Book Fair from 10.00 am to 5.00pm. Writing workshops too!
WORKSHOPS: 35-45 mins. Start on the half-hour beginning at 10.30am
Rebecca Smith, Victoria L Humphreys
From Pigeons to Pumas: Writing with Birds and Animals.
Rebecca Smith (Jane Austen Writers’ Club; Shadow Cat Summer; The Ash Museum) and Victoria L Humphreys (Not the Work of an Ordinary Boy) talk about new perspectives and fresh stories from incorporating animals in fiction.
Ali Sparkes
How pets make writers come out to play
Pick a pet - any pet - and find out how fur (or feathers or scales) can inspire a great story. Writers need to come out to play and pets MAKE them.
Join award-winning children’s author Ali Sparkes for a wild, woolly workshop in the spirit of Ali’s new comedy adventure novel My Sister Is A Dog (which was inspired by her labradoodle). Bring your hamster! (But maybe not your Irish Wolfhound.)
Susie Williamson, Victoria L Humphreys
Can “young” adult fiction be too “adult”?
Susie Williamson, two-time winner of the Firebird Award for Fantasy, including LGBTQ fantasy, will chat with Victoria L Humphreys (Not the Work of an Ordinary Boy) about YA titles. Children are well aware of climate change, war, and violent crimes, and are arguably ahead of old ones in how many disregard stereotypes. What content is “too mature” for teens?
Simon Culleton
Freeing the Creative
Simon is in demand as a creative writing workshop leader in Greece and in the UK. Simon has worked with a range of abilities: from teens prepping for GCSEs, to aspiring authors reaching for that story within – we all have at least one!
Oliver Hurst
Illustrate your dreams
Illustrator Oliver Hurst talks about the book covers, book postcards, and other ways we catch the eye. We do judge books by their covers! Oliver will guide attendees on how to identify key themes to capture the best cover image.
Alan Gillott, Partner and Operations Director, Stairwell Books
Now for the arcane bit
Your book has been accepted, or you decide to self-publish: now what?
This workshop delves into the more obscure aspects of publishing and describes many of the things your publisher will be doing, what you can do to help, or what you might have to do for yourself. We’ll cover Nielsen, Bowker, and BDS and why what is stored there can make or break your book. Plus: marketing via social media the right way
Saturday 4 November, 10.00am-5.00pm
Tickets: Free
