New Writing North's audio hub

With Emma Beswetherick, editorial director at Little, Brown; publicist Maura Brickell, agent Jenny Brown and novelist Carolyn Jess-Cooke. Between them, the four speakers on this panel have experience of pretty much every aspect of publishing, from submissions, to representing an author, to selling foreign rights, the editorial process, sales and marketing and publicity. They explain each part of the publishing process and answer questions from the floor. Chaired by New Writing North’s Olivia Chapman. This event was part of Get Your Work Published, a one-day workshop held on 26 November 2011 at the National Glass Centre, Sunderland and organised by New Writing North for writers in the north east of England.

Olivia Chapman of New Writing North  talks about the benefits and support that in-depth editorial critique of your writing can bring, and explains how to work on your manuscript to get it to the best possible standard before submitting it to agents and editors. This event was part of Get Your Work Published, a one-day workshop held on 26 November 2011 at the National Glass Centre, Sunderland and organised by New Writing North for writers in the north east of England.

With Caroline Theobald of The Bridge Club North. Caroline runs networking sessions with people and businesses from all industries, and takes you through the best way to represent yourself and your work, and get the most out of any networking opportunities you may have. This event was part of Get Your Work Published, a one-day workshop held on 26 November 2011 at the National Glass Centre, Sunderland and organised by New Writing North for writers in the north east of England.

With Jenny Brown, agent and director of Jenny Brown Associates.Jenny Brown set up her literary agency in Edinburgh in 2002 and can draw on her extensive experience of literature and the publishing industry to explain what agents do, and how they can make a vital difference to a writer’s career. She was also able to offer tips on how best to submit work to agents and make your work stand out from the submissions. This event was part of Get Your Work Published, a one-day workshop held on 26 November 2011 at the National Glass Centre, Sunderland and organised by New Writing North for writers in the north east of England.

When he’s not being an agent at Jenny Brown Associates, Allan Guthrie is a crime novelist who won the Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year in 2007 for his debut, Two-Way Split, and has been nominated for several awards, including an Edgar in the US. In the last year, he's also sold around 50,000 copies of his self-published ebooks. At this event, Allan is talking about digital publishing and how it worked for him, and explaining ways you can look to publish your work yourself on the web. This event was part of Get Your Work Published, a one-day workshop held on 26 November 2011 at the National Glass Centre, Sunderland and organised by New Writing North for writers in the north east of England.

What are things made of? What is the sun? Why is there night and day, winter and summer? Why do bad things happen? Are we alone? Throughout history people all over the world have invented stories to answer profound questions such as these. Have you heard the tale of how the sun hatched out of an emu’s egg? Or what about the great catfish that carries the world on its back? Has anyone ever told you that earthquakes are caused by a sneezing giant? These fantastical myths are fun – but what is the real answer to such questions? In his new book, The Magic of Reality, Richard Dawkins answers all of these questions and many more. In stunning words and pictures, the book presents the real story of the world around us, taking us on an enthralling journey through scientific reality, and showing that it has an awe-inspiring beauty and thrilling magic which far exceed those of the ancient myths. We encounter rainbows, earthquakes, tsunamis, shooting stars, plants, animals, and an intriguing cast of characters in this extraordinary scientific voyage of discovery. Richard Dawkins is the former Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University (1995-2008). His many bestsellers include The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion. Buy The Magic of Reality from Amazonwww.richarddawkins.netwww.durhambookfestival.com

Jon Ronson’s The Psychopath Test tells a story about madness. It all starts when a leading neurologist contacts him. She and several colleagues have recently received a cryptically puzzling book in the mail, and Jon is challenged to solve the mystery behind it. As he searches for the answer, Jon soon finds himself, unexpectedly, on an utterly compelling and often unbelievable adventure into the world of madness. Combining Jon Ronson’s trademark humour, charm and investigative incision, The Psychopath Test is a deeply honest book unearthing dangerous truths and asking serious questions about how we define normality in a world where we are increasingly judged by our maddest edges. Jon Ronson is the author of Them: Adventures with Extremists and The Men Who Stare at Goats.Buy The Psychopath Test on Amazonwww.jonronson.comwww.durhambookfestival.com

The sudden and tragic loss of his best friend James, who was in his thirties, changed the way that Marcus Brigstocke felt about the world. It didn’t stop him being an atheist – if anything it increased his suspicion that we are, in fact, alone in the universe. But it did make him think. Who could he talk to now that James was gone? Based on his award-winning Edinburgh and West End show of the same name, his new book, God Collar, explores religion, our need for it, his lack of it, the myths surrounding it and the bits that he whole-heartedly disagrees with within it. God Collar is a scathing look at modern faith that will leave you both laughing out loud and examining your own beliefs in equal measure. Marcus Brigstocke is one of the UK’s favourite comedians. He regularly appears on television and radio and at festivals around the country. Chaired by Simon James, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at Durham University.

Why did the flushing toilet take two centuries to catch on? Why did medieval people sleep sitting up? Why, for centuries, did people fear fruit? All these questions are answered in Lucy Worsley’s If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home, which looks at how people really lived through the architectural study of the rooms they lived in. Lucy Worsley is chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces, the body that looks after the Tower of London and Kew Gardens. This book accompanies her acclaimed television series for the BBC.

From Vera to Scott and Bailey, women detectives have been taking over our TV screens this year. On Saturday 22 October at Durham Book Festival, screenwriter Sally Wainwright (Scott and Bailey) and her series co-creator former Detective Inspector Diane Taylor, novelist Ann Cleeves, whose books were the basis of ITV’s recent series, Vera, and crime legend Val McDermid (whose novels were adapted into hit series Wire in the Blood) discussed how women are portrayed in TV crime drama and crime novels.Chaired by Debbie Taylor, novelist and editorial director of Mslexia magazine.www.durhambookfestival.comwww.mslexia.co.uk 

Legendary sci-fi writer Iain M Banks came to The Sage Gateshead to introduce the latest novel in his best-selling Culture series: Surface Detail. An acclaimed and best-selling writer of both mainstream fiction (as Iain Banks) and science-fiction (as Iain M Banks), Iain talked to Durham University's Simon James about his sci-fi writing and read from Surface Detail, as well as taking questions from the audience and signing copies of his books after the event.