Writers in the Lodge
A mini writers conference, part of the Writers in the Park Series
Saturday, March 2, 2024
10am to 1pm CT
Registration:
Workshops are Free to Attend - Online and In Person - No registration required
For consultations or pitch sessions please register by clicking the buttons below.
Calling All Writers
To A Mini Writers Conference
10am - 1pm CT | The Lodge Des Peres
Online and In Person
Three Workshops
Pitch Sessions
Consultations
Workshops are Free to Attend
Paid Consultations
To view the workshops online, no registration is required, simply click one of the event buttons on the Home Page, Event Page, or below to join online, or participate in person at The Lodge Des Peres. Zoom meeting room won’t open until 9:45am CT on the day of the event.
Consultations and pitch sessions require registration
Click the button below to download a scanned pdf of Eileen Dreyer's Worksheet
Recordings
(Available for a limited time) For those who missed parts of the workshops for pitch sessions and consultations. Recordings are also in the Workshop Archive. Click the button to watch.
Workshops at Writers in the Lodge
Workshops - 10am to 1pm CT - Free and Open to All - Online and In-Person at The Lodge Des Peres
10 a.m. | Getting The Full Request presented by Literary Agent, Cole Lanahan
11 a.m. | It’s a Different World Out There: Traditional Publishing’s New Landscape presented by New York Times Bestselling Author Eileen Dreyer
12 p.m. | Publishing Under Your Own Imprint: The Inside Scoop presented by New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Angie Fox (Not Recorded)
Workshops:
10 a.m. | Getting the Full Request - Literary Agent for the Seymour Agency, Cole Lanahan explains the writing techniques necessary to entice agents and editors to read beyond your sample pages.
11 a.m. | It’s A Different World Out There: Traditional Publishing’s New Landscape - Author, Eileen Dreyer considers traditional publishing these days a brave—or maybe insane—new world. She talked veteran editors and agents into sharing their best instructions on gaining a foothold in traditional publishing and making a successful climb.
12 p.m. | Publishing Under Your Own Imprint: The Inside Scoop - Author, Angie Fox will talk frankly about what an independent writer can do in today's market. (Not Recorded)
Consultations and Pitch Sessions
Consultations: $40 for Non-Members, $20 for SLWG Members - Material will be reviewed ahead of the conference and include a 20+ minute consultation during the event.
LaShaunda Hoffman - Book Promotion
Matt Davids - Promoting on Amazon
Jennifer Geist - Editorial Critique
Ruth Thaler-Carter - Website Review
Pitch Sessions: $20 for 2 pitches for Non-Members, $10 for 2 pitches for SLWG Members
Nicole Lanahan, Literary Agent, The Seymour Agency
Chris Kennedy, Chris Kennedy Publishing
Jennifer Geist, owner & publisher, Pen & Publish
Matt Davids - Amazon Page Review
A review of the author's Amazon book listings will be performed to uncover ways to potentially enhance book sales.
LaShaunda Hoffman - Book Promotion
A 20+ mins consultation about promoting their book.
Ruth Thaler-Carter - Website Review
A review of your website with ways to improve pageviews and interactions.
Jennifer Geist Consulting Options
Option 1: Manuscript Critique
Receive a personalized critique of up to the first 10 pages* of your book. A critique will include a written editorial letter and specific line notes, as needed. This will not be a copyedit or proofread aiming to correct small errors, but will instead focus on writing style, language effectiveness, strengths and weaknesses, and overall story. This can help determine if an agent or publisher would keep reading based on the opening pages alone.
Option 1b: Query & Manuscript Critique
Alternatively, I will critique your query letter, synopsis (up to 250 words), and first 5 pages of your book to determine if an agent/publisher would continue reading based on your overall submission package.
For both options, I will return critiques to you before March 2, and will be available at the conference for scheduled 20-minute follow-up discussions of questions you have about my critique.
Critique Submission Guidelines
Submit as a Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) file
For a query & manuscript critique, please submit only one file with sections in this order:
1. Query letter
2. Synopsis
3. First 5 pages
Double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman, 1-inch margins (query letters and synopses can be single or 1.5 spaced)
Submission material must be submitted to president@stlwritersguild.org by Tuesday, February 20, 2024 so Jennifer can review it before the event.
Presenters & Consultants
Workshop Presenters
Workshops are Free and Open to All, No registration required.
Angie Fox
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Angie Fox writes action-packed fantasy/mystery/romance about biker witches, ghost hunters, and things that go bump in the night. Her books have been called "fabulously fun" by the Chicago Tribune and have won multiple Daphne awards for mystery and PRISM awards for fantasy.
Angie started the Moose Island Books imprint in 2015 and has since sold more than 1.4 million books under the name. She publishes in print, ebook, and audio book formats. She also sells foreign rights.
Angie is best known for the SOUTHERN SPIRITS™ series, the Monster MASH series, and for her ACCIDENTAL DEMON SLAYER books. Visit her at www.angiefox.com.
Eileen Dreyer
New York Times bestselling author and RWA Hall of Fame member Eileen Dreyer and her evil twin Kathleen Korbel have published over forty novels and novellas, and ten short stories in genres ranging from medical suspense to paranormal to multiple sub-genres in romance. She is thrilled to bring her work, including the continuation of her Drake’s Rakes series, which she considers historical romantic adventure, to Oliver-Heber Books.
A native of St. Louis, where she still lives with her husband Rick and family, Dreyer is an RN, BS with two decades experience, including sixteen in trauma medicine before retiring to write full time. She is also trained in in forensic nursing, death investigation and Tactical EMS (as in being a medic on a SWAT team) (yeah, it was that cool).
A seasoned conference speaker, Dreyer travels to research, and uses research as an excuse to travel. She has animals but refuses to subject them to the limelight. And yes. She was on Jeopardy. The way she puts the results is that she won the silver medal.
https://www.facebook.com/EileenDreyer
Twitter -- @eileendreyer
Instagram – eileendreyerauthor
Cole Lanahan
As a literary agent, my diverse skill set extends beyond my status as a published author of eight novels. I hold a degree in Organizational Leadership from Colorado State, and my professional journey includes impactful advocacy in the United States Congress for enhanced mental health initiatives. I’ve successfully led a multimillion-dollar mental health nonprofit, forged strategic corporate partnerships, and executed large-scale marketing campaigns.
When it comes to my literary preferences, I value an engaging narrative that captivates readers from start to finish. High-concept fresh plots, killer voice, and page-turning pacing are pivotal elements will always catch my attention. I am particularly passionate about promoting diverse voices, with a keen interest in BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ authors crafting stories they are genuinely passionate about, rather than adhering to perceived expectations.
Cole’s current manuscript wishlist can be found here: https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/cole-lanahan/
Consultants
Consultations are $40 for a 20+ minute review at the event
Matt Davids - Amazon Review
Matt Davids is a writer, a creator of tabletop role-playing game resource books, a novelist, a podcast host, and a former filmmaker. He is the author of the Amazon bestsellers, The Book of Random Tables and The Book of Random Tables: Quests. His first novel, The Spaceport Gambit, was released in June 2021. He lives in Missouri with his wife and their four children. His bookshelves groan under the weight of classic literature, science fiction, and fantasy. He enjoys playing Dungeons & Dragons, studying cinema and philosophy, and knows more about 80s post-apocalyptic movies than any reasonable person should.
Jennifer Geist - Editorial Critique
With over a decade of experience in editing, book compositing, photography, graphic and web design, marketing, writing, and more, Jennifer Geist is able to see any book from acquisitions to publication and beyond. She received her bachelor’s degree in creative writing with a focus in small press publishing through Southeast Missouri State University. She has worked with numerous small presses and her stories and photos are published in a variety of literary magazines. In addition to heading Pen & Publish, Open Books Press, and Transformation Media Books, she added a literary fiction and poetry imprint in 2015: Brick Mantel Books. More information about Pen & Publish and its traditional imprints can be found at https://penandpublish.com.
LaShaunda Hoffman - Book Promotion
Meet LaShaunda Hoffman - Book Promotion is her middle name. She’s the author of Building Online Relationships - One Reader At A Time about how she created and promoted Shades Of Romance Magazine a digital magazine for readers and writers of multicultural literature for 20 years online.
As a five time award winning Book Promotion Strategist she offers book promotion services and coach/train indie authors how to set up their book promotion infrastructure so they can increase their visibility, readership and book sales.
She’s also host of SORMAG’s Writer’s Cafe Podcast and is currently publishing two books on the Kindle Vella platform. Building Your Readership and Love In Space. http://bit.ly/LCHLINKS22
Virtual Tea With LaShaunda - is a book promotion strategy service that consultants authors on how to build their book promotion infrastructure so they can increase their visibility, readership and book sales.
LaShaunda C. Hoffman
Book Promotion Strategist
http://lashaundahoffman.com
Are You Ready To Become A Social Butterfly?
http://bit.ly/BORLCH
Shop at SORMAG Boutique
https://sormag-boutique.myshopify.com
Pitch Sessions
(2) pitch sessions, each about 7 minutes
SLWG Members $10, Non-members $20
Chris Kennedy
Chris Kennedy Publishing
A Webster Award winner and three-time Dragon Award finalist, Chris Kennedy is a Science Fiction/Fantasy author, speaker, and small-press publisher who has written over 60 books and published more than 500 others. Get his free book, “Shattered Crucible,” at his website, https://chriskennedypublishing.com. A retired naval aviator, he uses his experience to give authenticity to his military science fiction stories.
Called “fantastic” and “a great speaker,” he has coached hundreds of beginning authors and budding novelists on how to self-publish their stories at a variety of conferences, conventions, and writing guild presentations. He is the author of the award-winning #1 bestseller, “Self-Publishing for Profit: How to Get Your Book Out of Your Head and Into the Stores.”
Chris lives in Coinjock, North Carolina, with his wife, Sheellah, and is the holder of a doctorate in educational leadership and master’s degrees in both business and public administration. Follow Chris on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ckpublishing/.
Cole Lanahan
Literary Agent, The Seymour Agency
As a literary agent, my diverse skill set extends beyond my status as a published author of eight novels. I hold a degree in Organizational Leadership from Colorado State, and my professional journey includes impactful advocacy in the United States Congress for enhanced mental health initiatives. I’ve successfully led a multimillion-dollar mental health nonprofit, forged strategic corporate partnerships, and executed large-scale marketing campaigns.
When it comes to my literary preferences, I value an engaging narrative that captivates readers from start to finish. High-concept fresh plots, killer voice, and page-turning pacing are pivotal elements will always catch my attention. I am particularly passionate about promoting diverse voices, with a keen interest in BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ authors crafting stories they are genuinely passionate about, rather than adhering to perceived expectations.
Cole’s current manuscript wishlist can be found here: https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/cole-lanahan/
Jennifer Geist
Owner & publisher, Pen & Publish
With over a decade of experience in editing, book compositing, photography, graphic and web design, marketing, writing, and more, Jennifer Geist is able to see any book from acquisitions to publication and beyond. She received her bachelor’s degree in creative writing with a focus in small press publishing through Southeast Missouri State University. She has worked with numerous small presses and her stories and photos are published in a variety of literary magazines. In addition to heading Pen & Publish, Open Books Press, and Transformation Media Books, she added a literary fiction and poetry imprint in 2015: Brick Mantel Books. More information about Pen & Publish and its traditional imprints can be found at https://penandpublish.com.