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We go beyond craft classes to support writers through every season of the literary life, transforming pre-published creatives into thriving career authors.
At The Writing Barn, craft comes first—but the “biz” and the “market” are not dirty words, and the industry is not our enemy.
We design programming and experiences that restore connection, clarity, and humanity to “the grind” of publishing, so writers can move with confidence instead of confusion.
Growing Writers and their Careers Since 2012
Craft + Community + Career = A Thriving Literary Life.
Craft + Community + Career
= A Thriving Literary Life.
The Writing Barn is reimagining what publishing support looks like, from the inside out.
(With the success stories and testimonials to prove it.)
We're starting with kidlit but watch out world, our garden is growing.
A long-view strategic method for literary growth and career support, built over fourteen years of ushering writers from pre-published to well-published.
The Writing Barn Thrive System™
The Growth Guide: 8 Phases of the Literary Life™
The Write Match Method™
We have a unique story, watch the video below to learn more
Meet the Team
Bethany Hegedus
Founder
Alicia J. Novo
Director of Operations
Bethany Hegedus
Founder & Creative Director
At heart, Bethany is both a maker and a nurturer—continuing to grow her own body of work while cultivating a multifaceted literary garden where all writers can flourish.
Bethany Hegedus is the founder and creative director of The Writing Barn and the visionary behind the Courage to Create and Courageous Leap programs. An award-winning author of picture books and nonfiction for young readers, Bethany has published with Candlewick, Random House, and other leading houses. Her titles include Alabama Spitfire: The Story of Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird, Grandfather Gandhi (co-authored with Arun Gandhi), and the forthcoming Yours, Mine, Ours: A Celebration of Community and Service.
Bethany has worked with thousands of writers at every stage of their literary life. She brings a unique mix of empathy, entrepreneurial spirit, and industry know-how, guiding writers to clarify their Big Why, sharpen their pitches, and connect courageously with agents and editors. She is also the creator of WB frameworks like the 3-E’s Pitch Process (Entice, Engage, Empower), the Why Buys, and Industry Engagement Days and all the Courageous Leap programs, which help writers move from idea to industry-ready.
Alicia J. Novo
Director of Operations
You won’t often see Alicia on screen but know she and her big beautiful brain are a part of the scaffolding that supports you at each and every phase of your literary life journey.
A Verge Success Story turned Writing Barn leader, Alicia J. Novo now serves as Director of Operations, where she oversees systems, automations, and strategic growth. With a rare ability to balance big-picture vision and detailed execution, she is both the creative and structural brain behind the Barn’s next chapter.
As an author, Alicia specializes in world-building for fiction, weaving immersive settings and transformative journeys that echo her own passion for travel, history, and culture. At the WB, she brings that same artistry to strategic building, ensuring programs, systems, and communities are designed to help writers thrive.
She grew up in Argentina, with roots across Europe and beyond, Alicia embodies the WB ethos: stories connect us all. Her debut YA fantasy Unwritten was published in 2021. She is represented by Ellen Goff at HG Literary.
Jess Rinker
Enrollment and Programming Director
Jess also built her career as a freelancer, weaving together part-time roles and creative work while raising her family. That path—shaped by necessity and persistence—has grounded her work in children’s literature and now comes full circle as she brings both her creative and administrative experience to support and grow the vibrant writing community at The Writing Barn. She believes that when you commit to what you want and surround yourself with the right people, you find your way there. She is the ultimate proof of that.
Jess Rinker is a writer for both children and adults whose work explores how we grow, heal, and find meaning through love, community, and personal courage. Grounded in the belief that while the past shapes us, it does not have to define us, her work reflects a deep curiosity about people, place, and the many transformations that shape a life.
She is the author of multiple books for young readers, including picture book biographies: Gloria Takes a Stand: How Gloria Steinem Listened, Wrote and Changed the World; Send a Girl!, about FDNY firefighter Brenda Berkman; middle grade novels: The Dare Sisters series; The Hike to Home; Monolith, and chapter books: Out of Time: Lost on the Titanic and a soon-to-be-announced graphic novel chapter book. She’s currently agented by Jackson Keeler and working on a speculative young adult novel. As you can see, she likes to try everything.
Susan Johnston Taylor
Manager of Client Success
Here at The Writing Barn, Susan ensures that every writer feels seen, supported, and celebrated. She embodies what we believe at our core: we thrive in community, not competition.
Susan—is an incredible teammate, motivator, pitch queen, Canva wizard, and all-around creative powerhouse.
Watch for Susan moderating at the CTC, and inside the LEAP programs at Feedback Fridays, Spotlight Salons, Magic & Momentum calls and more and her ever inspiring social media challenges.
Susan has so many specialties that make her indispensable: she’s a whiz with picture book pitches, helps writers weather the query trenches with courage, and is a natural motivator—not just for our clients, but for our entire team. She brings a neurospicy brilliance to everything she does, with creative problem-solving that makes us all better.
She also has a true gift for the practical and promotional side of the author life—whether that’s crafting eye-catching posts for social media, designing gorgeous Canva graphics, or helping writers think strategically about how they present their work to the world.
And of course, beyond all of that, Susan shines in her own right as an author. Her debut picture book, Animals in Surprising Shades: Poems About Earth’s Colorful Creatures, was honored as a Bank Street Best Book and an Outstanding Science Trade Book. And we can’t wait for her next release, If Pets Wrote Poems: A Parody Collection, arriving in 2026.
Sophie Velasquez Martinez
Marketing and Digital Media
Sophia Velasquez Martinez—Sophie to most—writes YA stories about loss, self-doubt, and transformation (with the occasional ghostly twist). A graduate of The Writing Barn’s Write. Submit. Support. program, she is currently pursuing her MFA in a low-residency program at Oxford University while living in Germany.
At The Writing Barn, Sophie serves as our Digital Marketing & Promotions Director. While she isn’t on the mic as often as our other team members, we look forward to welcoming her back to presenting when she returns stateside.
Her specialties include YA pitches and synopses, where she helps writers sharpen clarity and emotional resonance. Sophie’s poetry has appeared in Carolina Muse, Heart of Flesh, and Hawaii Pacific Review, and her editorial work has been published in Austin Monthly Magazine and HAWAI’I Magazine. She also runs The Uncanny Club, a blog and book club for fans of scary stories.
Susan Johnston Taylor
Senior Manager of Client Success
Sophie Velasquez Martinez
Marketing and Digital Media
Jess Rinker
Enrollmenent and Programming Director
High-Touch Support with Bethany
As Bethany continues to grow her creative career and support the writers in our CTC community, she offers private mentorship exclusively through CTC Connect and our higher-touch programs.
If you hope to work one-on-one with her, you may submit a request once you are part of the Courage to Create Connect level. Beginning within the community ensures every writer Bethany mentors is grounded in the shared language, structures, and creative practices of The Writing Barn’s garden.
Work directly with bethany
What We Value
Community & Partnership
We believe writers, agents, editors, and industry professionals are collaborators in the creative ecosystem. Publishing grows stronger when we grow together.
Messy Action Over Perfection
We honor the courage it takes to show up, try, revise, and try again. Progress is nurtured through imperfect, consistent action.
Messy Action Over Perfection
We honor the courage it takes to show up, try, revise, and try again. Progress is nurtured through imperfect, consistent action.
Transformation Over Stuckness
We create environments, structures, and support systems that move writers out of confusion and isolation and into clarity, momentum, and sustainable creative practice.
Community & Partnership
We believe writers, agents, editors, and industry professionals are collaborators in the creative ecosystem. Publishing grows stronger when we grow together.
Transformation Over Stuckness
We create environments, structures, and support systems that move writers out of confusion and isolation and into clarity, momentum, and sustainable creative practice.
Publishing as Purpose
Books are vessels of voice and impact. We help writers bring their stories into the world so they can be heard, seen, and remembered.
Publishing as Purpose
Books are vessels of voice and impact. We help writers bring their stories into the world so they can be heard, seen, and remembered.
Resilience Is Grown, Not Given
No one is born with creative resilience—but without it, we cannot become the writers we are meant to be. We cultivate resilience through community, strategy, and compassionate accountability.
Resilience Is Grown, Not Given
No one is born with creative resilience—but without it, we cannot become the writers we are meant to be. We cultivate resilience through community, strategy, and compassionate accountability.
