Posted by Justine Solomons on 13 January 2015, in News

Kingston University have been long standing supporters of Byte the Book and so we were delighted to be invited to speak at their Author Conference later this year.

Here are some details on the event:

Our one day course will give you:

• An update on the publishing and writing landscape. However long established or recent your writing career, this is information you need to know
• Practical guidance on how to think about preparing your material for publication – what to do and in what order, how much time and money to allocate
• The chance to make key connections and gather a support network that will be highly valuable to you in future – and help you sustain your creative practice

Right now the publishing landscape is awash with change.  Publishers are buying less and more cautiously and self-publishing is now an established and effective option for managing the route from writer to reader. However they plan to reach their market, authors need to embrace new ways of thinking and working; choices have to be made.

We want authors to benefit from all the changes and new services available rather than feel overwhelmed or threatened by them. Our day course will look at the situation afresh; consider tactics that have worked in the publishing industry in the past, as well as the wealth of options available right now.

To this end, we have assembled a significant panel of thinkers and practitioners around the publishing industry and encourage anyone considering making content available to join us. Hosted at Kingston, home of the celebrated MA Publishing, our course offers an opportunity to engage with and understand the landscape – and on this basis to make plans for the future. Whatever your current stage in writing, this is an opportunity not to be missed.

Chaired by Dr Alison Baverstock of Kingston’s MA Publishing the course will offer you access to a wide range of experts in this area including Michael Bhaskar(publisher and author of The Content Machine); book historian Judith Watts on what we can learn from the past to help us understand the future; literary agentAndrew Lownie on how to choose between traditional and self-publishing options – and ride the changes; The Alliance of Independent Authors with practical advice on how to steer a path through the options on offer; a range of ebook hosting, print on demand providers and other publishing support networks (Diego Marano ofKobo, Gareth Howard of Authoright, Justine Solomons of Byte the Book, Anna Lewis of Completely Novel and Harriet Smart of Anthemion) with the opportunity to talk to them as a group about what to look for in publishing support; Laura Summers of BookMachine on branding, discoverability and ways to grow your author brand, and Course Leader for MA Publishing, Anna Faherty, on how to put together, plan and implement a publishing plan.

Cost:

• £130 standard ticket
• £90 for members of Kingston Writing School, Kingston staff and students
• £90 for Byte the Book subscribers until end of Feb 2015 , just select Special Discount and enter "Partner' when it asks for a code

The price includes an array of refreshments throughout the day (including lunch) and a free copy of The Naked Author (price £15)

Tickets can be booked via Eventbrite here