How To Write A Novel And Get It Published

If you could sit down for an hour or two with a bestselling novelist and ask them about writing a novel, or about getting published, what would you want to know?

I’m thrilled to announce that Victoria Selman will be joining us for a session dedicated to answering those very questions.

Victoria is the Sunday Times and Amazon #1 bestselling author of five critically acclaimed novels which have been selected for Richard and Judy Book Club, optioned for film, translated into multiple languages and shortlisted for major awards. She also offers bespoke consultancy services to help aspiring authors perfect their novels and get on the path to publication.

But at this event, you can get some top tips for FREE!

Victoria recently published Untold Secrets of Bestselling Authors, a short guide containing 10 top tips from some of the best-known authors in the world, gleaned from her interviews on her podcast On The Sofa With Victoria.

We'll be discussing those 10 secrets of bestselling authors at Fourbears Books, tips that include:

• Know your book. Why you should be able to pitch your novel in a couple of sentences, and why “it’s unlike anything else” isn’t the selling point you think it is.
• Build a world and the people in it. How to make a setting so vivid that readers can smell the air, and how to create characters who drive the plot rather than being dragged along by it.
• Win readers early. What makes a title or an opening line earn a second look.
• Edit like you mean it. Why Victoria believes editing is where the magic happens, and how to take feedback without losing your nerve or your voice.
• Face the slush pile. What goes into a pitch letter and synopsis that an agent will actually read to the end.

Come along armed with your own questions about your own novel.

Here's something you can bring on the day - craft a one or two line "elevator pitch" capturing your novel's central idea and we'll talk about whether it makes a reader want to find out more.