For over three decades, SleuthFest has been where crime writers are made. Run by the Florida Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, the national organization behind the Edgar Awards, it is, at its heart, a craft conference: a place where new and aspiring writers spend four days learning directly from legends of the business. In 2027, Lisa Scottoline and Riley Sager headline a faculty with five New York Times bestsellers among them, teaching workshops, critiquing manuscripts, taking pitch sessions, and sharing meals with writers still chasing their first book deal. That access, unimaginable at a big-city convention, is what SleuthFest exists to provide.
#1 New York Times Bestseller
Bestselling author of 35+ novels, Edgar Award winner, and beloved legal thriller icon.
#1 New York Times Bestseller
International psychological thriller phenomenon and author of Final Girls and Middle of the Night.
NYT Bestseller
ITW Award-winning author of Things We Do in the Dark (Minotaur).
NYT Bestseller
Edgar-nominated author of The Taken Ones (Thomas & Mercer).
NYT Bestseller
Author of A Flicker in the Dark and three consecutive bestsellers.
USA Today Bestseller
Million-copy independent psychological thriller phenomenon.
Forensic anthropologist teaching authors the authentic science and procedural realities behind skeletal analysis and investigative fiction.
Certified Crime Scene Investigator & Professor of forensic science, guiding writers through authentic crime scene reconstruction and evidence protocol.
The Guest of Honor Interviews: keynote conversations with Scottoline and Sager • The Flamingle: Saturday cocktail party & awards • Noir at the Bar: late-night readings, open to the public • The CSI Experience: forensic experts stage a crime scene; authors race to solve it • Sharks Meet Flamingos Pitch Tank: live query-letter critiques • Cookies & Cozies: the farewell reading.
SleuthFest’s room holds the whole arc of a writing life: bestsellers giving back, mid-career authors leveling up, and first-time writers finding their voice, and their courage. Sponsoring puts you on both sides of that story.
Crime Writers
Mystery, thriller & suspense. Zero wasted impressions.
Of Sustained Contact
Sustained personal contact, not a brief drive-by expo booth.
Of SleuthFest
A trusted brand in crime fiction since the 1990s.
Bestselling Faculty Authors
Teaching, manuscript critiques, and hands-on mentoring.
Social Media Reach
Active cross-platform reach across Facebook, Instagram, X & LinkedIn.
#1 NYT Bestselling GOHs
Headlining media magnets drawing national attendance.
Traditionally published novelists, six-figure indie authors, serious aspiring writers shopping for agents, librarians, booksellers & superfans. They span every career stage, and every one of them is actively spending to level up.
Editing & author services, writing software & AI craft tools, publishing & distribution platforms, book marketing, conferences & courses, and for our local partners: hotels, restaurants, experiences, insurance & professional services.
SleuthFest draws attendees from across the U.S. to Orlando, with hotel room-nights, restaurant covers, and attraction visits included. For Central Florida businesses, it's a branded audience of affluent, 35–70, book-buying visitors in the heart of the Disney corridor.
Every crime writer you love was once an unpublished writer who got a break: a workshop that unlocked the craft, an agent who took the pitch, a legend who stayed after the panel to talk. SleuthFest manufactures those breaks.
Your sponsorship is arts funding with a measurable outcome: new writers, new books. It keeps registration within reach of aspiring authors, funds agent & editor pitch sessions at no extra cost, and supports scholarship programs of MWA's Florida Chapter, a 501(c)(3).
Introduce your brand from the podium, host the party everyone remembers, or present the interview everyone came for. Our packages lead with experiences and conversations; logo placement is the garnish, not the meal.
Recognition starts the day you sign: newsletter features, social spotlights, website and app presence, then on-site signage, program placement, and stage mentions across all four conference days.
SleuthFest is an all-volunteer event. There is no paid staff, so every sponsor dollar goes into the conference itself: bringing national bestsellers and forensic experts to Florida to teach craft workshops and manuscript critiques for writers at every level • keeping ticket prices within reach of unpublished writers • pitch sessions that have launched real careers. This is a fit for your community and CSR budget as much as your marketing budget. And as a 501(c)(3) event, contributions may be tax-deductible (ask your tax advisor).
— Oline H. Cogdill, Syndicated Mystery Critic
— Stacy Woodson, Derringer Award-winning writer
— Lisa Unger, NYT Bestseller & 2025 Guest of Honor
Select your tier to champion the crime-writing community and secure marquee access.
| Benefits | Mastermind $5,000 Only 2 Available |
Sleuth $3,500 5 Available |
Detective $2,000 8 Available |
P.I. $1,000 Unlimited |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keynote Naming Rights (Scottoline or Sager Interview) | ✔ Included | — | — | — |
| Signature Event Naming (Flamingle, Noir at Bar, CSI...) | — | ✔ Included | — | — |
| Panel or Workshop Naming with podium signage | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Full Conference Passes ($500 value each) | 4 Passes | 2 Passes | 1 Pass | — |
| Program Book Ad (4-Color) | Back Cover / Full | Full Page | Half Page | Quarter Page |
| Dedicated Social Media Spotlights | 4 Spotlights | 2 Spotlights | 1 Spotlight | 1 Spotlight |
| Website, App & Signage Logo Display | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Tote Bag Insert / Promotional Swag | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
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Mastermind and Sleuth levels come with exclusive naming rights to the moments everyone remembers. See our exclusive events tab and pick yours before it’s taken.
View exclusive events →Tell us your goals (recruiting authors, launching a product, reaching Florida readers) and we’ll build the package around them.
Contact our team ↓Each signature event is sold to one sponsor (or two co-sponsors where noted) and includes the Sleuth-level benefits: your name in the event title, signage, stage intro, and program placement.
“The [Your Brand] Conversation with Lisa Scottoline” and “The [Your Brand] Conversation with Riley Sager”. The marquee hours of the conference, one per Guest of Honor, attended by all delegates with reserved front-row seating and stage remarks.
The social peak of SleuthFest: cocktails, awards, and both Guests of Honor in the room. Logo glassware, a named signature drink, and your team as hosts.
Dark stories, stiff drinks, standing room only. The edgiest event of the week, with high foot traffic beyond the registered conference.
Our forensic faculty stage a full crime scene; authors race to crack it. A natural fit for investigative, legal, security & insurance brands.
Agents and editors critique real query letters before a rapt audience. The highest-intent career moment of the conference.
Host the beloved closing event: cozy mysteries read aloud over coffee and cookies. The warm note every attendee leaves on.
A la carte branding assets, printed program guide advertising, and high-traffic vendor placement.
Your logo carried through the hotel halls all week, and to bookstores and libraries for years after.
Snacks & beverages in the high-traffic book room, configured around your brand, all conference long.
On every attendee, speaker, and agent, in every photo, throughout all four conference days.
Dedicated table in the high-traffic book room for all four conference days. Power & Wi-Fi included, plus listing in the conference newsletter.
Faculty and Guests of Honor from Minotaur, Dutton, Grand Central, and Thomas & Mercer headline SleuthFest 2027, and dozens of attending authors carry your imprints. Sponsor the room your list is standing in: signing hours, GOH interviews, and event naming make natural launch platforms for spring 2027 titles.
Raffle prizes, attendee swag, beverage sponsorship, and cross-promotion are all welcome. Ask us about media partnerships and trades.
Propose a custom partnership →Select your desired items below. When submitted, our team will receive your request and confirm invoice and payment details.