Workshops listed below are for 2018 and all of 2019.
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In-Person Workshop Schedule
Starting in October 2018, all in-person workshops we do through WMG Publishing will be held in the convention center at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, Nevada.
That’s right, after almost twenty years on the coast (first was in 1999), we are graduating the in-person workshops up to the next level.
There are slight changes to format and schedule which will make this better for everyone. (We talked to a lot of people about these, so thanks everyone for the feedback. Everyone seems excited to be moving.)
First, here is the complete list of the Vegas Workshops through 2019. More information below. And take a look at the limited time special offer.
List of Workshops
— 2018 MASTER BUSINESS CLASS… October 19th to the morning of October 24th, 2018. A bunch of instructors to be announced this summer. (Travel on Thursday the 18th and on Wednesday October 24th since the last session is done at noon. Special hotel rate when you pay in full. Hotel block is limited.) Price $750
— SERIES CRAFT WORKSHOP… January 25th to the evening of January 29th, 2019. Taught by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. (Travel on Thursday and on Wednesday) Limited to 15 writers only! A writing workshop. Price $750
— ANTHOLOGY WORKSHOP… March 1st to the morning of March 6th, 2019. Six editors. (Travel on Thursday and on Wednesday March 6th since the last session is done at noon. Special hotel rate when you pay in full. Hotel block is limited.) Price $750
— MYSTERY CRAFT WORKSHOP… April 12th to the evening of April 16th, 2019. Taught by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. (Travel on Thursday and on Wednesday) Limited to 15 writers only! A writing workshop. Price $750
— CREATING MEMORABLE CHARACTERS CRAFT WORKSHOP… May 17th to the evening of May 21st, 2019. Taught by Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith together. (Travel on Thursday and on Wednesday) Limited to 15 writers only! A writing workshop. Price $750
— THE KRIS AND DEAN SHOW… July 26th to the evening of July 28th, 2019. Three days of everything you need to know about writing and publishing. Taught by Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith together. (Travel on Thursday and on Monday) Unlimited and open to writers of all levels! Price $500
— ROMANCE CRAFT WORKSHOP… September 20th to the evening of September 24th, 2019. Taught by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. (Travel on Thursday and on Wednesday) Limited to 15 writers only! A writing workshop. Price $750
— 2019 MASTER BUSINESS CLASS… October 25th to the morning of October 30th, 2019. A bunch of instructors to be announced this summer. (Travel on Thursday the 24th and on Wednesday October 30th since the last session is done at noon. Special hotel rate when you pay in full.) Price $750
Here are some details…
Hotel… All workshops will be held in the beautiful Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino Convention Center. This is in downtown Las Vegas.
Travel… First off, we tried to make this easier to get to. (Las Vegas is a ton easier by factors of hundreds. Cheaper to fly into from anywhere by a long, long ways, and we also get rid of the two plus hour drive one way over the mountains to the coast. In Vegas you don’t need rental cars.)
Workshop Time… We will be holding the meetings from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. with a lunch break. Six hours per day.
This also allows people to only be gone one weekend and if need be come in a day late and only miss work from one week. A ton easier than a full week over two weekends as it has been here.
So basically five full days. About the same amount of total time as we were doing on the coast. Single track the entire time for both the Master Business Class and Anthology Workshop. The craft workshops are a ton of writing while you are there.
The Kris and Dean Show is three days of solid lectures.
Food… Oh, my, anything you want to eat is close. There has to be upwards of a hundred restaurants within easy couple-block walking from the Golden Nugget, not counting the restaurants in the hotel itself. Anyone with any kind of allergy or food issues will be able to eat easily and with selection.
Resort… Oh, my, the Golden Nugget pool is something to believe, not counting all the other stuff. The Golden Nugget has been completely remodeled. Brand new meeting rooms are wonderful and the staff is amazingly helpful. You do not need to go near a casino to get into the conference center.
Entertainment and fun… Well, we are changing the format of the workshops to end at 6 p.m. every day, so you have dinner and evenings free. We will have a hospitality suite to gather in after hours to talk as we did here at the Anchor after hours for the larger workshops. For the craft workshops, you will be busy writing.
Hotel Costs… The best we can figure, for the larger workshops if you are in the workshop hotel block, for the entire time at the Golden Nugget, checking in on Thursday and out on Wednesday, counting all fees and taxes, would be around $800 per room. For the entire time. That is if you book with the workshop code we will give you through the workshop block. (The block is limited.) More expensive if you don’t go through the block.
The Kris and Dean show is cheaper because it is only three days long, four nights.
Limited Enrollment… These workshops are still very limited. The Master Business Class is limited to 60 writers and the Anthology is limited to 50 writers. (Both are the same numbers as last year. We are not changing that because we feel those are good sizes.)
The craft workshops are very, very limited. Only 15 writers each. After that we start a waiting list with no promise you will get in.
The Kris and Dean Show is unlimited and open to everyone at all levels.
Workshop Fees…
Regular Fee…. $750.00.
SIGNING UP
We can put your name on a list for the workshop, no problem, just as we have always done. But payment guarantees you the spot. If you are signed up, but about to lose your spot to the workshop being full of paid writers, I will warn you ahead. All fees must be paid no later than one month of the workshop.
To sign up, pay through Paypal at dean@deanwesleysmith.com and then write me as to which workshop you want to be in.
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS…
BUSINESS MASTER CLASS
Led by professional writers and editors Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Dean Wesley Smith, Mark Leslie Lefebvre, Allyson Longueira, and many others, this workshop will have many guest instructors on various topics critical to writers in this modern world.
Guest instructors will be announced.
We often have upwards of ten different professionals who are experts in one area of another helping teach this week.
This is a business workshop. No writing, but a notebook full of notes and a lot of training. In fact, every topic a writer can imagine needing to be covered will be in this week at one point or another by experts. From cash flow to increasing sales to SEO to website design to cover and interior book design to blurbs to publisher catalogs to distribution of paper books to stores to production to learning how to write more to audio to overseas sales to contracts to bundles to… So much more.
This workshop will have a focus on selling more books, indie publishing, the business of indie and hybrid, and everything that has changed and progressed since the last business master class.
There will be a focus on networking between all the writers attending. Lunches with experts, group breakfasts, time to talk, small group breakout sessions at times, and so on.
This will be over a year since the last Business Master Class and many, many things will have changed and improved. To answer the question clearly some of you have right here:
If you attended the last Business Master Class, YES this will be worth coming for because it will contain so much more and so much has changed.
Every business master class has been different and this will be yet again another different workshop focused on the new world of publishing.
This will be a real event workshop. Just the week of networking with 40-50 other professional writers is worth the costs.
For sign-up information, see above.
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ANTHOLOGY WORKSHOP
Led by professional writers and editors Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and Dean Wesley Smith plus Mark Leslie Lefebvre, Allyson Longueira, and other editors to be announced.
You will write stories ahead for six anthologies for this workshop. So actually, the writing starts for this workshop in early late November.
And wow will the networking with other professional writers be fantastic in this workshop.
So at the workshop you will write for six anthologies, but will have a chance to be in more, including Pulphouse Magazine. All paying markets with good contracts.
You will also be able to have lunches with one of the editors and other attending writers. As well as other special guests.
So, if you haven’t had six professional editors argue over your stories in front of you, you haven’t lived.
All editors will be buying during the workshop for anthologies or magazines. All anthologies are professional level anthologies paying 6 cents per word. Pulphouse Magazine is also paying professional rates starting at 6 cents per word. (All contracts are writer friendly and you don’t have to sign them or sell your story even if an editor wants your story.)
For workshop fees and location, see above.
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CRAFT WORKSHOPS
Taught by either Dean Wesley Smith or Kristine Kathryn Rusch or both, the craft workshops are an intense five day writing workshop on the topic such as Mystery, Romance, Series, or Memorable characters. (Those are the four in 2019.)
There will be a reading list ahead of each one and you will write a story ahead of each craft workshop. These are intense. You are in class two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon and then will have assignments and stories to write every day.
Very limited to 15 writers maximum. Don’t delay signing up for these if interested.
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THE KRIS AND DEAN SHOW
Three straight days of Dean and Kris going through the entire publishing industry and how you navigate it in 2018. It is entertaining and where else will you get two New York Times bestsellers talking about the industry for three straight days, making sense of it for you and how to go forward.
Plus people tell us it is amazingly entertaining, which is why it got the nickname “Show.”
Open to writers of all levels and trust me, it won’t matter if you have fifty novels out or just getting started, you will learn more than you can imagine from these three days.
Cost is $500. We are limited to 80 people, but we are not calling that a limit, so basically unlimited. We expect about the same number as the Master Business Class.
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Again, here is how to sign up…
Regular Fee…. $750.00.
We can put your name on a list for the workshop, no problem, just as we have always done. But payment guarantees you the spot. If you are signed up, but about to lose your spot to the workshop being full of paid writers, I will warn you ahead. All fees must be paid no later than one month of the workshop.
To sign up, pay through Paypal at dean@deanwesleysmith.com and then write me as to which workshop you want to be in.
And don’t forget the limited time offer of paying for four workshops and getting more workshops free.
Dean, I am interested in attending the PUBLISHING MASTER CLASS in October.
This will really be meaningful this year. I am in full swing in getting my writing on line and organized. I have been scrutinizing both yours and Kris’s web sites for ideas as I put up a web site for Aroung the World Publishing.
Is there still and opening and how do I pay you?
Ron
Ron, there is room, actually. I’ll e-mail you a bunch of data later tonight as well as how to pay.
In fact, your timing is perfect since I am just starting up the group e-mail list for the workshop now.
Dean, do you have an suggestions or recommendations for naming planets or nations on alien planets? Any dictionary tricks or anything like that you can share? In the alternative, if you know of a good reference work, that’ll do as well. Thanks in advance.
Not a clue. I just make sure every name is pronounceable for my audience. And in my Seeders novels, everyone so far has been human.
Just caution on making a name unpronounceable. But never heard of a help guide on this. Anyone???
I have this issue all the time, so I\’ve found a few generators to help out. The key to these is to not necessarily take the results exactly as they are, but to play with the. Substitute a letter or syllable.
http://rinkworks.com/namegen/ – Use the standard choices or learn how to use the markup for creating a new list of words with your definition. I use custom results all the time when I want a name to start with a certain letter or have a certain syllable in it.
http://fantasynamegenerators.com/#realNames – All sorts of names here, not only by country, but fantasy and scifi names.
http://donjon.bin.sh/scifi/name/ – This will produce all sorts of science fiction names, from people to planets to planets, to spacestations and spaceships.
http://www.scifiideas.com/alien-name-generator/ – Alien name generator.
http://www.springhole.net/writing_roleplaying_randomators/90saliennames.htm – Alien name generator, but can also be used for planets.
http://enneadgames.com/generators/planet-name-generator/ – Planet name generator.
Thanks, J.A., much appreciated.
Looking forward to the Class Announcements for 2016!
SO Glad you are having the Mystery Class again.
Anthology Workshop – ooooo, looks cool. As does “How To Write SF” with Kris.
We’ll see if I can get my production rate and my skill level (and my confidence) up to the point where I could effectively participate in workshops like that. Perhaps an online one before then to build rate/skill/confidence. And, of course, write write write.
– yeff
Terry and I would love to attend the Master Class. I believe he sent you a note a bit ago.
We’very wanted to return multiple times since 2012. Thankfully the stars have aligned and voila!
We would adore it if we could be assigned to one of the kitschy exterior rooms at The Anchor for our stay.
Please let us know .
We still have much to learn. And you are the master.
Just sending you an e-mail Donna. Would be great seeing you guys again. And it’s not just me teaching. Kris and six others, including Allyson from WMG and Mark from Kobo are all teaching. Going to be fantastic.
Isn’t it odd how that works? After over 102,000 words of fiction in July and over 105,000 in August, my September fell away with just less than 50,000 and halfway through October I’ve hit only 30,000 (and stalled hard on a story 22,000 words in… ugh). Sometimes the magic just doesn’t work. The secret, for me, in addition to enjoying the playtime, is to remember I’ve been there before so I know I can get there again.
Hi Dean,
I would be interested in one of the two spots left for the Anthology workshop in Lincoln City, OR in late February, if there is still a spot open?
Susan, there are still two spots open, actually. I will write you directly later tonight to give you a description about the workshop. It’s not a good fit for everyone.
Dean – Interested in attending the Master business class in Oregon in October. Do you have more details available, i.e. workshops and instructors/schedule? Also, can the fee be paid in installments or is the full amount due right now? I’m just now transitioning from traditional to an indie career, but have been studying and preparing for over a year while waiting for final books to release under the contract and for my non-compete to expire. Heard good things about this workshop from Matt.
Not sure what you mean by workshops? The master business class is one full week of nothing but morning, noon, evening, and night of information for eight straight days. Plus networking with all the other professional writers attending. We know for certain the names under listing above. Joanna Penn, Kris, me, M.L. Buchman, Allyson Longueira. But there will be others with specialty information for an hour here or an hour there. Payment can be made in any way you want up until about a month ahead of the workshop when the full fee needs to be paid then. All money paid ahead of that one month deadline is refundable for any reason. So you can pay in installments, no problem at all. Feel free to write me if you want more information.
I’d like to sign up for the Fantasy Workshop in April, 2018. I’m just not sure how.
I wonder if you invited Helen Sedwick? She is an attorney specialised in indie publishing legal matters.
Maybe in a future year, Michele. We’re set this year. Thanks!
I’d really like to sign up for the Anthology workshop in early 2018 if there are still spots!
Please send me the sign up info, if so.
Thanks a lot!
-Lesley L. Smith
Lesley,
Got your email, sorry for the delay. Back with you shortly.
Also looking to sign up for the Anthology class. Can you send me information to sign up? (or is there a link on this site? couldn’t find it)
Sending, Maggie. The information is up under the Coast Workshops tab and you can contact me at any point through contact me or just email me directly.
I’m interested in the anthology course in Feb. 2018. Hope there is still a place.
Dean, do you plan another PUBLISHING MASTER CLASS? I would be very interested in a course that discusses author websites, landing pages, converting books to ebooks, social presence….you know, all the stuff many of us hate. 🙂
Angela,
Not so much a basic publishing class on how to do books to ebooks and stuff like that. You can find that information by a simple Google search for most of that.
However, in the Master Business Class we just finished, we talk a lot about the business stuff at higher levels, including ads, promotion, and a ton more. We will be doing another in October of next year.
But the basic publishing stuff we won’t be doing again. Too easy to find that information out there these days.
Dean
I loved the workshops in Lincoln City. I was looking forward to one this year. Tears in my eyes about the new location. This is a place I run away from. The coast, the mountains, Lincoln City the atmosphere that calmed me is what I run toward.
You always filled your workshops and I am sure you will continue to do so. They have all been great. If you do plan one in Lincoln city please let me know.
Until then – The best to you and Kris.
Ron
Yup, I understand, Ron, but trust me, without the Anchor, the coast workshops would be a bust. And Kris and I toured the new location in Vegas yesterday and it is stunning. And has food that people with food allergies and health issues can eat, which Lincoln City did not.
So sorry we won’t be seeing you. The workshops are for learning writing and the business of writing. We are now making that easier for writers to do instead of much, much harder.
We had one person who was signed up saying they would miss the hiking and all the relaxing time between sessions of the workshop. They were new and I damned near rolled out of my chair laughing. They were expecting a retreat, not a WMG workshop. (Grin) I think we dodged a bullet with that one.
But that said, Ron, there is still a chance we will do some small workshops in Lincoln City. But we won’t know that until later in the year after the dust settles.
Hi Dean,
Am a newbie here but have been following you and Kristine via Alli / Orna’s videos, Joanna Penn’s podcasts etc… and would love to attend your workshops and download some of your wisdom! Do you still have space in your 2018 MASTER BUSINESS CLASS? Also, am wondering if there will be an overlap if I attend the 20 books to 50K conference that’s happening soon after in LA as well?
EIther way, looking forward to meeting you both one day. Cheers.
Tikiri,
There sure is room. Details at http://www.wmgworkshops@gmail.com. More details coming there next week as far as instructors and so on.
As for overlap, just about none. This class is very advanced stuff ranging through everything an indie writer needs in business. I am doing a class and some panels at the 20to50 conference. It is a much more basic conference. So think of it this way, this is the immersion class, the 20to50 is the how to get to what you learned in the Master Class.
Any questions at all, feel free to write me at dean.wmgworkshops@gmail.com. Hope you can make it.
And Tikiri, great branding covers on your series. Nice job there.
Thanks for the info and kind words on book covers. I’ll reflect on this a bit further, double check flights and hotel and such before registering. .Thanks & cheers.
Heard AMAZING testimonials from Blaze and Leah at Ninc this year about your blurb class, Dean! Will you be running that soon? In what context–live or online or what?
It’s called writing Sales Copy and it is online on https://wmg-publishing-workshops-and-lectures.teachable.com
In fact, the next six week workshop on writing Sales copy will start in November and I will have those available up on Teachable on Thursday or Friday. Any questions, feel free to write me directly.