WESTPORT, Conn. — Westport Writers’ Workshop (WWW) announced its return to the Westport Library for their 4th Annual Pitch & Publish Conference on Saturday, March 22. Pitch & Publish is the ideal opportunity for those seeking a literary agent, wanting to be educated about the industry at large, or looking to meet and be inspired by authors, agents, and editors. The keynote speaker is Amy Shearn — award-winning author of Dear Edna Sloan, Unseen City, How Far is the Ocean From Here, and the forthcoming, Animal Instinct (Putnam, 2025). The conference includes a Friday night (7-9 p.m.) welcome party for all participants at WWW’s locale (25 Sylvan Road, Suite J), followed by Saturday’s informative panels, one-on-one pitches, book signings, a catered lunch, and a wrap party. New sessions this year are 1) “Crowd Source Your Comps on Zoom” and 2) “Adapting Your Prose into a Screenplay.” In addition, Pitch & Publish ’25 will bring back the following value-added elements 1) each agent will read five pages of a writer’s work (in addition to their query letter) and 2) a mini “practice your pitch” session at the conference.
Doors to the library open for registration and coffee at 9 a.m., the event begins at 10 a.m. and concludes at 4:15 p.m., followed by an After Party from 4:45 p.m. at Basso Restaurant & Wine Bar, 33 Jesup Road, Westport. Individual tickets for the conference only are $350 each (walk-ins accepted); tickets for the conference plus two, one-on-one pitches with literary agents are $600 each (early bird discount of $75 if registered by February 3), $675 each thereafter. Register here: https://westportwriters.org/conference-2025/.
The conference will include four main sessions, three of which are interactive panels: 1) “Ask The Agents,” moderated by literary agent, Sarah Landis (Sterling Lord Literistic), with panelists: Samantha Shea (Georges Borchardt, Inc.), Colin Hosten (Woodhall Press), Alexandra Franklin (Curtis Brown Ltd.), Charlotte Wenger (Prospect Agency), and Ronald Gerber (Lowenstein); 2) “How to Keep Going, How to be Done” moderated by author, Iain Haley Pollock, with panelists: author Diane Parrish, agent JL Stermer (Next Level Lit), author Adam Wilson, writer/former acquiring editor, Mark Levine 3) “Adapting Your Prose into a Screenplay” talk by Sharbari Ahmed; 4) “Putting Yourself Out There” moderated by writer, Brianna Avenia-Tapper with industry panelists, Chris Steib, Kathy Satterfield, Suzanne Farrell Smith, Will Alison, and Kathy Daneman.
“Each year we redefine the conference to reflect our writers’ needs. March 22 will be a dynamic day with a special focus on revision, while we continue to champion attendees and dole out industry wisdom regarding the publishing process,” said Julie Sarkissian and Liz Matthews, conference co-chairs.
Below, a testimonial from a 2024 conference attendee:
“The Westport Writers’ Workshop has turned me into a real writer, but it wasn’t until I attended Pitch & Publish that I understood how to make my publishing dreams a reality. With encouragement and great feedback, I realized my idea had potential. I now have a completed proposal and wonderful book agent,” said Betsey Helmuth
Westport Writers’ Workshop is an independent literary arts center offering enriching supportive creative writing classes, as well as free literary readings to the public. The organization provides free writing workshops to underserved populations in their own communities. For more information regarding Pitch and Publish or year round workshops, visit: https://westportwriters.org/conference-2025/.
Photo Caption: (From left) Co-chairs, Liz Matthews and Julie Sarkissian of Westport Writers’ Workshop, gear up for the organization’s 2025 Pitch and Publish Conference at the Westport Library on Saturday, March 22. Tickets are on sale now at https://westportwriters.org/conference-2025/.
Photo Credit: Erin Hall