SCBWI Writing and Marketing Workshop

Last Saturday saw the latest in the SCBWI North West Professional series events.Philippa Donovan ran an informal workshop so thinking caps were required!

Philippa Donovan

Philippa has over ten years experience in the publishing industry, she has worked as an agent, a literary scout and is now commissioning editor at Egmont.

She loves her job and especially enjoys the excitement of finding a new talent. However the writers she works with are at the end of their journey to publication and she would like the opportunity to share her experience with those writers earlier on the road. That is why she set up her company Smart Quill.

Smart Quill is a consultancy service that will work closely with an author, no matter what their experience, to hone their manuscript increase publication chances. As well as this they also offer support when negotiating the ever expanding world of digital publishing.

Brave New Digital World

With the advent of the e-book publishing is changing on an almost daily basis. Philippa sees this as being an exciting time for the unpublished writer, a time where the digital ball is fairly in your court. You can now get your work published at low cost on many different digital platforms and make them available world wide. Agents are looking for authors who have already proved them selves through e- book sales to sign and publish traditionally. 

The e-book means that some time and cost limitations have gone. But remember other things remain, the need for a good designer, a good editor, and attention to marketing and publicity. Your e-book is your shop window to the publishing industry and what is inside had better look good if you want them to take serious notice. 

So Many Books, So Little Shelf Space

Surprisingly enough, despite the e-book, publishers are still producing a great number of books. Phillippa's first and biggest piece of advice was 'know the market and how your story will fit into it.'

And so our first exercise was given. In small groups we had to come up with a brand new idea for a story and then come up with a compelling pitch all in fifteen minutes. Nothing too challenging then!

Creativity was soon sloshing around the room and many great new ideas were pitched. So if there are any publishers reading this who are looking for a new exciting story for 3 to 11 year olds with a  vampiric teenage rat switched at birth as a lead character who finds a miniature female horrid Henry on the space rocket Titanic, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

What our story needs is an orangutan.

After a much needed refreshment break Phillipa really was keen to share her wealth of experience with us.

Make your Manuscript a Masterpiece

As writers we all know that when we edit our manuscript we need to pay special attention to characterization, point of view, dialogue and plot. Philippa asked us not to forget the authorial voice, or rather DO forget it and throw it right out. A reader should be so involved in story that they have no perception of the writer. Avoid devices that may remind the reader of authorial presence. Even simple things like overuse of certain speech tags will jolt the writer out of the story and remind them of the writer behind it.

Furious note taking as Philippa shares her experience.

And Finally....

When you do have your manuscript as polished as can be it's time to find yourself an agent, and that's a serious business. Agents are a publisher's guarantee of quality, they are also the author's guarantee of being read seriously and not getting lost at the top of Mount Manuscript. Make sure you spend time researching the different agencies and carefully choose those that will suit your work. When you have a short list take time over those submissions, and make sure they adhere to the agencies submission policy.

It was a great afternoon and no one could quite believe how quickly the four hours flew by. So a great thank you to Philippa for heading up to the North to share her experience and weekend with us.