WRITING AND PUBLISHING WORKSHOPS – 2018
"THE BUSINESS OF BOOKS"
INTENSIVE ONE-DAY WORKSHOPS ON WRITING AND PUBLISHING
Have you always wanted to write a book?
Or have you written one (whether fiction or non-fiction), and want to know how to get it published?
Do you look at beautiful books and think: I would love to do something like that one day...
It has long been a dream of me to mentor new authors and pass on some of the insights I have learned over a decade of editing and authoring books. We have spent years searching for the perfect venue, and finally invested in a beautiful new building called 'Opera' on St Kilda Road's gracious tree-lined avenue, which has superb rooms for workshops, including a library, wine room, boardroom, and a lovely outdoor terrace with gardens. In the meantime, I am looking at other possible venues in London and New York, for workshops in 2019.
Please follow my Instagram for details of future workshops – www.instagram.com/janellemcculloch_author
I hope to see you at one of these writing and publishing workshops one day, and really look forward to meeting you and helping you with your individual projects!
FOR MORE DETAILS, PLEASE EMAIL:
[email protected]
MORNING SESSION – THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF WRITING A BOOK
(Please note: These topics apply to all genres, and either fiction or non-fiction writing.)
YOUR IDEA
Refining your idea.
Doing due diligence.
Why is it necessary to do market analysis and examine the potential competition?
Trends – Which genres are selling? Which sub-genres are selling? Do you need to care?
Titles — Why does a title matter so much to a project, even at the start? What to consider in a title? Or sub-title? Do you need to care about trends in titles?
Which genres sell the most? Should you follow those genres / trends? Or try to do your own?
THE WRITING STAGE
How to write – and finish – your book!
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BREAK FOR LUNCH
A DELICIOUS LUNCH WILL BE PROVIDED. PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU HAVE DIETARY REQUIREMENTS.
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AFTERNOON SESSION – THE COMMERCIAL ASPECTS OF PUBLISHING
PREPARING YOUR MANUSCRIPT OR PROPOSAL FOR PUBLISHERS
Do you need to write an entire book?
How to put a proper proposal together – including synopsis, rationale, contents, market analysis, competition, readership / demographics, and more.
How many chapters do you need to include?
What else to include?
FINDING THE RIGHT PUBLISHER TO PITCH TO
How to ensure your manuscript is ready to show to editors or publishers.
Do you really need an agent?
How to choose the right publisher.
Your ‘elevator pitch’. (And why this is important.)
THE MOCK-UP
Why a mock-up is almost imperative for non-fiction books. (And how you can create a reasonable mock-up with little effort.)
Should you care about things such as design, and end papers?
The importance of good design in selling a book – and why good design begins with the author’s ideas.
Jackets – Trends in jackets (covers).
Art materials – How to protect your materials.
THE ACQUISITION PROCESS
THE OFFER AND CONTRACT
THE PRODUCTION PROCESS
Where to from here?
How long does the production process take?
The dreaded (but important) editing process.
Do authors have a say in design?
Do authors have a say in the title?
How to choose your battles – what to care about and what to relinquish.
PUBLICATION
Marketing and publicity — Why this is the author’s responsibility.
Capitalising on your success
