What is the the hub?
The Hub is an opportunity for conference delegates to book appointments with agents, publishers, editors and industry experts to discuss their work in progress, or to pitch a manuscript ready for submission. Writers will be able to gather valuable feedback, suggestions, guidance as well as to increase their understanding of the publishing process.
Appointments are 30 mins long and will either occur in person or online, depending on the location of the agent/publisher/expert.
Costs: $50 for members, $70 for non-members.
Bookings for the Hub can be made during conference registration.
Appointments will be allocated on a first in first served basis and will be capped once the editor/publisher’s booking limit has been reached. Actual appointment times will be confirmed closer to the time of conference. Some flexibility may be required to cater for time zone differences etc.
2022 Hub Participants
Literary Agents:
Steven Hutson from WordWise Media Services
Tamela Hancock Murray from Steve Laube Agency
Publishers:
Donna Harris from Authentic Media Ltd
Rochelle Stephens from Rhiza Press/Rhiza Edge
Rowena Beresford from Riveted Press
Editors:
Cecily Paterson
Iola Goulton from Christian Editing Services
Kyla-Jayne Rajah from Merilane Editing
Nola Passmore from The Write Flourish
Industry Experts:
Meredith Resce from Golden Grain Publishing
Lisa Renee from The Collaborative Press
Nicole Partridge
More details about The Hub participants
The Literary Agents:
Steven Hutson from WordWise Media Services (appointments will be via Zoom/USA)
Service offered: Editorial feedback, Publishing advice, General writing advice, Agent pitching.
Steve Hutson is a literary agent and mentor for authors, offering editing advice for agency clients.
Bio: Steven Hutson is a native of Los Angeles, a child of the 1960s, and a storyteller almost from birth. After several years of freelance editing and directing a writers’ conference, he branched out as a literary agent in early 2011. He has placed his clients’ works with HarperCollins, Dutton, Potomac Books, Harlequin, Thomas Nelson, Hachette, Baker Books, Writer’s Digest Books, and others. Several clients have won prestigious awards, in both the Christian and general markets. https://www.wordwisemedia.com/agency
Tamela Hancock Murray from Steve Laube Agency (appointments will be via Zoom/USA)
Service offered: Editorial feedback, Publishing advice, General writing advice, The chance to see if your project is ready to be reviewed by agents and editors.
Tamela loves to chat with authors and can’t wait to meet you! Feel free to meet with her simply to learn her opinion about where you might take your career and how you might be a successful author. If you’re ready to pitch, she’s ready to listen.
Bio: A literary agent since 2001, Tamela Hancock Murray is privileged to be with The Steve Laube Agency. In 2017 she was named Agent of the Year by American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Tamela is a bestselling author of over thirty novels, novellas, and nonfiction books, and won an RWA Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Tamela brings the perspective of a working writer to her role as a literary agent. She represents many top authors and has a heart for new authors. When not reading books for pleasure, Tamela loves spending time at home in Northern Virginia with her brilliant and handsome husband and their lovely daughters.
As a literary agent, Tamela partners with authors to achieve their goals and dreams for successful careers in publishing. https://stevelaube.com/who-we-are/
Publishers:
Donna Harris from Authentic Media Ltd (appointments will be via Zoom/UK)
Service offered: Publishing advice, Publisher pitching opportunities
Authentic Media is a Christian company with a passion for providing resources that build up the whole body of Christ. We love to work with authors and partners who share our heart for connecting people with God in new ways. It is our prayer that our resources will inspire, challenge, and encourage faith; bringing hope where there is despair, reassurance where these is doubt, and an experience of God’s love, peace and joy. Working closely with our authors we embark on a journey, through editorial, cover, publishing, and marketing.
Bio: We at Authentic are passionate about creating an exciting range of books and Bibles for both adults and children that bring people closer to God over a whole lifetime and help them to mature in their faith. https://www.authenticmedia.co.uk/
Rochelle Stephens from Rhiza Press/Rhiza Edge (appointments will be via Zoom/Australia)
Service offered: Editorial feedback, Publishing advice, Publisher pitching opportunities.
Rochelle is looking for family friendly, fun, adventure and stories that inspire and share. She is open to new genres including non-fiction and is looking for ideas that inspire.
Bio: Since pioneering Rhiza Press as a publishing company from the ground up in 2009, Rochelle Stephens has been actively involved in every aspect of story development and book production. With qualifications in teaching, counselling, editing and publishing, Rochelle brings a wealth of expertise and knowledge to her roles. She has acted as a consultant for aspiring authors and loves attending conferences and taking pitches. She is passionate about great books touching lives and living up to the motto of, ‘Stories you will want to share’. https://wombatrhiza.com.au/
Rowena Beresford from Riveted Press (In-Person appointments)
Service offered: Editorial feedback, Publishing advice, Marketing advice, Publisher pitching opportunities
Rowena Beresford can also offer manuscript development advice: what is working, what isn’t and why, market viability, pros and cons of self-publishing versus traditional, the publishing industry in Australia, cover design feedback. She will accept pitches for general market early readers and middle grade.
Bio: Rowena is the Managing Director of Riveted Press, publishers of the 2021 CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers, Aster’s Good, Right Things by Kate Gordon. Their children’s imprint, Yellow Brick Books, publishes picture books and junior fiction.
Rowena has nearly 20 years experience in publishing and particularly enjoys helping debut and emerging authors to make their books the best they can be. She also founded The Book Curator magazine, which keeps school librarians up-to-date with a wide range of fantastic fiction from independent and mainstream publishers, and equips them to better match those books to readers. https://www.yellowbrickbooks.com.au/home
Editors:
Cecily Paterson (In-Person appointments)
Service offered: Editorial feedback, Publishing advice, General writing advice, Marketing advice
Cecily Paterson will advise writers on tightening writing and structure of fiction and memoir. She is particularly good at getting POV right, and strengthening character work. Currently employed as Head of Content for a marketing agency, she has copywriting and marketing experience including blogging and website in her kit bag too.
Bio: Cecily Paterson is a published author of nine MG/YA novels and joint author of a series of five junior reader chapter books. She has edited books for 15 years and runs an online memoir writing course. https://www.cecilypaterson.com/
Iola Goulton from Christian Editing Services (appointments will be via Zoom/NZ)
Service offered: Editorial feedback, Publishing advice, General writing advice, Marketing advice.
Iola Goulton is an established editor specialising in Christian fiction. She can also offer advice on publishing options and building your author platform.
Bio: Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and writer. She holds a degree in marketing, works part-time in human resources, and part-time as a freelance editor specialising in Christian fiction. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. https://christianediting.co.nz/
Kyla-Jayne Rajah from Merilane Editing (appointments will be via Zoom/Australia)
Service offered: Editorial feedback, General writing advice, Tips for confidence in the creative process.
Kyla-Jayne Rajah provides editorial input for writers at all stages including structural, development and copy/line edits. She is a writing coach with an interest in helping writers discover their voice and develop creativity and imaginative thinking.
Bio: With over 15 years’ experience working with documents and books, Kyla-Jayne Rajah is a generous, approachable editor providing respectful feedback to inspire authors to develop their writing and their understanding of themselves as writers. She has edited life-stories, memoirs, children’s books, Christian non-fiction texts, poetry books, creative non-fiction, semi-autobiographical fiction, official correspondence, academic & feature articles, theses, training manuals, business plans, resumes, blogs, website content, resumes, profiles, and more recently, a coffee table book. https://www.merilaneediting.com.au/
Nola Passmore from The Write Flourish (In-Person appointments)
Service offered: Editorial feedback, General writing advice
Nola Passmore can provide specific editorial feedback on a small sample of writing submitted prior to the conference. She is also happy to talk to delegates about their writing ideas and provide some guidance as to a way forward for their project.
Bio: Nola Passmore is an experienced editor, dealing in most areas of adult fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. She has degrees in psychology and creative writing, and worked as an academic for 25 years before starting ‘The Write Flourish’ with her husband Tim in 2013. She has had more than 150 short pieces published in a range of genres. Her debut novel ‘Scattered’ was a finalist in the 2021 CALEB Awards for adult fiction. https://www.thewriteflourish.com.au/
Industry Experts:
Meredith Resce from Golden Grain Publishing (In-Person appointments)
Service offered: A sounding board and pastoral care
Sometimes, as a new writer, you’ve hit a wall and are not sure which direction to go. Discouragement can set in. You have received professional advice, and you’re not sure what to do from here, or if you should do anything at all. Do you want to talk about it? With many years of experience in writing and discouragement, along with many years of pastoral care and support, Meredith Resce is offering mentoring appointments to assist writers develop a helpful strategy to go forward.
Bio: Meredith Resce has twenty-five years’ experience in writing, publishing (both indi and trade) and the new and ever developing world of self-promotion. Meredith has forty years’ experience in pastoral care. She has a Bachelor of Arts/Education and currently mixes teaching with writing and promotion. http://www.meredithresce.com/
Lisa Renee from The Collaborative Press (In-Person appointments)
Service offered: Marketing advice
Lisa Renee can help writers build your newsletter subscriber list and come up with a marketing strategy to launch your book or revive your backlist.
Bio: The Collaborative Press is a collective of skilled independent editors, designers, digital formatters, and publicists who share the same faith from all across the world. They come together to provide our expertise and services to Christian authors embarking on a self-publishing journey. Services include: book cover design, ebook and paperback formatting,
book promotion and marketing services and manuscript editing. https://www.thecollaborativepress.com/
Nicole Partridge (In-Person appointments)
Service offered: Editorial feedback, Publishing advice, General writing advice, Marketing advice.
Nicole’s passion is helping people get their very best book to the page. Drawing on her 20+ year of experience, Nicole can offer Hub clients advice on: How to develop their book idea, how to bring excellence to their writing, how to build an on-line platform; how to navigate the scary world of publishing and what it takes to write a best-selling non-fiction book.
Bio: Nicole Partridge is a freelance writer, journalist, author and literary agent who has co-authored several books, including the bestselling Heart of a Lioness, the story of an unlikely missionary and Lofty, My Life in Short. Nicole has contributed to newspapers and magazines around the world, including: Marie Claire, The Guardian (UK), The New York Times, The Sydney Morning Herald and Reader’s Digest (Australia and Europe). In addition to her writing, she has coached and mentored writers from all over the world through her creative writing courses. https://nicolepartridge.com/
Want to make a booking for the Hub? You can do it during your conference registration after 18 April. Bookings close 10 September. Head here.