Comma Press and Manchester Metropolitan University present The Publishing Conference 2021

Comma Press and Manchester Metropolitan University present The Publishing
Conference 2021, an online event for aspiring and early-career publishers

On 24 and 25 April 2021, Comma Press will host The Publishing Conference 2021 in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University.

The two-day conference is designed to make publishing more transparent for those who are looking to forge a career in the industry, and to increase accessibility to the sector, particularly for those in the North of England where the conference would usually take place.

The weekend will see two free events stream live to YouTube, including ‘An introduction to publishing’ delivered by James Spackman of The bks Agency and The Spare Room Project and a ‘How to break into the industry’ panel including Anne Ashworth (Pearson Plc), Suzy Astbury (Inspired Selection) and chaired by Society of Young Publishers North.

James Spackman said about opening the conference “The Northern Fiction Alliance, Comma Press and Manchester Metropolitan do amazing work fostering a strong publishing culture in the North, so despite being a stereotypical London publisher myself, I’m proud to be involved with this new conference.”

In addition to the free events, the ticketed package will allow attendees access to eight presentations from industry professionals across departments and publishers, covering the basics of Editorial, Production, Sales, Publicity, Rights, Marketing, Audio and starting your own press, as well as a CV and interview skills workshop. These will all take place in closed Zoom sessions and places will be limited.

Speakers include Marianne Tatepo (Ebury Publishing) Farzana Khan (Hachette Children’s), Matt Casbourne (Duckworth Books), Poppy Stimpson (Pushkin Press), Sarah Cleave (Comma Press), Alesha Bonser (Penguin), Marina Stavropoulou (Bonnier) and Kit Caless (Influx). The CV and interview skills workshop will be led by Debbie Williams (Manchester Metropolitan University).

Olivia Michael at Manchester Metropolitan University said “We are absolutely delighted to be working with leading independent Comma Press on The Publishing Conference. Comma Press are our partners in our MA in Publishing and have done a stellar job, providing resources and guidance for our students. They are great ambassadors for publishing in the North and we are really proud to be working with them.”

Zoe Turner at Comma Press says “It’s really exciting for Comma to be able to present this new conference in an online capacity in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan and so many publishing professionals. We hope that this event can help those who might have previously felt that a career publishing was out of their reach to understand how the industry works and find their way in.”

Tickets for the weekend package will be £25, with limited sponsored tickets for aspiring publishers underrepresented by the industry (POC/LGBTQ+/disabled/low-income) and limited free tickets for Greater Manchester residents. General tickets will be available to order through Eventbrite and individuals should apply for sponsored tickets and Greater Manchester tickets by emailing zoe.turner@commapress.co.uk.