Here is notice of an event that may be of interest to authonomists based in the UK. authonomy is not involved/responsible for the event, but we think it sounds interesting and may be very useful. It's also worth checking out Winchester Writer's Conference coming up at the beginning of July.
If you feel there’s a book in you - but don’t know how to get it out - Kingston University are holding a two-day conference in September to answer your every question - from what to write about and how to keep going, to the most appropriate format and timing for submission. The two days are led by Alison Baverstock (author and Senior Lecturer on Kingston’s Publishing MA), supported by an impressive range of industry experts and writers. If you plan to get published, this is an invaluable investment.
The two days are packed with really practical advice, and there is a wealth of stimulating speakers attending, including literary agent Carole Blake, Richard Charkin (Executive Director of Bloomsbury Publishing), authors Chris Cleave, Mary Lawson, Justine Picardie and Michael Ridpath – and many more. There are also sessions on how to write a synopsis, how to present your work to publishers and agents and how to spot important trends in publishing. There is a £20 discount if you book before the end of July!
For further information, see here.
4 comments:
I would definitely recommend the Winchester Writers Conference. I found the Saturday seminars very useful, but the element of the conference that makes it so invaluable is the one-to-one meetings. You are given a list of professional agents, writers and others. From that list you choose a shortlist of the ones you'd like to send sample work to. The organisers then send you back a confirmed list of three people. You send those people sample work and at the conference, you have a one to one meeting with each one, that lasts around fifteen minutes. It's a brilliant opportunity to talk face to face with a professional person from the publishing industry about your work.
Caveats: I found the friday and sunday morning sessions to be weak, but that may have just been bad luck on my part. Also, it's better to get your application in as early as possible. The more 'in demand' agents are snapped up pretty quickly. Last year I left it late and got the people at the bottom of my wishlist.
Hope that helps! - Adrian Ellis.
I've been three times in the past six years, and would recommend the conference to anyone who wants to find out more about the nitty-gritty of publishing. I've had some great feedback from the one-to-ones and made some useful contacts within my genre. The longer workshops are variable in quality, but if you can make it to Winchester for the day, the Saturday programme is good all-round value.
I can endorse all that has been said re Winchester Writer's Conference - have been twice, the "one to ones" are invaluable - whilst the choice of sessions is your own and there is an element of luck involved they are mostly useful, and it was a wonderful source for networking - all important in this world.
There is also an Association of Christian Writers - I am off to their writers' conference this weekend.
Eleanor Stoneham
I've volunteered at the conference for the last five or so years, and this year, I will be there with P&G Wells (not a plug, so will say no more!) Anyway, I highly recommend the conference because it really can help you not only to polish up your technical abilities, but also to get your work noticed. If you go this year, come and say hello to me in the foyer of the John Stripe.
Post a Comment