What can psychological theory add to your character development? We will use short tasks to help you create characters with depth by considering elements such as attachment patterns, belief systems, the emotional world and defence mechanisms, all underpinned by the brain’s focus on survival.

Dr Stephanie Carty is a writer, trainer and consultant clinical psychologist. She specialised in working with foster and adoptive families for many years. She has won the Eyelands Book Award (Best Collection) and Saboteur Award (Best Novella). Psychological thriller Shattered was published in 2023. Her writers’ guides are Inside Fictional Minds: Tips from Psychology for Creating Characters and The Writing Mirror: Analyse Your Writing for Self-discovery.

What Captain America taught me about voice – writing with superhero pow! Give your writing superhero pow in this fun Avengers-themed workshop that demystifies voice while offering a range of practical tools for sharpening your prose at both a narrative and character level. Leotards are optional.

Marie Basting takes inspiration from fairytales and myths, to create funny, fantastical fiction for middle graders. From BMX-riding princesses to alternative Roman worlds, her award-winning fiction has you covered. Told by a careers advisor that girls like her don’t become writers, Marie likes nothing more than encouraging others to follow their publishing dreams. A former Associate Lecturer at Manchester Met Writing School, she has delivered creative writing outreach programmes for organisations, including the Portico Library, Writing on the Wall and First Story. Marie lives in Manchester with her husband, son and a giant, hairy woo-dog called Polly. Her latest book, Auntie Medusa and Me, is most definitely not inspired by her fierce Northern aunties.

Join this 2 hour workshop where you will hear from 2 self-published children’s authors on their publishing journey, and learn how you can get started on your own self-publishing career! A 40 minute Q&A section will follow.

Jemma Hatt is an award-winning children’s author whose books include ‘The Adventurers Series’ and the ‘Mysterious Mansions Series’.
Growing up near Sevenoaks in South East England, Jemma developed with a passion for reading and writing short stories, which ultimately led to a degree in English Literature from the University of Exeter.
The Adventurers Series was inspired by many family holidays to Devon and Cornwall as well as the mysteries of Ancient Egypt.
After having lived and worked in London, New York and Delaware, Jemma is living in Kent and working on her next writing projects.

Stuart White is an award-winning author and secondary school teacher. He has a Masters Degree in Creative Writing and founded, and now runs, WriteMentor. In 2020 and 2022 he was placed on the SCWBI Undiscovered Voices longlist and named as an Hononary Mention for his novels ‘Ghosts of Mars’ and ‘Astra FireStar and the Ripples of Time’. In 2023, he won the WriteBlend award for his middle grade debut, Ghosts of Mars.

How to create an effective and engaging school visit for all ages. Including presentation skills, interactive sessions, thematic links, and practical information

Alex Campbell has written YA novels, including CILIP Carnegie-nominated, ‘Land’, and currently writes middle-grade novels under the name Alex Cotter. She is also an Associate Lecturer on Bath Spa’s MA Creative Writing for Young People and a mentor for other writers. Passionate about inspiring young people to develop their creative talent, Alex is a regular visitor to schools and festivals, using interactive talks and workshops to help spread the many joys of storytelling. Find out more about Alex and her books at: www.alexcotter.co.uk

How to sustain your rhyming inspiration! We’ll be looking at prompts to help find new rhyming picture book ideas. Catherine and Clare each do 1 hour of writing exercises designed to get writers starting a new PB idea. Each attendee will leave with 2 new PB starter stories, one in prose and one in rhyme.

Clare Helen Welsh is a children’s writer from Devon. She writes fiction and non-fiction picture book texts – sometimes funny, sometimes lyrical and everything in between! Clare founded Books That Help – a place packed full of books when the words are hard to find and is a Write Mentor course tutor. Clare is represented by Alice Williams at Alice Williams Literary.

Catherine Emmett writes award winning rhyming picture books. Her books have been featured on the BBC News, been endorsed by football superstars and been featured on CBeebies. She has run workshops for dozens of schools, for Arsenal Football Club and Discover Story Centre. Catherine has taught rhyming for a number of years, recently working with the writers at Alphablocks Ltd to advise on rhyme and metre.

Like any product, marketing is vital for selling your books and reaching new readers – whether you take the traditional or self-publishing route. But in an age of social media, writers must also market themselves and build their unique brand. Drawing on her experience as a freelance marketer, Florianne will share step-by-step advice on how writers can build their marketing toolkit, regardless of their confidence in this area, and how to get results without investing too much time – and money. 

Florianne Humphrey is an author, freelance marketer, and creative writing workshop leader.  Florianne’s WriteMentor journey started in 2019 as a mentee on the summer mentoring programme, and now she helps grow the company and reach more writers by designing and implementing WriteMentor’s marketing strategy. Outside of WriteMentor, Florianne works with corporate clients on their marketing and branding, and pens travel articles for various media outlets.

Authors don’t have to write for one age group – and many young adult authors are flexing their writing muscles for an older audience. But how can authors write for both teens and adults? What are the similarities and the differences? How does it work with creating an author brand? And, most importantly, how can an author be successful in both age groups?

Kate Weston is an ex-stand up comedian and the author of YA books Murder on a School Night, Murder on a Summer Break (Publishing July 2024), Diary of a Confused Feminist, and Must Do Better. Her debut adult novel, You May Now Kill the Bride is publishing in May 2024.

Author JP Rose‘s first YA novel, The Haunting of Tyrese Walker, is a gripping psychological horror story. JP Rose was born in Manchester but was raised in Yorkshire after her adoption. Growing up she suffered extreme racism, though she continued to be proud of her diverse and rich heritage of Jamaican, Nigerian and Anglo-Irish. As a child she found herself writing stories as a form of escapism and to combat her loneliness. She trained as an actress but eventually moved into writing and she is now the author of numerous novels for adults. She is the owner of several horses, dogs and cats and lives in the countryside with her family.

Melissa Welliver is an author of Speculative YA stories. Her published books include My Love Life and the Apocalypse, Soulmates And Other Ways To Die, and The Undying Tower. Melissa also runs the Community Hub for Writementor. She is represented by Lucy Irvine of Peters, Fraser, + Dunlop.

Chloe Seager is a director and literary agent at Madeleine Milburn Agency. Chloe lives in London and in her spare time she likes listening to noughties emo music, watching reality TV and shouting at Spurs games. Chloe has penned multiple YA and MG books for publishers such as HQ and Scholastic. Her adult debut, Open Minded, is released in 2024. You can find her on Twitter @chloeseager and Instagram @chloenseager.

We hear a lot about authors, editors, and agents – but teachers and librarians are equally as vital in publishing, helping to get books directly into readers hands and inspiring a love of reading. Find out about the roles of four teachers and librarians who have made an impact in publishing, and how authors can work with them to make sure their books reach a wide audience.

Scott Evans is a primary school teacher, author of 100 Ideas for Primary Teachers: Reading for Pleasure and a children’s books consultant, content creator and influencer. Through his website and YouTube channel, both called The Reader Teacher, he reads, reviews and recommends a range of children’s literature. He also hosts #PrimarySchoolBookClub on X/Twitter. Scott is a regular contributor to organisations such as Booktrust and the BBC, where he has featured as both a guest and a writer. He recently undertook the role of educational consultant for the BBC Teach World Book Day Live Lesson in 2024. In addition to this, he collaborates closely with numerous leading and independent children’s books publishers to create teaching resources to enhance the educational value of their releases within school settings. Before entering the teaching profession, Scott worked as a librarian in his local public library and his expertise extends beyond the classroom through his involvement in judging panels such as the Blue Peter Book Awards; The Week Junior Book Awards; the Laugh Out Loud Book Awards (Lollies); the Read for Empathy Collection; the Branford Boase Award; the Wales Book of the Year Award; and the Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2024-26.

Kevin Cobane has been a Teacher for 26 years in Primary Schools across the West Midlands and a reader for as long as he can remember. During his career Kevin has held the positions of Literacy Co-ordinator, Assistant Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher and Headteacher. Kevin has also worked as a Senior Lecturer in Primary Education at Birmingham City University. Kevin currently works at The University of Birmingham School with Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 to support and develop their Literacy and Numeracy skills. Kevin is head of Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction at VIP Reading, has created a number of resources to the Reading Realm and has had the privilege of being on the Judging Panels for the UKLA Book Awards and EmpathyLab’s Read for Empathy List. Kevin is passionate about the importance of Reading for Pleasure and exploring how it can be promoted in Schools and Communities.

Originally from Nova Scotia, Canada, Lucas Maxwell has been working with youth in libraries for fifteen years. He is currently the manager of a high school library in London UK. In 2017 he was named the School Librarian of the Year by the School Library Association. In 2022 he won the UK Literacy Associations’ Reading for Pleasure Teacher Champion Award. He is an author and Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master who uses the game in the education setting to teach empathy and understanding.

In her role as school librarian Jo Clarke runs regular book groups and creative writing classes. She is actively involved in the children’s book community and has been involved in judging both the British Book Awards and Blue Peter Book Awards. Growing up she liked nothing better than reading mystery and boarding school stories by torchlight, when she should have been fast asleep. Her love of these books inspired her to write her Travelling School Mystery series, which is published by Firefly Press. She lives in Hampshire with her husband, two daughters and three cats.

How can we write stories that are inclusive? We all know it is important but how do we make it happen and protect the authors who write them? We have brought together individuals from across children’s publishing – authors, an agent and a senior children’s editor – to talk to us about how their lives and experience informs their work to bring stories that speak to all children.

NazimaPathan’s debut middle grade novel Dream Hunters was pre-empted by Simon and Schuster in a two book deal, the first publishing August 1st and the second in 2025. Nazima was born in India and raised in London, moving later to Cambridge where she lives with her husband and two children. She is a children’s doctor and researcher but has always enjoyed reading and writing stories. In a way, science when conveyed well is a tale of the why’s, the how’s and therefore’s.  
But children’s stories are special, important and fun, and after learning the craft of writing fiction, Nazima found a home in creating magical stories for curious children who believe in the right to dream. 

Lisette Auton works with words in all their forms; some say she’s a word artist, she says she does stuff with words. She’s an award-winning disabled, neurodivergent, working-class, Tees Valley multidisciplinary artist based in Darlington, working in the field of literature as a novelist, dramatist, activist, creative practitioner, filmmaker and performer. Her focus is on place, process, and creative access.

Her middle grade novels are published by Puffin: THE SECRET OF HAVEN POINT; THE STICKLEBACK CATCHERS; and LIGHTS UP; with a fourth novel forthcoming in 2025. She is an award-winning poet; the 2019 Early Careers Fellow for Literature at Cove Park; on the TSS Publishing list of Best British & Irish Flash Fiction; and winner of The Journal Culture Award 2021 for Performance of the Year for WRITING THE MISSING – A RIVER CYCLE commissioned by Durham Book Festival. She is a TVCA Artist of the Year 2024-2025, and has had plays commissioned by Alphabetti Theatre, Unfolding Theatre, Live Theatre and Queen’s Hall Arts Centre.

You’ll find Lisette’s work in galleries, online, in theatres and bookshops, as well as random places such as laundrettes and railway station waiting rooms. When she’s not playing with words you’ll find her reading them, collecting conkers and pebbles, or having a nap.

Arub Ahmed is a Senior Editor in the Children’s team at Simon and Schuster, though in the past she worked on picture books and has a broad experience across different publishers. Growing up, although she was an avid reader, she didn’t see herself represented in books. With a huge love for literature and she now edits books for a living and champions South Asian voices whenever she can.

Callen Martin (he/him) joined Bell Lomax Moreton in April 2023 to assist Lauren Gardner across her list. He worked previously at another literary agency as an Agency Assistant & Partnerships Manager and, in the freelance space, as a manuscript assessor, sensitivity reader, and writing competition judge. Now, as of 2024, he is actively building his own list and covering Lauren Gardner’s maternity leave, with the full support of the wider team. Callen Martin grew up in foster care and graduated Bath Spa University’s MA in Writing for Young People in 2019, becoming the first care-experienced person in the history of East Sussex to study at Postgraduate level. As a queer, working class man, Callen is passionate about representation in publishing; especially that of the care system.

Authors discuss writing processes, their writingspaces, how they get the book done.

Jennifer Killick has always wanted to be a writer, but really started when she applied for a Creative Writing MA at Brunel University, which is where she first got the idea for Alex Sparrow and the Really Big Stink. She lives in Uxbridge, in a house full of children, animals and Lego. When she isn’t busy mothering or step-mothering (which isn’t often) she loves to read, write and run, as fast as she can. Jennifer’s favourite things are books, trees and fluffy slippers, and her favourite place in the world is her home, where she can sit in her pyjamas with tea and cake, coming up with story ideas.

Maisie Chan is children’s author whose debut novel DANNY CHUNG DOES NOT DO MATHS won the Jhalak Prize and the Branford Boase Award in 2022. Her latest novel KEEP DANCING, LIZZIE CHU is out now with Piccadilly Press and is longlisted for the Diverse Book Awards 2023. She also writes the series TIGER WARRIOR. She has written early readers for Hachette and Big Cat Collins, and has a collection of myths and legends out with Scholastic. She runs the Bubble Tea Writers Network to support and encourage writers of East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) descent in the U.K. She has a dog called Miko who has big eyes. She lives in Glasgow with her family.

E.L Norry (Emma) is an author and screenwriter who writes fiction and non-fiction for children aged 8-13 years old. She enjoys writing different styles and genres. Fablehouse, the first in a two book magical adventure series came out June 2023 (Bloomsbury) and Book 2, Heart of Fire is out in April 2024. Find her on twitter at elnorry_writer.

Jenny Pearson is the author of the The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates (Usborne) which won the Lollies Award and was shortlisted for the Costa and Waterstones Prizes. Her subsequent novels include, The Incredible Record Smashers, Grandpa Frank’s Great Big Bucket List, Operation Nativity and The Boy Who Made Monsters. She has also written the Tuchus and Topps series (Puffin) with fellow author and agent, Sam Copeland and has three books with Barrington Stoke. Her next book Shipwrecked (Usborne) will be published in August.

The publishing industry often focuses on debuts, but to sustain a successful writing career you need that second novel. But coming up with another idea and finishing another manuscript can feel harder than the first time round. Four authors discuss the tricky second novel, and share their advice on how to make the process easier.

Alexandra Sheppard was born in North London to a Jamaican mother and English father.

When Alex isn’t writing teen fiction, she is a freelance social media strategist with experience working on dozens of award-winning social media campaigns.

Oh My Gods was her first YA novel and was published by Scholastic. Alex then wrote Fly High Crew in collaboration with the Banjo Brothers, which was published by Scholastic in April 2021. Happy Here, an anthology of 10 stories from Black British authors and illustrators featuring Alex published in August 2021 by Knights Of. Alex’s new YA title with Knights Of, Friendship Never Ends, was published in May 2023.

Thomas Leeds is the award-winning author of the JAYBEN series, inspired by his extraordinary life with a brain injury and epilepsy. Having lost all his memories in an accident, Thomas re-discovered reading and writing and was inspired to write an adventure story after regaining a childhood memory. He lives in Essex, making new happy memories with his wife and two young children, and working on some exciting new projects…

Laura Noakes grew up in a home full of books. She loved learning so much she went to three universities after school, and graduated with a PhD in Legal History in 2021. Writing stories is her first love. She has Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder, a disability that she shares with her main character, Cosima. Laura now lives in beautiful Bedfordshire with her husband, Connor, and their two mischievous cats, Scout & Sunny. Her debut book, Cosima Unfortunate Steals a Star, was published by Harper Collins on May 25th 2023 and the sequel, Cosima Unfortunate Foils a Fraud, is due to be published on June 6th 2024.

Emily Randall-Jones has worked as a touring actor, a princess at Hampton Court and for the National Trust creating experiences for visitors. She’s the winner of both the Mslexia Children’s and YA Novel prize and the Times/Chicken House award. She lives in Wiltshire with her family, and can often be found searching for witch stones by the sea.

Ever wondered how a picture book gets into readers’ hands? The team behind Rashmi Sirdeshpande’s picture book Dadaji’s Paintbrush discuss how the book was created and demystify picture book publishing. 

Sue Buswell has been devoted to picture books for many years and has worked for several of the leading publishers including HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Hachette and is now Editorial Director for Andersen Press. In a long career that began with the development of classic characters such as Tintin, she has worked with many of the leading names in pre-school publishing including Judith Kerr, Quentin Blake, Michael Bond and Oliver Jeffers. More recently, at Andersen, she has been working with such authors as children’s laureate, Joseph Coelho and Harry Woodgate, winner of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and the British Book Award.

Since joining the Darley Anderson Children’s Agency in 2018, Lydia Silver has built a wide-ranging list of dynamic and diverse writing and illustrating talent. Among other accolades, her authors have been picked as Blackwell’s Book of the Month, been shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and the Jhalak Prize, and won the Diverse Book Award.

Ruchi Mhasane is an Indian artist and illustrator who studied Children’s Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art. She works mostly in pencil, pastel and watercolor. A lover of wildlife, music and solitude, she enjoys drawing little children, and loves adding hints of fantasy and the natural world in her art. She currently lives and works in India.

Rashmi Sirdeshpande is an award-winning children’s author and BookTrust Writer in Residence from March-August 2024. She writes uplifting picture books and illustrated non-fiction and her books include Never Show a T-Rex a Book (illustrated by Diane Ewen), Dadaji’s Paintbrush (illustrated by Ruchi Mhasane), and Amazing Asia: An encyclopaedia of an epic continent (illustrated by Jason Lyon). A former World Book Day author, Rashmi’s books have been published around the world and featured in national and international newspapers.

An author, her agent and editor discuss the importance of concept and how a great concept has contributed to her publishing journey so far.

Marve has been writing for over a decade and has self-published a thriller, HIS DARK REFLECTION, to critical acclaim.  
She was shortlisted for the Future Worlds Prize in 2023, winning mentorship from a top UK editor. Her debut fantasy novel, FIRSTBORN OF THE SUN, is the first in a trilogy being published by Penguin Michael Joseph in October 2025. This novel was also shortlisted for the 2022 Jericho Writers Friday Night Live Competition and the 2022 Kit De Waal Bursary, 
was longlisted for the 2023 REVPIT competition, and won the 2023 Jericho Writers’ Self Edit Course Bursary. 
In addition, Marve is a filmmaker who wrote and produced an award-winning short film in 2016 and is a recipient of the 2017 AFRIFF Film School Scholarship Program. 
She works as a technology consultant during the day and a storyteller at night. She is a member of the Society of Authors, the World Science Fiction Society and the British Fantasy Society. She is a mentor for Black Girl Writers.
When she’s not weaving fantastical tales, you can find her exploring life as a serial hobbyist, delving into everything from obsessing over myths and histories, collecting books and passionately assembling her own personal library to indulging in an unapologetic obsession with all things Christmas. 
She is represented by Kesia Lupo, Bindery Agency. She can be found online @justmarvewrites.

Rebecca is an Editorial Director at Penguin Michael Joseph, where she has worked for seven years. She has published books across a range of genres, including Fantasy, Crime and Thriller as well as General Fiction and will be publishing Marvellous Michael Anson’s epic fantasy novel, Firstborn Of The Sun, in 2025.

Kesia Lupo grew up in the UK and Germany, studied History at Oxford University and Creative Writing at Bath Spa, then launched her publishing career at Pan Macmillan, London, as an editorial assistant in 2013. She transitioned from adult books to children’s when she joined boutique publisher Chicken House—then from a senior editorial role to agenting when she joined The Bindery in 2023. While her expertise lies in middle-grade and YA fiction, Kesia reads widely across genres, including adult SFF and horror, historical fiction, romance, and non-fiction.

Kesia is a new U.S. resident and currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband. As well as working in publishing, she’s the author of three YA novels—We Are Blood and Thunder, We Are Bound by Stars (a fantasy duology), and Let’s Play Murder, a horror/thriller, all published by Bloomsbury in the UK. You will normally find her writing if she’s not reading!

Securing agent representation is a dream for many authors – but it’s only the start of the publishing journey. Four published authors share what happens once you sign with an agent, behind-the-scenes of this important working relationship, and the realities of publication.

Lizzie Huxley-Jones (they/them) is an autistic author and editor based in London. They are the author of the queer holiday rom-com Make You Mine This Christmas (2022) from Hodder Books, the summer romance Hits Different co-written with Tasha Ghouri (2024) from Hot Key Books, and the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize shortlisted fantasy series Vivi Conway and the Sword of Legend (2023) and Vivi Conway and the Haunted Quest (2024) from Knights Of. They write joyful stories that centre queerness and disability.

A born and bred Londoner, Ravena Guronwrites MG and YA, usually featuring antiheroines or snarky narrators. Growing up she always read the last page of books first, but discovering Agatha Christie in her early teens stopped that habit, igniting a love of twisty murder-mysteries with jaw-dropping endings the reader never saw coming. Ravena is a lawyer with a degree in biochemistry, and hopes to use the knowledge gained from her experiences to plot the perfect murder (for a book, of course!). In her spare time, Ravena enjoys hiking in the great outdoors (though nothing too mountainous because she’s very clumsy), baking cakes (that never rise) and falling asleep to her thousandth re-watch of Friends.

Robert Tregoning studied at the Glasgow School of Art before leaping in to a career on the West End stage. He has appeared in shows including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda the Musical. Robert’s published works include Out of the Blue and The Dress in the Window. As an author, he hopes to help children and adults alike to accept and celebrate all that makes us uniquely ourselves. The stories Robert writes are often stories he wishes he could have read as a child. He hopes they provide a voice of recognition, validation and kindness to those who need it.

Emily Randall-Jones has worked as a touring actor, a princess at Hampton Court and for the National Trust creating experiences for visitors. She’s the winner of both the Mslexia Children’s and YA Novel prize and the Times/Chicken House award. She lives in Wiltshire with her family, and can often be found searching for witch stones by the sea.

IP books are everywhere, from film and TV spin offs to beloved children’s stories. But what are they? Four experienced panelists discuss how authors can get into IP books, how they’re created and what it means for authors’ careers.

Megan Carrollgraduated from Goldsmiths with a BA in English and American Literature in 2013 and has worked at the agency since 2014, first as the assistant and now as a Literary Agent at Watson, Little agents. Megan is looking for writers in a variety of areas, and from a wide range of backgrounds – she is particularly keen to hear from Black, Asian, and LGBTQIA+ writers across all genres. Her list is predominantly commercial and includes writers of MG, YA, and adult fiction and non-fiction.

Children’s author Alex Falase-Koya has been reading and writing since he was a teenager. His debut novel ‘Marv and the Mega Robot’ was inspired after Alex struggled to find superheroes in fiction who looked like him. By creating Marv, a superhero whose strengths are kindness and imagination, Alex hopes to have created a character to whom all children can relate. He is also the co-writer of Marcus Rashford’s first fictional book, The The Breakfast Club Adventures: The Beast Beyond the Fence. A previous winner of Spread the Word’s 2019 London’s Writers Awards for YA and Children’s, Alex lives in Honor Oak with his girlfriend and two cats.

Ashley Thorpe is a middle grade author and editor living in Manchester.

His fantasy debut The Boy to Beat the Gods takes inspiration from West African Yoruba mythology.

When he isn’t writing stories or awkward third person bios, Ashley enjoys gaming, anime, making music, and being out in nature.

Aisha Bushby was born in the Middle East and now lives in the UK. When she’s not reading or writing stories for children, she likes playing cosy video games, watching animated films, and working on her miniature house.