How to tell the world that you’re a writer
Establishing an author brand
The Summer Festival of Writing is now in full-swing and we have TWO member-only events happening this week, too. There’s never been a better time to own your title as a writer! This newsletter looks at everything from author branding, all the way to how to feel confident enough to start telling yourself and other people that you ARE a writer.
EVENT: It’s not too late to grab your Summer Festival of Writing ticket! (Member discount available)
Join hundreds of other writers across the globe for this three-month writing extravaganza. If you grab your ticket this week, you’ll have just enough time to enter the life-changing Friday Night Live Competition (deadline 14 June!) and be able to catch up on last week’s events on replay.
Already have a Summer Festival ticket?
Don’t forget that Friday Night Live closes on 14 June! Enter the first 500 words of your manuscript for the chance to win a Manuscript Assessment, a 30-minute one-to-one with an agent – and eternal glory. Summer Festival of Writing ticket-holders only.
This week at Jericho Writers:
EVENT: Two member-only events happening this week
Join Lisa Montanaro TODAY for an overview of author-branding in Personal and Professional Branding. We also have an event on Writing Your Non-Fiction Proposal with Anniki Somerville on 14th June.
ONE-TO-ONES: Book a call with a literary agent (Member discount available)
We’re running one-to-one calls with literary agents and book doctors throughout the summer! Anyone can book one of these – just choose your expert and book a time to suit you. We recommend acting quickly for these though – they’re such a brilliant opportunity that they do sell out fast!
SUMMER FESTIVAL: Events happening this week (Ticket-holders only)
Join Cesca Major for Write Your Book in An Hour tomorrow; Ask Two Top Agents Anything (UK & USA) with Laura Williams and Sonali Chanchani on 11 June; and discover The Art of Travel Writing with Monisha Rajesh on 12 June. Register to watch live!
How to tell the world that you’re a writer
I wrote for a good six years before I called myself a writer. If people asked me, I’d tell them that I wrote stories and had written a book once but would laugh it off as a non-serious hobby. Even though, secretly, I always had serious dreams about an eventual writing career.
Chatting to other writers, it seems like I’m not alone in this. Something about saying ‘I am a writer’ sounds big. Like to be a ‘real’ writer you have to have some sort of qualification – like a publishing deal, or maybe just be better than you think you are.
This is imposter syndrome at its finest. The truth is that you are a writer if you write. You are a writer if you write short stories for your local writing group, in the same way that you are a writer if you’re an international bestseller.
If you’re reading this – chances are that you are a writer.
At some point, we need to own that. And once we do, things start changing. We start to feel more confident about our abilities and more positive about our future careers. We also might start introducing ourselves as writers to our new neighbours, or filling the ‘occupation’ box on a form with ‘writer’ (always an exciting moment). It all starts by simply believing it yourself.
Owning your ‘writer’ title can start today! Join the Townhouse for free and try it on for size among friends, here.
Sarah J
Plus, don’t miss:
Agent one-to-one sessions (10% discount available for members)
Bag yourself a fifteen-minute call with an agent or a book doctor to talk exclusively about your work. Now booking throughout the Summer Festival of Writing.
Manuscript Assessment (10% discount available for members)
Our most popular editorial service matches you to your dream editor and gives you tailored feedback on your work.
Summer Festival bookshop with Fox Lane
We’ve teamed up with the brilliant indie bookseller Fox Lane Books, who are holding all books featured in the Summer Festival this year. Get started on your reading list now.
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