Sorry for the delay getting back to you! Yes, I think there were a lot of people trying to book slots so hopefully this is a sign they can expand the offering to meet demand in future years.

If you are interested in a career in publishing, I'll be on the panel discussing it at @bradfordlitfest.bsky.social tomorrow afternoon. Join us (both there and in the business)! #BradfordLitFest

Very pleased to be mentoring @natrwrites.bsky.social this year. Thank you to everyone who submitted - the quality was very high across the board and I’ll be getting back to a few more people I was seriously considering in due course.

For anyone interested in becoming an editor, Writers & Artists are running this panel later this month in conjunction with @bloomsburynews.bsky.social. I will unfortunately be dispelling the myth all we do is sit around, read books and drink wine. Maybe.

www.writersandartists.co.uk/events-and-c...

Yes, there does come a point when ranting simply becomes venting. I've been in publishing 18 years and it's more diverse than when I started, but the key word there is "more" rather than "diverse", and now it does feel as if things are starting to slowly slide backwards for the first time.

4 more days left to enter #Curae - it won’t run again until 2026 at the earliest. Please don’t be shy! thecuraeprize.uk
A unique prize for unpaid carers, offering mentoring, courses, industry access, bursaries, agent showcases, the support of top writers & publication in a beautiful anthology

Even being with a big publisher wouldn’t necessarily help. Hosting events has underlying costs that means bookshops will turn down most requests unless they’re sure they can make a sizeable return. They’re often cautious in their expectations, which can be frustrating.

Reading this makes me think of the jobbing actors who recorded my audiobooks. I wonder what they would make of where things seem to be heading.

And this is my first 'tweet'! (What do the locals call them?)