The Word Cloud

We're getting closer and closer to being able to release our full Festival of Writing line-up for 2012. We've made a few changes to the structure of the programme - "Meet the Agents" sessions that will run all the way through the weekend and a set of "Genre Expert" panels that will run on the Saturday morning.

Mostly though, we're going for the same old fab stuff as before. We're probably aiming for a slightly more advanced feel this year than last. That doesn't at all mean that total beginners won't have loads to feast on - it's more that we want to make sure that advanced writers have plenty to get their gnashers into.

Among those confirmed so far:

JoJo Moyes - bestselling women's fiction author
Jane Lawson - editorial director, Transworld
Bill Massey - deputy publishing director, Orion
Gillian Green - editorial director, Ebury
Stuart McBride - multi award winning bestselling crime author

And of course more agents than you can shake a winebottle at. Among them:

Piers Blofeld
David Headley
Juliet Mushens
Julia Churchill
Peter Buckman
Oli Munson
Sallyanne Sweeney
... and plenty more.

Most of the agents on that list have taken writers from the WW or the Festival in the past - and of course we'll do everything we can to make sure that really good work gets placed with really good agents.

We'll also run our Festival Academy awards again - where we arrange free editorial critiques for three lucky people who are (in our view) trembling on the verge of publishable. If you want to know what that offer might lead to, just ask John Onceupon.

And of course the Festival wouldn't be the Festival without some old favourites (Debi, Emma, Julie Cohen, Jeremy Sheldon) and some new faces who we think are going to be fabber than fab.

Our aim is still to get the website & booking form live & ready for action by March 1. The grand unveiling is getting closer.