Everything You Need to Know to Write Your Novel—In One Hour

This event is a fundraiser for the 2026 Salem Literary Festival; all proceeds will be used to fund festival programming.

Full disclosure: actually writing it is going to take longer than that. But if the question is: can USA Today bestselling thriller author Hank Phillippi Ryan show me exactly how to take my idea for a crime fiction novel and turn it into a living breathing book? Yes, indeed. You'll need talent, and persistence, and craft. And some magic. But in this fast-paced high-intensity class, suitable for any genre, Hank will give you a structure, a template, an architecture—exactly what you need to help you structure your idea and grow it into the novel it is meant to be. You'll leave this class with a personal plan for your book, a list of absolute necessities, and even some inspiration.

Hank Phillippi Ryan is the USA Today bestselling author of 17 thrillers including ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS, the 2026 Mary Higgins Clark Award winner, and the upcoming MOTHER DAUGHTER SISTER STRANGER. She’s won every major mystery award, and her thrillers are translated into multiple languages worldwide. Her fiction is inspired by a lifetime of investigating true crime as an on-air reporter for Boston’s WHDH-TV, winning multiple journalism honors, including an unprecedented 37 Emmys. A TedX speaker and in-demand literary moderator, national reviewers call her “a superb and gifted storyteller. ” A Chicago native with Indianapolis roots, Ryan lives in Boston.

Tuition: $75