Byte the Book x The London Library: Get Your Writing Into the World (In person)
Join us and a panel of experts to learn about publishing, make valuable connections in the industry and find out how to get your writing out into the world. In partnership with Byte the Book, which connects authors to the publishing industry, this is an opportunity for members of both Byte the Book and The London Library, as well as anyone else who’d like to come along, to meet each other and consider how they might take their writing project to the next stage. On the panel will be Publishing Director of Dialogue Books Hannah Chukwu, literary agent Oli Munson from AM Heath, bestselling author and writing coach Sophie Hannah and Chris Wold of Whitefox Publishing. In conversation with Byte the Book Director Justine Solomons, they’ll demystify the publishing industry, discuss the ways you might work your way into it and offer advice on how to find your writing the audience it deserves.
Hannah Chukwu is a multi-award-winning Publishing Director at Dialogue Books, where she leads the literary team publishing across fiction, non-fiction, poetry and classics, with a focus on publishing underrepresented voices. Authors she publishes include bell hooks, Bora Chung and Yoko Tawada. Prior to joining Dialogue, she commissioned at Hamish Hamilton, PRH, where she also edited Five Dials magazine, founded the Black Britain: Writing Back series with Bernardine Evaristo, and was the Policy and Campaign Consultant for the curriculum change project Lit in Colour, in collaboration with the Runnymede Trust. She is a Trustee for the education charity The Brilliant Club.
Sophie Hannah is a bestselling crime writer whose books have sold millions of copies worldwide. She won the UK National Book Awards Crime Novel of the Year prize in 2013 and the Dagger in the Library Award in 2023. She is the author of the new series of Hercule Poirot continuation novels, commissioned by Agatha Christie's family and her murder mystery musical, The Mystery of Mr E, is available on Amazon Prime. She is also a bestselling poet who has been shortlisted for the TS Eliot Award, a self-help writer, creator and host of the podcast How To Hold a Grudge, and the founder of the Dream Author coaching programme for writers. She is an Honorary Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge.
Oli Munson is a literary agent at AM Heath. His varied list includes bestselling commercial, crime and speculative fiction and narrative non-fiction across a range of topics. With a focus on original and compelling storytelling, his authors include Mari Hannah, Trevor Wood, Julia Chapman, David Jackson, Lauren Beukes, Sarah Lotz, Kate Mascarenhas, Adharanand Finn, Kate Mayfield and Gary Dexter. He has been a Frankfurt Book Fair Fellow, a former committee member of the Association of Authors and Agents and a contributing speaker on The London Library Emerging Writers Programme.
Chris Wold is Partnerships Director at Whitefox Publishing, a creative, collaborative agency that exists to bring independent authors’ projects to life. Chris has over two decades of experience steering sales, rights and publishing, holding senior roles in both the US and UK with Tuttle Publishing, Red Wheel/Weiser, HarperCollins and Watkins Media. At Whitefox he assists clients to achieve their commercial goals and has worked to make Whitefox publications widely available in-store, online, in the global media and in translation.
Justine Solomons is an expert on publishing in the digital age and the founder and Director of Byte the Book, which helps its members to make creative connections and navigate the contemporary publishing world, offering consultancy and advice, professional introductions, networking and other events, product and business development and content acquisition.
Books by Sophie Hannah will be available to buy at the event and online from our partner bookshop Hatchards.
NB This event will take place in person at The London Library. Doors and the bar will open at 6.30pm, the talk will run from 7-8pm and the bar will remain open until 8.30pm. Please see our Event Access Guidelines before you arrive.
