By Michaela O’Callaghan, Rosie Burgoyne, Erin Evett and Sabeehah Saleq
An Evening with Dan Jones at Waterstones Piccadilly
1 September, 7:00 p.m.
As physical events become more of a reality, it is exciting to see Waterstones live author events and book clubs appearing again! This event at Waterstones Piccadilly features Dan Jones as he discusses his new book Powers and Thrones. Dan Jones is the bestselling author of The Templars and he will be interviewed by Paul Lay, editor of History Today. General admission is £8 and tickets are available here.
Gender Balance and Pay Transparency: in Publishing and Beyond
2 September
This virtual day of events has been organised by Hachette UK’s Gender Balance Network. The morning panel, entitled “What does gender balance look like?,” is chaired by literary agent Nelle Andrew and includes panellists such as Hannah Trevarthen, events and partnerships manager at English PEN.
The second panel explores gender balance issues in relation to the publishing industry. This is guaranteed to be an interesting event with panellists such as Hamza Jahanzeb, known for advocating #BookJobTransparency, Suzanne Collier, founder of bookcareers.com, Ella Horne, founder of The FLIP (a newsletter championing Female Leadership in Publishing) and Saskia Bewley, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Hachette UK.
The final event is led by Aki Schilz, director of the Literacy Consultancy, and explores “How are conversations on pay transparency progressing following ever-increasing attention on this issue in the publishing industry?” All tickets are available for free but a £5 donation is suggested to go towards the Equal Pay Advice Service by The Fawcett Society.
Opening the Book: Working In Publicity
6 September, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Another brilliant virtual event from Hachette UK’s series. This event is all about publicity so, if you want to know what the publicity department does on a daily basis and how industry professionals started their careers, this one is for you! This includes a live Q & A section. Sign up here.
North Notts Lit Fest
12–19 September
The North Notts Lit Fest is back with a mixture of local physical and online events! This fun festival includes a mixture of online talks and workshops, a first chapters trail around Worksop and Retford and plenty of book clubs and podcasts to get you in the bookish mindset. Find out more about this festival here.
Mo Gilligan: Exclusive Live Book Launch
2 September, 7.30 p.m.
Get ready for this exciting opportunity to join your favourite stand-up comedian Mo Gilligan, as he returns to Peckham to celebrate the release of his new memoir That Moment When. This is sure to be a fun and exciting evening where you will have the chance to hear Mo reflect on the events that led him to where he is today. Not to mention, you’ll get to put forward your own questions to the social media sensation! Don’t miss out, get tickets here.
Black Joy Live: A Celebration of Being Black and British
2 September, 7.30 p.m.
You won’t want to miss out on this wonderful event which marks the release of Black Joy, an anthology edited by the brilliant Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff and Timi Sotire. The anthology offers insightful and nuanced perspectives of race and identity for the Black British community, drawing on themes such as love, friendship, food, dance, music, carnival, nature and literature. The event will celebrate this all-important anthology and its talented contributors, who will discuss themes such as community empowerment and reflect on what provides happiness in their lives. As if this event didn’t already sound amazing, it will also include a short film screening as well as an opportunity for you to put forward your questions to the panel. Oh, and you’ll also get to buy a reduced copy of Black Joy as part of your ticket! Get tickets here.
Bath Literary Festival
June–November
Bath Literary Festival is back! From September, Topping & Company Booksellers are hosting a range of fantastic events and evenings with renowned authors. Events include an evening with the author of the incredible Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks, who will be discussing his new novel and writing career on 5 September. If crime is more to your taste, the brilliant Simon Scarrow will be sharing his thoughts on writing crime and historical fiction on 13 September, while launching his new series, Blackout. But if you can’t make it to Bath itself, a virtual evening is planned on 2 September with Pat Barker, winner of the Booker Prize and author of the bestselling The Silence of the Girls, who is going to be discussing her new book, The Women of Troy. Other events include Honey & Co: Chasing Smoke, Live In-person: Jenny Packham discussing How to Make a Dress and Joe Abercrombie’s Book Launch of The Wisdom of Crowds, with a mix of virtual and in-person events, so there really is something for everyone, everywhere.
For more events, information and prices, click here.