The National Creative Writing Industry Day 2024

About the event

Are you a writer hoping to have your work published? Would you like the opportunity to meet agents and editors - to learn how the industry works from its experts and sharpen the skills needed to enter it?

Comma Press invites you to attend the tenth anniversary edition of the National Creative Writing Industry Day, in partnership with Manchester Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Key Information

Date: Saturday 9th November 2024 Time: 9.30AM-5.20PM

Location: Manchester Writing School, Manchester Metropolitan University

The National Creative Writing Industry Day 2024 is a full day of events for aspiring writers to gain insight into the publishing industry and advice on how to excel in their practice. This special event is committed to providing participants with a unique introduction to the publishing industry and its professionals.

Featuring

• A keynote speech by New York Times bestselling author Abi Daré
• Two panel discussions: ‘Building Your Portfolio’ and a special tenth anniversary panel
• A choice of four workshops ranging in topics from Developing Character to Writing the Transgressive
• Two one-to-one meetings with literary agents or editors to get advice on your pitching technique and work-in-progress*
• The opportunity to casually network with fellow writers and publishers both during and after the event.

The day will begin with an introduction and a keynote speech, followed by two panels and a selection of workshops tailored to the needs of those looking to enter the writing industry. In the afternoon, you can meet one-to-one with two literary agents or editors to discuss your works in progress and refine your pitching technique with expert advice from industry professionals.

The full programme will be announced soon.

If you have any questions, contact isabella.barber@commapress.co.uk

*Please note that while we are holding agent sessions in person this year, occasionally due to unforeseen circumstances agents have to join us virtually. In these cases we will set up all the tech and you do not have to make any extra preparations for your virtual session. We are not able to offer refunds if you are offered a virtual agent session.

Choose From Four Fabulous Workshops*

1. Developing Character with Jessica Moor

2 . Poetry and Freedom with Jenny Mitchell

3 . How to Structure a Novel with Jacob Ross

4 . Writing the Transgressive with Alison Rumfitt

*Workshops are assigned on a first come, first served basis.

Sponsored & Discounted Tickets

We have a number of free and discounted places available. Please email isabella.barber@commapress.co.uk to enquire about:

• 3 Free places for underrepresented writers
• Limited discounted tickets for writers in receipt of benefits
• Limited discounted tickets for writers of colour
• Discounted tickets to Greater Manchester-based writers

SPEAKERS & WORKSHOP LEADERS

Abi Daré (Keynote)

Abi Daré is the author of The Girl with the Louding Voice, which was a New York Times bestseller, a #ReadWithJenna Today Show book club pick, a BBC Radio 4 Bookclub Pick, and an Indie Next Pick. Translated into 20 languages( till date) and studied on curriculums across the world, the Girl With The Louding Voice tells the story of Adunni, a 14 year old girl who is desperate for an education.  The novel has received critical acclaim and has been shortlisted for several awards including The British Book Awards Best Book of The Year , The Nigeria Prize for Literature ( Africa’s largest literary Prize), and in 2020 was named as The legendary Dolly Parton’s favourite of 2020 as well as selected as an Amazon Best Book of The Year for July 2020.

Abi grew up in Lagos, Nigeria and went on to study law at the University of Wolverhampton. She graduated as Best Performing Student in her MSc in International Project Management from Glasgow Caledonian University,  and acquired an MA ( with distinction) in Creative Writing from Birkbeck, University of London.  A well- sought after speaker and teacher , Abi is passionate about storytelling and recently delivered a storytelling masterclass at Harvard Business School. In 2022, Abi was appointed as Board Member for the BIC Corporate Foundation. Abi lives in Essex, UK with her family.

Jessica Moor (Developing Character Workshop)

Jessica Moor grew up in south-west London and studied English at Cambridge before completing a Creative Writing MA at Manchester University where her dissertation was awarded the Creative Writing Prize for Fiction. Prior to this she spent a year working in the violence against women and girls sector and this experience inspired her first critically acclaimed novel, Keeper. She was selected as one of the Guardian's 10 best debut novelists of 2020 and published her second novel, Young Women, to critical acclaim in 2022. Her third novel, Hold Back the Night, was published in 2024. She lives in London.

Jenny Mitchell (Poetry and Freedom Workshop)

Jenny Mitchell is the Inaugural Poet-in-the-Community at the British Library, working with the Engagement Team. She’s recently been nominated as Best of the Net 2025, won the Ink, Sweat and Tears May 2024 Poetry Competition, the Shooter Poetry Competition in 2023, the Gregory O’Donoghue Prize in 2022 and the Poetry Book Awards in 2021 for her second collection, Map of a Plantation (on the syllabus at Manchester Metropolitan University). The prize-winning debut collection, Her Lost Language, is One of 44 Poetry Books for 2019 (Poetry Wales), and her latest collection, Resurrection of a Black Man, contains three prize-winning poems. 

Jacob Ross (Structuring a Novel Workshop)

Jacob Ross is a novelist, short story writer, editor and creative writing tutor. His crime fiction novel, The Bone Readers won the inaugural Jhalak Prize in 2017. His literary novel Pynter Bender was published to much critical literary acclaim and was shortlisted for the 2009 Commonwealth Writers Regional Prize and chosen as one of the British Authors Club’s top three Best First Novels. His latest book is Tell No-One About This, a collection of stories written over a span of forty years, including from Song for Simone (1986) and A Way to Catch the Dust (1999) and more than a dozen new ones. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and has been a judge of the V.S. Pritchett Memorial Prize, the Olive Cook, Scott Moncrieff and Tom-Gallon Literary Awards. Jacob is Associate Fiction Editor at Peepal Tree Press, and the editor of Closure, Contemporary Black British short stories. (Taken from PeePal Tree Press)

Alison Rumfitt (Writing the Transgressive Workshop)

Alison Rumfitt is a writer, semi-professional trans woman, and the author of Tell Me I'm Worthless and Brainwyrms (both Cipher Press). Her debut pamphlet of poetry, The T(y)ranny, was a critical deconstruction of Margaret Atwood’s work through the lens of a trans woman navigating her own misogynistic dystopia. Tell Me I’m Worthless is her debut novel. Her work has appeared in countless publications such as SPORAZINE, datableed, The Final Girls, Burning House Press, SOFT CARTEL, Glass Poetry and more. Her poetry was nominated for the Rhysling Award in 2018. She loves her friends. (Adapted from MacMillan Publishers)

Paul Knowles (Building Your Portfolio Panel)

Manchester Review co-editor Paul Knowles comes from an educational background, having over ten years of experience as an English teacher and Head of English in schools and colleges in Manchester and Marbella. He completed his MA in Contemporary Literature at the University of Manchester in 2021. Before starting his PhD in environmental British and Irish short fiction. His thesis is on Haunted Pasts and Possible Futures in Ecogeographical Short Fiction: Crisis and Chronotope. He is also a member of ASLE-UKI and he is the communications officer for the European Network of Short Fiction Research. 

Debbie Taylor (Building Your Portfolio Panel)

Debbie Taylor is the founder and Editorial Director of Mslexia. She has worked as Editor at New Internationalist and Writing Women magazines and as a writer, research-er and project manager for many organisations, including Oxfam, Anti-Slavery, BBC 2, Channel 4, UNICEF and WHO. Her novels include The Fourth Queen and Hungry Ghosts. She lives in a decommissioned lighthouse at the mouth of the Tyne with her husband and daughter.

AK Blakemore (Building Your Portfolio Panel)

A. K. Blakemore is the author of two full-length collections of poetry: Humbert Summer (Eyewear, 2015) and Fondue (Offord Road Books, 2018), which was awarded the 2019 Ledbury Forte Prize for Best Second Collection. She has also translated the work of Sichuanese poet Yu Yoyo (My Tenantless Body, Poetry Translation Centre, 2019).  Her poetry and prose writing has been widely published and anthologised, appearing in the The London Review of Books, Poetry, Poetry Review and The White Review, among others.

Sarah Jasmon (10th Anniversary Panel)

Sarah Jasmon lived on a canal boat in Lancashire for nearly two decades before moving to Donegal in 2023. She is the author of two novels, The Summer of Secrets (2015) and You Never Told Me (2020), and is currently working on a practice-led PhD in creative non-fiction. Her work has been published a range of journals, magazines and anthologies, and she has been shortlisted for the Harper’s Bazaar short story competition and the Quiet Man Dave flash non-fiction prize. From 2021, she was a Royal Literary Fund Fellow, based at Manchester University.

Greg Thorpe (10th Anniversary Panel)

Greg Thorpe is a writer, curator and creative producer. His art writing has appeared in On Curating, FRUIT, Feast, Double Negative, Artist Newsletter and The Fourdrinier. He has written about art for the Whitworth Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery, HOME Manchester, and Salford Museum & Art Gallery. His fiction has appeared in Best British Short Stories, Foglifter and Ellipsis. He works for Islington Mill, an independent artist community in Salford, and is currently Festival Director for GAZE International LGBTQ+ Film Festival. He divides his time between Dublin and Todmorden.

Theo Jones (10th Anniversary Panel)

Theo Jones is a Senior Contracts Advisor at the Society of Authors, the UK’s trade union for writers, where he works to support that organisation’s mission to further the interests and protect the rights of writers everywhere and at all stages of their career. His specialisms include supporting members working across TV, film, and stage. Theo co-presents and co-produces the SoA Advisory Clinic podcast, discussing key industry topics, issues and challenges affecting authors today with recent episodes covering copyright in literary characters, life writing and the wonderful world of audio drama in celebration of 100 years of audio drama on the BBC. 

AGENTS AND EDITORS

Catherine Pellegrino (Marjacq Scripts Ltd): Novels (Trade), Novels (Historical), Middle Grade Children's (8 - 12), Young Adult Fiction.

Ludo Cinelli (Eve White Literary Agency): Novels (Trade), Novels (Literary), Novels (Crime), Middle Grade Children's (8 - 12), Young Adult Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, Short Stories. 

Hannah Todd (Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency): Novels (Trade), Novels (Crime). 

Una McKeown (Susanna Lea Associates): Novels (Trade), Novels (Literary), Novels (Historical), Young Adult (12+).

Amandeep Singh (The Good Literary Agency): Novel (Trade/Commercial), Novel (Literary), Novel (Historical), Poetry, Short Stories (inc. flash fiction), Creative non-fiction 

Kerry-Ann Bentley (The Good Literary Agency): Novel (Trade/Commercial), Novel (Literary), Young Adult (12+), Creative non-fiction 

Thérèse Coen (Susanna Lea Associates): Novel (Trade/Commercial), Novel (Literary), Novel (Historical), Middle Grade Children's (8 - 12), Young Adult (12+)

Ra Page (Comma Press): Short Fiction.

James Keane (Northodox Press): Novel (Trade/Commercial), Novel (Literary), Novel (Historical), Young Adult (12+), Novel (Crime), Science Fiction/Fantasy.

Natalie Beckett (The Curtis Brown Group): Novels (Trade), Novels (Literary), Novels (Crime), Middle Grade Children's (8 - 12), Young Adult Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction. 

Daisy Arendell (Creative Artists Agency): Novels (Trade), Novels (Literary), Novels (Historical), Novels (Crime).

Olivia Bignold (Conville & Walsh): Novel (Trade/Commercial), Novel (Literary), Novel (Historical), Creative non-fiction.

Emma Walker (The Curtis Brown Group): Novels (Trade), Novels (Literary), Novels (Historical), Short Stories.

Philip Gwyn Jones (Greyhound Literary): Novel (Literary), Novel (Historical), Creative non-fiction, Nature Writing, Essays, History, Popular Science, Philosophy, Economic.

Fabienne Schwizer (Ki Agency): Novel (Trade/Commercial), Young Adult (12+), Science Fiction/Fantasy, Serious trade non-fiction.