Anna Boatman
Exec Editor, KAA
New York Times– and Sunday Times-bestselling editor, former publisher at Piatkus Fiction (Hachette)
Margaret Riley King
LITERARY AGENT & PARTNER, WME
#1 New York Times-bestselling literary agent
Amanda Eyre Ward
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING
NOVELIST AND SCREENWRITER
Retreat Workshops
Below are some of the topics and workshops covered during this retreat
Anna Boatman
EXEC EDITOR, KAA
New York Times– and Sunday Times-bestselling editor, former publisher at Piatkus Fiction (Hachette)
Anna has worked as an Editor and Publisher in the UK for over seventeen years, publishing and acquiring bestselling fiction. Authors she has worked with include Julia Quinn (author of the Bridgerton books), Rebecca Yarros (Fourth Wing), Abby Jimenez, Ana Huang, JR Ward, Lauren Asher, Christina Lauren and MW Craven.
As Fiction Publisher of the Piatkus Fiction and Constable imprints at Little, Brown, Anna built a superbly talented team and presided over an extraordinary seven-year run of success, ranging from the explosion of Bridgerton fever, to the growth of bestselling crime authors MW Craven and Kate Ellis, the publication of a multitude of bestselling romance and women’s fiction authors including Sally Thorne, Abby Jimenez, Eleanor Ray, Christina Lauren, Suzanne Wright, Ana Huang, Elsie Silver, Lauren Asher and Chloe Walsh, and the acquisition of worldwide bestseller Fourth Wing. In 2024, Piatkus Fiction won the prestigious Imprint of the Year title at the UK publishing industry’s annual book trade awards, the Nibbies. Prior to her eleven years at Hachette, Anna was an editor at Harlequin Mills & Boon, where she published several bestselling authors including Tiffany Reisz and Fiona Harper.
Anna is a hugely experienced and passionate editor, who is very excited at the opportunity to return to her editorial roots with her new role at KAA. She loves working on fiction and narrative non-fiction across all genres, and has extensive experience in everything from navigating fantasy lands with ghost-ridden ships to poetic and sharply-constructed Irish literary fiction. Anna has also run writing workshops on genres ranging from erotica to crime fiction, has attended and spoken at multiple festivals (most recently she was one of the VIP guests at the Romance Writers of Australia) and was one of the first publishers in the UK to acquire self-published authors.
Even after almost two decades of editing books, Anna remains endlessly fascinated by the extraordinary creativity and range of ideas authors bring to her; in every single project there is something truly special and Anna delights in working with an author to deliver their unique vision.
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Margaret Riley King
LITERARY AGENT & PARTNER, WME
#1 New York Times-bestselling literary agent
Margaret Riley King is a partner in the global books division of William Morris Endeavor, where she has built a distinguished career representing bestselling and award-winning authors across fiction and narrative nonfiction. With a foundation in storytelling and an editorial sensibility sharpened by nearly two decades in publishing, she brings to authors a rare combination of creative insight and marketplace expertise.
After graduating from Princeton University, Margaret joined WME and quickly rose to represent many of today’s most influential literary voices. Her philosophy is simple: the greatest books make readers feel deeply and think differently—they do more than entertain; they endure.
Her roster includes an extraordinary range of talent, among them:
Glennon Doyle, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Untamed
Jeannette Walls, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Glass Castle
Abby Wambach, Olympic gold medalist and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Wolfpack
Sue Monk Kidd, author of The Secret Life of Bees and The Book of Longings
Chloe Benjamin, author of The Immortalists
Austin Channing Brown, author of I’m Still Here
Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks, co-authors of The Wife Between Us
Nadia Bolz-Weber, New York Times bestselling author of Pastrix
Sheila Turnage, Newbery Honor-winning author of Three Times Lucky
Margaret has shaped stories that have sold millions of copies and sparked global conversations. Her deep understanding of both storytelling and the business of publishing makes her an exceptional mentor for authors seeking to bridge artistic ambition with commercial success.
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Amanda Eyre Ward
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING NOVELIST AND SCREENWRITER
Amanda Eyre Ward is the author of twelve novels, which have been translated into Sixteen languages. Her work has earned her a reputation as one of the most versatile and compelling voices in contemporary fiction, with honors including the Kirkus Reviews Best Books distinction, Elle Magazine’s Fiction Book of the Year, and the Violet Crown Book Award. Her newest novel, featuring the same characters as her Reese’s Book Club pick, THE JETSETTERS, is ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES.
Amanda’s writing career has been distinguished by both critical acclaim and a deep commitment to nurturing emerging writers. She has been awarded prestigious residencies at the MacDowell Colony and Yaddo. As a Featured Professor at the Kauai Writers Conference since 2020 and former Fiction Faculty at the Squaw Valley Writers’ Conference, she brings decades of experience to her teaching. Amanda has served as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Eastern Kentucky’s MFA program and began her teaching career as a Fellow at Phillips Exeter Academy and Athens College in Greece.
Beyond fiction, Amanda is an accomplished travel and food writer whose work appears in Travel + Leisure, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, AFAR, and Texas Monthly, where she specializes in luxury hospitality and culinary tourism. She is also a Featured Speaker at Lake Austin Spa and Rancho La Puerta. Amanda is currently developing oil television adaptations of her novels.
Amanda lives with her family in Austin, Texas, and writes best on a long airplane flight while everyone else is asleep.
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Your Host on Site
Anna Burtt
Retreat Coordinator
Your on-site host throughout the retreat
Our Retreat Coordinator, Anna, will be in touch as soon as you’ve secured your place to answer any questions you have, assist with booking transport and to get to know you and your work to make sure that you get the most from your experience in Tuscany. She will make sure that mentors know about your projects and receive material ahead of the retreat in order to tailor their teaching accordingly.
Anna has a background in both publishing and hospitality and is always happy to share insight and ideas as well as make you your favourite coffee and cocktail. Anna will be on site during the retreat overseeing teaching, organising airport transfers, serving meals and excursions and making sure that you have everything you need during the week, so you can switch off from your responsibilities and lock in to your learning.
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