Write well.
Publish wisely.
Be savvy.

Professional development for working writers offering affordable online workshops on specialist topics giving you the knowledge and tools to boost your career.

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Paid Advertising:
Waste of Cash
or Worth It?

With Eleanor Pilcher, Head of Digital Marketing at BookoutureWorkshop recording available for purchase belowEleanor Pilcher runs paid advertising across hundreds of titles at Bookouture, one of the UK’s most commercially successful digital publishers. She’ll give you an honest, insider account of how publishers allocate ad budgets, which books get spend and why, and where most authors sit in the pecking order.She’ll show you how to work out what your own publisher is doing, how to have a more informed conversation with your marketing team, and how to make a credible case for more support if you feel you’re not getting it. And if your publisher simply isn’t doing enough, she’ll help you think through when and where it might make sense to step in with your own spend.This workshop will help you understand:
* the current advertising landscape and how it has changed
* how marketing departments allocate budgets
* where your book sits within your publisher’s pecking order
* how to make the internal case for more spend on your title
* when and where it might be beneficial to spend your own moneyAimed primarily at traditionally published authors, this session may also be relevant for indies, but is not a how-to-run ads session. It will help you advocate for your book and make clear-eyed decisions about what to do if advocacy isn’t enough. Places will be limited to keep the session interactive.

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Launch Like A Pro:
A Checklist for Debuts & Seasoned Authors Alike

With Alison Barrow, PR Director of TransworldMonday June 15th 7-8.30PMAlison Barrow has spent decades at the highest level of UK publishing, launching some of the biggest bestsellers of the past twenty years. In this insider-led session, she’ll show you exactly how publicity works from both sides.She’ll discuss what your publisher is doing and why, what factors determines which authors get the most attention, how to have more productive conversations with your publicist, and how to collaborate more effectively. Finally, she’ll discuss where author-led activity can genuinely add value. Practical, strategic and grounded in industry reality, it will help you avoid wasted effort and focus on what really drives coverage.By the end of this session, you will:
* understand how in-house publicity teams prioritise and make decisions
* know how to collaborate with your publicist to maximise opportunities
* identify where your own efforts can meaningfully support publisher activity
* learn what journalists and producers will respond to
* focus your time on publicity actions that lead to real coverageAimed primarily at traditionally published authors, this session may also be relevant for indies. It will help you advocate for your book and make clear-eyed decisions about how your activity can meaningfully support your publisher's. Places will be limited to keep the session interactive.

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Pork Swords & Velvet Tunnels:
Navigating the Spice Spectrum in
Romance Writig

With bestselling author Tracy Buchanan, founder of the Savvy Writers Snug, the UK's largest online group for published authors.Monday July 6th 7-8.30PMHAVE YOU HIT THE SWEET SPOT WITH SPICE IN YOUR WIP?And if you don't write spice explicitly, how can you ramp up romantic tension in other ways, so that you leave agents, editors and readers clamouring for more?With publishers and agents increasingly calling for more spice in romance novels, this session looks at the full spectrum of romantic tension, from closed door and cosy to high heat and kink, and explores how to craft chemistry that feels intentional rather than reactive.We’ll cover how to build emotional investment before physical intimacy, how to integrate spice with plot and character, and how to choose a heat level that suits your voice and your audience.Whether you’re writing sweet, commercial or steamy, this workshop is about making strategic, confident decisions about romance on the page.

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