Authors of the Day line-up for the London Book Fair, will feature: best-selling novelist and chair of judges for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2024, Monica Alias – Adult Author of the Day; Argentine novelist and screenwriter Claudia Piñeiro, who was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize – International Author of the Day; the current Waterstones Children’s Laureate (2024-2026) Frank Cottrell-Boyce – Children’s Author of the Day; comics artist and British Book Awards winner Jamie Smart – the first ever Creative of the Fair.
Category Archives: Everyone
Four Weeks to LBF 2025
The London Book Fair’s has announced speakers and topics for the 2025 editions of its hugely popular offering for authors and illustrators: the three-day Author HQ programme, and one-day Writers’ Summit conference.
The Summit conference will take place at Novotel West London aiming to provide authors with practical tools for their writing career, enabling them to get their work noticed by agents, publishers and readers in an increasingly crowded market. The day will feature workshops, panel discussions, industry and expert advice, as well as networking opportunities.
Speakers include authors Alice McIlroy and Abiola Bello, Capital Xtra radio presenter Jojo Silva and leading experts from London Writers Salon, Simon & Schuster, Alliance of Independent Authors, Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency and Maggie Marr Legal, among others.
With a keynote delivered by Rose Sandy, Founder of the HarperCollins Author and Design Academy, topics discussed on the day will include: how writing courses can help authors get published; what to expect from the publishing process; top tips for securing an agent. Guests will also enjoy a live, guided journaling session, to help them absorb the lessons of the day and return to the conference renewed and connected.
The Author HQ programme of talks and panels will feature: Elif Shafak, Adele Parks, Bobby Palmer, Beth O’Leary, Maggie Aderin-Pocock, William Hussey, Gill Lewis and Georgina Moore alongside key industry experts from Penguin Random House UK, Bonnier Books, The Booksellers Association, BKS, Meet Cute Book Festival, Black British Book Festival, The Women’s Prize Trust and more.
Talks are designed to share insights into current trends and hot topics in the book industry, as well as offer advice for aspiring, emerging and established authors. The 2025 programme will cover tips for growing an audience on social media; how to prepare for publication; the romance category and its future trajectory; how the publishing industry can support dyslexic authors and readers, and more.
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A much missed friend
This month (on 6 February) I’m remembering the life of my great friend, poet, mentor and fellow bookseller, Rudi Holzapfel.
I’ve written many times about our meeting and working together. This year i’m leafing through my archive of his work and looking back over the 20 years since Rudi passed away.
If you would like to see and hear more, have a look at the website where there’s a number of readings, by Rudi, from selected poems. Some of his collections are still available, often at a price for the limited editions.
Picture copyright Joe Kenny. Fethard, Co. Tipperary.
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deilibri 