Writing By Writers
Writing By Writers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs multi-day in-person and online writing workshops, residencies, and a two-year DRAFT program taught by nationally known published authors, serving aspiring and developing fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and poetry writers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersLos Altos, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Writing By Writers does
Writing By Writers (WxW) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit literary organization founded in 2012 and headquartered in Los Altos, California (EIN: 46-0737638). The organization delivers writing education across fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and poetry through a portfolio of in-person multi-day workshops, online generative classes, a two-year intensive DRAFT program (capped at 15 writers per cohort), writing residencies in the United States, Mexico, and France, and the Readings By Writers virtual author series. Workshop faculty are nationally known, published authors, with co-founder Pam Houston (author of Deep Creek and Cowboys Are My Weakness) serving as Creative Director and primary residency selector.
WxW has no proprietary technology platform. Operations run on standard consumer/SMB-grade tooling: a Wix-hosted website (writingxwriters.org), Submittable for workshop and residency applications, Dropbox for manuscript sharing within classes, Zoom for online workshops and the virtual readings series, Vimeo for archived author readings, and PayPal for donations and tuition. The architecture is intentionally low-overhead and appropriate for a 1–10-person organization.
The revenue model is a mix of one-time tuition payments ($800 online workshops up to $3,250 for Manuscript Boot Camp), small non-refundable application fees ($25 workshops, $50 residencies, both tax-deductible), tax-deductible donations, and donor-funded fellowships such as the Esalen Emerging Voices Fellowship for writers of color and LGBTQIA+ community members. Workshops fill roughly three months before start dates, suggesting healthy but capacity-bound demand. Distribution is primarily application-driven via Submittable, supplemented by organic social media, an email newsletter, and partnerships with independent bookstores and literary organizations (IAIA, Boulder Book Store, Point Reyes Books, Trail's End Bookstore).
Writing By Writers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Writing By Writers
- Legal name
- Writing By Writers
- Website
- https://writingxwriters.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Writing By Writers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs multi-day in-person and online writing workshops, residencies, and a two-year DRAFT program taught by nationally known published authors, serving aspiring and developing fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and poetry writers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Writing By Writers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Creative Writing Education and Literary Workshops
- NAICS
- All Other Publishers (513199)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Writing Retreats & Intensive Bootcamps (EDAMAMAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Fiction Writing Workshops (Short Story, Novel) (EDAMAMAA), Genre Writing Workshops (Sci‑Fi, Fantasy, Romance, Mystery, Horror) (EDAMAMAG), Literary Arts & Writing Organizations (BPAGAHAK), Manuscript Development Services (Coaching, Developmental Editing) (MPAJAJAF), Writing Skills & Composition Enrichment (EDAMAJAC)
Keywords
Where Writing By Writers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Altos
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Writing By Writers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Workshop Tuition: In-person workshops generate revenue through tiered tuition fees. Manuscript Boot Camp charges $3,250 per participant including lodging, meals, and manuscript review. Boulder Generative Workshop costs $950 with lodging and meals included. Stowe Vermont Winter Adventure is priced at $3,000 inclusive.
- Online Workshop Tuition: Get The Lead Out online generative workshop priced at $800 for three-day workshop access to craft talks and readings.
- Residency Application Fees: Residency applications require a $50 tax-deductible application fee. Workshops require $25 application fee.
- Donations and Fellowships: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Writing By Writers accepts donations and funds fellowships for underrepresented writers. Fellowships cover full workshop costs including tuition, room and meals.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Manuscript Boot Camp full program |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Boulder Generative Workshop |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Stowe Vermont Winter Writing Adventure |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Get The Lead Out online workshop |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Residency application fee |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Workshop application fee |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Writing By Writers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Writing By Writers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit literary organization that runs destination-based and online creative writing workshops, multi-month manuscript boot camps, writing residencies, and a literary readings series for adult fiction, nonfiction, and memoir writers. Programs are taught by established published authors and are designed for writers seeking craft instruction, feedback on work-in-progress, and community with other serious writers.
Product overview
Writing By Writers (WxW) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit literary organization offering a portfolio of writing education programs. The core offerings include in-person writing workshops (Tomales Bay, Boulder, Manuscript Boot Camp, Mont Blanc/Chamonix, Methow Valley), online generative workshops (Get The Lead Out!, Putting Pressure on Characters), the two-year DRAFT intensive program, writing residencies at diverse locations (Wolf House, Sea Wolf Bookstore, Big Bend, Hemingway House, ShineMaker, Baja, Soul Land, Collioure France, Lamb Creek), Readings By Writers virtual author series, fellowships and contests (including Esalen Emerging Voices Fellowship and Short Short Contest), winter writing adventures in Vermont, and a publications showcase featuring workshop alumni books. The organization connects aspiring writers with nationally known authors in rigorous, compassionate learning environments focused on fiction, nonfiction, memoir and poetry.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Tomales Bay Workshop Multi-day destination-based generative writing workshop held at Tomales Bay, California, for fiction, nonfiction, and memoir writers seeking intensive craft instruction and feedback.
- Boulder Generative Workshop Multi-day generative writing workshop held in Boulder, Colorado, for fiction, nonfiction, and memoir writers.
- Stowe Vermont Winter Adventure Multi-day winter writing workshop held in Stowe, Vermont, combining generative writing sessions with seasonal retreat environment.
- Mont Blanc/Chamonix Workshop Multi-day international writing workshop held in Chamonix-Mont Blanc, France, for writers seeking an immersive destination experience.
- Manuscript Boot Camp Intensive multi-month program in which writers revise a complete manuscript draft with structured feedback and faculty guidance from recognized authors.
- DRAFT Program Ongoing manuscript development and community program supporting writers as they continue revising and producing new work between intensive workshops.
- Writing Residencies Multi-week dedicated writing residencies offering selected writers protected time, space, and community to advance a specific project.
- Online Workshops (Get The Lead Out!; Putting Pressure on Characters) Live virtual craft workshops delivered online, covering targeted topics such as tightening prose and intensifying character development for fiction and nonfiction writers.
- Readings By Writers series Literary readings series featuring Writing By Writers faculty and visiting authors, hosted in-person and archived online for the writing community.
- Esalen Emerging Voices Fellowship Sponsored fellowship supporting emerging writers from underrepresented voices to participate in Writing By Writers programming at Esalen.
Companies that use Writing By Writers
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Writing By Writers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Writing By Writers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA)coreIAIA is a fine arts school in Santa Fe, NM with a 140-acre campus. Partnership focuses on creative writing education and fellowship opportunities for emerging writers. The organization has produced notable alumni in creative writing programs.
- Boulder Book StorecoreBoulder Book Store is Boulder, CO's largest independent bookstore with 20,000 sq. feet and over 100,000 titles. Hosts 200+ events annually. Named 'Best of Boulder' every year since 1987. Founding member of Boulder Independent Business Alliance.
- Point Reyes BooksminorIndependent bookstore in Point Reyes Station, CA. Part of movement creating local 'living economies' through independent business. Open daily 10-6 at 11315 State Route 1.
- Trail's End BookstoreminorIndependent bookstore in Winthrop, WA serving Methow Valley for over 20 years. Offers comprehensive local/regional titles, outdoor/adventure section, and hand-selected new fiction.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Writing By Writers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hugo House: Seattle literary nonprofit offers classes, workshops, residencies, and a public readings series—directly comparable to WxW's blended workshop/residency/reading model.
- Tin House: Tin House offers workshops, residencies, craft seminars, and a literary magazine—directly mirroring WxW's hybrid model of paid workshops plus free readings content for aspiring writers.
- GrubStreet: Boston-based nonprofit creative writing center offering multi-genre workshops, manuscript consultations, and a conference—competing for the same craft-instruction and community-building niche as WxW.
- Lighthouse Writers Workshop: Denver-based literary arts center offers multi-genre workshops, manuscript development, and special programs—comparable in mission and tuition-based workshop portfolio to WxW.
- The Loft Literary Center: Minneapolis nonprofit offering classes, workshops, and readings across fiction, nonfiction, and poetry—comparable in non-profit literary education positioning to WxW.
- Sewanee Writers' Conference: The University of the South's flagship summer conference combines small-cohort workshops in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction with residencies—competing for the same advanced-writer, tuition-paying segment as WxW.
- Bread Loaf Writers' Conference: Middlebury's historic two-week conference delivers faculty-led workshops in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry in a residential setting—a direct analog to WxW's in-person workshop format.
- Squaw Valley Community of Writers: California-based nonprofit running multi-day workshops in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction at Lake Tahoe, with a strong manuscript-critique tradition that overlaps with WxW's Manuscript Boot Camp.
Broad incumbents
- PEN America: Large literary and free-expression nonprofit running writer residencies, fellowships, and public programs—adjacent in mission to promote writers and literary community beyond WxW's workshop focus.
- Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP): National nonprofit arts service organization supporting independent literary publishers and magazines—adjacent to WxW's literary-arts mission at broader industry-infrastructure scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Writing By Writers social profiles
Digital presenceWriting By Writers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Writing By Writers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Writing By Writers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Writing By Writers M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Writing By Writers
What does Writing By Writers do?
Writing By Writers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit literary organization that runs destination-based and online creative writing workshops, multi-month manuscript boot camps, writing residencies, and a literary readings series for adult fiction, nonfiction, and memoir writers. Programs are taught by established published authors and are designed for writers seeking craft instruction, feedback on work-in-progress, and community with other serious writers.
Is Writing By Writers a public or private company?
Writing By Writers is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Writing By Writers founded?
Writing By Writers was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Writing By Writers based?
Writing By Writers is headquartered in Los Altos, United States, in the North America region.
How does Writing By Writers make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Workshop Tuition is the primary driver. The others are online Workshop Tuition, residency Application Fees and donations and Fellowships.
Who are Writing By Writers's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hugo House, Tin House, GrubStreet, Lighthouse Writers Workshop, The Loft Literary Center, Sewanee Writers' Conference, Bread Loaf Writers' Conference and Squaw Valley Community of Writers. Broad incumbents are PEN America and Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP).
Does Writing By Writers have an API?
No public API is recorded for Writing By Writers.
What industry is Writing By Writers in?
Writing By Writers's product category is Creative Writing Education and Literary Workshops. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAMAK, Writing Retreats & Intensive Bootcamps, with a secondary code of EDAMAMAA, Fiction Writing Workshops (Short Story, Novel). Its NAICS code is 513199 and its SIC code is 2741.