Sat 25 January 2014
09.00-17.00, Volkshaus, Zürich
Earlybird booking fee 20% off until 1st October
Only 50 places available
Book HERE
The Tutors:
Agent Julia Churchill (AM Heath)
Julia Churchill – AM Heath
I joined AM Heath in 2013 as Children’s Agent, after four years building up the UK side of the Greenhouse Literary Agency, and six years at the Darley Anderson Agency where I started the children’s book side of the list. I’m lucky to represent some fabulous writers, but I’m always on the treasure hunt for new writing talent and consider the slushpile to be the greatest place on earth. I’m looking for debut and established authors with storytelling magic, from picture book texts right up to YA fiction.
Sara O’Connor – Hot Key Books
Sara O’Connor (Hot Key Books)
I began as an editorial assistant at Little Brown Books for Young Readers in New York, and then followed my heart to London. There, I joined Working Partners where I worked on series like Rainbow Magic and My Sister the Vampire. Prior to Hot Key, I was at Hodder Children’s Books managing the Enid Blyton publishing program and acquiring projects like internet sensation JackDrawsAnything.com and A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton. I am also the co-creator of the volunteer SCBWI-BI Undiscovered Voices project, helping twenty previously unknown children’s authors to land publishing deals and to win and be nominated for a number of industry awards. At Hot Key, I have acquired books about shrinking sheep, prison breaks, invisible teenagers, rubbish heaps and airship adventures, as well as worked on the digital projects of Maggot Moon, A World Between Us and thestoryadventure.com.
The Event
Session 1 (led by Julia Churchill)
- What do agents & publishers actually do?
- General market overview and pitching advice
- Age divisions, how young people consume stories, the gatekeepers’ (parents, librarians, teachers) considerations
—COFFEE—
Session 2 (led by Sara O’Connor)
- World building and opening pages
- Realising your characters’ world(s). Detail, description, evocation, research, populating the imagination
—LUNCH—
Session 3 (led by Sara O’Connor)
- Character building and plotting
- Successes, relevant ages, humour and darkness, key factors to appeal
Sessions 2 & 3 will include ‘taster’ exercises for participants to continue on their own, plus summary handouts for people to keep.
—COFFEE—
Session 4 (moderated by Nuance Words)
- Panel discussion on subjects such as the changing face of publishing, the landscape for aspiring authors, routes to market, transmedia storytelling, author platforms, maximising other skills and marketing
- Participant Q&A
Participants should bring:
- the first five pages of their manuscript
- a two line per chapter outline of their plot (that’s a strict two sentences per chapter, describing what the main action/point of each chapter is)
TO REGISTER, CLICK HERE: https://w4yp14.eventbrite.com (Nuance Words Eventbrite page)
Earlybird Price: 160 Fr. until 1. October only (Regular price – 200 Fr.)
