Writers Advice Centre

Events

If you want to be among the first to find out about any upcoming events, please sign up to our mailing list.

Launch Party

Launch Party

Our sister company, Wacky Bee Books, is throwing a launch party on Sunday 26th November (2.30 – 4.30pm) for Slow Down Dino and Busy Lizzie, both by Emily Snape. Pickled Pepper Books are hosting the event and there will be activities, games and prizes. Emily will...

Empathy Conference

Empathy Conference

Landmark conference: Educating for Empathy – the reading factor. 10.00am-3.30pm on Tuesday 5th December. The urgent need for empathy education strategies is highlighted by society’s increased polarisation and the rise in post-Covid behavioural and mental health...

Reading Retreat 2024

Reading Retreat 2024

The Reading Retreat have just finalised their dates for the first half of 2024, and want you to be the first to know. They’re back to their gorgeous Georgian townhouse in Matlock in February, enjoying spring on the Somerset Levels in March, and settling into...

Empathy Day 2023

Empathy Day 2023

Empathy Day is coming up on Thursday 8th June. Empathy is about experiencing and understanding other people’s feelings and perspectives. This is a vital skill that young people need to thrive. To find out how to get involved and to get your free Empathy Lab...

Workshop & Signing

Workshop & Signing

On Friday 16th June, John Patrick Green will be visiting The Alligator’s Mouth in Richmond for a comic drawing workshop and book signing. Spaces are limited for the workshop, but the signing is open to all customers and you are welcome to reserve books to be...

Meet Axel Scheffler

Meet Axel Scheffler

Sat 25th March from 11am No RSVP required, just turn up at The Alligator’s Mouth, 2a. Church Ct, Richmond TW9 1JL Axel is the illustrator of many beloved picture books, including favourites written by Julia Donaldson and the Pip and Posy series. Axel will be at...

Bologna Fiere

Bologna Fiere

Bologna Children’s Book Fair is coming up, running from 6th – 9th March. The Writers’ Advice Centre sister company will be represented by rights agent, Petula Chaplin, who will be in Hall 25, Stand B108. Look out for the Wacky Bee poster and their...

Bookshop Crawl

Bookshop Crawl

The London Bookshop Crawl 2023 takes place over the weekend of 17th – 19th February. It aims to bring book lovers together in a joyful celebration of all things bookish and give some much needed support to (mainly independent) bookshops in the otherwise fairly...

Barry Loser Signing

Barry Loser Signing

Jim Smith, author of the hilarious Barry Loser books, will be at the Alligator’s Mouth bookshop in Richmond, Surrey on Monday 13th February 3 – 5pm, signing copies of the new Barry Loser graphic novel series. He will also be offering to draw portraits for...

Illustration Exhibition

Illustration Exhibition

This year the annual Cambridge MA Children’s Book Illustration Graduation Exhibition takes place from 14th – 18th February, 10am to 6pm. There is a private view on Thursday, 16th February from 6 – 8pm. The exhibition is being held at Candid Gallery,...

London Book Fair 2023

London Book Fair 2023

London Book Fair 2023 will run from 18th – 20th April and will take place at Olympia Exhibition Centre, London. Meet the ‘who’s who’ of the publishing industry as LBF gathers together exhibitors and guests from across the globe. London Book...

SCBWI Conference

SCBWI Conference

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators announces the programme for their first Northern conference, to be held on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th November 2022 at Manchester Metropolitan University, Business School building. There’s something for...

Festival of Stories

Festival of Stories

The Inaugural ‘Great Malvern Festival of Stories for Children’ will take place from Thursday 20 October – Sunday 23 October 2022 in a number of venues. The Festival promises to be a celebration of stories and storytelling, featuring an exciting programme of...

Carnegie Event

Carnegie Event

The Yoto Carnegie Greenaway Awards for outstanding achievement in children’s writing and illustration has partnered with The Reading Agency to host two virtual shortlist events for young readers this May. Each of the free interactive events, the #YotoCarnegieLIVE and...

Kate Greenaway Event

Kate Greenaway Event

The Yoto Carnegie Greenaway Awards for outstanding achievement in children’s writing and illustration has partnered with The Reading Agency to host two virtual shortlist events for young readers this May. Each of the free interactive events, the #YotoCarnegieLIVE and...

Masterclass for Illustrators

Masterclass for Illustrators

Creating appealing, engaging and authentic characters is essential to making successful picture books. In this one-day masterclass with the award-winning Dapo Adeola (Look Up!) and acclaimed illustrator Chanté Timothy, you’ll explore character case studies, and use...

London Book Fair

London Book Fair

Next week is London Book Fair, running from 5th – 7th April at London Olympia. Our sister company, Wacky Bee Books, will be showcasing their books on the MMS stand, 1B10 in the children’s publishing section, so feel free to swing by and take a look....

London Book Fair

London Book Fair

London Book Fair has announced its Author HQ events programme for 2022 promising “a range of inspiring content from authors and industry experts”. London Book Fair runs from Tuesday 5th to Thursday 7th April at London Olympia. More details here...

Success Stories

Over the past 20 years we have been instrumental in helping writers find their place with publishers, whether directly or indirectly. The following is just a handful of our success stories…

"Thank you for turning this around so quickly for me. The feedback is invaluable and will allow me to make a number of really worthwhile amends before approaching publishers. As I go through the report in more detail I may have the odd question, so thank you for being open to further assistance."

R Myles (Manuscript Appraisal Service)

"I’d like to thank you for your words of encouragement. My wife said to my children after the phone call, ‘That’ll be it now, you won’t see your dad for months as he’ll be busy writing.’ How true!"

Neil Swinney (Telephone Appraisal Service)

"Sharing our book with Louise Jordan at the Writers’ Advice Centre was one of our most important steps on the road to publication of our book My Mum’s a Bug-Eyed Monster. Without Louise’s advice about story pacing and which publishers to target, our monster mum may still be languishing in the slush swamp!"

Andy Rigden & Jim Landen (Face to Face Meeting)

"I am finding this writing course very enjoyable and feel inspired by the assignments. I find your feedback particularly motivating and believe that signing up to this course has not only developed my writing confidence, but is one of the best things I did for my writing career"

Kim White (Home Study Course)

"Thank you for facilitating such an excellent workshop yesterday. I would strongly recommend it to anyone wishing to write for children. Experienced writers would definitely benefit from it as well. Pure gold!"

A Chisambo (Writing Workshop)