Welcome to Elaine Roberts with another in her
interesting series about literary festivals and workshops.
This month I
have interviewed Laura Burson from the Festival of Writing. Welcome to the RNA
blog, Laura. Can you
tell us something about your festival, how it came about and how long its been
running?
The Festival of Writing takes place annually in York. Now in
its seventh year the festival has gained
Who are
your main speakers this year?
This year we have two hugely successful self-published
authors to join traditionally published names in speaking at the festival. Mark
Edwards and Rachel Abbot, who have each sold more than two million copies of
their books and are now published by Amazon’s Thomas & Mercer imprint, will
address hundreds of aspiring writers about the different routes to publication,
sharing their experiences.
As our
blog is for writers can you tell me how your festival would benefit our
members?
The Festival of Writing is one of the most influential and
highly regarded creative gatherings in the publishing calendar. It attracts
hundreds of aspiring authors from across the UK who gather each year to meet
agents and publishers to pitch their ideas, attend creative workshop and benefit
from one-to-one tutorials with editors and industry experts, honing their craft
and helping them on the path to publication.
Is
there anything to enter (maybe a writing competition), if so could details be
provided?
Yes, one of the highlights of the weekend is the now famous
‘Friday Night Live’ competition (often described as the literary X Factor) when
delegates read 500 words of their manuscript to be critiqued by a panel of
experts. Previous winners have gone on to great success with bestselling novels
and six-figure book deals. The 2014 winner Joanna Cannon read from her future
bestseller THE TROUBLE WITH GOATS AND SHEEP. Within 48 hours of leaving York
she had seven offers from book agents and went on to become a Sunday Times
bestseller in hardback and paperback.
We have a host of other exciting comps too, with great agent
judges on the panel.
How
about staying over for the whole event. Where can people stay?
Those booking weekend tickets get accommodation included.
It's on campus so close to all the workshops, talks, all the meals and all the
other evening events. Everybody stays on campus, so you'll be sharing food,
drink & accommodation with the editors, agents and authors present.
What
does it cost to attend?
Day tickets start at £185 (including two agent one-to-one
meetings).
Weekend tickets start at £395. With these weekend options
you get accommodation included. All meals, inc gala dinner. Refreshments. All
talks & workshops. Plus 2 one-to-one sessions (with agents / publishers /
book doctors).
Although day tickets are available to the event, we do urge
people to stay the Friday and (especially) the Saturday night, as many of the
most important connections will take place 'out of hours'.
Do
workshops/talks fill up quickly?
We still have tickets left for 2017 but encourage folk to
book soon to get choice agent slots.
How
much time does it take to organise the festival?
It takes a year in the making, with planning for the next
usually starting just as we've tidied up that year's event.
Dates
for this year and possibly next.
The Festival of Writing takes place 8-10 September 2017 in
York.
Website
For more information and the full programme visit:
www.writersworkshop.co.uk/FestivalofWriting2017.html
Email
for queries: info@writersworkshop.co.uk
Thank you for taking the time to talk to me, Laura, and we wish the festival every success.
***STOP PRESS: RNA
members who wish to attend can type RNA
into the relevant box to receive 15% off any ticket option***
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