From Page to Pitch: The Agent-Ready Writers’ Retreat
March 27-29, 2026
Join us for a writing event like nothing you’ve ever experienced before.
Your story deserves its shot at success—and this retreat is designed to get you there. Over three powerful days, you’ll learn exactly what it takes to polish your manuscript and submission materials so they stand out in today’s competitive publishing world.
If you want to be a writer, this where you need to be.
Through a mix of workshops, coaching, and live events, you’ll:
- Avoid the pitfalls – Discover the most common mistakes writers make in query letters, synopses, and sample pages, and learn how to fix them before hitting “send.”
- Polish your pitch – Work with industry pros to craft a pitch that is clear, confident, and compelling.
- Test your skills live – Take part in our Pitch Slam, where you’ll present your work and receive real-time feedback.
- Meet guest agents – Gain insider insight directly from literary agents who are actively looking for new voices and fresh stories.
By the end of this retreat, you won’t just have stronger materials—you’ll have the confidence and know-how to step boldly into the agent submission process.
Whether you’re polishing your debut manuscript or preparing your next big project, From Page to Pitch is your chance to transform your work from draft-ready to agent-ready.
What is it like to write with Annalisa?
Here at the Writing Gym we believe that every writing experience should integrate your body and mind, to bring you into a place of full inspiration.
Afternoons will be spent working on your novel or getting inspiration during a sprint session. Each participant also gets a 1-1 session with Annalisa.
You can also sign up for our pitch slam and pitch directly to Katherine Sands of the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency. She has been a popular speaker on writing and publishing topics for Poets & Writers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and countless writer conferences. Alternatively, you can pitch to Anna Termini of Sibylline Press, who specializes in general fiction multi-media rights—think book and movie deals. Anna has been attending international publishing trade shows such as the Frankfurt and London book fairs for over 25 years and has developed a large network of industry professionals and friends throughout the world.
We limit our online retreats to 20 participants to create a safe, nurturing space in which your writing can flourish and you can experience true community.You’ll work in small groups, and bond with your fellow writers.
Rachel McMillan
Fireside Chat
Rachel McMillan is the author of “The Herringford and Watts Mysteries,” “The Van Buren and DeLuca Mysteries,” “The Three Quarter Time Series,” “The London Restoration,” and “The Mozart Code.” Her non-fiction works include “Dream Plan Go: A Travel Guide for Independent Adventure” and “A Very Merry Holiday Movie Guide.”
Rachel McMillan’s favorite thing in the world is books! She lives in Toronto, Canada, and when she is not reading or writing, she works as a literary agent for the William K Jensen Literary Agency. While other kids her age fell in love with Narnia and Avonlea, Rachel only ever wanted to go to Vienna. Fortunately, she has now spent a lot of time there exploring and writing, and Vienna plays a major part in many of her books. She loves church architectural history and is a classic movie buff. Rachel has seen the musical “Les Miserables” on three different continents. She is a lifelong Sherlockian and hails from a small town in Ontario set on a lake. She loves live theatre (especially musicals!) and enjoys traveling, but prefers to go solo. Rachel is scared of heights and her favorite food is sushi. She is addicted to Hallmark Christmas movies. Her favorite movie is “Master and Commander,” and her favorite TV shows are “Foyle’s War” and “Endeavour.”
The Online Writing Experience
What will the group writing time look like?
We will meet through Zoom. We will be able to see and hear each other, share documents, write on a white board together: this is the closest approximation we can have to being in the same physical room.
You will break out into smaller groups for discussion, sharing, feedback, and more–then come together for large groups sessions.
“I haven’t written this much in 21 years. The prompt, the feedback. It tapped into something new for me.” Rick, recent salon participant
Create Time AWAY
We’ve been given this amazing gift of quiet and time. While at the Writing Gym Online Retreat, you will give yourself the time away, the sanctuary, you need to get the writing done, and to nurture your best writer.
Come find the calm in the storm with us.
The Writing Day
Each day begins
with a writing salon.
At the retreat you will also have afternoons to work on your writing in quiet, and to get professional feedback on your writing from professional writing coach, Annalisa Summea and her team of writing coaches.
Sample Schedule
Highlights
Enjoy the camaraderie of positive writers, doing what you’re doing, with the same goals.
Come away refreshed, revived–and with the pages DONE.
Friday
Highlights: Meet your fellow participants.
Laugh in icebreakers.
Write in your first salon of the retreat.
Saturday Morning
Ease into creativity by creating flow in your brain with our morning meet.
Prime the creative pump by putting your inner critic where it belongs.
Writing Salon. Unleash your full creative potential in a guided writing session.
Tension is a phenomenon that results from the structure of a scene.
Tension can be a difficult aspect of a story to get right. Proper application of Tension in a scene will force the reader to keep turning pages. This Craft element puts the Author where they need to be: in control of the flow of the story and the reader’s experience of it.
Saturday Afternoon
TIME TO WRITE Work on pages, with the accountability of a group writing session.
Heads down, fingers on keyboard, chapters written 
Join Annalisa for a 1-1 session to discuss pages, your publishing career–anything you’ve wanted to talk to your writing coach about.
Professional Roundtable: Every year we invite a publishing professional to join us and talk about what’s happening in the publishing industry NOW, and how that impacts your author career. Past guests include Editor at large of Writers Digest; literary agents, and New York Times bestselling authors.
This is a golden opportunity to get top-notch writing advice and personalized feedback from publishing professionals, published authors, and expert writing coaches, all from the comfort of your home.
Pitch Fest: Past pitches to LMPBN, Sibylline Press, Talcott Notch Literary Agency, Writer’s Digest, and more.
Saturday Evening
Fireside Chat with prolific & successful authors who will share their journey to publication. This will be a laid-back discussion where you can chat and ask questions.
Sunday
Salon and Neuroscience-based feedback.
Craft Discussion
Writing Time
Sharing and Celebrations