is an in-person event. We at Writing Day Workshops plan both online/virtual as well as in-person events. This next WWA is an in-person event happening in Austin on March 1, 2024. See you there.)
Are spaces still available? Yes, we still have spaces available. We will announce RIGHT HERE, at this point on this web page, when all spaces are taken. If you do not see a note right here saying how all spaces are booked, then yes, we still have room, and you are encouraged to register.
How to Register: The easy first step is simply to reach out to workshop organizer Chuck Sambuchino via email: WritingDayWorkshops@gmail.com. He will pass along registration information to you, and give instructions on how to pay by PayPal, Venmo, credit card, or check. Once payment is complete, you will have a reserved seat at the event. The WWA will send out periodic e-mail updates to all registered attendees with any & all news about the event. Because Chuck plans different workshops, make sure you note that you’re inquiring about the Austin workshop specifically.
Refunds: If you sign up for the event and have to cancel for any reason, you will receive 50% of your total payment back [sent by check or PayPal]. The other 50% is nonrefundable and will not be returned, and helps the workshop ensure that only those truly interested in the limited spacing sign up for the event. (Please note that query editing payments are completely non-refundable if the instructor has already edited your letter.)
Thank you for your interest in the 2024 Writing Workshop of Austin.
2024 Writing Workshop of Austin 