Desert Sleuths Annual Writers’ Conference
Craft ♦ Publish ♦ Market
September 22 & 23, 2023
“Best Writers Conference in Arizona.” — The Writer magazine (2020)
Registration is open
Arizona does not follow daylight saving time; all times below are MST
(EDT add 3 hrs., CDT add 2 hrs., MDT add 1 hr., PDT is the same as MST)
Already know which events you want to attend? Click the Register button.
Need more information? Each agent, editor, and speaker listed below is linked to one of the WriteNOW! 2023 Faculty pages. There you will find bios, workshop descriptions, manuscript submission requirements, and more information. Links will open in a new browser tab so you don’t lose your place on this page.
Friday Pre-conference events
9/22/23 (each event priced separately)
Registration cut-off, midnight, Wednesday, September 20
PitchNOW! Price: $35 per session; 8 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
One-on-one 10-minute pitch sessions with an acquiring agent. You can purchase sessions with more than one agent.
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- Adam Chromy (Movable Type Management)
- Cole Lanahan (The Seymour Agency)
- Melissa Rechter (Crooked Lane Books)
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EditNOW! Price: $60
EditNOW!new opportunities added with jay hartman
A 25-30 page (~3 chapters) assessment/developmental edit by Jay Hartman, founder of Untreed Reads and principle of The Jay Hartman Agency. Email your submission between 9/22 and 9/29 (we’ll send you the address). It will be returned by 10/14/23.
NEW! Marketing Workshop! Price: $30; 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
SoWest: Wrong Turn Anthology Launch Party & Author Signings;
Free, 6-7:30 p.m.
Location: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore, 4104 N Coldwater Boulevard, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 (view map); upstairs (The Annex); refreshments provided, registration required.
Saturday 9/23/23 MAIN CONFERENCE! (PRICE: $25*)
*Current Desert Sleuths members receive a 5% discount
Saturday Workshop & Presentation:
Hallie Ephron presents Backstory: How Not to Shoot Yourself in the Foot with It. Every surprising action has to make sense in light of the character’s backstory. The challenge … click to read entire description
Hank Phillippi Ryan presents What Happens Next: Keep Your Readers Turning Those Pages. … it’s textbook-easy to begin a novel and have something happen: that’s why there’s a story. But to keep your story going … click to read entire description
For a full list of Saturday Event descriptions please see OUR FACULTY PAGE.
8 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Crowdcast, No Registration cut-off
8 a.m. Welcome to WriteNOW! 2023—Christina Estes, Host/Facilitator
8:10 a.m. Food, Family, and Murder: How to Keep Readers Hungry—Interview of Mia P. Manansala
9:15 a.m. What Happens Next: Keep Your Readers Turning Those Pages—Presentation by Hank Phillippi Ryan
10:20 a.m. Backstory: How Not to Shoot Yourself in the Foot with It—Craft Workshop by Hallie Ephron
11:55 a.m. 1st Half Recap—Christina Estes
12:05 p.m. Break
12:20 p.m. What’s Ahead and book giveaway—Christina Estes
12:35 p.m. Infusing Mystery with High-Octane Action and Emotional Family Drama—Interview of Tori Eldridge
1:40 p.m. Writing the Killer Novel— Presentation by Joe Ide
2:45 p.m. It Takes a Village: The Importance of Secondary Characters—Presentation by Charlaine Harris
3:45 p.m. Recap/Close—Christina Estes
Craft ♦ Publish ♦ Market
additional information.
You will receive automatic reminders for all sessions you purchase.
Friday event attendees will receive additional information, instructions, and their Zoom link(s) in early September. If you’re pitching or submitting a manuscript, use the time between now and then to polish your material and conduct research on the person you book time with.
Saturday event attendees will received reminders from Crowdcast. Bookmark this page to make sure you get the most out of that experience: https://docs.crowdcast.io/en/articles/783-minimum-attendee-technical-requirements-and-troubleshooting