8:45 – 9:30 Welcome coffee and registration
(For everyone, not just newbies)

And so it begins! Sign in, grab a coffee, find out which rooms your sessions will be in, and settle in for a wonderful weekend.

Those new to the conference can come and meet our experienced conference volunteers. This friendly bunch will make you feel welcome, answer your questions and be available throughout the conference to help or just chat.

Meet Your Network

Ease yourself into the conference by meeting up with your local Network Organisers and volunteers. You can also check out what’s happening in nearby networks. There will be folks around to talk about every network area. This is a great place for conference newbies to connect with their local network and make friends for the weekend (and beyond!), and a great opportunity for everyone to socialise and volunteer.

10:35 to 10:55 – Coffee Break

10:55 to 12:15 – MORNING BREAKOUTS

12:15 to 13:15 – Lunch

15:40 to 16:00 – Coffee Break

17:10 to 18:30 – Rest and Relaxation

Sunday 20th November 2022

Sunday is a day to roll up your sleeves! Take your pick of workshops and intensives. Whether you’re an illustrator or a writer, whether you’re pre-published, published or self-published, there will be a session just right for you!

9:35 to 10:25 – PULSE Keynote With Darren Chetty and Karen Sands O’Connor in conversation with Candy Gourlay
BEYOND THE SECRET GARDEN The column Beyond the Secret Garden has been an astonishing four-year exploration into the representation of BAME authors and characters in children’s books. Authors Darren Chetty and Karen Sands-O’Connor share fascinating insights and discuss the road ahead.

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Acting Up: Using Performance Techniques To Bring Your Characters to Life On the Page (Part 1) With Connie and Steve Hartley

The workshop will offer an unusual take on characterisation, by using techniques that actors employ to build characters, and apply them to writing. 1. Behavioural styles: a simple model that divides people into four basic groups, based on voice, body language, emotions, and assertiveness. 2. Status: Understanding how real and perceived status drives interactions within a scene and throughout a narrative; how subtly changing the status of characters creates tension and drama. 3. Classic animal-work: a novel way to build and gain insight into your characters, and keep them consistent. The workshop is interactive. Come prepared to play a few drama games, have fun, be a bit silly and learn something new. You won’t be expected to perform alone in front of the rest of the delegates; most work will be in groups, or pairs. Please wear loose, comfortable clothing, and come prepared to get on your feet, or crawl on all-fours, and get beastly! Important! Pre-work to do before the day: Choose a land-based animal (birds count too). Watch videos of the animal and make notes on how they move, eat, sleep, hunt, groom, interact (or not!) – don’t assume you know. Choose three words to describe what kind of “personality” the animal has. Because of the interactive nature of the workshop, numbers are limited, so please book early to avoid disappointment. (This is a full day workshop)

The Suspense Is Killing me  With Sue Wallman & Tracy Darnton
Come along and discover our killer know-how. YA authors Sue Wallman and Tracy Darnton take you through the vital elements of writing a tense, teen thriller, and give dead good tips on how to write a compelling story, whatever your genre.

PULSE/SPARK: Creating Additional Income Streams for Published Children’s Authors  With Juliet Clare Bell and Rebecca Colby

With advances and royalties shrinking, how can authors find ways to make ends meet? Accountability partners, Juliet Clare Bell and Rebecca Colby, share their experiences, strategies and tips for finding additional writing-based and writing-related income streams. This workshop will cover fellowships, grants, non-traditionally published paid writing opportunities and educational writing, to name but a few. It’s both an informative and practical workshop that will assist you in exploring your USP and passions in order to put forward applications and projects that have the potential to earn you more money. As a PULSE event for published authors we know there’ll be lots of expertise in the room and there’ll be an opportunity for delegates to share other potential income streams.

Storyboarding Your Picture Book:  Think Like a Filmmaker  With Jim Field
How to think like a filmmaker when approaching storyboarding your picture book. Top-selling illustrator Jim Field will discuss the importance of a good composition and how it is fundamental to carrying the visual narrative of a story. Using references from books, art and film and also his own projects. (Suitable for illustrators primarily, but anyone welcome)

From Idea to Manuscript – Techniques for Generating Picture Book Ideas and Developing Meaningful Stories that Real People Want to Read With Caryl Hart

In this session, we will explore some techniques for generating and exploring new ideas, helping you turn your notions into well-rounded, multi-layered stories that real people will want to read. We will use oral storytelling games, mind mapping and play trays to help get your ideas flowing, help you explore topics and themes, and create narrative. We will then discuss how to flesh out and organise your ideas to create a story that real people will want to read!

Acting Up: Using Performance Techniques To Bring Your Characters to Life On the Page (Part 2) With Connie & Steve Hartley
(Continued from the morning session)

Writing a Novel in Verse With Louisa Reid

This workshop will dispel any trepidation you may feel about writing a novel in verse! The session will enable you to begin to explore the craft and give you the confidence to experiment with this exciting and popular form. We’ll look at excerpts from recently published verse novels revealing the range of approaches to writing narrative poetry, and discuss the what, the why, and the how as you begin to draft a scene in verse for sharing at the end of the workshop if you choose. Verse novel excerpts will include from work by Jason Reynolds, Lucy Cuthew, Sarah Crossan and others.

SPARK: How to Independently Publish – And Sell – Your Children’s Book  With Lucy Reynolds & Jenna Harmen

If you have a children’s book afoot, but no agent or publisher, this seminar is for you! Find out how to take your creation from storyboard onto the shelves with author/ illustrator duo Doodles & Scribbles. Writer, Lucy Reynolds, and illustrator, Jenna Herman, will talk you through their journey from concept to sales contract, covering key steps including: physical book production; running a publishing company; branding & marketing; sales platforms; distribution; and everything in between! The session will focus on practical tips for publishing your own work, with the aim of achieving sales that compete with traditionally published works. This interactive session will include a Q&A with Lucy and Jenna who look forward to answering any questions.

Illustrator Wisdom: From Pencil to Print With author/illustrator Paul Morton

Author/ illustrator Paul Morton shares his artistic knowhow learnt whilst illustrating his BUG BELLY Early Reader titles. How do the hand-drawn pencil illustrations go through various digital processes before ending up as the final printed book? Tips on illustrating in Procreate and Photoshop, with plenty of tangents en route including – Practical tips and recommendations for illustrators who also want to write. Advice on finding your artistic voice and interrogating your character.

Picture Books to Change the World With Caryl Hart

Children’s books can be incredibly powerful. Not only do they help motivate children to learn how to read, but they give children access to a whole world of possibility. They enable children and families to experience other lives, to travel through other worlds and to explore a huge range of social relationships. As creators we have a wonderful opportunity – and a duty – to influence our reader’s thoughts, actions and values to create a more inclusive, kinder and fairer world. In this session, we’ll look at some of the ways you can challenge yourself to create stand-out books that will truly help build a better future. We’ll start with a little social experiment, then talk about gender stereotyping, privilege, fairness vs equity, diversity & inclusion, modelling pro-social behaviour and reading for empathy. I will give participants guidance on how to develop their own self-awareness, knowledge and understanding of these topics

Book Conference Here

Book Friday Fringe Here

Book Saturday Night Party (incl MBL) Here

C O N F E R E N C E   S P O N S O R S

Our main sponsors are:

SCBWI would like to thank the sponsors for their support. SCBWI is a non-profit organization
and does not endorse any products or services provided by external companies.

We would also like to thank all the industry professionals who have donated their time as raffle prizes:

Natasha Brown at Faber Children’s; Megan Carroll at Watson, Little Literary Agency;

Anne Clarke at Anne Clarke Literary Agency; Jude Evans at Little Tiger Press;

Philippa Milnes-Smith at The Soho Agency; Caroline Thomson at Arena Illustration Ltd;

Barry Timms at Macmillan Children’s Books; Eve White at Eve White Literary Agency;

Polly Nolan at Papercuts Literary Agency, Sarah Odedina at Pushkin Children’s Books;

Holly Fulbrook at Oxford University Press; and Lauren Fairgrieve at Nosy Crow.

Illustrations © Jim Field 2022