One-on-One with Literary Agent Kate McKean

Proven Framework for Successful Collaboration

Writing can be lonely. You brainstorm alone, draft alone, revise alone. Maybe you are lucky enough to have a beta reader or editor at the end. But what if you could build the story with someone from the beginning? We know what you’re asking: Will I lose creative control? What if our styles clash? What if one of us writes faster? How do we even start? In this candid, craft-focused session, authors Lauren Nossett and Rea Frey share what they have learned from co-writing together, from early brainstorming sessions to managing deadlines and dividing responsibilities. Attendees will walk away with a practical, step-by-step framework for successful collaboration. You will learn how to: * Find the right creative partner and build a strong author community * Brainstorm collaboratively without sacrificing your voice * Establish a writing schedule and clear expectations * Divide tasks strategically based on individual strengths * Navigate creative disagreements productively * Give and receive constructive feedback in service of the storyUse collaboration to expand reach and strengthen promotion By the end of the session, you will have the tools and confidence to decide whether co-writing is right for you and, if so, how to do it successfully. Resources: Slideshow Presentation [https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Proven-Framework-for-Successful-Collaboration.pdf] Rea’s Website [https://www.reafrey.com/] Rea on IG: @reafreyauthor [https://www.instagram.com/reafreyauthor/] Rea’s Book Coaching [https://www.reafrey.com/work-with-me] Rea's new book, Dear Mother: A Thriller [https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Mother-Rea-Frey-ebook/dp/B0DQQCGG1J] (out April 28, 2026) Lauren's new book, Indie Darling [https://www.laurennossett.com/books] (out in July, 2026) Lauren’s Website [https://www.laurennossett.com/] Lauren on IG: @laurennossett [https://www.instagram.com/laurennossett/] Lauren on Substack [https://laurennossett.substack.com/] Lauren’s Developmental Editing Services [https://www.laurennossett.com/contact] Nashville Authors [https://www.laurennossett.com/nashville-authors] Rea’s Symposium Host Page [https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/host/rea-frey] Lauren’s Symposium Host Page [https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/host/lauren-nossett] Relevant On-Demand Symposiums: “How to Approach Editing Without Losing Your Sh*t [https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/event/how-to-approach-edits-without-losing-your-sht]” by Rea Frey "The Book Skeleton Workshop: How to Structure Your Story Before Writing a Single Word [https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/event/the-book-skeleton-workshop-how-to-structure-your-story-before-writing-a-single-word]" by Rea Frey More Info: Pipeline Artists [https://pipelineartists.com/] New live Symposium sessions [https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/] Watch on-demand sessions [https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/archive/] Enter Pipeline contests [https://pipelineartists.com/compete/] Subscribe: YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/pipelineartists] X: @PipelineArtists [https://twitter.com/pipelineartists] Pipeline OG Podcasts [https://pipelineartists.com/listen/]

One-on-One with Literary Agent Cecilia "CeCe" Lyra

If you're a listener to the podcast "The Shit No One Tells You About Writing [https://www.theshitaboutwriting.com/]," you already know the amazing literary agent CeCe Lyra. To say we're thrilled to have her on Symposium is the understatement of the year. At Symposium we have one important rule: To tell people what they need to hear not necessarily what they want to hear. Hard truths will get you farther in your career than false hope, and CeCe politely puts her Grinch hat on to deliver the honest advice you need to improve your odds at publication. We'll dive into the world of a lit agent, the advice writers need to improve, and you'll even get to ask questions, too! *NOTE: Zoom played tricks with CeCe's calendar, so we got the party started a little late. You can watch the first minutes of Jeanne's impromptu AMA, or skip to the 8:30-minute mark when CeCe's genius starts. Cecilia “CeCe” Lyra is a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates representing adult fiction and non-fiction. She is drawn to books with strong hooks and smooth writing, told with originality, nuance, and authenticity. A long-term strategic thinker, CeCe prioritizes the creative reach and sustainable longevity of her authors’ careers, and she is especially looking for clients with whom she can build fruitful, lasting relationships. Both a storyteller and a storyseller, CeCe believes that stories are empathy-generating machines capable of healing, connecting, and enacting true change. As a mixed race Latinx immigrant, CeCe understands the power of seeing oneself reflected in books, hence her passion for championing under or misrepresented voices and narratives that contribute to a larger cultural conversation. CeCe is a member of the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA). The popular podcast The Shit No One Tells You About Writing, for which CeCe is a co-host, has over four million downloads. CeCe is also a recovering lawyer, but asks that you do not hold that against her. Resources from this session: * CeCe’s Classes [https://learn-with-cece.thinkific.com/] * CeCe’s Website [https://cecilialyra.com/] * CeCe on Threads: @cece_lyra_agent [https://www.threads.com/@cece_lyra_agent] * CeCe on IG: @cece_lyra_agent [https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/] * CeCe’s LinkTree [https://linkfly.to/30617lRs0fK] * Wendy Sherman Associates [https://www.wsherman.com/] * Wendy Sherman Associates Submission Guidelines [https://www.wsherman.com/submission-guidelines/] * Podcast December Bonus Episode [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/december-bonus-episode/id1530250126?i=1000742818247] with Agents of Wendy Sherman Associates * “The Shit No One Tells You About Writing” Substack [https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.com/] More Info: Pipeline Artists [https://pipelineartists.com/] New live Symposium sessions [https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/] Watch on-demand sessions [https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/archive/] Enter Pipeline contests [https://pipelineartists.com/compete/] Subscribe: YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/pipelineartists] X: @PipelineArtists [https://twitter.com/pipelineartists] Pipeline OG Podcasts [https://pipelineartists.com/listen/]

One-on-One with Crosby Selander

Matt Misetich, Executive Director of Pipeline Media Group, talks with screenwriter Crosby Selander about the state of the screenwriting industry. Included in the discussion is a live Q&A with the attendees. Crosby Selander is a Los Angeles based screenwriter and filmmaker. He received a double BA from New York University, and his MFA from Carnegie Mellon University where he was the recipient of a Shubert Fellowship. After placing as a finalist in the Script Pipeline Screenwriting Contest [https://scriptpipeline.com/contest/screenwriting-contest], his screenplay BRING ME BACK (currently set up at Legendary) went on to become the biggest spec sale of 2020, and one of the biggest all-time from an unproduced writer. Crosby went on to develop the Hugo-winning novel THE FOREVER WAR for TV alongside director Francis Lawrence for Village Roadshow, and served in the feature writing room for the MATCHBOX movie for Skydance. He has projects in active development at Lab Brew, 193, and Weed Road. His short films have played at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Hollyshorts, and dozens of other film festivals around the world. He’s been featured in Variety, the Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, and China Daily, among others. He's repped for film/tv at UTA and Kaplan Perrone Entertainment. * Watch Recording [https://youtu.be/fA0JXdS1rgg] on YouTube * Crosby on X: @CrosbySelander [https://x.com/CrosbySelander] More Info: Pipeline Artists [https://pipelineartists.com/] New live Symposium sessions [https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/] Watch on-demand sessions [https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/archive/] Enter Pipeline contests [https://pipelineartists.com/compete/] Subscribe: YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/pipelineartists] X: @PipelineArtists [https://twitter.com/pipelineartists] Pipeline OG Podcasts [https://pipelineartists.com/listen/]

One-on-One with Producer Michael Peterson

Pipeline Executive Director Matthew Misetich talked with Michael Peterson, Vice President of Development for Phoenix Pictures, to discuss the art of screenwriting and filmmaking through the lens of a producer. As always, our Symposium one-on-one conversations are a community event, welcoming the audience's questions, too. Resources: Recording [https://youtu.be/cPGiXvzlvEg?mc_cid=4e94b66b1b&mc_eid=UNIQID] on YouTube Michael Peterson’s Bio [https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/host/michael-peterson?mc_cid=4e94b66b1b&mc_eid=UNIQID] Relevant Symposiums Sessions: * “Writing to Budget [https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/event/writing-to-budget?mc_cid=4e94b66b1b&mc_eid=UNIQID]” by Bob Saenz * “Creative Strategies for the Changing Screenwriting Landscape [https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/event/creative-strategies-for-the-changing-screenwriting-landscape?mc_cid=4e94b66b1b&mc_eid=UNIQID]” with Lee Jessup * Wednesday, August 6th: “Logline Workshop [https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/event/loglines-everything-you-need-to-know-to-sell-your-story-and-yourselfin-just-one-sentence?mc_cid=4e94b66b1b&mc_eid=UNIQID]” with Merridith Allen (offered multiple times a year) More Info: Pipeline Artists [https://pipelineartists.com/] New live Symposium sessions [https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/] Watch on-demand sessions [https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/archive/] Enter Pipeline contests [https://pipelineartists.com/compete/] Subscribe: YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/pipelineartists] X: @PipelineArtists [https://twitter.com/pipelineartists] Pipeline OG Podcasts [https://pipelineartists.com/listen/]

One-on-One with Literary Agent Kate McKean

Kate McKean is a literary agent at the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency in Brooklyn, but she's also an author and the creator of the popular Agents & Books [http://agentsandbooks.com/] newsletter. Get ready for the ultimate agent AMA. Pipeline exec Jeanne Veillette Bowerman conducts an intimate one-on-one dialogue with Kate, diving into the life of an agent, and also her new book, Write Through It: An Insider’s Guide to Publishing and the Creative Life [https://www.strandbooks.com/write-through-it-an-insider-s-guide-to-publishing-and-the-creative-life-9781668055540.html], coming out in June. If that's not enough, she also has a picture book set to publish by Sourcebooks in 2026. As always, our Symposium one-on-one conversations are a community event. While Jeanne and Kate converse, your questions will be addressed, too. Pour a beverage, sit back and relax. Enjoy the dialogue. Resources: Kate’s Website [https://www.katemckean.com/] Agents + Books [https://www.agentsandbooks.com/] Newsletter Kate on IG [https://www.instagram.com/kate_mckean/] Kate on X [https://x.com/kate_mckean] Kate on BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/katemckean.bsky.social] Kate on Goodreads [https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/11827229-kate-mckean] Order Kate’s new book, Write Through It: An Insider’s Guide to Publishing and the Creative Life [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Write-Through-It/Kate-McKean/9781668055540] Free Symposiums Mentioned: Hard Truths: Book Writing Competitions [https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/event/hard-truths-book-writing-competitions] One-on-One with Victoria Strauss [https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/event/one-on-one-with-writer-bewares-victoria-strauss] More Info: Pipeline Artists [https://pipelineartists.com/] New live Symposium sessions [https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/] Watch on-demand sessions [https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/archive/] Enter Pipeline contests [https://pipelineartists.com/compete/] Subscribe: YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/pipelineartists] X: @PipelineArtists [https://twitter.com/pipelineartists] Pipeline OG Podcasts [https://pipelineartists.com/listen/]