The Newcastle Writing Conference: Do it Yourself, 6 June 2015

There is an interesting Newcastle Writing Conference coming up in June, further details below:

 

17 March 2015

The 2015 Newcastle Writing Conference: Do it Yourself City Campus East, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne: Saturday 6 June, 10am - 5.30pm TICKETS NOW ON SALE Limited early bird tickets available until 17 April New Writing North and Northumbria University are delighted to present the Newcastle Writing Conference: Do it Yourself. Aimed at new and emerging writers of fiction, as well as more established writers wanting to embrace the digital age, the conference will explore trends in publishing, identify new markets for writing and support authors to make connections with each other and with industry experts. In 2015, there are more opportunities and challenges for writers than ever before. The publishing industry is changing and the writers who get ahead are those who make the most of the possibilities available to them. Our Do it Yourself conference will show you how to navigate the new rules (while remembering that many of the old rules still apply). From using digital platforms to engage with readers, to exploring non-traditional publishing routes, to identifying what today’s editors look for, this conference is all about what you can do for yourself. The Newcastle Writing Conference is a must-attend event for aspiring and early career writers looking to promote their work and understand more about the industry, and is also for more established writers who are interested in engaging with their readers through digital platforms. If you’re studying creative writing at university the conference will also be a useful introduction to the industries of writing and publishing and a chance to learn from experts and writers. Our last writing conference sold out, so don’t delay in buying your tickets, which are available here. If you’re travelling to Newcastle for the conference please explore discounted accommodation options here. Follow the link for more information on how to find Northumbria University’s City Campus East. Newcastle Writing Conference 2015: Confirmed programme   10am-10.30am: Registration, tea and coffee 10.30am: Welcome from NWN and Northumbria University 10.35am-11am: Keynote address: Acclaimed novelist Meg Rosoff will talk about her journey to publication, which began in her forties. Since her first book was published in 2004, Meg Rosoff has won the prestigious Carnegie Medal as well as the Branford Boase Award and the Guardian Prize. Now on her sixth novel, Picture Me Gone, Rosoff’s debut novel, How I Live Now, was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for New Fiction as well as the Whitbread Book Award. 11.05am-12pm: How to Stand Out in a Digital Age: This panel event will explore how digital media can enhance your writing career. Panelists will look at the influence of social media and blogging on the book-buying public as well as giving their perspective on the publishing industry today. Featuring Ben Willis, head of digital publicity at Transworld; Costa-shortlisted author and social media expert Nikesh Shukla; vlogger and Hotkey Books digital coordinator Sanne Vliegenthart, whose YouTube book vlog, Books and Quills, has over 124,000 subscribers; and blogger Simon Savidge, who runs the influential book blog, Savidge Reads. 12.15pm-12.30pm: Book-signing session with Meg Rosoff 12.30pm-1.30pm Break-out session (participants must select one, subject to availability) Websites and Blogging: Leading book blogger Simon Savidge and digital designer Mel Ashby guide you through the process of creating a website or blog, from crafting your online persona to the technical side of making websites. Beginners welcome.       Meet the agent: An opportunity to ask a leading literary agent any questions you may have about how to pitch your work and the submissions process. With Mark Stanton, of Jenny Brown Associates. Stan is interested in a variety of genres including literary fiction, crime and thrillers and non-fiction – particularly in the areas of sport and popular culture.       How to pitch your work, with Steve Chambers, senior lecturer in creative writing at Northumbria University. This workshop will demystify the art of pitching your work and show you how to pitch to anyone professionally and with confidence.       How to edit your work: with acclaimed novelist and Northumbria University lecturer Fiona Shaw. Bring a page of your draft work to Fiona Shaw’s editing session and discover at first hand how best to take the red pen to your words. Please bring with you two printed copies of a piece of draft prose, double-spaced, up to 500 words.       Vlogging: Vlogs are video blogs, and the growing trend in the digital arena. Sanne Vliegenthart of the popular Books and Quills vlog offers a practical guide to getting started with vlogging, either to promote your own writing or to talk about other people’s. 1.30pm-2.30pm: Lunch 2.30pm-3.30pm: Break-out session (participants must select one, subject to availability) Meet the agent: An opportunity to ask a leading literary agent any questions you may have about how to pitch your work and the submissions process. With Jo Unwin, of the Jo Unwin Literary Agency. Jo represents authors of literary fiction, commercial women’s fiction, young adult fiction, and fiction for children aged 9+ but not younger.       Develop your online presence: Find out how to use social media including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to promote your work with Ben Willis from Transworld and author Nikesh Shukla.       Mentoring Handbook session: Authors Sara Maitland and Martin Goodman lead a session on how working with a creative mentor can help improve your writing.       Writing in the Academy: How creative writing postgraduate courses can help your work, with Northumbria University’s Professor Michael Green.       Non-traditional publishing routes: The opportunity to learn more about crowdfunding and self-publishing. Join Rachael Kerr from crowdfunding publishers Unbound, whose recent successes include Letters of Note and the Booker-longlisted The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth, and Debbie Young, a self-publishing expert from the Alliance of Independent Authors. 3.30pm-3.45pm: Tea and coffee served 3.45pm-4.45pm: What’s Hot and What’s Not: This panel event will explore current trends in the publishing industry with industry experts. Francesca Main is the editorial director of Picador, who recently edited the best-selling The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton; Rachael Kerr is the editor-at-large at Unbound; Anna James is book news and media editor of publishing industry bible The Bookseller and books editor of Elle magazine; and Jo Unwin is a literary agent whose clients include Nina Stibbe, Jenny Colgan and Charlie Brooker. 4.45pm-5.15pm: Questions from the floor 5.30pm: ENDS Please note that lunch is included in the package. Refreshments will also be served on arrival and during the afternoon break. Tickets available here

Cleckheaton Literature Festival 2015

Following on from the announcement that Andy Kershaw, Helen Cadbury, Alison Taft and Leigh Russell will be appearing at the Cleckheaton Literature Festival 2015, another event for the Festival, a YA-writing workshop with Martyn Bedford, has been announced and full details are below:

Stepping into Character

Creative Writing Workshop with Martyn Bedford

When	Thursday 7th May 16:00 - 18:00
Where	Cleckheaton Library
Duration	2 hours
Price	£5.00        martin@couldbeverse.co.uk
Please note: There are a limited number of places for this workshop

Characters are at the heart of good storytelling. In this workshop we will explore the art of characterization and use short-burst and more extended writing exercises to develop characters of our own and make a start on a short story.

Martyn Bedford wrote five novels for adults before publishing ‘Flip’, his first novel for teenagers and young adults.

 

Martyn Bedford’s debut novel for young adults, Flip, won four regional prizes and was shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book Award. His second, Never Ending, was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and his third, Twenty Questions for Gloria, is being published in spring 2016. He is also the author of five novels for adults and numerous short stories. Between them, his books have been translated into fifteen languages.  A former journalist, Martyn lives in West Yorkshire with his wife and two daughters and is a senior lecturer in creative writing at Leeds Trinity University.

 

Find out more about him and his writing at www.martynbedford.com .

 

For more details on other events at Cleckheaton Literature Festival 2015:

https://www.facebook.com/LitFestCleck?ref=hl  @LitfestCleck  

 

To purchase tickets: martin@couldbeverse.co.uk

 

 

 

#CLF2015 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 2015

The full line up for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival (Harrogate International Festivals) has just been announced:

Everyone who comes to the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival is a reader. The Festival proves that reading is creative, inspiring and wonderfully social. Throughout the weekend we’ll be sharing our passion for the best crime writing around. There’ll be intense debate during the panels and special guest conversations, arguments late into the night in the bar and fascinating discussions at a new innovation for 2015: our Thursday afternoon Readers’ Tea. This year we focus on crime fiction’s ability to take us to strange lands and to see familiar places in a new and unsettling way. From our comfortable base in North Yorkshire we’ll be travelling the globe. Come and join us for the trip of a lifetime!     Ann Cleeves, 2015 Festival Programming Chair     A hearty ‘hello’ to returning friends, and a warm welcome to new friends to be… The 2015 Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, is once more, a murderously good line-up. Each year, I wonder how this unique celebration of the crime genre can throw up a new plot twist or bigger revelation than the previous year’s killer line-up. It’s a bit like the expectations we had around Broadchurch 2. Can it really get better? One woman who truly knows how to sustain a crime series as the author behind ITV’s sensational Vera, and BBC’s brooding Shetland, is this years Programming Chair, Ann Cleeves. It’s a huge honour and delight for us all to have Ann at the helm. Not only because of her talent and passion for the genre, but because of her strong connection with our Festivals, developing our ‘Big Read’ initiative as our original Reader-in-Residence. It’s seems counter-intuitive that a festival celebrating a genre that revolves around murder is so famed for its sense of fun and friendliness, but it is most certainly true. That’s what makes Harrogate so special – no matter who you are - you’re connected by all the other partners in crime mingling in the grounds of the beautiful Old Swan Hotel, sharing a very genuine joy for writing and reading. I hope you’ll agree, 2015 is a sensational programme destined to inspire. Enjoy the conversation, the laughter, and of course, the bar – with a pint of Theakstons in hand! Cheers, Simon Theakston, Executive Director, T&R Theakston       Thursday 16th July   Just Add Readers* 3.00pm | Tickets £10 Join our instant conversations about books. Afternoon tea and cake included Please bring a book you’re happy to give away.   TOP Crime Novel of the Year and Opening Party 8.00pm | Tickets £16 The six authors shortlisted for the prestigious prize battle it out for supremacy. Acclaimed broadcaster Mark Lawson hosts as the 2015 award is presented to the lucky winner.     Friday 17th July   Special Guest: Sara Paretsky In Conversation with Val McDermid 9.00am | Tickets: £13 Sara Paretsky, an American author credited with transforming the mystery through the creation of her female private eye, V I Warshawski, will be In Conversation with Val McDermid, best known for her successful series of suspense novels featuring her most famous creation, Dr. Tony Hill. They Do Things Differently There… 10.30am | Tickets: £10 But is the past really a foreign country? Was the  psychology of murder different in the past or is it only the technology of investigation and conviction that has changed? With Lindsey Davis, Christopher Fowler, Elly Griffiths, William Ryan and Manda Scott.   Irish Noir 12.00pm | Tickets: £10 Showcasing the best of Irish Noir including Steve Cavanagh, Brian McGilloway, Adrian McKinty, Eoin McNamee and Stuart Neville. Your Perfect Match 2.00pm | Tickets: £10 At a time when we’re bombarded with suggestions for new reading and when Amazon reviews and star-ratings have become devalued, how do we come across that very special book that will stay with us for a lifetime? With Stewart Bain, Isabelle Grey, Anya Lipska, David Mark and James Oswald.   The Morality of Murder 3.30pm | Tickets: £10 Is the crime novel essentially an up-dated morality tale? With Belinda Bauer, Wiley Cash, Jonathan Freedland, Nicci French and Cath Staincliffe. Millennium - She's Back! 5.00pm | Tickets: £11 Exactly 10 years after publication of ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’, this Summer will see a new story (the fourth in the phenomenally successful series) based on Stieg Larsson’s universe and characters. Find out more exclusively in Harrogate.   Yorkshire Pride 6.30pm | Tickets: £10 Best of local authors and those who love Yorkshire including Frances Brody, Lee Child, Steve Mosby, Peter Robinson and Nick Quantrill. Dead Good Reader Awards* 7.00pm | Tickets £12 The Reader awards ask you to vote for your winners including Best Hero, Best Villain and Best Twist.     Special Guest: Mark Billingham In Conversation with David Morrissey 8.30pm | Tickets: £13 In this special event, the bestselling crime writer and the acclaimed actor who played Tom Thorne on TV will discuss bringing crime fiction to the screen.   The Black Art of Criticism 10.00pm | Tickets: £10 We might pretend to ignore reviews, but we all seek a good quote to put on the jacket of the paperback, and some comments can be genuinely hurtful. Should authors ever review the books of their friends? Including Jake Kerridge, S.J Parris, Stav Sherez, Ann Widdecombe and Daphne Wright .     Saturday 18th July   Special Guest: Lisa Gardner In Conversation with Ann Cleeves 9.00am | Tickets: £13 This year’s Programming Chair Ann Cleeves, creator of the phenomenally successful Vera Stanhope novels dramatized on ITV, interviews New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner. Special Guest: M.C. Beaton In Conversation with Fred MacAuley 10.30am | Tickets: £13 This Scottish pair will be discussing M. C. Beaton’s extensive career.   New Blood 12.00pm | Tickets: £10 Val McDermid introduces four sparkling new talents, Renee Knight, Clare Mackintosh, Ben McPherson and Lucy Ribchester.   Strange Lands 2.00pm | Tickets: £10 A writer’s imagination can be triggered by extreme environments. Find out what influences Mark Lawson, MJ McGrath, Hakan Nesser, Craig Robertson, Michael Robotham and Louise Welsh.   Forensics 3.30pm | Tickets: £10 Find out how real crime forensics effect the crime genre with Lin Anderson, Lorna Dawson, Prof. Niamh Nic Daeid, James Grieve and Martin Hall.   TV Panel 5.00pm | Tickets: £13 Featuring Yorkshire born Sally Wainwright, the British BAFTA winning television writer and playwright, well known for her creation of the hugely popular Happy Valley and Scott & Bailey TV series’. Full panel line up TBA soon.   Author Dinner: Murder in the Lemon Grove* 6.15pm | Tickets: £30 When Sicilian businessman Paolo Brusconi is found murdered in a lemon grove adjoining an archaeological site, four people come under suspicion. Special Guest: Lee Child 8.30pm | Tickets: £13 Festival favourite Lee Child returns to discuss his new book, Make Me, the twentieth instalment in the Jack Reacher series.     Late Night Quiz 10.00pm | Tickets: £10 Test your criminal knowledge with quiz masters Mark Billingham and Val McDermid and vie to get your hands on the coveted quiz cup!     Sunday 19th July   Celebrating Patricia Highsmith 10.00am | Tickets: £10 2015 marks Tom Ripley’s 60th birthday and we’re delighted to celebrate the author and her work with Martin Edwards, Sarah Hilary, Peter James, Peter Swanson and Andrew Taylor. Special Guest: Arnaldur Indridason interviewed by Barry Forshaw 11.30am | Tickets: £13 Icelandic crime writer Arnaldur Indridason speaks to writer and journalist Barry Forshaw.

Want to go to all of this year's events? Why not indulge your criminal tendencies and get great value for money with a Festival Rover ticket:    Weekend Rover Ticket   • Access to all Festival events* from 8pm on Thursday 16 July to 12.30pm on Sunday 19 July • Delicious lunches at the Old Swan Hotel on Friday 17 and Saturday 18 July • A complimentary Festival goody bag   Price: £215 per person   Day Rover Ticket   • Access to all Festival events* throughout the day • A delicious lunch at the Old Swan Hotel • A complimentary Festival goody bag Price: £92 per person Price: £86 per person   Please note that all bookings are subject to a £1.75 booking fee.

Title Sponsor Crime Novel of the Year Partners                           Premier Partners                    Facebook Twitter Website   Copyright © 2015 Harrogate International Festivals, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive e-newsletters at our website, or you have previously attended Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival events. Our mailing address is: Harrogate International Festivals 32 Cheltenham Parade Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG1 1DB United Kingdom #TheakstonsOldPeculierCrimeWritingFestival  #TOPCrime2015