MASTERING THE TRADE BOOK
Co-hosted by the University of California Santa Cruz
INSTITUTIONAL FUNDS ACCEPTED
Dream Inn
175 West Cliff Drive
Santa Cruz, CA
February 20-23, 2026
Join us in California in February for a three-day national retreat designed for senior academics who are SERIOUS about writing that big trade book—and don’t have time to waste.
This unique event—taking place right on the beach with inspirational views of the Pacific Ocean—will bring together scholars from across the country for a focused, immersive experience designed to cultivate mastery of all aspects of trade publishing and turbo-charge the transition to writing for popular audiences.
Featured Speakers
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Tanya McKinnon
Literary Agent, McKinnon Literary
Founder of McKinnon Literary, Tanya represents award-winning authors across fiction, non-fiction and children's literature—including Anthea Butler, Imani Perry and Michael Eric Dyson. With over two decades of experience, her clients include National Book Award winners and New York Times bestsellers.
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Elise Capron
Agent, Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency
One of the most dynamic agents operating on the west coast, Elise specializes in narrative-driven, trade-friendly history, cultural studies and science. She has represented such authors as Pulitzer Prize-winner Edda Fields-Black, Bancroft-winner James Tejani, Nevins Prize-winner Bench Ansfield and environmental journalist Cynthia Barnett. Elise has been with the Dijsktra Agency for more than two decades.
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Clive Priddle
Former publisher, PublicAffairs Books
Clive Priddle is an editor and publisher who has had senior roles in the UK and the US, at HarperCollins, the Perseus Books Group and Hachette, most recently as publisher of the non-fiction imprint PublicAffairs. There he has edited and published four Nobel Prizewinning authors, and other non-fiction prizewinning writers including Esther Duflo, Kishore Mahbubani, Susan Williams, Ibram X Kendi, Muhammad Yunus and Stephanie Kelton.
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Jessica Purcell
VP & Senior Director of Publicity, Knopf
Jessica oversees publicity campaigns for one of publishing's most prestigious imprints. Her innovative approaches have launched academic authors into the national spotlight through strategic media placements, book tours and digital campaigns. She specializes in positioning scholarly expertise for maximum public impact.
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David Perry, PhD
Op-Ed Coach & Historian, University of Minnesota
A historian who successfully transitioned to public writing, David has published 600+ op-eds in outlets including the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Atlantic. He coaches academics on crafting timely, compelling opinion pieces that translate research into public discourse and build author platforms. -
Allison Devereux
Literary Agent, Trellis Literary
Allison represents award-winning journalists, academics, and thought leaders, focusing on history, science, philosophy, medicine, cultural criticism, and outward-facing memoir. Her clients have been New York Times bestsellers and winners or finalists for the National Book Foundation Science + Literature Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the PEN America Literary Award, the National Magazine Award, the Mark Lynton History Prize, and other honors.
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John Ghazvinian
Founder, Scholars to Storytellers
Historian and author of "America and Iran: A History" (Knopf) named among the New York Times "100 Notable Books of 2021." His work has appeared in Newsweek, the Washington Post, and The Nation. He teaches Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Pennsylvania while helping academics transform specialized knowledge into books that reach mainstream audiences.
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Kevin Dettmar
W.M. Keck Professor of English & Director of Humanities Studio, Pomona College
Kevin is author or editor of a dozen scholarly books on such topics as James Joyce, Bob Dylan, the “death” of rock & roll, and post-punk band Gang of Four. His writing has appeared in the New Yorker and The Atlantic. His first trade book, Punk in Fifty Pieces, will be published by Harper in fall 2026
Curriculum Coming Soon
Tanya McKinnon | Founder and Literary Agent, McKinnon Literary
“So many have spent their careers writing for other experts and academic presses, often without much exposure to what it takes to reach a broader audience. Writing for trade is a different skill set—but not an unfamiliar one once you know what tools you need. In my experience, once academics get a feel for that toolkit and how to use it, the path forward becomes much clearer. They can choose whether to write for academic or trade audiences—or both. Because choice is the essence of freedom.”
Yuko Miki, PhD | Associate Professor of History, Fordham University
“I love a great story with strong characters and emotional resonance but had thought that such storytelling was reserved for my creative writing friends and their retreats. I am thrilled that Scholars to Storytellers is providing the opportunity for us to pursue that path.”
Asal Rad, PhD | Social Media Strategist and Research Director
“For better or worse, much of the world now communicates and learns through social media. If academics want to share their knowledge, which they should as experts in their respective fields, social media platforms can be their biggest classroom.”
Learn how to:
Find an agent
Write a killer non-fiction book proposal for a commercial publisher
Craft elegant, unforgettable prose that blasts off the page – and straight into the hearts of agents, publishers and (ultimately) readers
Stop wasting time on dead-end scholarly questions and esoteric “stakes” that no one outside academia cares about
Kill jargon where it starts – inside your head, your heart and your inner insecure grad student
Build your social media platform and become THE public voice in your field
Successfully pitch and write op-eds for major national and local media
Hear from:
Industry experts
Agents
Editors at “Big 5” New York trade publishers
Academics who have successfully made the transition to trade
One of New York’s top book publicists
Engage in:
Focussed exercises for smart, accessible storytelling
Marketing exercises to help you see your book as a commercial product and not just an intellectual product
“Shark Tank” pitch slam night – 60 seconds to pitch your book idea to a panel of top New York literary agents
PLUS: As a special bonus, all participants will be given one year of complimentary membership in the Scholars to Storytellers group coaching program (a $1200 value) – a cohort-building exercise designed to create accountability, community and actionable follow-through on what we learn together during the retreat.
Please note: This retreat is designed to be of value mostly to tenured scholars in the humanities and social sciences who are serious about writing a “trade book” or otherwise engaging with the general public. Non-tenured academics, scholars of the hard sciences or professional fields (law, business, education, public health, etc.), independent scholars, contingent faculty, graduate students, retired academics and others are welcome to participate. However, such applicants are advised to consider seriously how a trade book might fit into their career goals and whether participation in the retreat is a good use of their funds. If you are unsure, you are strongly advised to contact us before registering so we can constructively advise you on the program's suitability for your goals.