Find out about prizes, initiatives and schemes that can advance your writing career in a day of free short talks, advice sessions with agents and networking opportunities.
London Literature Festival Writers’ Day has a particular focus on providing opportunities for literary voices from under-represented groups, supporting writers to reach new audiences and develop their careers.
The talks take place in Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer across the day, and consist of 15-minute presentations from artists, publishers and organisations.
Presented in partnership with Creative Future.
The short talks include the following:
Dean Atta, Creative Future Writers’ Award: What is a writer in residence?
Dean Atta has been a Writer in Residence for Creative Future at Preston Park Recovery Centre in Brighton, and has had residencies at Hampstead School, Metal in Southend and Tate Britain. He shares the most important lessons he has learned and offers advice on how to get and make the most of a residency.
Anna Davis, Curtis Brown Creative: How do I get an agent?
You’re working on a novel and you want to find an agent but you don’t know how to do it or even when to try. Curtis Brown Creative’s Managing Director Anna Davis has helped many writers get agents and publishing deals. She offers advice on how to nail your pitch line, write a great letter to an agent, master the tricky art of the synopsis and generally get your work into the best possible shape to send out. She also talks about scholarships and other free opportunities for new writers to take courses at Curtis Brown Creative.
Julia Kingsford, The Good Literary Agency: What literary agents do and why you really do need one
Literary agents have a longstanding reputation as dealmakers who focus on the bottom line. These days, publishing is changing and authors have more direct access to publishers than ever before. What can an agent offer? Julia Kingsford talks through what literary agents actually do and the enormous value they can bring to your career as a writer
Liv Little, gal-dem: Platforming women and non-binary people of colour
Liv Little founded gal-dem in 2015 as a media publication committed to telling the stories of women and non-binary people of colour. She discusses how gal-dem are addressing inequality and misrepresentation in the industry through platforming the creative and editorial work of their community across essays, opinion, news, arts, music, politics and lifestyle content.
Bobby Nayyar, Spread the Word: Why aren’t you writing?
We’ve all been there: your draft is open alongside fifteen other tabs on your web browser and your phone notifications are on. Work and life deadlines loom all around you. How does anyone get any writing done? Spread the Word’s programme manager Bobby Nayyar offers some practical advice and an overview of the projects and opportunities the organisation offers to London’s writers.
Siena Parker, WriteNow: Opportunities to get published
Sometimes it can be overwhelming to understand how the document saved on your laptop could ever make it onto the shelves of your local bookshop. Siena Parker from Penguin Random House talks about some of the opportunities available for writers including WriteNow, Penguin’s programme to find, mentor and publish new writers from under-represented communities.
Sophia Schoepfer, Dialogue books: Join in the Dialogue
Dialogue Books sets out to amplify voices that are missing from the mainstream. Spearheaded by Sharmaine Lovegrove, it shines a spotlight on stories for, about and by readers from the LGBTQI+, disability, working class and BAME communities. Come along to learn more about Dialogue and how new writers can get involved in their work.
Shereen Tadros, SI Leeds Prize: In it to win it
Prizes schmizes? Shereen Tadros used to think prizes – and particularly those for underrepresented writers – were not for her. Hear her discuss how she was convinced, what winning the SI Leeds Prize did for her, and what it might do for you.
Amy Winchester, Unbound: Power to the People
Sometimes it feels as if publishing is full of gatekeepers and they’re all saying no. But there are alternatives. Amy Winchester discusses crowdfunding, and how writers are getting their books into readers’ hands through innovative new publishing models such as Unbound.
Exhibitors include:
Creative Future
Gal-dem
Mslexia
New Writing South
The Poetry School
The Poetry Society
The Royal Society of Literature
Spread the Word
Society of Authors
Writing Our Legacy
Word Factory
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