TBR 2027: Full Schedule

9:00am EST

Law and Order: POV

Saturday January 16, 2027 9:00am - 10:00am EST

If you've ever felt handcuffed by point of view, penned in by perspective, or been caught red-handed in workshop for a POV slip, this talk will try to bust you out of POV jail. Taking our cue from Oscar Wilde ("Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative") we'll consider weird and wonderful povs (2nd person, first person plural), multiple povs and the benefits of shifting povs. Dun-Dun!

Speakers

Peter Ho Davies

THE ART OF REVISION: THE LAST WORD, Author

Peter Ho Davies’ most recent books are the novel A Lie Someone Told You About Yourself, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and The Art of Revision: The Last Word. Other books include the novels The Fortunes, winner of the Anisfield-Wolf Award and the The Welsh Girl, lon... Read More →

Saturday January 16, 2027 9:00am - 10:00am EST
TBA

Track 1: Deep Craft

9:00am EST

Paths to Publishing: Which Is Right For You?

Saturday January 16, 2027 9:00am - 10:00am EST

TBA

Traditional, independent, hybrid, small press — there's no single "right" way to publish a book anymore, just the right way for you. This session breaks down the major paths to publication, what each one actually involves (timelines, costs, creative control, royalties, and reach), and the trade-offs writers often don't realize they're making until they're deep into it. Whether you're weighing your first book deal or reconsidering your approach after one path didn't pan out, you'll leave with a clearer framework for choosing the route that fits your goals, your genre, and your life.

Moderators

Edwin Hill

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT, Author

Edwin Hill’s critically-acclaimed crime novels include Who To Believe and The Secrets We Share, and three novels in the Hester Thursby series. His latest thriller What Happened Next will publish in March. He has been nominated for Edgar and Agatha Awards and received starred re... Read More →

Speakers

Trisha Blanchet

MURDER LIKE MAGIC, Author

Trisha Blanchet is the author of Murder Like Magic and The Neath Trilogy: Herrick’s End, Herrick’s Lie, and Herrick’s Key. She’s also the producer and host of A Mighty Blaze Podcast, a member of Sisters in Crime, ITW, Mystery Writers of America, and the Tall Poppy Writers, and the founder of Operation Delta Dog: Service Dogs for Veterans (OperationDeltaDog.org... Read More →

Becky Hilliker

Köehler Books, Vice President and Executive Editor

Becky learned the power of words at the age of six, when she slid a note under her sister's door that said “I don’t love you—I don’t even like you.” That declaration moved her sister, who never tattled again. Becky coauthored the 2015 novel Sisters of Shiloh with that s... Read More →

Marin Takikawa

The Friedrich Agency, Literary Agent & Foreign Rights Director

Marin Takikawa is an agent and foreign rights director at the Friedrich Agency. Born in Tokyo and raised in Singapore and NYC, she joined TFA in early 2021 and now has the immense privilege of selling international rights for both debuts and seasoned authors including Alison Espach... Read More →

Saturday January 16, 2027 9:00am - 10:00am EST
TBA

Track 2: Pre-Pub

9:00am EST

Bookseller Tell-All

Saturday January 16, 2027 9:00am - 10:00am EST

TBA

Booksellers see it all — what actually moves books off shelves, what authors get wrong about events, and what really makes a bookstore relationship work. This candid panel pulls back the curtain from behind the register: how books get chosen for staff picks and displays, what makes an author event successful (or not), how indie stores decide what to stock and hand-sell, and what authors can do to build genuine relationships with their local bookstores. Come hear the truths booksellers don't usually say out loud.

Saturday January 16, 2027 9:00am - 10:00am EST
TBA

Track 3: The Book Ecosystem

9:00am EST

Leveling Up: Opportunities & Issues Faced by Mid-Career Authors

Saturday January 16, 2027 9:00am - 10:00am EST

TBA

This session tackles what it means to level up in your career beyond your first book. We'll discuss how to strategize for your next stage-- whether that means changing genres or categories, renegotiating with your publisher or switching houses, building new income streams, or repositioning yourself in the market entirely. We'll also discuss what comes after the debut buzz fades: advances that might flatten instead of grow, the pressure to replicate past success, what happens when a book underperforms, and staying visible in a market obsessed with what's new. Whether you're several books in and looking to break through a plateau, or watching peers navigate these waters, you'll leave with a clearer, more honest picture of what "established" really means — and a real strategy for building the career you actually want.

Moderators

Mollie Glick

Creative Artists Agency, Literary Agent

Mollie Glick represents many top authors and thought leaders including President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Dame Jacinda Ardern, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg; Pulitzer Prize winning journalists Ken Armstrong, T. Christian... Read More →

Speakers

Kelly Link

THE BOOK OF LOVE, Author

Kelly Link is the author of the novel The Book of Love and five collections, including White Cat, Black Dog. She is the owner of the independent bookstore Book Moon.

Ken Liu

THE PASSING OF THE DRAGON AND OTHER STORIES, Author

Ken Liu (http://kenliu.name) is an American author of speculative fiction. A winner of the Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy awards, he wrote the Dandelion Dynasty, a silkpunk epic fantasy series, as well as the short story collection The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories. His Juli... Read More →

Renee Zuckerbrot

Massie McQuilkin & Altman Literary Agents, Agent

Renée Zuckerbrot became an agent after working as an editor at Doubleday. Authors represented by Renée have won or been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, the Booker Prize, The National Book Award, the Dublin Literary Award, The Caine Prize for African Writing, the PEN Faulkner Award... Read More →

Saturday January 16, 2027 9:00am - 10:00am EST
TBA

Track 4: Post-Pub

9:00am EST

Zigman Freud Will See You Now: 12 Tips to Surviving and Thriving as a Writer That Have (Almost) Nothing to Do With Craft

Saturday January 16, 2027 9:00am - 10:00am EST

TBA

Writing is an art, but sustaining a writing life is another challenge. Laura Zigman shares twelve hard-won lessons on overcoming self-doubt, redefining success, and staying inspired—even when the words won’t come.

Speakers

Laura Zigman

THE AUTHOR WEEKEND, Author

Laura Zigman has written seven novels, including Animal Husbandry, Separation Anxiety, Small World, and The Author Weekend, and is the author of Eddie Izzard's New York Times bestselling memoir, Believe Me. She has survived 40+ years in the publishing business (Knopf publicist, novelist, ghostwriter, bookstore consultant, writing "therapist") and has lived to tell the tale(s... Read More →

Saturday January 16, 2027 9:00am - 10:00am EST
TBA

Track 5: Big Picture

9:00am EST

Script Curious: How Book Writers Can Beat Their Own Path into Screenwriting

Saturday January 16, 2027 9:00am - 10:00am EST

TBA

For any writer curious to try screenwriting, this talk will give students the basics to get rolling. Elizabeth will describe how she’s made the shift from ‘strictly fiction’ into writing scripts as well, including a feature film, short films and a rock opera. She’ll survey popular screenwriting templates while also showing students how they don’t have to follow the prescribed ‘beats’. And she’ll include some brief brainstorming exercises to get students picturing their stories onscreen.

Speakers

Elizabeth Searle

LOCK HER UP, Author

Elizabeth writes fiction and scripts. She co-wrote the feature film I’ll Show You Mine (Duplass Brothers Productions) and she wrote her new literary thriller novel Lock Her Up as both a novel and a screenplay. Elizabeth is the author of seven books of fiction, including The Dra... Read More →

Saturday January 16, 2027 9:00am - 10:00am EST
TBA

Track 6: Grab Bag

10:15am EST

Beyond Memory: Mining the Past for Your Memoir

Saturday January 16, 2027 10:15am - 11:15am EST

TBA

A memoir built only from memory can only go so far— the richest ones often draw on far more. This session brings real reporting skills to the memoir-writing process: how to research your own past the way you'd research a story, ask the right questions of family members (even difficult ones), and track down old letters, photos, and records that memory alone can't provide. We'll discuss how to draw on documents, interviews, and resources alongside your own recollections, and how to shape found material into a narrative. How do you cross-check memory against fact, and how do you know when to trust what you remember versus when to dig deeper? You'll leave with a journalist's toolkit for building a memoir that goes beyond simply recounting the past to investigating it.

Speakers

Mathew Rodriguez

TOUGH GUY, Author

Mathew Rodriguez is a Brooklyn-based writer whose debut memoir 'Tough Guy' is coming out in January from Abrams Books. He teaches writing and journalism at New York University and the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. He has been a senior editor at The Atlantic and his... Read More →

Alysia Abbott

FAIRYLAND, A MEMOIR OF MY FATHER, Author

Alysia Abbott is the author of Fairyland, A Memoir of My Father, which was a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, an ALA Stonewall Award winner, a winner of the Madame Figaro Prix Heroine, and a finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards. She is a recipient of grants and fellowships from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Ragdale, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts... Read More →

Saturday January 16, 2027 10:15am - 11:15am EST
TBA

Track 1: Deep Craft

10:15am EST

The Hook (and Other Things Writers Need to Know About What Gets an Agent's Attention)

Saturday January 16, 2027 10:15am - 11:15am EST

TBA

Agents read hundreds of queries a week-- so what actually makes one stop scrolling? This session breaks down the mechanics of a strong hook: how to open a query (and your manuscript) with the tension, voice, or premise that signals a book worth reading, common mistakes that get a query passed over in seconds, and what agents are really looking for beyond a clever first line. Beyond the hook itself, we'll cover the other elements of a submission that catch an agent's eye— comp titles, bio, sample pages— and how they work together to make a case for your book. Come for a sharper, more strategic sense of what actually gets an agent to say yes.

Speakers

Jessica Berg

Rosecliff Literary, Agency Director + Founder

Jessica Berg is the founder and agency director of Rosecliff Literary, a boutique agency built on the belief that ambitious writers deserve transparency, strategy, and a seat at the table. She earned her MFA from Spalding University and brings more than a decade of experience to her... Read More →

Saturday January 16, 2027 10:15am - 11:15am EST
TBA

Track 2: Pre-Pub

10:15am EST

Small Press, Big Opportunity: The Unique Potential for Authors in Small Publishers

Saturday January 16, 2027 10:15am - 11:15am EST

TBA

Small presses don't have the marketing budgets or name recognition of the Big Five — but they often have something just as valuable: creative control, closer relationships, and a willingness to take chances on books that don't fit a neat commercial mold. This session explores what small presses can actually offer authors — from editorial attention and a fuller seat at the table, to unique opportunities for genre-bending or niche projects that might get passed over elsewhere. We'll talk through what to look for in a small press, questions to ask before signing, and how to weigh the trade-offs against a bigger deal. Whether you're considering a small press for the first time or wondering if you made the right call, you'll leave with a clearer sense of the real opportunity small publishers can offer.

Moderators

Tommy Dean

Talcott Notch, Literary Agent

Tommy Dean is a literary agent at Talcott Notch, specializing in mystery, suspense, thrillers, crime fiction, and upmarket fiction with danger and secrets. He is also interested in literary novels with beautiful language and deep characterization, true crime that reads like a novel... Read More →

Speakers

Jaynie Royal

Regal House Publishing, Publisher

Jaynie Royal founded Regal House Publishing in 2014 and has since guided its growth over the past twelve years to include the imprints Fitzroy Books, Pact Press, and House of Kel, as well as its nonprofit arm, Regal House Initiative. Named Independent Publisher of the Year in 2021... Read More →

TBA

A great query letter means nothing if it lands in the wrong inbox. This session is about the research that happens before you ever hit send: how to identify agents who actually represent your genre, how to read a deal announcement or MSWL post for real signal (not just wishful thinking), and how to avoid wasting your shot on a mismatch. We'll cover the tools and databases worth using, red flags to watch for, and how to build a smart, targeted query list instead of a scattershot one. Whether you're querying for the first time or starting over after a round that didn't go anywhere, you'll leave knowing how to find the agents who are actually right for your book.

Speakers

Kimberly Hensle Lowrance

WHAT REMAINS OF YOU, Author

Kimberly Hensle Lowrance is the author of the debut novel, What Remains of You.

Kimberly’s writing can be found in The Boston Globe, WBUR’s Cognoscenti, and Embark Literary Journal, among other publications. She’s also been included in two anthologies: The Pandemic Midlife... Read More →

Katherine Fausset

Curtis Brown, Ltd., Literary Agent

Katherine Fausset is a Literary Agent and Vice President at Curtis Brown, Ltd., where she represents literary and upmarket fiction, and select non-fiction. Her clients include multiple New York Times bestselling and internationally-acclaimed authors. Notable recent titles are Emi... Read More →

Saturday January 16, 2027 11:30am - 12:30pm EST
TBA

Track 2: Pre-Pub

11:30am EST

What Fresh Hell? What's Changed in Publishing (and Whether It's Working)

Saturday January 16, 2027 11:30am - 12:30pm EST

TBA

Publishing has changed a lot in the last few years — some of it exciting, some of it exhausting, and some of it TBD. This session takes stock of the shifts reshaping the industry itself: shrinking advances, algorithm-driven discovery, the evolving role of agents, AI's creeping presence, and general norms of how the publishing world operates. We'll ask the real question underneath it all: is any of this actually working — for authors, for readers, for the industry itself? Expect honest analysis, a little venting, and a clearer sense of where things stand.

Moderators

Mitchell Waters

Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents, Inc., Literary Agent

Mitchell Waters has been a literary agent for over thirty years and represent a diverse array of authors of fiction and nonfiction. Recent and soon-to-be published clients include Kim van Alkemade, Natalie Jenner, Bill Gaythwaite, Stephen Greco, Allison Montclair and Joe Keenan.

Speakers

Kim van Alkemade

UPSTATE, Author

Kim van Alkemade is a New York Times bestselling author of four novels whose work has been translated into eleven languages. She was born in New York City, spent her childhood in New Jersey, and attended college in Wisconsin, where she earned a doctorate in English from UW-Milwaukee. After a career teaching writing at Shippensbu... Read More →

Kat Kerr

Donald Maass Literary Agency, Literary Agent

Kat joined Donald Maass Literary Agency in 2019. She graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelors in English and is drawn to literary and commercial voices within the adult and YA markets, as well as select adult nonfiction. Kat feels strongly about supporting programs... Read More →

Henriette Lazaridis

Galiot Press, Co-Founder, Editorial Director

Henriette Lazaridis is the author of Last Days in Plaka (a Good Morning America Buzz pick), Terra Nova (which the New York Times called “ingenious”), and The Clover House (a Boston Globe bestseller). A first-generation Greek/American, she earned degrees in English literature from Middlebury College and Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar. After receiving her Ph.D from the University of Pennsylvania, she went on to teach English literature at Harvard... Read More →

Saturday January 16, 2027 11:30am - 12:30pm EST
TBA

Track 3: The Book Ecosystem

11:30am EST

Whether (and How) to Part Ways with Your Agent

Saturday January 16, 2027 11:30am - 12:30pm EST

TBA

Sometimes a partnership that once worked just...doesn't anymore, for all sorts of reasons. Deciding whether to part ways with one's literary agent is one of the murkiest and most sensitive struggles an author can face-- and sometimes it's the agent who's looking to do the leaving. This session tackles the hard questions: how to tell if it's really time to move on, how to have that conversation professionally, what happens to your rights and existing projects, and how to find the right next fit without burning bridges. Come for an honest, practical, and a little bit therapeutic discussion.

Moderators

Mark Cecil

BUNYAN AND HENRY, Author

Mark Cecil is an author, journalist and host of The Thoughtful Bro podcast, for which he conducts interviews with an eclectic roster of Academy Award–winning and bestselling storytellers. Formerly a journalist for Reuters, he has also written for LitHub, The Millions, Writer’... Read More →

Speakers

Courtney Maum

ALAN OPTS OUT, Author

A writer and educator, Courtney Maum is the author of 6 books including the heralded Alan Opts Out about an advertising executive who tries to live off the land in his ritzy gated community in Connecticut after experiencing corporate burnout. Chosen by the New York Times as one o... Read More →

Sarah Khalil

Calligraph, Agent & Editorial Manager

Sarah represents serious nonfiction and memoir with a lens toward social, economic and environmental justice, anti-imperialist thought, pop/cultural criticism and histories, and cross-cultural narratives, all deeply explored by principled and authoritative writers and thinkers. Radical... Read More →

Kaitlyn Katsoupis

Belcastro Literary, Literary Agent

After receiving a BA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College, Kaitlyn refused to leave the concept of nightly homework behind. A literary agent for Belcastro Literary Agency, she is also a freelance editor at her own company, Strictly Textual. Kaitlyn started her... Read More →

Saturday January 16, 2027 11:30am - 12:30pm EST
TBA

Track 4: Post-Pub

11:30am EST

The Shape of the Thing: Finding Your Book's Real Structure

Saturday January 16, 2027 11:30am - 12:30pm EST

TBA

Most writers think of revision as fixing sentences, but the real transformation usually happens at the level of structure-- and it's the part that everyone's most afraid to touch. This session offers a genre-agnostic look at structure as a revision tool, not just a first-draft decision: how to diagnose when a story's problems are actually structural, techniques for reordering, cutting, and rebuilding without losing what works, and how to let a draft's real shape emerge instead of forcing it into an outline you made before you understood the story. Whether you're working in fiction or nonfiction, you'll leave with a new way of thinking about revision—not as damage control, but as the place where your book actually gets built.

Speakers

Celeste Ng

OUR MISSING HEARTS, Author

Celeste Ng is the bestselling author of the novels Everything I Never Told You, Little Fires Everywhere, and Our Missing Hearts. Her writing has been awarded the Massachusetts Book Award and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation, among other honors, and has been translated into more than thirty languages... Read More →

VV Ganeshananthan

BROTHERLESS NIGHT, Author

V. V. Ganeshananthan (she/her) is the author of the novels Brotherless Night (winner of the 2024 Women's Prize for Fiction and the 2024 Carol Shields Prize, a New York Times Editors’ Choice, and an NPR Book of the Year) and Love Marriage (longlisted for the Women's Prize and na... Read More →

Saturday January 16, 2027 11:30am - 12:30pm EST
TBA

Track 5: Big Picture

11:30am EST

Writing & Music

Saturday January 16, 2027 11:30am - 12:30pm EST

TBA

This panel explores the deep, often surprising relationship between a musician's ear and a writer's instincts: how rhythm, structure, and improvisation carry over from the stage to the page. Panelists include David Ryan, original drummer for The Lemonheads and now a widely respected short story writer, alongside authors Rick Moody and Paul Harding, who have musical backgrounds in their own right. Together they'll dig into how their musical training shapes their prose, what literary writing and songwriting have in common structurally, and what writers without a musical background can still learn from thinking like a musician. Expect a conversation that's as much about craft as it is about the strange, resonant overlap between two art forms.

Moderators

Lisa Borders

LAST NIGHT AT THE DISCO, Author

Lisa Borders is the author of three novels. Last Night at the Disco, published in 2025, won a Silver Medal in Humor in the 2026 Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Awards, and is a finalist for the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize. Her previous novels are The Fifty-First State and Cloud... Read More →

Speakers

Rick Moody

HOTELS OF NORTH AMERICA, Author

Rick Moody is the author of six novels, three collections of stories, and three works of non-fiction. He writes regularly about music at Salmagundi magazine.

David Ryan

ALLIGATOR, Author

David Ryan is the author of the story collections, Alligator (C4G Books) and Animals in Motion: Stories (Roundabout Press). Winner of the 2022 and 2023 O. Henry Prize For Short Fiction, his fiction and essays have appeared or are forthcoming in Ploughshares, Soft Union, Alaska Qu... Read More →

Paul Harding

THIS OTHER EDEN, Author

Paul Harding is the author of three novels: Tinkers, winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; Enon; and This Other Eden, shortlisted for the Booker Prize and a finalist for the National Book Award. He has held fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and PEN America. He is Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing in the Writing, Literature and Publishing... Read More →

Saturday January 16, 2027 11:30am - 12:30pm EST
TBA

Track 6: Grab Bag

1:45pm EST

Time & Pacing

Saturday January 16, 2027 1:45pm - 2:45pm EST

TBA

Handling short and long time, time jumps, flashbacks, and multiple timelines is the bane of a writer’s existence. Add to that the thorny issue of pacing, and you’ve got a devilish duo that can make or break any piece of writing. This session will offer advice on what to do and what to avoid from the trenches of our panel’s experiences—the good, the bad, and everything in between.

Moderators

Michelle Hoover

GrubStreet, Instructor

Michelle Hoover is co-founder and current leader of the GrubStreet Novel Incubator program as well as the creator of the 7am Novelist podcast. She is a 2014 NEA Fellow and has been a Writer-in-Residence at Brandeis University, a fellow at MacDowell, Bread Loaf, and Sewanee Writers... Read More →

Speakers

Juliet Faithfull

LIAR’S DICE, Author

Juliet Faithfull is a Spanish-British-American writer who grew up in Brazil. Her debut novel, Liar’s Dice, was recently published by Jenna Bush Hager’s imprint Thousand Voices in partnership with Random House; it was also a winner of the 2024 Irish Writers Centre’s Novel Fair and a semifinalist for the James Jones First Novel Fellowship. A graduate of Harvard University and Smit... Read More →

Jennie Wood

NEW ROMANTICS, Author

Jennie Wood is an author, musician, and animal rescue volunteer. Jennie created the acclaimed graphic novel series Flutter with artist Jeff McComsey, hailed by The Advocate as one of the best LGBTQ graphic novels of its time. Jennie’s 2023 graphic novel Paper Planes sold out of... Read More →

Julie Carrick Dalton

THE FOREST BECOMES HER, Author

Julie Carrick Dalton is the author of The Forest Becomes Her, The Last Beekeeper, and Waiting for the Night Song. Her work has won the New Hampshire Book Awards’ People’s Choice Award for Best Novel and been named a finalist for the Massachusetts Book Award, the Siskiyou Prize for New Environmental Literature, and other prizes. A former journalist, organic farmer, and beekeeper, she is a... Read More →

Patricia Park

AMBROSIA LEE DROPS THE MIC, Author

Patricia Park writes humorous and heartfelt coming-of-age-novels set in the “Queens Multiverse.” Her adult novel Re Jane, is a Korean American retelling of Brontë’s Jane Eyre. Her Middle-Grade/YA crossover novel is What’s Eating Jackie Oh?, and the YA novels are Imposter... Read More →

Saturday January 16, 2027 1:45pm - 2:45pm EST
TBA

Track 1: Deep Craft

1:45pm EST

Working with a Developmental Editor

Saturday January 16, 2027 1:45pm - 2:45pm EST

TBA

Your draft is done — now comes the part where someone tells you, lovingly but firmly, that your structure isn't working or that chapter 3 is where your argument actually starts. That's a developmental editor's job, and this session is your guide to working with one. We'll cover what developmental editing is (and isn't), how to find the right editor for your project — whether you're writing narrative nonfiction, memoir, or fiction — and how to turn hard-to-hear feedback into a stronger book without losing your voice. Whether you're shaping a novel's arc, structuring a life on the page, or building a clear case out of research and reporting, you'll leave with practical tools for making this creative partnership work.

Speakers

Elizabeth Pryor

SOMETHING WE SAID: RICHARD PRYOR, A NOTORIOUS WORD AND ME, Author

Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor is a Professor of History at Smith College where she teaches courses on race, slavery and her father, comedic legend Richard Pryor. She is the award-winning author of the article “The Etymology of [N-Word]: Resistance, Language, and the Politics of Freedom... Read More →

Julie Merson

Developmental Editor /Film and Television Producer, Developmental Editor /Film and Television Producer

Julie Merson Bio

Julie Merson is an award-winning producer and senior entertainment executive who has been developing, packaging, selling and producing television for more than 15 years. She’s headed up development and programming at companies including Washington Square Films, 44 Blue and Rainn... Read More →

Saturday January 16, 2027 1:45pm - 2:45pm EST
TBA

Track 2: Pre-Pub

1:45pm EST

Paper, Ink, Arcs, and More: How Books Actually Get Made

Saturday January 16, 2027 1:45pm - 2:45pm EST

TBA

From a finished manuscript to a stack of books in a warehouse, there's a whole physical and logistical process out there that most authors never see. This session walks through the mechanics of book production: editing and design handoffs, the mysterious world of ARCs, paper sourcing and print runs, printing and binding, and the supply chain realities that can make or break a pub date. Come get a hands-on look at how your book actually becomes, well, a book.

Speakers

Nicole Caputo

Catapult, VP, Creative Director

Nicole Caputo is an award-winning New York designer, artist and writer. The mission of her creative studio is to create work and products that are beautiful and timeless, that inspire an emotional connection to the viewer, and that are risk-taking and experimental when appropriate... Read More →

Amy Caldwell

Saturday January 16, 2027 1:45pm - 2:45pm EST
TBA

Track 3: The Book Ecosystem

1:45pm EST

SubStack, TikTok, & More: Is It a New Media Landscape or Is It Sucking Us Dry?

Saturday January 16, 2027 1:45pm - 2:45pm EST

TBA

Substack newsletters, BookTok virality, algorithm-chasing on every platform — is this the democratization of media, a real opportunity to attract readers and publish work on your own terms, or just a new set of landlords collecting rent on our attention? This session digs into the real trade-offs of building an audience on today's platforms: reach versus ownership, authenticity versus performance, and what it actually costs (creatively and otherwise) to play the platform game. Come for a clear-eyed, exciting, and occasionally irreverent look at where this media landscape is taking us.

Speakers

Courtney Maum

ALAN OPTS OUT, Author

Mason Rowlee

DeFiore & Company, Associate Agent

Mason Rowlee is a literary agent at DeFiore & Company. He previously worked as an assistant literary scout at Jenny La Plante, Inc., where he developed an eye for the type of books that appeal to international publishers and film production companies. He also interned at Farrar, Straus... Read More →

Kate Gale

Red Hen Press, Publisher, Editor

Kate Gale, author The Loneliest Girl, The Goldilocks Zone and the forthcoming, Little Soldiers from Zando is the publisher of Red Hen Press which she co-founded in 1994.

Saturday January 16, 2027 1:45pm - 2:45pm EST
TBA

Track 4: Post-Pub

1:45pm EST

Time-Turners & Other Wizard Tricks: Straight Talk from Writer Who Get the Work Done

Saturday January 16, 2027 1:45pm - 2:45pm EST

TBA

Why is it that prolific authors are seemingly also the ones with big jobs, caretaking duties, and very full lives all-around? How do they do it? Join us for real talk from writers who've figured out how to manage their time and get words on the page. We'll share the healthy habits, systems, tricks, and hard-won practices that keep them productive amid deadlines, day jobs, and everything else life throws at a working writer. We'll cover time management, beating procrastination, building sustainable routines, and knowing when to push through versus when to step away. No Time-Turners necessary — just practical, honest strategies you can actually use.

Moderators

Joe Moldover

TO THE END OF RECKONING, Author

Joseph Moldover’s mystery debut, To the End of Reckoning, was published by Mysterious Press in April 2026. He is also the author of the Young Adult novels Every Moment After and Just Until. His short fiction has appeared in McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Stonecoast Review, Mo... Read More →

Speakers

Weina Dai Randel

THE MASTER JEWELER, Author

Weina Dai Randel is an award-winning, internationally bestselling, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of six historical novels, including The Last Rose of Shanghai, which was optioned for a feature film; Night Angels, which was longlisted for the Massachusetts Book Awards; Th... Read More →

Rowan Beaird

TENDERNESS, Author

Rowan Beaird is a fiction writer whose work has appeared in The Kenyon Review, The Southern Review, and The Common, among others. She is the recipient of the Ploughshares Emerging Writer Award, and she has received scholarships from the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and StoryS... Read More →

Saturday January 16, 2027 1:45pm - 2:45pm EST
TBA

Track 5: Big Picture

1:45pm EST

Working with Sensitivity Readers

Saturday January 16, 2027 1:45pm - 2:45pm EST

TBA

Done well, a sensitivity read isn't about restriction — it's about writing with more confidence and authenticity, especially when your story ventures outside your own lived experience. This session breaks down what sensitivity readers actually do, when to bring one in, how to find the right reader for your manuscript, and how to make the most of their feedback so your book comes out richer and more resonant. We'll talk through what this collaboration can look like at its best, common misconceptions worth clearing up, and how it fits into a strong editorial process overall. Whether you're considering a sensitivity read for the first time or want to get more out of the experience, you'll leave with a clear, encouraging sense of how this partnership can make your book better.

Moderators

Hafizah Geter

THE BLACK PERIOD: ON PERSONHOOD, RACE & ORIGIN, Author & Literary Agent

Hafizah Augustus Geter is a Nigerian American author. Her memoir, The Black Period: On Personhood, Race & Origin (Random House), won a PEN Open Book Award, and a Lammy Award in LGBTQ+ Nonfiction from Lambda Literary, and was a New Yorker Magazine Best Book, a Good Morning America... Read More →

Speakers

Roma Panganiban

Azantian Literary Agency, Literary Agent

Roma Panganiban began her publishing career at The Gernert Company before moving to Janklow & Nesbit in 2019, where she began representing literary and upmarket fiction and nonfiction across the adult and children’s markets. She joined the Azantian Literary Agency in 2025 to continue... Read More →

Virginia Pye

MARRIAGE AND OTHER MONUMENTS, Author

Kirkus Reviews calls Marriage and Other Monuments, Virginia Pye’s fifth book, “A fascinating and audacious novel of family, marriage, and a society in flux.” She is also the author of two award-winning post-colonial historical novels set in China, River of Dust and Dreams o... Read More →

Viengsamai Fetters

Erewhon Books, Associate Editor

Saturday January 16, 2027 1:45pm - 2:45pm EST
TBA

Track 6: Grab Bag

3:00pm EST

As Above, So Below: Character-Driven Worldbuilding

Saturday January 16, 2027 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST

TBA

In this workshop on worldbuilding for secondary worlds, author Ken Liu will lead attendees in a reexamination of the concept of "worldbuilding" to find an alternative to the traditional approach of "objective" worldbuilding. Instead, a character-driven, "subjective" approach can unlock your creativity in crafting rich, immersive new worlds. The format of the workshop will consist of a mini-lecture followed by writing exercises.

Prior to the class, think about a potential way to craft a new secondary world that diverges from ours in some key detail. For instance: a world in which the dead don’t disappear but continue to reside with the living, a world in which time can be bought for gold, or a world in which reincarnation based on your past achievements is literally a fact of life. You don’t have to do much thinking—a vague idea in mind is enough.

Speakers

Ken Liu

THE PASSING OF THE DRAGON AND OTHER STORIES, Author

Saturday January 16, 2027 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST
TBA

Track 1: Deep Craft

3:00pm EST

Soft Skills: How to Network Effectively Without Feeling Like an Asshat

Saturday January 16, 2027 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST

TBA

The networking author has a bad reputation — and honestly, a lot of it is earned. Nobody wants to be the person working a room like it's a transaction, or sliding into an agent's DMs with a pitch disguised as a compliment. This session is about the other way to do it: building real relationships with publishing professionals, fellow writers, and readers that don't feel gross, forced, or purely self-serving. We'll cover how to network at conferences, online, and in everyday life — what to say (and not say), how to follow up without being a pest, and how to play the long game in an industry where today's slush pile reader could be tomorrow's editor. Come learn how to build a genuine network without losing your dignity — or your soul.

Moderators

Alexis M. Wright

Fine Arts Works Center, Education Program Manager

Alexis M. Wright is an essayist whose work has appeared in The Common, Shenandoah, The Maine Review, and Electric Literature, and was named a Notable Essay in Best American Essays 2023. A 2022 Tin House Scholar and 2024 Tin House Reading Fellow, she holds an MFA in Nonfiction from the University of San Francisco. As Education Programs Manager at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown—and a teacher at GrubStreet, The Loft Literary Center, and midnight & indi... Read More →

Speakers

Paula Weiman

ASH Literary, Literary Agent

Paula Weiman (they/them) joined the ASH Literary team in 2023 as an Agent after a career in literary scouting and educational publishing. Based in New York and with a background in translation rights, they bring an international approach to selling their clients’ work. Their goal... Read More →

Patricia Park

AMBROSIA LEE DROPS THE MIC, Author

Saturday January 16, 2027 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST
TBA

Track 2: Pre-Pub

3:00pm EST

How Audiobooks Get Made

Saturday January 16, 2027 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST

TBA

Audiobooks don't just happen — they're built, voice by voice and take by take. This session offers a behind-the-scenes look at audiobook production: how narrators are cast, what happens in the studio, the editing and quality-control process, and how a finished audiobook actually reaches listeners on platforms like Audible and Spotify. Whether you're audio-curious or already producing your own, you'll come away understanding exactly what goes into turning words on a page into a voice in someone's ear.

Moderators

Chris Ciulla

Founder and CEO, Leonardo Audio and Nor'Easter Publishing

An on-camera actor, video game and commercial voice actor, Chris has narrated over 580 audiobook titles and produced and/or directed another 100. Just this month, he received an Earphones Award from AudioFile Magazine for his performance of Elliot Ackerman’s SHEEPDOGS, and shar... Read More →

Speakers

Ashley Lopez

Massie McQuilkin & Altman Literary Agents, Literary Agent

Ashley Lopez is a literary agent with Massie McQuilkin & Altman Literary Agents. She received her MFA in fiction from Sarah Lawrence College and has over a decade of publishing experience. Formerly the director of foreign rights and an agent at WLA Books, she has worked on international... Read More →

Saturday January 16, 2027 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST
TBA

Track 3: The Book Ecosystem

3:00pm EST

How Readers Are Discovering Books Today

Saturday January 16, 2027 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST

TBA

BookTok, newsletters, indie bookstore staff picks, algorithm-driven recommendations — the ways readers find their next book have completely transformed, and independent publishers and bookstores are navigating this new landscape in real time. This session digs into how discovery actually happens now: what's driving foot traffic and sales at indie stores, how small and independent presses are building visibility without Big Five marketing budgets, and where social media, community, and old-fashioned hand-selling still win out over algorithms. Whether you're a publisher, a bookseller, or an author trying to understand where your readers are actually coming from, you'll leave with a sharper sense of how discovery works today — and how independents are shaping it.

Moderators

Keith Arsenault

Chesapeake & Hudson, Inc., New England Sales Rep

30+ year book industry professional, with experience in retail, publicity, marketing, management, and sales.

Speakers

Josh Cook

AN EXAGGERATED MURDER, Co-Owner, Marketing Director, Bookseller

Josh Cook is a bookseller and co-owner at Porter Square Books in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he has worked since 2004. He is also author of the critically acclaimed postmodern detective novel An Exaggerated Murder and his fiction, criticism, and poetry have appeared in numerous leading literary publications. He grew up in Lewiston, Maine and lives in Somerville, Massachusetts... Read More →

Sanj Kharbanda

Beacon Press, Associate Publisher

Sanj Kharbanda is Associate Publisher and Director of Sales & Marketing at Beacon Press, where he brings a strategic and creative lens to publishing bold, thought-provoking books. With deep experience in sales, marketing, and digital strategy, Sanj is known for championing titles... Read More →

Saturday January 16, 2027 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST
TBA

Track 4: Post-Pub

3:00pm EST

Making the Robot Work For You: AI Uses, Scandals, & What’s to Come

Saturday January 16, 2027 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST

TBA

AI in our industry is both messy and arguably here to stay-- part useful tool, part ethical minefield, and definitely an existential question mark. This session takes a clear-eyed look at where AI use currently stands in the realm of writing and publishing: how writers are using AI to research and brainstorm, scandals in prizes awarded to AI-generated works, trends of AI-generated books flooding platforms, and the status of major training data lawsuits. What does the near future might hold for authors, agents, and publishers navigating it all? Whether you're AI-skeptical, AI-curious, or somewhere in between, you'll leave with a sharper, more informed understanding of the risks, the real opportunities, and how to make the robot work for you instead of the other way around.

Moderators

Edward Nawotka

Publishers Weekly, Senior News and International Editor

Ed Nawotka is Senior News and International Editor of New York trade magazine Publishers Weekly. A widely published essayist and critic, his work has appeared in the New York Times, Texas Monthly, The New Yorker, and dozens of other publications in the U.S. and abroad... Read More →

Speakers

Crystal King

THE HAPPINESS COLLECTOR, Author

Crystal King is the author of four novels spanning historical fiction and contemporary fantasy. Her latest, The Happiness Collector, is a contemporary fantasy that Booklist calls "a must for V.E. Schwab and Katee Robert fans" and was named an Amazon Editor's Pick. Her historical... Read More →

Christopher Combemale

Sterling Lord Literistic, Associate Agent

Christopher Combemale is an associate agent at Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc where he has worked since 2019. He is looking for voice driven literary and upmarket fiction, especially any novel with a high concept. He is open to speculative elements as well as genre fiction with an... Read More →

Perpetua Cannistraro

Beacon Press, Publicist

Perpetua Cannistraro has worked in book publishing as a nonfiction publicist for the last decade. She promotes books on American history, race and culture, progressive education, poetry collections from poets of color, and memoir.

Saturday January 16, 2027 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST
TBA

Track 5: Big Picture

3:00pm EST

Writing About Real People Ethically & Legally

Saturday January 16, 2027 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST

TBA

Writing about real people — whether in memoir, essay, journalism, or fiction inspired by real events — comes with questions that craft alone can't answer. This session tackles the ethical and legal territory writers need to navigate: defamation, privacy, and the practical difference between what you're legally allowed to write and what you should write. We'll cover how to handle composite characters, changed names, and disguised details; when to seek permission (and when you don't need to); how to think about people who can't consent, including the deceased and minors; and how to stay true to your story without needlessly harming the people in it. Whether you're writing about family, exes, public figures, or anyone in between, you'll leave with a clearer framework for telling your truth responsibly.

Moderators

Nicole Graev Lipson

MOTHERS AND OTHER FICTIONAL CHARACTERS, Author

Speakers

Elizabeth Pryor

SOMETHING WE SAID: RICHARD PRYOR, A NOTORIOUS WORD AND ME, Author

Rachel Eliza Griffiths

THE FLOWER BEARERS, Author

Rachel Eliza Griffiths is a poet, novelist, and visual artist. She is the recipient of the Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy Award and the Paterson Poetry Prize and was a finalist for the NAACP Image Award. Her debut novel, Promise (Random House, 2023) was a Kirkus Reviews and Chi... Read More →

Saturday January 16, 2027 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST
TBA

Track 6: Grab Bag

9:30am EST

Earned, Not Engineered: On Building Plot

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST

TBA

How do you create a gripping plot that nonetheless never feels imposed-- only inevitable? In this conversation, Celeste Ng and Peter Ho Davies get specific about how they've done it: Ng on structuring tension around withheld information and dramatic irony, where readers often know more than the characters do, and Davies on plotting through moral complexity and restraint, where what a character chooses not to do drives the story as much as what they do. Together, they'll dig into how plot emerges from character choices rather than external events, how to build momentum without melodrama, and how they know when a plot point is earned versus engineered. Expect a craft-focused conversation with concrete takeaways for anyone wrestling with the architecture of their own story.

Speakers

Celeste Ng

OUR MISSING HEARTS, Author

Peter Ho Davies

THE ART OF REVISION: THE LAST WORD, Author

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST
TBA

Track 1: Deep Craft

9:30am EST

Query Tip: How to Write an Excellent Query Letter

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST

TBA

A query letter is your one chance to entice an agent or editor into reading your manuscript. Needless to say it must be just right. But what does a perfect pitch entail? In this course, an experienced literary agent will offer tips on how (and how not) to pitch your work to increase the chances of an agent or editor requesting your manuscript.

Speakers

Amaryah Orenstein

GO Literary, Literary Agent

Amaryah Orenstein, founder and president of GO Literary, is actively seeking works that wed beautiful writing with a strong narrative and tackle big issues in engaging, accessible, and even surprising ways. Amaryah began her career at the Laura Gross Literary Agency in 2009 and, prior... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST
TBA

Track 2: Pre-Pub

9:30am EST

Cover Design Case Study

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST

TBA

Great cover design isn't just meant to grab eyeballs— it's strategic, and a work of art in its own right. This session, led by acclaimed designer Nicole Caputo, breaks down her process behind designing a real book cover, start to finish: how the initial brief was formed, the concepts that got rejected (and why), how design choices tie to genre expectations and target readers, and the back-and-forth between author, designer, and publisher along the way. Using an actual book as the case study, she'll trace the decisions— typography, imagery, color, comp titles— that shaped the final cover, and what they reveal about how design actually gets made in publishing today. Whether you're curious about the process or hoping to advocate more effectively for your own cover, you'll leave with a much clearer sense of what goes into getting it right.

Speakers

Nicole Caputo

Catapult, VP, Creative Director

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST
TBA

Track 3: The Book Ecosystem

9:30am EST

Author Brand-Building

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST

TBA

Your author brand is more than a bio and a headshot — it's how readers, agents, and editors come to understand who you are and what you write. This session breaks down what author branding actually means, how to build one authentically (without feeling like a walking marketing campaign), and how to keep it consistent across your website, social media, and public presence. Whether you're just starting out or rethinking your image, you'll leave with a clearer sense of how to shape how the world sees you as a writer.

Moderators

Jenna Blum

MURDER YOUR DARLINGS, Author

Jenna Blum is the New York Times and # 1 internationally bestselling author of four novels, including Those Who Save Us, The Stormchasers, and The Lost Family; memoir Woodrow on the Bench; audiocourse “The Author at Work: The Art of Writing Fiction” and WWII podcast Th... Read More →

Speakers

Julie Gerstenblatt

THE STARGAZER OF NANTUCKET, Author

Julie Gerstenblatt is the author of Daughters of Nantucket, which won the 2024 New England Society Book Award for Fiction, and The Stargazer of Nantucket. She holds two masters degrees and a doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University, and has taught everything from midd... Read More →

Courtney Paganelli

Levine Greenberg Rostan literary agency, Literary Agent

Courtney is an agent at Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency. She enjoys reading voice-driven commercial fiction, dark psychological fiction, and heartwarming romantic comedies. She particularly gravitates towards relatable adult or young adult novels that make her swoon over budding... Read More →

Alexandra Sunshine

Kensington Books, Senior Editor

Alex Sunshine (she/hers) is a Senior Editor at Kensington Books.

Perpetua Cannistraro

Beacon Press, Publicist

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST
TBA

Track 4: Post-Pub

9:30am EST

The Doldrums: Author Strategies When You're Between Books

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST

TBA

The space between finishing one book and selling (or starting) the next can feel like creative purgatory— quiet, uncertain, and easy to spiral in. This session offers real strategies for the in-between: staying productive without burning out, managing the anxiety of "what's next," keeping your visibility up without a book to promote, and using the downtime intentionally instead of just enduring it. Come find some company— and some tools — for surviving the doldrums.

Moderators

Ron MacLean

WE MIGHT AS WELL LIGHT SOMETHING ON FIRE, Author

Ron MacLean is author of the story collections Apocalypso (forthcoming 2026), We Might as Well Light Something On Fire and Why the Long Face? and the novels Blue Winnetka Skies and Headlong. MacLean’s fiction has appeared widely in magazines including GQ, Narrative, Fiction Int... Read More →

Speakers

Chip Cheek

CAPE MAY, Author

Chip Cheek is the author of the bestselling novel Cape May, which received starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist, was an American Booksellers Association Indie Next pick and Indies Introduce selection, and has been published in six languages. His stories have appeared in The S... Read More →

Alex Marzano-Lesnevich

THE FACT OF A BODY, Author

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST
TBA

Track 5: Big Picture

9:30am EST

Borrowed Clothes: Drawing on Folkloric Narrative Structures

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST

TBA

Fairy tales and ghost stories remain lively and engaging material for writers to draw on. Regardless of the genre you're working in, the language, structures, and tropes of the folkloric fantastic can serve your narrative.

Speakers

Kelly Link

THE BOOK OF LOVE, Author

Kelly Link is the author of the novel The Book of Love and five collections, including White Cat, Black Dog. She is the owner of the independent bookstore Book Moon.

Sunday January 17, 2027 9:30am - 10:30am EST
TBA

Track 6: Grab Bag

10:45am EST

Suspense, Intrigue, & Danger: What Mystery Writers Can Teach Us All

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST

TBA

Mystery and thriller writers are masters of tension — the art of making readers desperate to turn the page, no matter what's actually happening in the story. This session pulls back the curtain on those techniques and shows how they apply far beyond the genre: pacing reveals, planting clues (and red herrings), building dread, and structuring a plot so momentum never lets up. Whether you're writing literary fiction, romance, memoir, or anything in between, you'll leave with concrete tools for creating suspense and keeping readers hooked, page after page.

Moderators

Jenna Blum

MURDER YOUR DARLINGS, Author

Speakers

Hank Phillippi Ryan

MOTHER DAUGHTER SISTER STRANGER, Author

Hank Phillippi Ryan is the USA Today bestselling author of 17 thrillers, including The Murder List and One Wrong Word. Her newest is Mother Daughter Sister Stranger from Minotaur Books, which Lisa Scottoline calls "Riveting!" and Mary Kubica says, "readers will devour this in one... Read More →

Edwin Hill

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT, Author

Joe Moldover

TO THE END OF RECKONING, Author

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST
TBA

Track 1: Deep Craft

10:45am EST

I’ve Signed With an Agent; Now What?

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST

TBA

The offer's in, the contract's signed, and now comes the part nobody quite prepares you for. This session walks through what actually happens after signing: what to expect during the submission process, how to communicate with your agent, how much patience (and silence) is normal, and how to manage your expectations without losing your mind. Whether you're newly signed or still figuring out this relationship, you'll leave knowing what comes next — and how to be a good partner in it.

Moderators

Lauren Liebow

Aevitas Creative Management, Literary Agent

Lauren Liebow represents authors across literary and upmarket fiction as well as nonfiction. She has editorially supported award-winning authors who are New York Times bestsellers, MacDowell fellows, Fulbright Grant Awardees, and National Book Award longlisted authors, among othe... Read More →

Speakers

Weina Dai Randel

THE MASTER JEWELER, Author

Laura Katz

Writers House Literary Agency, Junior Agent

Writers House is one of the largest independent literary agencies in the world, with in-house international licensing, media, contracts, and accounting teams. I joined in 2021, working first as an assistant in the contracts and accounting departments. Since 2022, I’ve supported... Read More →

Eric Smith

Neighborhood Literary, Founder + Literary Agent

With over fifteen years of experience in publishing, both at a house and an agency, Eric Smith (he/him) has worked with numerous New York Times bestselling and award-winning authors across genres and categories.

He is always looking for Middle Grade and Young Adult projects (fiction and non-fiction), adult genre-blending upmarket and literary fiction, accessible sci-fi and fantasy, high concept rom-coms, and memoir, essays, and wellness titles in the non-fiction space... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST
TBA

Track 2: Pre-Pub

10:45am EST

Memoir Plus, Essay Collections, & More: The Publishing Landscape for Non-Fiction Today

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST

TBA

Nonfiction today goes well beyond the straightforward memoir—hybrid forms, essay collections, and "memoir plus" books that braid personal story with reporting or research are reshaping the category. This session maps the current landscape for writers working outside a single, tidy genre lane: how these projects get positioned and sold, what agents and editors are looking for right now, how to pitch a book that blends memoir with history, science, or criticism, and where essay collections fit in a tough market. Whether your book resists easy categorization or you're just figuring out how to frame it for submission, you'll leave with a clearer picture of where nonfiction publishing stands today— and how your project fits in.

Moderators

Alysia Abbott

FAIRYLAND, A MEMOIR OF MY FATHER, Author

Speakers

Maria Pinto

FEARLESS, SLEEPLESS, DEATHLESS: WHAT FUNGI TAUGHT ME ABOUT NOURISHMENT, POISON, ECOLOGY, HIDDEN HISTORIES, ZOMBIES, AND BLACK SURVIVAL, Author

Maria Pinto is a naturalist, essayist, fictioneer, and educator living in the Boston area. She teaches creative writing for various organizations, has led workshops and given lectures for mycological societies and environmental groups around the country, and leads regular fungal forays... Read More →

Mathew Rodriguez

TOUGH GUY, Author

Ashley Lopez

Massie McQuilkin & Altman Literary Agents, Literary Agent

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST
TBA

Track 3: The Book Ecosystem

10:45am EST

Show Me the Money: The Business of Being an Author

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST

TBA

Writing the book is one thing— figuring out how to actually make a living from it is another story. This session covers the financial realities of an author's career: advances and royalties, diversifying income through speaking, teaching, or other revenue streams, budgeting for the unpredictable nature of publishing income, and thinking like a small business owner instead of just a writer. Come for a practical, unglamorous, and essential session for any author.

Moderators

Markus Hoffmann

Regal Hoffmann & Associates LLC, Managing Director & Literary Agent

Markus Hoffmann joined Regal Literary in 2006 and was made a partner at the agency in 2014, when it became Regal Hoffmann & Associates. He studied English and Russian literature and linguistics in Munich, Moscow, and at Hertford College, Oxford, and started his career in publishing... Read More →

Speakers

Kim van Alkemade

UPSTATE, Author

Heather Roberts

1852 Literary (also 1852 Media - the marketing firm), Literary Agent (also a Marketing Professional)

Heather Roberts is a licensed attorney, literary agent, book marketer, and lifelong voracious reader who has built her career around helping authors navigate the business of publishing.

In 2016, she founded 1852 Media to provide strategic marketing and promotional support to authors at every stage of their careers. She later founded 1852 Literary to create more opportunities for writers seeking traditional publication while helping established authors expand their... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST
TBA

Track 4: Post-Pub

10:45am EST

Please Murder My Darlings: Or, How to Make Writing Fun Again

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST

TBA

You’re fifty pages in and don’t know where to go next. Or you’ve written the first page — twenty-five times. Getting stuck is an inevitable part of the writing process, but working with a writing partner can help you move on better and faster than you can alone. Join authors and longtime writing partners Ilyon Woo and Rachel Kousser for a discussion of the specific strategies they’ve road-tested together to overcome writer’s block, build suspense, murder each other’s darlings, and more. We’ll share how we played with screenwriting and other techniques outside our comfort zones to reach wider audiences...starting with each other. You’ll leave with creative methods for finding and developing your writing partnership, and becoming stronger writers together.

Speakers

Rachel Kousser

ALEXANDER AT THE END OF THE WORLD: THE FORGOTTEN FINAL YEARS OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT, Author

Rachel Kousser writes and teaches about Alexander the Great, ancient iconoclasm, and the representation of gender and power in the Mediterranean world. For her work, she has received fellowships from the National Endowment of the Humanities, the Getty Research Institute, and the Center... Read More →

Ilyon Woo

MASTER SLAVE HUSBAND WIFE, Author

Ilyon Woo is the Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom; and The Great Divorce: A Nineteenth-Century Mother’s Extraordinary Fight Against Her Husband, the Shakers, and Her Times. She and her writing partner, Rachel Kousser, met as undergraduates at Yale... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST
TBA

Track 5: Big Picture

10:45am EST

Latest Tools & Technology for Writers

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST

TBA

From manuscript-organizating software to marketing platforms, there's a dizzying number of tools promising to make a writer's life easier. This session cuts through the noise with a practical look at what's actually useful right now — for drafting, editing, organizing research, tracking submissions, and building an audience — and what's more hype than help. Come away with a toolkit that fits how you actually work.

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST
TBA

Track 6: Grab Bag

12:00pm EST

Rules for Revision

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

TBA

Every writer has their own revision rules— some useful, some superstition, some flat-out contradictory. This session digs into the "rules" that actually hold up: when to revise on the sentence level versus the structural level, how to know if a scene (or a whole draft) needs to be cut versus fixed, how much distance to take before revising, and when "kill your darlings" is good advice versus an excuse to avoid harder decisions. We'll also talk about the rules worth breaking— the ones that work for some writers and actively hurt others. You'll leave with a sharper, more personalized set of principles for revision, and the judgment to know when to follow them and when to throw them out.

Speakers

Rick Moody

HOTELS OF NORTH AMERICA, Author

Rick Moody is the author of six novels, three collections of stories, and three works of non-fiction. He writes regularly about music at Salmagundi magazine.

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
TBA

Track 1: Deep Craft

12:00pm EST

I’ve Sold My Book; Now What?

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

TBA

A book deal feels like the finish line — but it's really the starting gun. This session covers what happens between signing a contract and holding a finished book: the editorial process, marketing and publicity timelines, what your publisher expects from you, and how to manage the long, sometimes disorienting road to publication day. You'll leave with a clear-eyed roadmap for turning a sold manuscript into a successful launch.

Moderators

Pam Gruber

High Line Literary Collective, Literary Agent

Pam became a literary agent when she realized her favorite part of the publishing business was working closely with authors and artists, helping them to shape not only their stories, but also their careers. She got her start in publishing as an editor, working for over a decade at... Read More →

Speakers

Amy Caldwell

Maria Pinto

FEARLESS, SLEEPLESS, DEATHLESS: WHAT FUNGI TAUGHT ME ABOUT NOURISHMENT, POISON, ECOLOGY, HIDDEN HISTORIES, ZOMBIES, AND BLACK SURVIVAL, Author

Mariah Stovall

Trellis Literary Management, Literary Agent

Mariah Stovall is an agent at Trellis Literary Management, which she joined upon its founding in 2021. She previously worked at the agencies Howland Literary and Writers House and the publishers Farrar, Straus & Giroux and Gallery Books. She represents literary and upmarket fiction... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
TBA

Track 2: Pre-Pub

12:00pm EST

The State of Publishing: Trends, Data, and What They Mean for You

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

TBA

Everyone has an opinion about the state of publishing — this session brings both the numbers and the stories behind them. We'll dig into the data — sales trends by genre and category, what advances actually look like right now, how debut vs. backlist performance has shifted, the real growth (and limits) of audio and independent publishing — alongside the on-the-ground observations and anecdotes that don't always show up in a spreadsheet. Panelists will share what they're actually seeing in submissions, deals, and the market day to day, cutting through industry speculation and social media doom-scrolling for a fuller, more honest picture of what's really happening in publishing right now — and what it might mean for your own career.

Moderators

Alexandra Sunshine

Kensington Books, Senior Editor

Alex Sunshine (she/hers) is a Senior Editor at Kensington Books.

Speakers

Ben White

Macmillan, Field Sales Representative

Ben White is Macmillan's sales representative in New England. He grew up in Cambridge, haunting the bookstores of Harvard Square and the stacks of the old Cambridge Public Library. His first job after college was at an independent bookstore in Brooklyn. He then spent 15 years working... Read More →

Anjali Singh

The Anjali Singh Agency, Literary Agent

Anjali Singh founded her literary agency in 2024. Before launching her own agency, she worked as an agent at Ayesha Pande Literary and as Editorial Director at Other Press, in addition to having been an international literary scout, an acquiring editor at Vintage Books, Houghton Mifflin... Read More →

Hafizah Geter

THE BLACK PERIOD: ON PERSONHOOD, RACE & ORIGIN, Author & Literary Agent

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
TBA

Track 3: The Book Ecosystem

12:00pm EST

Audiobook Narration

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

TBA

How does a title actually get greenlit for audio — and what role can authors play in making it happen? This panel brings together audiobook and publishing professionals from houses including Sourcebooks and Podium for a candid look at the state of the industry. Geared toward published authors, the conversation covers how acquisition decisions get made, what makes a strong audiobook candidate, how to pitch your publisher on an audio edition, and audiobooks as a standalone publishing strategy. Leave with a clearer picture of the landscape and concrete ideas for advocating for your own work.

Moderators

Chris Ciulla

Founder and CEO, Leonardo Audio and Nor'Easter Publishing

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
TBA

Track 4: Post-Pub

12:00pm EST

Debuting Earlier vs. Later in Life

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

TBA

There's no "right" age to publish your first book— but debuting at 25 and debuting at 55 come with genuinely different opportunities and challenges. This session explores what it's like to break into publishing at different life stages: the energy and long runway of an early debut versus the depth, patience, and life experience a later one often brings, plus the practical realities each path involves, from building a career trajectory to navigating an industry that sometimes fixates on "young voices." Whether you're an emerging writer wondering if you've waited too long, or an early-career author thinking about the decades ahead, you'll leave with a broader, more honest picture of what debuting at any age can look like.

Moderators

Eric Smith

Neighborhood Literary, Founder + Literary Agent

Speakers

Virginia Pye

MARRIAGE AND OTHER MONUMENTS, Author

Rowan Beaird

TENDERNESS, Author

Andrew Ridker

HOPE, Author

Andrew Ridker is the author of the novels Hope and The Altruists. His third novel, Everything Must Go, is forthcoming from Viking. His writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, and Le Monde, among other publications. He is th... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
TBA

Track 5: Big Picture

12:00pm EST

The Human Journey: The One Final Actual Secret Of All Satisfying Stories

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

TBA

So many story theories! So little time! But come on: let’s get down to basics. What does a story actually need to…well…BE a story? What even IS a story? Is your novel a story? Are you sure? Or is it, perhaps, just something story-like? This lecture will help you figure it out. Mark Cecil has teaching story structure and helping people tell their stories for years. And he can help you, too. In this session you will learn not only the basics of story, but also the elements that all stories have in common, from An Epic Quest With A Magic Ring to finding a good cup of coffee in your neighborhood. Scenes, chapters, books and even series use variations of the simple ingredients that make up the Human Journey. I can hear you saying, “But what is it? Why won’t you just tell us?” Cliffhanger! You have to come to find out.

Speakers

Mark Cecil

BUNYAN AND HENRY, Author

Sunday January 17, 2027 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
TBA

Track 6: Grab Bag

TBR 2027

From $20.35

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