By Sophie Dickinson and Erin Evett
ESEA Publishing Network Summer Party
8 June 2023 6:00–9:30 p.m.
Carmelite House
8 Carmelite Street
London EC4Y 0DZ
In celebration of summer and to fundraise for the UK’s first East and South East Asian Literary Festival in partnership with Foyles, this party will be hosted with THRIVE Hachette. There will be food and drink, proof giveaways, networking opportunities and three very exciting readers: R. F. Kuang, Vanessa Chan and Kaliane Bradley. Kuang will be reading from the recently published Yellowface, a must-read for everyone working in or interested in the publishing industry. Chan and Bradley will be reading from their respective novels, both to be published in 2024. For more information and tickets/resales, click here.
Tales of the Black Cat – A Small Press Perspective on Poetry Publishing
10 June 2023, 1:00–3:00 p.m.
Southborough Civic Centre
137 London Road
Southborough TN4 0ND
Satya Bosman is a poet and editor of the Black Cat Poetry Press. Her poetry has been featured in multiple publications, including Dreich Magazine and The Galway Review. She will give her insights into the world of an independent poetry press, which will be followed by a Q&A session. A must for anyone interested in small press indie publishing or poetry publishing. For more information, and tickets, click here.
An Evening with L.C. North and JS Monroe
14 June 2023, 6:00–7:30 p.m.
Waterstones
22 Sidney St
Cambridge CB2 3HG
Join L.C. North and JS Monroe in Waterstones, Cambridge, as they discuss their latest crime novels. North’s The Ugly Truth and Monroe’s No Place To Hide both focus on people who live their lives in the public eye and whose lives are changed forever by the darker side of celebrity culture. They raise questions about leading double lives in society and who can be trusted to tell the truth. For more information and ticket prices, click here.
Publishing Insights Day
15 June 2023, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Manchester Metropolitan University
Geoffrey Manton Building
Rosamond St W
Manchester M15 6EB
This event from Manchester Metropolitan University aims to give those from the North of England an insight into the publishing industry and advice on how to get into it. The day boasts an impressive agenda, with nine events/talks and an informal networking event in the evening, so is a great upskilling opportunity for all publishing hopefuls. Talks include HR directors on the changing publishing job application process, a marketing talk from Harper North (Alice Murphy-Pyle) and a publicity and comms talk from John Murray (Rosie Gailer). With something from every element of the industry, from production and editorial to marketing and comms, this is an undoubtedly useful event! For more information and tickets, click here.
Presse Books Fair
17 June 2023, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Forma Arts and Media
FormaHQ
140 Great Dover Street
London SE1 4GW
Presse Books Fair is a free one-day festival at FormaHQ. It brings together over thirty independent publishers and artists for a variety of workshops, talks, performances, readings and more. A full programme of events can be found on the Eventbrite link, but includes a Cyanotype workshop with Tom Pope, performance by Fer Boyd & Madeline Stack and a Q&A with Think Big, Read Library. For tickets and more information, click here.
An Evening with Tom Crewe
20 June 2023, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Waterstones
12 College Lane
Liverpool L1 3DL
Join Tom Crewe, one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists, in Waterstones, Liverpool, to discuss his new novel The New Life. It focuses on John and Frank, who together publish the first-ever medical textbook on homosexuality in England, and Angelica and Edith, who are embarking on a dangerous love affair. Crewe will be in conversation with Dr Caroline Smailes, who is currently researching the ethics of fictionalising real life. For more information and ticket prices, click here.
In Conversation with Tess Gunty
20 June 2023, 6:30 p.m.
Waterstones Manchester – Deansgate
91 Deansgate
Manchester, M3 2BW
Don’t miss out on the chance to meet Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize Winner Tess Gunty, as she celebrates her debut novel The Rabbit Hutch. It is about the disenfranchised people left behind in America, as developers try to reinvent their homes. Gunty will be answering audience questions and signing copies of her book. It promises to be full of sharp wit and humour, combined with a shrewd psychological insight. For more information and ticket prices, click here.
Brighton Book Festival
20–25 June 2023
Brighton Book Festival is back for 2023 with an expanded schedule of events, more venues and some brilliant speakers. The festival was created by Afrori Books and The Feminist Bookshop to create a series of twenty events across Independent Bookshop Week to celebrate the power of books within the community. With events for every generation, this isn’t one to be missed. From events discussing the modern adaptation of Greek stories, to book clubs and poetry cafes, there is something for everyone here. For more information on the festival’s events and to get tickets, click here.