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Writing Away Refuge Zoom Pitch Retreat

Workshop your pitch. Pitch the agent.

Our largest Zoom event yet! 12 agents to pitch.

November 8-9 Writing Away Refuge Zoom Pitch

Member price is $95 & Non-member is $115 (& includes all agent pitches)

Our Agents' Pitch Slots fill quickly. Better hurry!

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Workshop your pitch. Pitch the agent.

Ready to meet your new writing community?

At Writing Away Refuge, we are all about support and helping you craft your best book and make solid industry connections. The focus of our virtual pitch retreat on November 8-9th, 2025

is powerful story development and delivering a winning pitch.  

We have workshops to help you perfect your craft and time allotted for practice pitch sessions as well.

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And, best of all, we have 12 literary agents ready to listen to your pitches!

 

You'll spend the weekend in the comfort of your own home participating in workshops to make your book the best it can be, getting to know and connect with fellow writers, and pitching your completed book to agents if you're at that level in your writing journey (we have special pricing if you only need the workshops but no agent pitches). The Writing Away Virtual Pitch Retreat has it all. During the virtual retreat, we will have author chats, drawings for incredible prizes (including free manuscript evaluations, gift cards, and free memberships to Writing Away), and workshops by amazing industry professionals. Don't miss out!

(You may register for the full retreat that includes agent pitches or for workshops only)

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**Please note that pitch sessions with agents are on a first come, first served basis and WILL fill up quickly.

It is best to register early and make your agent selections to ensure you receive your agent preferences. If a desired agent's sessions fill, you will be allowed to submit a written query through our Writing Away Refuge portal that will be reviewed by those agents with priority. Thank you!**

Meet The Workshop Team

Meet the Agents

Pitch up to 12 Literary Agents Over Zoom as part of the Writing Away Refuge Zoom Pitch, November 8-9th, 2025. Each one-on-one pitch session lasts 5 minutes

and is included in your registration fee. Be sure to register early before their spaces fill and to take advantage of the $75 discounted early registration this week only!

Early registration also ensures that you pitch all desired agents.

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Mara Cobb, Junior Agent

Lighthouse Literary 
 

My favorite books have always been those that keep me on the edge of my seat in excitement and those that allow me to feel the full scope of human emotions as I read late into the night.

 

After earning my master's degree in English, achieving over fifty publications, and serving as the editor-in-chief for a small literary journal, I completed a year-long publishing internship learning the ins and outs of Martin Literary Management. Now, as a junior literary manager, I am most excited about coming alongside fresh and seasoned writers to help them reach their full potential.

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See Mara's Full Manuscript Wishlist here:

Mara Cobb – The Official Manuscript Wish List Website

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    Shannon Snow, Associate Agent
    Creative Media Agency
    (Shannon's Pitch slots are FULL!)

    Shannon Snow worked in finance and marketing for 18 years before turning to her childhood first love… books and writers. She started her publishing career in 2018 and then joined Creative Media Agency, Inc. as an Associate Agent in 2020. She holds a B.A. in English Language and Literature, and also manages the Audio rights department for CMA.

     

    Shannon has a very eclectic reading taste. She looks for books that have a unique angle, and authors that have a wonderful, engaging voice that makes her want to read a sentence again and say "wow" just because of how you worded something. Characterization is a top draw for her because if she can't connect to a character, she can't fully engage with a story. So, she's looking for vivid, well-developed characters. She absolutely loves when an author can make her laugh, make her pull out her tissue box, or just make her feel emotion in general.  She is actively acquiring right now and looking to build up her list. She is looking for Adult and Young Adult fiction in most every category.

     

    Check out Shannon full Manuscript Wishlist here:

    Shannon Snow – The Official Manuscript Wish List Website

    Ruth Gila Berger, Assoc. Agent
    Red Sofa Literary
    (Ruth's Pitch Slots are FULL!)

    Ruth Gila Berger (she/her) spent twenty-four years at Consortium Book Sales & Distribution where she worked with a wide variety of independent presses, sales reps and independent booksellers. She has a MFA in Creative Writing from Hamline University, and was in the cohort who built Water~Stone Review.

    In prehistory, Ruth fled suburban New York to the University of Iowa, where she got a BA in Theater Arts and Psychology. It was as far away as she could afford to go. She lives in Minneapolis with her wife and animals.

     

    Ruth represents:

    • Narrative nonfiction with a story - especially if it marries two seemly disparate fields like art and mathematics, physics and cooking, birds and language, etc. I want to read experts who can charm and surprise me, make me laugh and never take a tone of intellectual superiority.

    • Memoir is where my heart lives but you have to knock my socks off and be connected to something in the larger world. Memoirists must have a platform to sell.

    • Essay collections that show up in the wrong outfit, take a circuitous or unexpected route to writing, and question assumptions, yes please.

    • Fiction that has a hook, nuance and heart. Characters should to haunt me. Any dialogue needs to kill it and plot rules.

    • Same for YA Fiction.

    • Graphic Novels, only if they are original, beautiful and funny.

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    Mark Gottlieb, Senior VP & Agent
    Trident Media Group
    (Mark's Pitch Slots are FULL!)

    Mark GottliebWorkshop LeaderSenior VP & Agent/ Trident Media Group​Writing for Market vs. Writing for PassionMark Owen Gottlieb is a senior vice president and highly ranked literary agent in overall deals and other individual categories. He is actively building his client list of authors using that same initiative and insight for identifying talented writers. Mark is excited to work directly with authors, helping to manage and grow their careers with all of the unique resources available at book publishing’s leading literary agency, Trident Media Group. Mark Gottlieb continues to represent numerous New York Times bestselling and prominent award-winning authors through his work at Trident Media Group.

    Mark Gottlieb is actively seeking submissions in all categories and genres and looks forward to bringing new and established authors to the curious minds of their future readers.

    Kristen Terrette, Literary Manager
    Martin Literary Management
    (Kristen's Pitch Slots are FULL!)

    Kristen is a literary manager excited to build her list featuring titles in young adult, new adult, fantasy, thrillers/mysteries/suspense, romance, women's fiction, horror, literary fiction, historical fiction, contemporary, non-fiction, all faith-based books, and she is also looking for more illustrators.

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    She has a BA in Early Childhood Education and MA in Theology and Religious Studies which led her into children’s ministry for many years. Eventually, her lifelong love of books and authors drew her back to her original dream of entering the publishing world. Kristen is a multi-published, award-winning author and freelance writer. She’s held such positions as the Blog Manager for a national women’s ministry and the Social Media Manager for a publishing house. All these components landed her a spot in the coveted Writers House Intern Program. There, she received valuable hands-on agenting and publishing experience which she brings into her position. She was also named an ECPA Emerging Leader in 2023 and went through a precious mentorship during 2024 to further her understanding of the Christian Publishing landscape.

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    Kristen has long been a voice for diversity. She’s written extensively on topics of racial reconciliation and unity and has been a facilitator of groups around these topics in her church. In all her focused genres, she welcomes books with BIPOC or disabled main characters and diverse friendships. She believes books change people in all the best ways and that every child should see themselves in the pages. 

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    See Kristen's full Manuscript Wishlist here:

    Kristen Terrette – The Official Manuscript Wish List Website

    Ellen Scordato, Agent
    Stonesong Literary

    Ellen Scordato is a partner in Stonesong. With more than 30 years’ experience in trade book publishing, she runs the production services division of Stonesong, which specializes in providing writing, editorial and production editorial, design, typesetting, layout, photo research, and file preparation services for commercial illustrated nonfiction to the Big Five publishers and others. She specializes in tight deadlines, demanding clients, and complex, team-oriented project management. After three months at St. Martin’s Press college textbook division, Ellen joined the trade division of Charles Scribner’s Sons, then Chelsea House Publishers and Random House before coming to Stonesong in 1997. She taught as an adjunct faculty member in English Language Studies at the New School for more than a decade and continues to teach as guest faculty at venues large and small. As an agent, she has a small list and is particularly interested in art, history, and mind/body/spirit titles. She graduated Wellesley College with a B.A. in Classics and Art History.

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    See her more detailed manuscript tastes here:

    https://www.stonesong.com/ellen-scordato

    See Workshop and Pitch Session Schedules here for
    November 8-9th, 2025 Zoom Pitch Retreat


    Agent pitch slots fill quickly, so registering early is encouraged.

    **Workshops Only with no agent pitches available for $49.95**

    Non-member registration
    All workshops & agent
    pitches included
     
    Workshops Only. No agent Pitches
    (All Workshops Only!
    No agent pitches)
    Member registration
    All workshops & agent
    pitches included
     

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