What People Said
A Journey Through the National Creative Writing Industry Day 2019 - aAh! Magazine
"With so much to do, so many new people to meet, and so many ideas to share in a supportive atmosphere dedicated to encouraging new writers, #NCWID19 not only delivered a wealth of information and ideas geared towards new and emerging writers, but also a sense of a networked community." - Writing Magazine
"The National Creative Writing Industry Day 2019 was one of the most inspiring things I've ever done." - Lucy Pettigrew, NCWID19 Attendee
"I feel so grateful for the opportunity to attend, to learn more about British publishing, and to listen to industry professionals. Comma Press and the Manchester Metropolitan University put together an unforgettable day." - Bianca Breen, NCWID19 Attendee
"I found the whole day to be a great experience; every one I met was so positive, and all the sessions I attended were really informative/made me think and challenge my own ideas, even if they weren't specifically about my genre. The two agents I met in the afternoon both gave me good advice and I feel really inspired to keep writing and finish my first book." - NCWID19 Attendee
"I was so impressed with how everything was run and the speakers and amazing information and insights they had to share were just amazing. It was so worthwhile coming and I don't think I could have gleamed so much, so easily and enjoyably anywhere else!" - NCWID19 Attendee
Helen Taylor, former delegate turned panellist 2018:
"In 2015, I attended the inaugural National Creative Writing Graduate Fair. It was a brilliant day — informative and interesting — and gave me a real insight into the publishing world. It also provided me with the invaluable opportunity to pitch my debut novel The Backstreets of Purgatory to agents and industry representatives. Among them was Unbound’s editor-at-large Rachael Kerr, who spoke about Unbound’s innovative publishing model in a session about disruptive publishing. I chatted to Rachael after her talk and it took me a while to pluck up the courage to submit to her, but three years later, my novel has just been published by Unbound. It is such a thrill to see it in bookshops all over the country. I owe the NCWGF a massive thank you because without them I would never have had this amazing opportunity."
James Ellson, former delegate now with a publishing deal:
"In 2018 I attended the NCWGF, a day that has since proved to be the pivotal moment in my writing career. I've been to a lot of similar events, but this day stands out as one of, if not the best. I attended great masterclasses on synopsis writing and independent publishing. I pitched twice to agents, and met many interesting people and future contacts. The crucial moment (although I didn't know it at the time) was hearing Helen Taylor talk about her book which was being published by Unbound. The next day I submitted my book to them and six months later, Unbound accepted my book 'The Trail' for publication. Finally, after 10 years of writing, 6 MSs, over a million words, I'd got there."
Rachel Rowlands, former delegate now signed writer and editor:
"The National Creative Writing Industry Day is invaluable to writers based in the north when everything in publishing seems to be so London-centric. I signed with my agent through the slush pile, but attended the Industry Day twice before then, and practising pitching, learning from the workshops, and being able to network with publishing professionals was a brilliant experience and really helped me. Being part of the day also helped me to grow my career as a freelance editor, as I met editors from publishers who I now provide services for – so it helped me in more ways than one!"
"With so much to do, so many new people to meet, and so many ideas to share in a supportive atmosphere dedicated to encouraging new writers, #NCWID19 not only delivered a wealth of information and ideas geared towards new and emerging writers, but also a sense of a networked community." - Writing Magazine
"The National Creative Writing Industry Day 2019 was one of the most inspiring things I've ever done." - Lucy Pettigrew, NCWID19 Attendee
"I feel so grateful for the opportunity to attend, to learn more about British publishing, and to listen to industry professionals. Comma Press and the Manchester Metropolitan University put together an unforgettable day." - Bianca Breen, NCWID19 Attendee
"I found the whole day to be a great experience; every one I met was so positive, and all the sessions I attended were really informative/made me think and challenge my own ideas, even if they weren't specifically about my genre. The two agents I met in the afternoon both gave me good advice and I feel really inspired to keep writing and finish my first book." - NCWID19 Attendee
"I was so impressed with how everything was run and the speakers and amazing information and insights they had to share were just amazing. It was so worthwhile coming and I don't think I could have gleamed so much, so easily and enjoyably anywhere else!" - NCWID19 Attendee
Helen Taylor, former delegate turned panellist 2018:
"In 2015, I attended the inaugural National Creative Writing Graduate Fair. It was a brilliant day — informative and interesting — and gave me a real insight into the publishing world. It also provided me with the invaluable opportunity to pitch my debut novel The Backstreets of Purgatory to agents and industry representatives. Among them was Unbound’s editor-at-large Rachael Kerr, who spoke about Unbound’s innovative publishing model in a session about disruptive publishing. I chatted to Rachael after her talk and it took me a while to pluck up the courage to submit to her, but three years later, my novel has just been published by Unbound. It is such a thrill to see it in bookshops all over the country. I owe the NCWGF a massive thank you because without them I would never have had this amazing opportunity."
James Ellson, former delegate now with a publishing deal:
"In 2018 I attended the NCWGF, a day that has since proved to be the pivotal moment in my writing career. I've been to a lot of similar events, but this day stands out as one of, if not the best. I attended great masterclasses on synopsis writing and independent publishing. I pitched twice to agents, and met many interesting people and future contacts. The crucial moment (although I didn't know it at the time) was hearing Helen Taylor talk about her book which was being published by Unbound. The next day I submitted my book to them and six months later, Unbound accepted my book 'The Trail' for publication. Finally, after 10 years of writing, 6 MSs, over a million words, I'd got there."
Rachel Rowlands, former delegate now signed writer and editor:
"The National Creative Writing Industry Day is invaluable to writers based in the north when everything in publishing seems to be so London-centric. I signed with my agent through the slush pile, but attended the Industry Day twice before then, and practising pitching, learning from the workshops, and being able to network with publishing professionals was a brilliant experience and really helped me. Being part of the day also helped me to grow my career as a freelance editor, as I met editors from publishers who I now provide services for – so it helped me in more ways than one!"
