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This single-session presentation is suitable for a large group, for example school assembly
Who would like to be an author when they grow up? The bad news is that it isn't just a matter of going to author school, getting the right qualifications then you're off.
We talk about the degree of competition in the publishing industry. You don't just need to be able to write, you need to have a good idea - the idea of the moment, and have a great deal of luck. Always have a plan B.
Writing a book is different from writing a story or essay. We discuss how writers and publishers measure books in thousands of words. What does a thousand words look like? How long is a book? How does that compare with what I write at school?
(For older audiences only) writing for publication. How to present work. How the industry works. The role of publishers and agents.
From writing to print - how long does it take? Submission and rejection: never give up.
Once you have been published, you've made it, yes? Publicity - what publishers will, or will not, do. What the author has to do for himself or herself. How this is not a game for shrinking violets.
The session concludes with a question and answer session to allow the students to explore what it's like to be an author and how (and whether) to pursue it as a career.
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