TAF2023 | MEET THE AUSTRALIAN PUBLISHING INDUSTRY (MAPI)

FOR WRITERS OF GENRE FICTION

Friday 3 November to Sunday 12 November 2023
MAPI Weekend Intensive: St John’s Church, Franklin, 3326 Huon Highway
Residential: Kermandie, Port Huon, Tasmania

STILL AVAILABLE

• 3 day Meet the Australian Publishing Industry Weekend Intensive - 4, 5 and 6 November - Now open for live out ($750 live-out) - EOI Now

Build vital professional networks, knowledge and skills at TARWF’s Meet the Australian Publishing Industry (MAPI) program.

Meet 10+ key figures in the Australian publishing industry - including agents, publishers, marketers and booksellers - in this three day weekend intensive hosted by Barbie Robinson of Living Arts Canberra:

• Alex Adsett, agent, Alex Adsett Literary,

• Cheryl Akle, social media book marketing, Better Reading,

• Lindy Cameron, publisher, Clan Destine Press,

• Beverley Cousins, publisher, Penguin Random House,

• Bronwyn Chalke, bookseller, Hobart Bookshop,

• Narelle M. Harris, editor,

• Roberta Ivers, publisher, HarperCollins,

• Lucy Hayward, marketing yourself, Australian Society of Authors,

• Jo MacKay, publisher, HQ Fiction,

• Angela Meyer, editor,

• Benython Oldfield, agent, zeistgeist agency,

• Melanie Ostell, agent, Melanie Ostell Literary, and

• Lisa Riley, publisher, Penguin Random House.

Suitable for writers of commercial, women’s, crime, mystery, thriller, literary crime, science fiction, fantasy, children’s and other genre fiction, this premium professional development opportunity will demystify the publishing process and optimise your chances of success.

Held over nine days - from the evening of Friday 3 November to the morning of Sunday 12 November 2023 - the program has two parts: a 3 day/4 night intensive and a 5 day/5 night retreat that culminates in a pitching day.

The 3 day intensive is suitable for writers keen to progress to traditional publication in the future.

Participants with an eligible manuscript may pitch to up to two agents/publishers, including some agents and publishers who are usually closed to submissions.

Writers may undertake all, or part, of the MAPI program.

While the full program is designed for writers who are ready to pitch a manuscript, it is also suitable for writers who wish to prepare for future pitching.

3 DAY/4 NIGHT INTENSIVE

Part 1 of the program is a 3 day/4 night MAPI intensive weekend from the evening of Friday 3 November to the morning of Tuesday 7 November 2023.

The 3 day intensive is suitable for all writers keen to progress to traditional publication in the future.

Arrive on Friday, settle into your accommodation and meet your fellow MAPIs and tutors.

Then, on Saturday, Sunday and Monday engage with leading members of the Australian publishing industry.

Meet at 9.30 am for an introduction followed by a two-hour session, a break for lunch, then a further three hours of presentations in the afternoon, alongside opportunities to socialise.

The program is live-in for up to 30 participants.

10 seats are reserved for local Tasmanians to participate on a live-out basis. Local writers are strongly encouraged to submit an EOI.

Meals and accommodation are included for live-in participants. Live-out participants are welcome to join some meals on a pay-as-you-go basis.

• Meet agent Alex Adsett (in person), founder and CEO of Alex Adsett Literary. Alex will present a two hour masterclass each day of the three day weekend intensive. The masterclasses will cover what agents do and how to pitch to them, publishing contracts and copyright. At the end of MAPI, Alex will take pitches from selected participants with a suitable manuscript. Alex Adsett Literary focuses on commercial and genre fiction, but have a growing list of award winning literary fiction and narrative non-fiction.

• Meet publisher Jo MacKay (in person), Head of Publishing at HQ Fiction and learn what publishers in general - and HQ in particular - are looking for in new authors. Jo will also outline appropriate ways to pitch to HQ. At the end of MAPI, Jo will take pitches from selected participants with a suitable manuscript. HQ Fiction publishes across genres, including women’s fiction, suspense, domestic noir, historical epics and family saga.

• Meet Cheryl Akle (in person), CEO of Better Reading. Better Reading is at the forefront of social media book marketing in Australia, with a huge audience and multiple channels promoting new books every day. Cheryl will help to lift the veil on the inner workings of book marketing and how an author can make the most of a social media campaign.

• Meet agent Melanie Ostell (in person) of Melanie Ostell Literary and learn how to gauge which agents you should pitch to, what agents are looking for in literary works and what Melanie is looking for in particular. At the end of MAPI, Melanie will take pitches from selected participants with a suitable literary fiction, high-quality commercial fiction or crime/thriller manuscript.

• Meet Lucy Hayward (in person) from the Australian Society of Authors and learn how an emerging writer can prepare themselves for success before landing their first publishing contract. This includes getting yourself social media-ready.

• Meet Roberta Ivers (in person), commercial fiction and non-fiction publisher at HarperCollins. At the end of MAPI, Roberta will take pitches from selected participants with a suitable fiction manuscript including crime, mystery and science fiction.

• Meet Bronwyn Chalke (in person), owner of Tasmania’s Hobart Bookshop, will explore how to work with bookshops in a professional manner.

• Meet Lindy Cameron (in person), CEO of Clan Destine Press. Clan Destine Press is a Melbourne-based independent publisher boasting a long list of award-winning authors. Lindy will explore the differences between working with a small press publisher and a large traditional publishing house.

• Meet editor Narelle M. Harris (in person), to learn how to work with a professional editor employed by traditional publishers to help you hone your manuscript.

5 DAY/5 NIGHT EDITING RETREAT

Part 2 of the program is a 5 day/5 night Editing and Pitching Retreat from the afternoon of Tuesday 7 November to the morning of Sunday 12 November 2023.

It consists of:

• four days (Tuesday to Friday) of daily editing masterclasses with Angela Meyer (online), RMIT lecturer in postgraduate creative fiction, to step you through the principles of editing your manuscript for style, consistency, nuance and voice,

• daily set hours of quiet writing time,

• a daily group tutor session with publisher Lindy Cameron (in person) or editor Narrelle M. Harris (in person) to help you stay on track, discuss your editing and pitch preparation progress, and

• meals and accommodation.

The program is live-in for up to 30 participants. 10 seats are reserved for local Tasmanians to participate on a live-out basis. Local writers are strongly encouraged to submit an EOI.

Meals and accommodation are included for live-in participants. Live-out participants are welcome to join some meals on a pay-as-you-go basis.

While the retreat is designed to be undertaken as part of the MAPI program, it is also standalone. It is suitable for writers who wish to focus on editing, but do not wish to pitch.

PITCH TO AGENTS AND PUBLISHERS

At the end of the program, all of this year’s MAPI participants will be eligible to pitch to up to two agents or publishers. This is dependent on a participant providing a suitable manuscript to pitch.

Some pitches will be via Zoom, some in person and some in writing.

In-person and online pitches will occur on Saturday 11 November 2023 from the Kermandie. You will be supported in-room by the TARWF team.

• Alex Adsett, agent, Alex Adsett Literary, in writing. Alex will be taking pitches for fiction and narrative non-fiction, especially science fiction and fantasy, crime and romance, for all ages from picture books to adults.

• Beverley Cousins, publisher, Penguin Random House, via Zoom. Beverley will be taking pitches for adult commercial fiction – particularly women’s fiction, crime and thrillers and historical (primarily WWII, 50s and 60s).

• Roberta Ivers, publisher, HarperCollins, in writing. Roberta will be taking pitches for adult commercial fiction, including crime, mystery and science fiction.

• Jo MacKay, publisher, HQ Fiction, via Zoom. Jo will be taking pitches for crime, mystery, thriller and suspense.

• Benython Oldfield, agent, zeistgeist agency, via Zoom. Benython will be taking pitches for literary fiction, crime fiction and commercial fiction.

• Melanie Ostell, agent, Melanie Ostell Literary, via Zoom. Melanie will be taking pitches for literary fiction, high-quality commercial fiction and crime/thriller.

• Lisa Riley, publisher, Penguin Random House, via Zoom. Lisa will be taking pitches for junior and middle grade fiction (for ages 7 to 12) and YA fiction (for ages 12+), across all genres.

If you are a MAPI participant and we advise you of a pitch spot with one of the above agents and publisher, please do not jump the gun and send your pitch to an agent or publisher outside our processes. This will disqualify you from participating in our pitch process.

Please see ‘Quick links’ below for further information.

JOINING US THIS YEAR?

• Remember to register your interest in our EOI form.

• Download it in either PDF or Word and email to Felicity.Lemon.TARWF@gmail.com

• If an event is fully reserved, you can join a waitlist using this form.

• If computer gremlins mean the form won’t work for you, please send a regular email to Felicity instead with the information requested in the form.

Please note that we have received an unexpected number of EOIs this year and are processing them as fast as our little part-time volunteer team can go. Please be patient as we prepare for three weeks of literary escapades in the gorgeous Huon Valley.

It is important to note that we put significant measures in place to accommodate people with various allergy and physical disability needs. All participants are asked to respect the health, safety and accessibility measures we take and help us maintain a physically safe space for all guests and staff.

QUICK LINKS

• TAF2023 | Program Overview

• TAF2023 | TASSIE VICE, Tasmania’s international crime and mystery festival, 26 to 29 October 2023

• TAF2023 | Panel Program

• TAF2023 | Professional Development Program, 21 October to 12 November 2023

• TAF2023 | Writers’ Retreats

• TAF2023 | Masterclasses

• TAF2023 | Meet the Australian Publishing Industry

• TAF2023 | Writers’ Retreats, MAPI and Accommodation Pricelist

Terror Australis Readers and Writers Festival would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which our festival is held, the Melukerdee People of the South East Nation, and pay our respects to Elders past and present.

TARWF is supported by: