Due to the LA fires, two retreaters can no longer join us Feb. 3-7, 2025 in gorgeous Carmel-by-the-Sea. If you can see yourself tucked into your own gorgeous room at the luxurious La Playa Hotel overlooking the ocean, with a king bed, full buffet breakfasts, and the rest of your meals catered, plus more magical time, support, and focus on your book than perhaps you’ve ever experienced, read on.
After 16 years & 100 retreats, I’m taking an indefinite leave to focus on my writing & podcasting. I was terrified to make this shift (I cried for 3 days after announcing it). But I was right to listen to my gut and give up the thing I love most for the thing I love even more—if that makes sense. Lately, I’ve been writing nearly nonstop. It’s as if my Muse perked up and said, “Ah, there you are! I’ve been waiting for you to take your creativity seriously and make space for me.” (It’s not all serious in Carmel, far from it. If you haven’t seen my Carmel video trailer, watch until the end for the late-night boardroom gut laughs.)
I’m having a blast. My eyes are tiiiired. My dogs are bored. But I’m figuring out my rhythm and will find my balance. It’s just so glorious to be back in writing mode—the reason my Book Mama business started was to support my writing following an unexpected divorce. The retreats were so surprisingly rewarding and fulfilling that I never looked back or hardly even up.
This may sound familiar. You started offering a service to support a bigger dream. What a JOY! But at a certain point, you realized: “OMG. If I don’t pull back, I’ll wake up one day and realize I’ve run out of time!”
I’m humbled, amazed, and beyond grateful to say my dreams with these retreats were realized. They did everything and more I hoped for: saved my home, my son, my sanity, and my creativity while introducing me to the most badass women imaginable and helping many of them connect with their dream agents and book deals. Like these recent examples:
“Linda Sivertsen is simply a wonderful catalyst. As an academic who experiences a lot of pressure to publish in a certain way, I don’t know if I would have had the momentum and self-encouragement to keep going with my about-to-be-published book if I hadn’t attended Linda’s Carmel retreat and gotten so much from the general vibe and love of writing; it was like a reminder I really needed. I had thought I was going there to talk about a memoir but ended up talking about (and writing about) brainwashing. After the retreat, too, Linda was a wise voice and great help – working with me on my proposal and introducing me to several agents, one of whom got me multiple offers. Working with Linda has been such a valuable experience, one I cherish.”
Rebecca Lemov, Harvard professor & author of The Instability of Truth, W. W. Norton & Company (March 25, 2025)
“To our Book Mama extraordinaire! Linda, you were the secret to getting our book done; it would not be in the world without you. Going to Carmel made all the difference. To writers looking for a push to finish: The support, wisdom, guidance, and cheerleading Linda provides are invaluable. Bonus! She introduced us to our agent, Leslie Meredith, who has been a dream!”
Orna & Matthew Walters, authors of Getting It Right This Time, Alcove Press, January 2025
Want to supercharge YOUR dreams in the week of a lifetime—in a little more than a week? Who said you weren’t spontaneous?! Just think. No kid or animal care. No driving, shopping, cooking, cleaning, or getting sidetracked with other people’s random needs. You don’t even have to put on make-up! Heaven, right? Imagine what you can accomplish.
If we don’t fill the spots, no bigs. The retreat will be incredible if it’s just the four of us. I’ve done it before and loved it—more time for naps! But my favorite group size, the perfect number, is six of us. Wanna round us out? Fill out the brief form at the bottom of this page and I’ll contact you ASAP.
Either way, I can’t tell you how excited I am to return to my favorite hotel in my most treasured hamlet on God’s green earth and make this the BEST retreat ever. (They’re all the best—the women blow me away every time. But it’s also true that I will go all out and give my everything.) We’ll create magic for ourselves and each other with stunning speed. I can feel it. There will be loads of laughter (and tears—sad, happy—all healing, for sure) and endless gratitude as we stuff our faces and word count.
If you’re feeling me, fill out this brief form, and I’ll contact you ASAP. It’s a big investment, no doubt, but one that’s proven to be worth it time and again. Ask me about a payment plan.
But what about finding a less-expensive editor? A gal recently wrote to me that she’d found someone more affordable and decided not to come. More power to her. Talent is everywhere! And… here’s the gist of what I emailed her:
“Most editors are more reasonable, for sure. But not always in the long run. I have a lovely client who used a less expensive editor for her novel. After $100,000 and two years of edits, I was floored by how much work it needed. When I showed her what I would have done, she was flabbergasted.
“Just because someone is a professional doesn’t mean it’s a good match. But you’ll know more once you speak with them. Trust your gut. And ask for samples and testimonials. Vet them. Results will tell you a lot.”
Agent wooing and publishing weren’t yet on her radar. I appreciated that her focus was on getting the book out of her and onto paper. I cherish working with writers who aren’t so desperate to publish that they miss the point: the joy of the creative process. But here’s what else I told her:
“I love it when my people don’t shortchange themselves and go small without trying. If you’re going to go through all the work to write a good book—and it’s WORK to do so—I always advise to aim high. Go for the most prominent NY agents and publishers. Give yourself a shot at being supported. Millions of authors don’t get support or many sales (the average book sells less than 1,000 copies, with almost no marketing from their publishers), so finding a top agent and publishing dream team can make all the difference.
“That’s where I have thirty years of experience, which is rare—because I started as a writer. For example, one of the agents I work with now was my editor on a book I collaborated on twenty years ago. [I wrote for Leslie Meredith, then a top editor at Simon & Schuster. The book, Living Artfully, was excerpted every holiday for a year on Oprah(.com). Leslie and I stayed connected, and she sells a LOT of my client’s books.]
“I guess the point I’m trying to make is that I’m expensive because I wear so many hats and give so much—at a level few can replicate, and I could only do a few times per year in recent years because of how much it demands of me.
“As for price, my dear friend Arielle Ford (the publicist who launched Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, and others) says that writing a good book is like paying for a PhD. I’d like to think working with me costs a lot less than that. Ha. The luxury we experience in Carmel is truly a dream come true and costs me a fortune. But it’s magical how the environment brings out the best in all of us and catapults our writing, visioning, and bonding process.”
Okay, my peoples. That’s all I’ve got for now. Since this is my last retreat (maybe ever), I want it to be doubly special. I hope to see you there!
Either way, I’m wishing you all the success in the world. Write on!
Linda 💕
Summer 2024: I had the immense pleasure of interviewing Jessica Fein, the author of Breath Taking: A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes, at Zibby’s Bookshop in Santa Monica. Hearing Jess share memories of our retreat I’d forgotten, which you can listen to here, was such a treat. The room laughed and cried with this most courageous of Mama Bears as I and many of Jessica’s friends and fans felt the spirit of Dalia, Jessica’s beautiful daughter who died two years ago (the subject of the story), in attendance. 💙 It was one of the most moving nights of community I’ve ever experienced. That’s the beauty of sisterhood and gathering at an intimate bookstore to connect heart to heart. As you can see, our bonds are lasting, with groups continuing to meet online and in person regularly for YEARS. Wow. #BookMamaGrateful xo
PS. Okay, phew. Big stuff. My knees are a little shaky. If you have any thoughts to share, I’d love to hear them on Instagram, Facebook, or X. I also posted an IG video chatting about my retreats this morning. (Now I’m going to snuggle a horse and try breathing.🐴) LOVE you! xoxo
