The Word Cloud

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  by Swing it! 9 months ago

  Anyone from round Bristol attending? Really apprehensive too. Do they throw aspring writers to the lions to get eaten alive and do the agents/publishers really look as glamorous/scary/ film star look alike as their piccies.
  The competitions? Pleese...I'd rather fall in a vat of acid or volunteer for Mastermind on the subject of football or skate down the High Street in the nude. Just joking, but you get the point...
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  by Squidge 11 months ago

  But Debi - it's the 1-2-1 I'm REALLY panicking over...the book doctor might eat me for dinner! :)
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  by Debi 11 months ago

  Good on you, Squidge. Much better than last minute panic. :-)
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  by Squidge 11 months ago

  I know it's early, but I've just sent my two comp entries in...to stop me faffing about with them any more! Now I can concentrate on what I'm submitting for the 1-2-1's...
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  by Squidge 11 months ago

  As I'm sending Book 1 to the agent sometime next week, I've just decided to get the opening chapter of book 2 up to scratch for the book doctor session at York. I am now officially cacking myself!
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  by Squidge 1 year ago

  I'm beginning to wonder whether I'll ever be ready for York...how's everyone else feeling?
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  by The WordCloud 1 year ago

  Competitions at the Festival
  Friday Night Live
  
  **Best 500 word extract**
  
  An amazing opportunity that could lead straight to an agent - and a book deal. Here's how it works:
  
  You send us up to 500 words from your manuscript.
  We'll pick the seven entries we like the best.
  The seven shortlisted writers will read their work out on Friday night.
  We'll have some expert judges to offer their views ...
  But the final vote will be left to the Festival audience.
  The winner gets a bottle of fizz. Better still, you'll get the attention of every agent in the room.
  
  In 2010, the winner of the comp was Shelley Harris, who was offered representation by a number of different agents as a result. She signed up with Conville & Walsh, who had multiple publishers interested. Weidenfeld & Nicolson won the auction ... and the book is now available from all good bookshops. In 2011, Cicely Havely won this comp - and she too was promptly signed up with an agent (Piers Blofeld from Shiel Land) soon afterwards. We're hoping for good things to follow soon ...
  
  How to Enter - see info below
  
  
  **Best Opening Chapter - with United Agents**
  
  Best opening chapter
  
  Following the success of last year's opening page comp, we've got an expanded comp, this time in association with United Agents. Here's how it works:
  
  you send us your opening chapter (up to a max of 3000 words) plus a one-paragraph description of the book.
  We'll winnow the entries down to a shortlist of 6 or so, then we'll pass on those entries to Simon Trewin, James Gill and Sarah Ballard at United Agents.
  The UA team will pick a winner and two runners-up.
  The winner & runners-up will get a bottle of fizz each.
  The outright winner will also get lunch in London with an agent from UA (they'll pick someone suited to you and your book) and also one of the three WW bursaries (see info below).
  
  Last year, one of the runners-up was Claire McGowan, whose book, The Fall, is in all good bookshops now. And Gideon Roberton, another runner-up, has secured the services of David Headley, the literary agent. JC Martin has been published by a brilliant indie press in the US. And some other shortlisted candidates are also very close to having agents of their own too.
  
  How to Enter - see info below
  
  **The Writers' Workshop Bursaries**
  
  Free Editorial Reviews from the Writers' Workshop
  
  We love nothing better than helping brilliant authors achieve success. So last year we gave away three free editorial reviews from our ace editors. There's no comp here - nothing you need to enter - but we'll just keep our eyes peeled through the course of the Festival for writers of outstanding promise whose works just needs a tiny bit of extra help. Sometimes we get agents or book doctors recommending stuff to us. Sometimes we see a competition entry or one-to-one submission that's just brimming with potential.
  
  One bursary will go to the winner of the Best Opening chapter competition (see above). The other two will go wherever they're most needed. We'll keep you informed on the blog about who wins and what happens next.
  
  In 2011, John Taylor got a helping hand from one of our bursaries and his book has been snapped up, with huge enthusiasm, by Juliet Mushens at PFD.
  
  How to Enter
  
  Friday Night Live
  
  To enter, please just email us by 15 August. Your email should have "Friday Night Live" as the subject and you should attach an excerpt from your manuscript (max 500 words) as a Word document or PDF file.
  
  We will acknowledge receipt of entries by 20th August. Thereafter only the seven shortlisted candidates will be notified of their success - by 31 August. Please don't email us to chase us! We have enough to do around then.
  
  One entry per ticket. If you're chosen as one of the seven, you will need to be present on the Friday night, so do make sure your ticket includes the full Festival weekend - or at least make sure that you can get to York for that evening.
  
  
  Best Opening Chapter
  
  Entries by 7 August please. Email us with your entry using "Best Opening Chapter" as the subject line of your email. You should attach the opening chapter of your MS (up to a max of 3000 words) preceded by a short one para summary of the book. Those things should be in a single document, which may be either a Word document or a PDF file.
  
  We welcome fiction and non-fiction; work aimed at adults or children; and any genre at all.
  
  If your book contains a prologue, we suggest you skip that and send the first chapter instead - but we don't know your book and can't advise you. It's up to you to make the call. Just send us a maximum of 3000 words drawn from the start of your book.
  
  We will acknowledge receipt of entries by 15 August. Shortlisted candidates only will be notified by 22 August. Winner and runners up will be announced at the Gala Dinner on Saturday night. Winner & runners up will be invited to read a short extract from their work following the dinner - but that's optional.
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  by The WordCloud 1 year ago

  Latest update: We've confirmed Charlie Brotherstone from A.M Heath.
  Charlie joined A.M Heath in 2008. He represents literary and commercial writers of fiction and non-fiction. Founded in 1919, AM Heath is one of the UK's leading literary agencies. They now represent a broad range of best-selling and award-winning authors, including novelists, historians, biographers, and children's authors. In addition, they have seen the successful launch of many talented newcomers, something in which they take particular pride.