How To Be A Happy And Successful Writer 

20th – 26th September 2026 | Naxos, Greece 
With Sophie Hannah, Elly James & Jamie Hodder-Williams
Reserve your place

Sold Out please contact us to be on the waiting list

The Overview

The How to be a Happy and Successful Writer Retreat is a week-long residency for writers who are passionate about writing and seeking space, clarity, and expert guidance.

Hosted on the island of Naxos, the retreat brings together a small group of writers with an internationally acclaimed and bestselling author and book coach, a leading literary agent, and an experienced publisher. The emphasis throughout is on depth rather than speed, clarity rather than noise, and long-term creative thinking about how to succeed as exactly the sort of writer you most want to be.

This is a retreat for writers who want to understand their work more fully — and to leave better equipped to continue it and thrive as they pursue their writing journey and their creative dreams.

The Approach

The programme is deliberately structured to balance intensive morning deep-dive sessions with generous amounts of time for reflection, writing, and conversation. Afternoons are left free, allowing ideas to settle and work to deepen, while evenings offer shared discussion and industry insight.

Across the week, writers will be invited to think carefully about:

  • What their book is really trying to do

  • How their creative process works — and where it falters

  • How to make decisions with greater confidence and less self-doubt

  • How the publishing landscape operates in practice

The retreat does not promise shortcuts or quick fixes. Instead, it offers perspective, rigour, space, and a thorough grounding in everything a writer needs in order to fulfil their creative promise.

Morning Workshops

Led by Sophie Hannah Four extended morning workshops form the intellectual core of the retreat.
Each session runs from 10:00–12:30 and builds on the last.

  • An exploration of how to clarify what your book is offering the reader and how to align intention, structure, and psychology. Sophie introduces her distinctive approaches to drafting and planning, helping writers work more consciously and coherently.

  • A reframing of what writing progress actually feels like. This session examines creative capacity, character development, and confidence — both in the writer and on the page — offering a framework that supports sustained creative work.

  • A practical and psychological look at the challenges that arise mid-book and beyond. Writers learn how to diagnose what isn’t working, think clearly about structure and endings, and navigate resistance without losing momentum.

  • An examination of decision-making as a core creative skill. This session focuses on reducing paralysis and second-guessing, enabling writers to move forward with greater clarity and trust in their own judgement.

Literary Representation

With Elly James, Director of the HHB Literary Agency

  • This session offers a grounded, honest account of how literary agents work and how writers can approach representation thoughtfully and professionally. Rather than focusing on fleeting trends, the emphasis is on understanding the publishing ecosystem and making informed, sustainable choices.
    Topics include:

    • How agents read and assess work

    • Developing commercial awareness without writing to fashion

    • When and how to submit

    • The realities of the agent–author relationship

    • How publishing and selling chains function in practice

  • Each writer will receive a private one-to-one pitch session with Elly. These meetings are treated as professional conversations, informed by reading in advance, and designed to give writers a clearer sense of how their work is perceived and how best to proceed.

  • Jamie Hodder-Williams brings an expert and highly experienced viewpoint to the retreat, contributing to group sessions and manuscript discussions. His work focuses on how books work as part of a publishing business, and the sorts of business questions writers need to think about, as well as touching upon how structure, clarity, and editorial decision-making shape a manuscript as it moves towards publication.

Secure Your Spot

Solo Occupancy
£2950

Reserve your place with a non-refundable deposit.
Final payment due 30 days before your retreat.

Pay by card at checkout, or use Klarna to spread the cost interest-free.

Full terms and conditions

Happy And Successful Writer - Solo Occupancy Happy And Successful Writer - Solo Occupancy Happy And Successful Writer - Solo Occupancy
Sold out
Happy And Successful Writer - Solo Occupancy
from £295.00

How To Be A Happy And Successful Writer

20th – 26th September 2026 | Naxos, Greece

Shared Occupancy
£2450 pp

Reserve your place with a non-refundable deposit.
Final payment due 30 days before your retreat.

Pay by card at checkout, or use Klarna to spread the cost interest-free.

Full terms and conditions

Happy And Successful Writer - Shared Occupancy Happy And Successful Writer - Shared Occupancy Happy And Successful Writer - Shared Occupancy
Happy And Successful Writer - Shared Occupancy
from £490.00

How To Be A Happy And Successful Writer

20th – 26th September 2026 | Naxos, Greece

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Support & A Note On Expectations

Individual Support & Discussion Alongside the taught sessions, the retreat includes:

  • Small-group manuscript discussions

  • Individual consultations with Sophie Hannah for each participant

  • Informal conversations with faculty across the week

The small group size allows for thoughtful exchanges and for questions to emerge naturally over time.

A Note on Expectations We want you to dream big!! We certainly do. And one of the things we’re going to cover on the retreat is why ‘not aiming too high’ and ‘being realistic’ are working against you, however sensible you might think you’re being.

During our week together, we will aim to convince you that believing great things can happen, even in the face of uncertainty and no guarantees, is not only a much more effective approach to creating success and your best work, but also feels much jollier too! There’s no downside to expecting good things to happen. Don’t believe us? Come along and we’ll prove it to you!

Practical Details and Frequent asked questions

  • Naxos, Greece

    Naxos wraps writers in a rare blend of beauty, calm, and breathing space, with the island’s slow, generous rhythm woven into every day of the retreat. Afternoons stay deliberately unprogrammed, so you can swim in clear water, walk the coastline, write in the shade, or simply rest and let ideas settle. All meals are shared around the table, with a welcome reception and a closing gala dinner that bring the group together in easy, unhurried conversation.

    The Accommodation

    We stay at Lianos Village in Agios Prokopios, one of Naxos’s most beautiful coastal areas. The hotel is set in peaceful gardens, close to the long golden beach and the small selection of relaxed tavernas, cafés and shops nearby. Guests can enjoy the generous outdoor pool, sun loungers and shaded spaces for reading or writing, while the sea is only a short walk away.

    The rooms are comfortable, air-conditioned and thoughtfully equipped, many with private balconies or terraces looking out towards the gardens, pool or sea. It is an easy, welcoming base for the week: close enough to enjoy beach life and village evenings, while peaceful enough to properly switch off, write and rest.

  • Daily Rhythm Some mornings there will be Yoga before breakfast!

    • 08:00–09:30: Breakfast

    • 10:00–12:30: Morning workshop (selected days)

    • 13:00: Lunch

    • 14:00–16:00: Free time / writing / consultations / pitch sessions

    • 17:00–19:00: Evening sessions (selected days)

    • 19:15: Drinks and dinner

  • Sunday: Welcome Reception & Dinner

    Monday: "Fulfilling Your Book’s Promise" (Sophie Hannah) + "The Role of Literary Agent" Panel (Elly James and Jamie Hodder-Williams).

    Tuesday: "Capacity, Character and Confidence" (Sophie Hannah) + "Different Kinds of Publishing" Panel (Sophie Hannah, Elly James and Jamie Hodder-Williams).

    Wednesday: "Going the Distance" (Sophie Hannah) + Agent Pitch Sessions

    Thursday: "A Publisher’s Perspective" (Jamie Hodder-Williams) + 1-2-1s

    Friday: "Decision-Making in Writing Success" (Sophie Hannah) + Gala Dinner

  • Dates: 20–26 September 2026

    Location: Naxos, Greece

    Participants: 18 writers

    Eligibility: Open to writers at any stage of their writing journey—from those with just the seed of an idea to those with a full manuscript.

    Genres: Adult fiction across genres (including literary, commercial, crime, thriller, historical, fantasy, romance) and narrative non-fiction (memoir).

    • A pre-retreat online meeting for all participants — last-minute questions welcome!

    • Goody bag full of Naxos treats.

    • Accommodation (6 nights).

    • All meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner with drinks.

    • Workshops and taught sessions with Sophie Hannah, Elly James, and Jamie Hodder-Williams.

    • Individual consultations with Sophie Hannah.

    • One-to-one pitch session with Elly James and Jamie Hodder-Williams.

    • Private Group WhatsApp to share news, ask questions, and keep the writing community alive long after the retreat ends.

    • Welcome reception and Gala Dinner.

    • Visas, flights and ferry tickets (we can help you plan this).

    • Travel insurance (essential).

    • Extra drinks and snacks outside of scheduled meals

  • Fly to Athens, Mykonos, or Santorini, then take a ferry to Naxos. Or fly directly from Athens to Naxos. We’ll be waiting to pick you up when you arrive.

  • No. You do not need to have been published.

    You do need to be serious and enthusiastic about writing, however, and have a strong desire to pursue it even if you do not yet have a lot of writing experience.

  • We welcome writers at all levels of experience. Whether you have a complete first draft, a few chapters, or just an idea you love and want to turn into a book, you are very welcome here.

  • Yes. The retreat includes small-group manuscript discussion sessions, individual consultations with Sophie Hannah, and a guaranteed one-to-one pitch session with Elly James or Jamie Hodder-Williams.

  • No. Representation is never promised.

    The retreat offers professional insight, clarity, and informed guidance — and will massively increase your ability to attract representation when the time is right, by giving you all the practical and mindset tools you need.

  • Yes! It’s useful to know about markets, in order to be able to decide how and if we want to work with them or create new ones!

  • The mornings are focused and demanding. Afternoons are intentionally left free to allow ideas to settle and writing to continue.

    This balance is central to the retreat’s design.

  • Yes! Writers at all levels of experience will find the retreat equally useful and inspiring.

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Ready To Write Your Happy Ending?

This is more than just a writing retreat; it’s a commitment to your creative future.
Whether you’re stuck in the soggy middle of a draft or standing at the brink of a new idea,
this week will give you the tools, the confidence, and the clarity to succeed on your own terms.

We want you to dream big—and we want to help you get there.
Spaces are limited to just 18 writers.

Apply for your place now

Arrive curious. Leave inspired.