The eager, smiling faces of three-dozen aspiring authors greeted ConsciousCafé London this week as we hosted our sell-out event How to Get Your Book Published – Everything You Need to Know.
The little corner of our meet-up café was abuzz with the chatter of excited writers - from authors of epic speculative fiction, to award-winning spoken word poets, and investigative journalists composing thrilling exposés. Over several lattes and a cheeky portion of sweet potato fries, our writers met and got to know each other, sharing their love of the written word and the reasons they wanted to pursue publishing. Some were keenly considering self-publishing, while others expressed interest in the more traditional approach, or even a career in hybrid publishing. Everyone came from different backgrounds, with different levels of experience and a whole host of opinions. One thing was certain though, you can never know too much about the world of publishing!
The variety of panellists for this event was appealing - industry experts joined us from different areas of the field, allowing for a well-rounded discussion. There really was something for everyone: Nick Williams, leadership coach and author of 16 books, spoke in great detail about the intricacies of self-publishing and the ease-of-access today's technology can bring; Fiona Robertson, editor at Watkins Publishing, talked about the process of querying and acquisitions in the traditional publishing sector; and Katie Read of READ Media shared her tips from the world of PR and prompted a collective reflection on the importance of Marketing.
There is something faintly magical in the air when a group of writers get together - a shared understanding that they've been brought together by a shared interest, a passion, and that love of writing makes them friends even if they don't yet know each other. The stories they work on are all so different yet of equal importance, written with the same kind of love and care. Each writer was so keen to share their thoughts and ideas, stars in their eyes, and were just as eager to listen to others share their projects, offering support, advice and heaps of encouragement.
We all went away with a fuller notebook and a mind bubbling with new ideas to help start, or continue, a fruitful life in the world of publishing.
ConsciousCafe is delighted to present our popular publishing workshop for the third year with a panel of knowledgeable experts. We will be offering you the opportunity to find out how the industry works and what you need to do to find the right publishing house for your book.
Have you ever wanted to write a book? Or perhaps you have already started? But do you know how to go about getting your work published when you have written it? Or better, do you know how to find a publisher who will give you a contract and an advance payment before you have written it?
The publishing industry is sophisticated and complex and there is much that you need to know in order to get your book out there so that it finds its way to the right readers.
Should you look for a traditional publisher – and which publishing house would be the right one? Do you need an agent? How do you approach a publisher or an agent? What do they want to see from you?
Do you want to spend the time offering your work to different companies and wait for them to reply? Or would you rather control the whole process and publish your work yourself? If so, how do you go about it – and what will it cost?
And what is the most important thing that publishers want to know before they make you an offer?
Come and find out the secrets of the publishing industry from our panel of experts. Whether you want to write non-fiction or novels, we will be able to encourage and help you to find the right approach for your work.
Date: Monday 8th April
Time: 6.30 pm – 8.30 pm
Location: Steiner House, 35 Park Road, London NW1 6XT (1 minute from Baker Street station)
Nick Williams will be advising on and sharing his experience of self-publishing.
Nick had a successful corporate career in sales and marketing. In 1989 he resigned to follow his own calling. He is the author of 15 books, many of them self-published and has spent over 20 years as a coach, workshop leader and keynote speaker on inspired leadership.
Fiona Robertson is a commissioning editor at Watkins Publishing, with 20 years' experience working on a wide range of non-fiction. The books she currently acquires span a broad well-being field, from personal development and alternative parenting to mindfulness and eastern wisdom.
Katie Read founded her company, READ Media in 2007 and specialises in non-fiction and illustrated titles. The company leads traditional book PR campaigns with the aim of reaching target audiences via extract, reviews, features and interviews across a variety of media including, print, broadcast, social and digital.
In addition, she and her team work to raise and manage an author’s profile within their specialist area long after their publication date by looking for further opportunities for favourable coverage, such as expert comment and articles, and by putting authors forward for paid speaking engagements, literary festivals, conferences and events.
We are enhancing this event with a networking opportunity in a café nearby. We will meet at 4.30 pm and you will have the chance for a networking conversation with Conscious Cafe people. We will also go out together after the event for a drink or a snack so that we can continue the conversation afterwards. Please email judy@consciouscafe.org if you would like to come to the early networking event and we will let you know where we are meeting.
Cancellation Policy Full refund minus 10% up to 7 days beforehand (Monday 1st April) after which we apologise, but cannot offer any refund due to room hire and administration costs.
Image by © Condé Nast Archive/Corbis
ConsciousCafe is a not-for-profit organisation, a friendly and welcoming community, a place to live life consciously.