All-day Masterclass: Getting Published, with Katy Regan

Getting Published, with Katy Regan

In-person all-day masterclass

Writing is hard graft and not for the faint-hearted. So, it’s only right – if you so desire – that you should get your writing published and monetised. But how do you do this?

Join Katy Regan, ex-commissioning editor of Marie-Claire magazine; novelist, journalist and columnist for this masterclass on Getting Published. Whether you are a memoirist, journalist, biographer, or simply want to build your writing portfolio this will fire you up with confidence and know-how  and plenty of insider’s tips from a writer with twenty-five years’ experience of being published in all forms.  

The masterclass will cover publishing in a range of forms - from newspapers and magazines to books and commissioned articles. It will be relevant to life-writing in all its forms, including fiction and non-fiction, trade publishing and those looking to step outside of academic and publish for a general audience. Content will be suitable for those just starting out and for those who have experience in one area but not in others.

Programme

This is a standalone all-day in-person masterclass, from 11am-5pm. The provisional structure for the day is:

11am: Welcome

Understanding your product (what it is you’re seeking to publish)

• Becoming publishable: your life experience as currency, finding your special subjects / USP / finding your voice.
• What can you pitch? From reviews to real-life interviews, Substacks, columns, social media posts, books and features, the choice is endless.
• The Anatomy of a Pitch: what is a ‘hook’ and how to find one. How to word your pitch / tips on what to include in your pitch.

12pm: Part 2

Understanding the client (the choices in terms of WHERE you can be published)

• How to start? The three ‘tiers’ of publishing in newspapers and magazines (local, regional, national)
• Written a book? How to get an agent. Do I even need an agent?
• Who can you pitch to? from local press to specialist magazines, newspapers, digital indie magazines and more.

1pm: break for lunch, you are welcome to bring your own or to buy lunch in college hall (card only, no cash)

2pm: Part 3

HOW to get  published - in terms of pitching, finding agents, finding the right editors / whether to submit finished pieces or if it’s a book write the whole book or a few chapters

• Finding a ‘way in’: how to find the right person to pitch to.
• Following a brief: tips on publishing industry / journalism etiquette.

3pm: pitching exercise

3.45pm: tea break, please use the Wolfson Cafe

4.15pm: Q&A

5pm: ends

About Katy

Katy Regan is the author of six novels, the latest being How to Find Your Way Home, published in 2022 in the UK by Mantle, Pan Macmillan and by Penguin in the States.

Katy began her writing career as a journalist on glossy magazines, becoming Features Writer, then Commissioning Editor for Marie-Claire magazine where she also wrote the popular column: ‘And then there were three…sort of’ about having a baby with her friend. Her first novel, One Thing Led to Another, was a fictionalised account of this experience and was published by Harper Collins in 2008. The column has recently been resurrected as a Substack called: ‘And then there were three…sort of (20 years on). You can read it here: katyregan.substack.com

Alongside writing fiction, Katy is a freelance journalist and writes for most national newspapers and magazines including the Mail, the Telegraph, YOU Magazine and was contributing editor to YahooLife for three years. She is also the author of two self-help books, Real Focus and Real Strength.

Katy is now Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow at Kellogg College, the University of Oxford University. www.rlf.org.uk/writer/katy-regan where she will be supporting students with their writing.

She is a proud northerner, from Morecambe, Lancashire – an area that features in many of her novels, including her one in progress, which is a multi-generational story set in the town. Katy lives in Hertfordshire with her son.

Queries:

If you have any queries about this event, please email admin.oclw@wolfson.ox.ac.uk