Industry & Performance

Between the Covers 2018

Presented by Emerging Writers’ Festival and Macquarie University

Get the inside scoop on what a career in writing and publishing looks like today. Hear from industry experts, authors, publishers and editors to gain invaluable insight to help you with your next career steps.

4pm – 5pm: Foot in the Door

So you’ve got a completed manuscript, what next? How do you approach a publisher? What’s the best way to a structure a pitch? This session will give you an incredible opportunity to hear how these editors and publishers best like work pitched to them. You’ll get an insight into what they’re looking for, hear their perspectives on new work and how to best present your manuscript.

With: Emma O’Neill Sandham (Macquarie University), Lex Hirst (Penguin Random House), Brigid Mullane (Hachette), Emily Stewart (Giramondo)

5pm – 6pm: Pathway to Publication Case study

Michael Mohammed Ahmad is the founder and director of SWEATSHOP: Western Sydney Literacy Movement. He has received awards for his work in community cultural development, and his essays and short stories have been widely published. His first novel, The Tribe, was published to great acclaim and adapted for stage.

Hear Mohammed in conversation with Sophie Hemley as they trace his career and path to publication, and also discuss the timeline, acquisition and editorial process for the delivery of a manuscript.

With: Michael Mohammed Ahmed and Sophie Hamley

6pm – 7pm: Writing for Online Publications

Is there some kind of special magic to online writing, or are the same principles of good writing still applicable? Editors from your fave online publications give their hot tips for writing hot takes, running through how to structure a pitch and what they do and don’t want to find in their inboxes.

With: Randa Abdel-Fattah (Macquarie University), Lucinda Price (Pedestrian), Maddison Connaughton (VICE), Osman Faruqi (Junkee)

7.00pm – 7.30pm: Networking

A chance to grab a drink and some nibbles and chat with your fellow writers, editors and publishers.

7.30pm – 9pm: Slide Night

Where were you then? More than just the same person standing in front of different destinations, this slide night explores what happens when history considers the personal as well as the public. Join us for a night of performance, exploration and hilarity as eight brilliant writers consider place, history and belonging through images that shaped their stories.

Featuring Jessica Kirkness, Belinda Lopez, Winnie Dunn, Harold Legaspi, Saba Vasefi, Hasitha Adhikariarachchi, Eugene Yiu Nam Cheung, Sarah Campbell. Hosted by Izzy Roberts-Orr

Presented in partnership with Macquarie University