We are very happy to announce that Graham Joyce will be making the keynote speech at the Writing Industries Conference 2010. The theme of this year’s keynote will be ‘The End of the Print Age’, reflecting WIC 2010’s focus on the many changes taking place across the writing industries. We are also pleased to confirm details of three specialist workshops for delegates attending the conference, and an additional speaker joining our programme.

Buy tickets for the Writing industries Conference 2010

WIC 2010 Keynote : The End Of The Print Age

This is the twilight of the printed book. As surely as we moved from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age we find ourselves in a transition from the Print Age to the Digital Age. What does this mean for the writer who “merely” wants to write? The complexities of publishing have suddenly been multiplied in a way that challenges every writer who ever had an ambition to publish or make a single penny from the business of writing. But far from being a calamity, the onslaught of digital technologies has opened up new opportunities for the industrious writer who is able to diversify.

Keynote speaker : Graham Joyce

Graham Joyce is the author of seventeen novels and numerous short stories, which have won five British Fantasy Awards, the World Fantasy Award in 2003 and the prestigious O Henry prize in 2009. He grew up in a small mining village just outside Coventry in a working class family and wrote his first novel Dreamside on the Greek island of Lesbos, where he lived for three years after leaving his job to concentrate on writing. After selling Dreamside to Pan Books in 1991, Graham moved back to England to pursue a career as a full-time writer.

Graham’s writing has been classified as fantasy, horror, science fiction and mainstream literature. His stories frequently return to themes of grief, loss, growth and change, the corrupting effects of power, the importance of self-awareness, and the fundamental need for order, meaning, and coherence in the face of a chaotic universe. While the literary quality of his writing has prompted comparisons with magical realism, Graham himself places it in the tradition of the English ‘weird tales’ and writers including Arthur Machen and Algernon Blackwood.

Graham recently collected his memoirs as a goalkeeper in the non-fiction Simple Goalkeeping Made Easy which was nominated for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2009. He has also diversified into new media with the announcement last year that he would be writing the story for the latest in the phenomenally popular series of Doom video games. Graham teaches fiction and creative writing at Nottingham Trent University, and is well known for his insightful creative writing workshops and seminars.

http://www.grahamjoyce.net/

Workshops

Writing for video games
Writer and game designer Steve Ince, author of ‘Writing for Video Games’, leads a workshop about the fundamentals of writing for video games.

Working with an audience
Performance skills are ever more important to writers of all kinds. Performance poet and comedian Rob Gee leads this workshop on working with an audience. Suitable for writers of all levels.

About the Writers Guild
Bernie Corbett, General Seceretary of the Writer’s Guild, talks about the union’s work representing writers in TV, radio, theatre, books, poetry, film, online and video games.

Places on workshops are limited. Delegates can register for workshops on the day on a first come first served basis.

Additional Speaker

Jacob Sam La Rose joins our panel on the spoken word arts. Jacob’s poetry has been described as “fresh, vivid and masterly” (Poetry Book Society). His publishing credits include City State (Penned in the Margins, 2009), Penguin’s Poems for Love (2009), and Identity Parade: New British and Irish Poets (Bloodaxe, 2010); his performance credits include festivals and venues such as the Queen Elizabeth Hall (London), the Arts House (Singapore), the Urb Festival (Finland), the Green Mill (Chicago) and the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival. Jacob is well known for his work with literature in education and programmes for emerging poets, and he serves as a poetry editor for flipped eye press.

Twitter #wic2010

The Writing Industries Conference brings together writers from across the East Midlands and beyond with professionals from the writing industries to share knowledge, develop skills and make new contacts. The conference is open to anyone with an interest in writing, from unpublished writers who want to learn more to bestselling novelists.

The full programme for WIC 2010 is available online here:

http://writingindustries.com/programme/

A theme of this year’s conference is the many changes taking place in the writing industries. With new technologies from the internet to ebooks causing revolutionary change in commercial publishing, WIC2010 discusses how writers are making the most of the opportunities that come with change. Following the tremendous success of Harry Potter, speakers including Bali Rai and Chris d’Lacey talk about the fundamentals of writing for younger readers. With more writers than ever making a living from poetry, Sarah Ellis of spoken word agency Apples & Snakes and a panel of working poets discuss how and why. And with Paranormal Romance such as Twilight and True Blood topping bestseller lists, Romance author Sue Moorcroft asks where next for one of the most traditional genres of fiction.

The Writing Industries Conference also explores the broad range of ways writers make a living, and the new areas opening up for talented writers. New interactive media and video games are now bigger business than Hollywood, Steve Ince (Author of ‘Writing for Video Games’) and Graham Joyce (Writer, Doom 4) talk about the place of writers in this new industry. With screenwriting among the most rewarding and competitive outlet for writers, Peter Leslie Wild (Senior Producer, BBC Radio) and Amanda Whittington (Playwright and Screenwriter) join the discussion on how writers sell scripts and get them produced. And Paul Munden (National Association of Writers in Education) joins professional poets from the region to talk about how writers work in the community.

Just a few of the other speakers at the Writing Industries Conference 2010 include Bernie Corbett (Writers Guild) Bella Pagan (Orbit Books), Alan Mahar (Tindal Street Press), Steve Dearden (National Association for Literature Development),Bea Udeh (Nottingham Playhouse producer and BRITRegional Director), Mark Gwynne Jones (poet and performer), Nicola Monaghan (novelist), John Coster (Citizens Eye), Mark Charan Newton (fantasy novelist), Mary Nichols (historical romance writer) and Julia Churchill (Greenhouse Literary Agency).

Applications for 1-2-1 meeting closed on Monday 8th February 2010, but you can still take advantage of networking opportunities to gain advice. Professional agents and editors representing a range of writing genres at the conference include:

Lorella Belli (Lorella Belli Literary Agency)
Ollie Munson (Blake Friedmann, Literary TV and Film Agency)
Alan Mahar (Tindal Street Press)
Sarah Ellis (Apples and Snakes)
James Wills (Watson, Little Ltd)
John Berlyne (Zeno Agency Ltd)
Jane Finigan (Lutyens & Rubinstein Literary Agency)
Wayne Burrows (Staple Magazine)

Buy tickets for the Writing Industries Conference online here.

If you have any questions regarding WIC2010 or would like further information please contact:

Alyson Stoneman
WIC2010 co-ordinator (part-time)
Email: wic2010eastmidlands@googlemail.com

Book tickets online here.

WIC 2010 – APPLY NOW FOR AGENT AND EDITOR 1-2-1 MEETINGS
The Writing Industries Conference 2010 is now open to applications for 1-2-1 meetings with agents and editors. Writers will have the chance to present their work in fiction, creative non-fiction and spoken word. A limited number of 1-2-1s are available and only ticket holders to WIC 2010 may apply.
1-2-1 meetings are available with:

• Lorella Belli, Lorella Belli Literary Agency http://www.lorellabelliagency.com/
• Ollie Munson, Blake Friedmann, Literary TV and Film Agency http://www.blakefriedmann.co.uk/
• Alan Mahar, Tindal Street Press http://www.tindalstreet.co.uk/
• Sarah Ellis, Apples and Snakes http://www.applesandsnakes.org/
• James Wills, Watson, Little Ltd http://www.watsonlittle.com/
• John Berlyne, Zeno Agency Ltd http://www.zenoagency.com/
• Jane Finigan, Lutyens & Rubinstein Literary Agency http://www.lutyensrubinstein.co.uk
• Wayne Burrows, Staple Magazine http://staplemagazine.wordpress.com/

For guidelines and details on how to apply please see: http://writingindustries.com/1-2-1-guidelines/

WIC 2010 will bring together writers from across the East Midlands and professionals from the writing industries to share knowledge, develop skills and forge new contacts. 200 writers from the region will have the opportunity to hear from and meet with professionals from the writing industries in a variety of settings:

• Agents and editors in one-to-one sessions with selected writers, giving advice and support in their area of expertise.

• Panel discussions exploring specific areas of writing, from breaking into commercial publishing to working in the community.

• Writing industries fair featuring stalls from local publishers, funders and other organisations involved with the writing industries.

• And of course there will be plenty of opportunity to meet and talk with other writers over a coffee.

Details of the full programme will be announced soon.

Book tickets online here.

If you have any questions regarding WIC 2010 or would like further information please contact:

Alyson Stoneman
WIC2010 co-ordinator (part-time)
Email: wic2010eastmidlands@googlemail.com

Buy your tickets here

A Literature Network, Writing East Midlands
and Loughborough University project.

http://writingindustries.com/

The second Writing Industries Conference will be held on Saturday 6th March at Loughborough University. The conference will bring together writers from across the East Midlands with professionals from the writing industries to share knowledge, develop skills and forge new contacts. 200 writers from the region will have the opportunity to hear from and meet with professionals from the writing industries in a variety of settings:

• Agents and editors in one-to-one sessions with selected writers, giving advice and support in their area of expertise.
• Panel discussions exploring specific areas of writing, from breaking into commercial publishing to working in the community.
• Writing industries fair featuring stalls from local publishers, funders and other organisations involved with the writing industries.
• And of course there will be plenty of opportunity to meet and talk with other writers over a coffee.

The full programme including details of how to apply for agent one-to-one’s will be announced soon.

EARLY BIRD TICKET OFFER
The first Writing Industries Conference sold out soon after tickets were offered for sale. This year we are have increased the number of tickets available but the early bird tickets have already gone! Full price tickets are now on sale at £42.

Buy tickets online here

If you have any questions regarding WIC 2010 or would like further information please contact:

Catherine Rogers
catherine@writingeastmidlands.co.uk

Stephen Booth is the author of the Cooper and Fry series, which had built up a wide fan base around the UK and beyond. His most recent novel, Dying to Sin, was released in September 2007 and he is also the author of Scared to Live, The Dead Place and One Last Breath. Stephen’s novels are all set in Derbyshire’s Peak District, with famous locations from the books now featured in the Peak Experience visitors’ guides.

Stephen will be one of many authors, publishers and literature professionals offering advice and guidance to aspiring writers at the conference. The day will be featuring a range of panels covering topics such as poetry, playwriting, writing for TV and radio, children’s writing and many more.

On top of this, the conference will also be offering selected writers the chance for an agent one-to-one session, giving them the chance to have their work read and assessed by leading agents from around the UK. These sessions will allow successful applicants the chance to receive advice and guidance from the people at the very heart of the publishing industry. One-to-one sessions are available with:

John Jarrold – Science Fiction and Fantasy

Melanie Abrahams – Poetry and spoken word

Lorella Belli – Fiction and general non-fiction

James Wills – Commercial and literary fiction

One-to-one sessions are extremely limited and writers should apply as soon as possible for a chance to secure one.

Agent one-to-one sessions will be strictly limited. Writers can apply for a one to one session after purchasing their conference ticket, and will then be sent information on how to apply for one to one sessions. Applications for one to ones will close on Friday 25^th January.

The Writing Industries Conference 2008 is a Literature Network project supported by Arts Council England, Loughborough University, Creative Leicestershire, Writing School Leicester and Derbyshire Arts Partnership (DAP is the forum for joint working on arts  development between local authorities in Derbyshire)

http://writingindustries.wordpress.com

February 2008 sees the East Midlands host its first Writing Industries Conference, offering local writers an unmissable opportunity to meet professionals from the worlds of writing, publishing and live literature.

The conference will feature panel discussions on a wide range of subjects featuring experts in the field. Topics covered including playwriting, commercial fiction, writing for children, spoken word, poetry and many more and panels will include representatives from BBC, Hodder Headline Publishing, Arts Council England and Theatre Writing Partnership as well as a host of local and national writers and performers.

On top of this, the conference will also be offering selected writers the chance for an agent one-to-one sessions, giving you the chance to have your work read and assessed by leading agents from around the UK. These sessions will allow you the chance to receive advice and guidance from the people at the very heart of the publishing industry. One-to-one sessions are available with:

• John Jarrold – Science Fiction and Fantasy

• Melanie Abrahams – Poetry and spoken word

• Lorella Belli – Fiction and general non-fiction

• James Wills – Commercial and literary fiction

One-to-one sessions are extremely limited and you should apply as soon as possible for a chance to secure one.

Agent one-to-one sessions will be strictly limited. Writers can apply for a one to one session after purchasing their conference ticket, and will then be sent information on how to apply for one to one sessions. Applications for one to ones will close on Friday 25th January.

http://writingindustries.wordpress.com