Join editors Rosanna Forte and Molly Walker-Sharp for this online webinar exploring commercial fiction - from first ideas to published manuscript.
Do you have an idea for the next big bestseller? Or have you heard publishers talk about commercial novels and wondered what they mean? What makes a book commercial rather than literary, and what exactly are commercial publishers looking for when considering manuscripts on submission?
This webinar with editors Rosanna Forte and Molly Walker-Sharp is designed to give you a whistlestop tour of commercial publishing, from developing an idea and writing an ‘elevator pitch’ to finding an agent to working with your editor. It will be run by two editors from Sphere, the commercial imprint of Little, Brown UK. Sphere is home to blockbuster bestselling authors of all genres, from crime and thriller to historical fiction to romance.
This event will be paired with a call for pitch submissions for feedback from the editors. Details will be announced in September.
Access
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If you require BSL interpretation to take part, please email Noah at [email protected] by Monday 2 September and we’ll try to secure BSL interpretation for you. Spread the Word will cover this cost.
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We’ll send through any reading seven days in advance. We can create adapted handouts to writers attending our workshops and events by request.
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If you have additional access needs or questions, please email Noah at [email protected]k.
About the London Writers Network
This event is part of our London Writers Network series, and designed to give attendees (both members and non members) access to the resources and knowledge they need to develop their writing craft and career. The London Writers Network is Spread the Word’s membership scheme, and offers a whole range of benefits. Members can attend two London Writers Network events for free each year and get 10% off our paid programme. They also receive a quarterly newsletter and special offers from our friends and partners. And all this for only £25 a year.
You can sign up / buy membership for a friend here. You need to log in to book your free ticket if you are a London Writers Network member.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Rosanna Forte (Editorial Director)
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Rosanna Forte commissions commercial and literary-commercial-crossover fiction at Sphere, with a particular emphasis on historical and gothic fiction, and crime and thrillers. She has been on the editorial teams for some of the biggest names in crime fiction, including Robert Galbraith, Richard Osman and Clare Mackintosh and has published numerous Sunday Times bestsellers since joining Sphere five years ago. She began her career at Penguin Random House on their entry-level access scheme. She loves novels that transport her to another world, be it an historical era or an immersive setting or the company of characters she’ll be bereft to lose.
Twitter: RosannaForte
Molly Walker-Sharp (Senior Commissioning Editor)
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Molly Walker-Sharp is Senior Commissioning Editor at Sphere, looking to the popular women’s and book club fiction side of the list. Shortlisted for the LBF 2023 trailblazer awards, she works with a broad range of internationally renowned and bestselling authors – ranging from TikTok romance superstar Ali Hazelwood through to zeitgeisty conversation-starting reads by Daisy Buchanan, with some sweeping historical romance in there to boot! – and loves nothing more than collaborating with fresh new voices to bring joy to readers of all ages and backgrounds.
You can also find them creating content for a community of diverse readers and fellow poets on TikTok and YouTube, with a combined following of 5.5K across their channels.
Instagram: @mol.walker