TBR in the news…
Literary Boston: TBR and the Importance of Writing Conferences
By Jessica Kent | Jan 23, 2026
I slid into the back of the classroom for the first session of the day, the chairs already filled with attendees fresh from registration getting settled with their coffee, schedules splayed on the desks, pens poised above the handout, ready to take notes. After an introduction to the session “It’s a Great Idea — But is it a Novel?” instructor Lisa Borders led us in an exercise to articulate what our book is about. After a few moments of quiet creativity, she asked for volunteers to share, and a writer in front of me told the class the one-sentence idea for her book. In front of her, another writer — a stranger, fellow attendee — turned around at the premise, and thoughtfully nodded the kind of nod that says, “I’m intrigued. Tell me more. I want to read this.”
And that’s how the day would go at last weekend’s inaugural TBR (To Be Read) Conference: learning from industry professionals at the front of the room and being inspired by others in the chairs next to us. Read more
WGBH The Culture Show: Congressman Jim Clyburn, Scottish Fish, and To Be Read Conference
January 15, 2026
Whitney Scharer is the co-founder of To Be Read (TBR), a new writing and publishing conference launching Saturday, January 17, at Lesley University in Cambridge. Co-founded with writer Sonya Larson, TBR brings writers together with agents, editors, booksellers, and publishing professionals for conversations about craft, careers, and the forces reshaping the literary world. Scharer also discusses Publishing Matchmaker, a new system designed to rethink how writers and literary agents connect by reversing the traditional submission process. Listen to the podcast now.
Publishers Weekly: Writers Often Overlook Interested Agents, Conference Data Shows
By Ed Nawotka | Dec 11, 2025
Early data from a new agent-writer matching program at the upcoming TBR Writing & Publishing Conference reveal a possible disconnect between writers' instincts and agent interest. According to the conference organizers, writers fail to identify agents who are actually interested in their work 66% of the time. Read more
Back Issues of our Newsletter…
Featured Attendee: Julie Gerstenblatt
"If you don’t like to make life hard for your characters, get over it. If you worry too much about following the exact history behind your tale, let that go. If you toss and turn at night thinking about what your grandmother might say about your book, be brave and write it anyway." —Julie Gerstenblatt
Announcing the Publishing Matchmaker Program
When we started planning TBR, we knew that a nonnegotiable feature of the conference was a big party on Saturday night. But what —and where — should that big gathering be?
Parties and Volunteers
When we started planning TBR, we knew that a nonnegotiable feature of the conference was a big party on Saturday night. But what —and where — should that big gathering be?
A name, a date, a "concept of a plan"
Mark your calendars: we officially have a name, date, and venue for our brand-new writing and publishing conference!