It’s the big question for many writers: how do I take my manuscript from my computer to the shelves and devices of readers? To help answer it, writers, publishers and agents share their experiences of the industry and offer advice on how to get your work picked up, and explain what publishers are looking for and how they make their decisions.

Our panel of experts can certainly offer some insider insight. Kevin Duffy is head of international publishers Bluemoose Books; Lisa Milton is executive publisher for the Harlequin Division of HarperCollins, whose imprints include Mira, Ink and Mills & Boon; Nelle Andrew is a literary agent whose role at PFD includes representing Ayisha Malik, Bryony Gordon, Sarah Winman and Catherine Chanter; and Nikesh Shukla is author of the crowdfunded ‘Coconut Unlimited’. Moderated by award-winning writer Michael Stewart, this is an essential session for anyone wanting to get their words in front of a wider audience.

About The Publishers

Lisa Milton

Lisa is Executive Publisher for the Harlequin division. This includes the imprints HQ and Mills & Boon. She joined HarperCollins in 2015 after a decade as Managing Director of Orion Publishing where she was responsible for Orion, Orion Children’s, Gollancz and Weidenfeld & Nicolson, which was awarded Imprint of the Year at the 2015 Bookseller Industry Awards. Whilst there she published major bestsellers and award winning authors including Maeve Binchy, Ian Rankin, Gillian Flynn and Malala Yousafzai.

Nelle Andrew

Nelle Andrew is a literary agent at PFD who represents fiction/nonfiction and YA. Her authors include Ayisha Malik, bestsellers Bryony Gordon and Sarah Winman and R&J 2015 pick Catherine Chanter. She has worked at Pan Macmillan and is a published author in her own right.

Contributor

Kevin Duffy

Kevin Duffy worked in sales and marketing in publishing houses for 25 years. Kevin and his wife Hetha started Bluemoose Books in 2006. Their authors have been shortlisted for and have won several national and international literary prizes. Bluemoose books have been translated into several languages and are now sold in over 42 countries.

About The Authors

Michael Stewart

Michael Stewart’s debut novel, King Crow, was the winner of the Guardian’s Not-the-Booker Award. Other books: Couples; Café Assassin; Mr Jolly and Ill Will: The Untold Story of Heathcliff. Walking the Invisible, a hybrid memoir about the Brontës’ lives and landscapes, will be published by HarperCollins in June 2021. He is also the creator of the Brontë Stones project.