A Full Day Event at Asia House, London – Exploring Routes to Publication
Saturday 21st June 2025 from 10am-5pm
Would you love to find out more about routes to publication – from the traditional route to working with smaller innovative publishers to self-publishing? Most importantly, are you keen to discuss how to maintain your integrity and individuality as a writer, whilst also having one eye on the marketplace?
at Asia House
You are invited to join us for our luxury ‘Getting Published’ day in the beautiful Library Room at Asia House in Central London.
The day will be hosted by Novelist and Writing Coach Founder Jacqui Lofthouse. We are delighted to announce that the novelist Louise Doughty , Literary Agents Amandeep Singh and Jemma McDonagh will join us for panel discussions on the day. Jacqui will also be interviewing author and publisher Stephanie Zia of Blackbird Books.
Tickets cost £195 for a standard ticket and £595 for a VIP ticket.
The VIP ticket includes priority seating, a personal introduction to our special guests, a VIP goody bag, plus a review by our team of your agent letter and pitch/synopsis (3 rounds of revisions) plus help choosing 12 agents for you to submit to.
Please note our terms and conditions prior to purchasing.
In this intimate setting, you will have plenty of opportunity to ask our guests questions and we will, of course, if your work is a good fit, subsequently submit to Amandeep Singh or Jemma McDonagh.
Louise Doughty
Novelist, Screenwriter, Producer
Louise Doughty is the author of ten novels, most recently A Bird in Winter, out now in paperback from Faber & Faber UK Ltd. Her previous books include Platform Seven, filmed for ITVX; Black Water, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year; the bestseller Apple Tree Yard, adapted as a hit mini series for BBC One; and Whatever You Love, nominated for the Costa Novel Award and the Women’s Prize for fiction. She has been nominated for many other prizes including the Sunday Times Short Story Prize and the CWA Silver Dagger, along with creating and writing the hit BBC drama Crossfire. Her work has been translated into thirty languages.
Amandeep Singh, Literary agent at Graham Maw Christie.
Amandeep Singh joined Graham Maw Christie in 2025, having previously spent 10 years working as an editor, bookseller and agent, most recently at Penguin Random House and The Good Literary Agency. During her time as a commissioning editor, she published only debut authors and as an agent continues to champion new voices and works in-depth on concept and editorial development. Her authors have won or been nominated for the Creative Future Award, Austrian Science Book Prize, Pushcart Prize and Attitude Pride Award. Amandeep also speaks French and Italian (and rusty Punjabi) and is seeking books with international appeal that entertain and inform.
For non-fiction, she is looking for compelling memoir about universal experiences – Cheryl Strayed’s Wild is a favourite. Amandeep would also like to hear from academics and journalists writing for a trade audience in the areas of politics and current affairs, relationships, nature and climate crisis, science and economy.
For fiction, she is building a select list of book club and upmarket fiction – character-led stories with lots of heart, such as Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and Pod by Laline Paull.
Jemma McDonagh
Literary Agent – JMA
Jemma McDonagh launched JMA in 2024. Jemma has 20 years experience in the publishing industry where she has secured major publishing deals for a diverse list of prizewinning and bestselling fiction and non-fiction.
Prior to JMA, Jemma was Joint Managing Director at The Marsh Agency. Before that she worked at Gregory & Company Authors’ Agents and in the publicity and editorial departments at Orion.
Shortlisted for Rights Professional of the Year 2023, Jemma is also a founding committee member of OpenBooks, the first collaboration between agents, booksellers, and publishers to attract talent from underrepresented backgrounds into the book business.
Stephanie Zia
Founder of Blackbird Books
Stephanie Zia edits both fiction and nonfiction at Blackbird Digital Books where she oversees all stages of the digital publishing process from commissioning new works to editing, formatting and promotion. Stephanie has worked in the arts all her life: at the BBC, the Guardian and as a published novelist. As author of Self-Publishing Ebooks including Self Publishing Ebooks: The Absolute Beginner’s Step-by-Step Guide, she has guided many authors through the digital maze of ebook and POD paperback publishing.
She has had two commercial fiction novels Baby on Board and Keeping Mum, published by Piatkus and two non-fiction books published by Hamlyn. She has also written for a variety of magazines and newspapers and for five years was a regular columnist for The Guardian Weekend Magazine’s Space Solves page.
Finding your Route to Publication
If you are in the midst of writing a book or moving towards completion, you will be thinking already about your route to getting your book published. You may be a first time or a mid-career author. Either way, you know that you want to reach readers and make an impact with your writing work.
During this special event at Asia House, London you will have an opportunity to network with writers and industry specialists whilst also developing a strategy on your own best route to market.
A Warm Welcome awaits you …
From the moment you arrive, you know you are amongst friends… Share a coffee, fruit and pastry with us. We’ll be sure to introduce you to your fellow writers and our Client Services Manager Jacqueline Smith will be there to make you feel immediately at home.
Our day begins with a vital discussion, hosted by Jacqui Lofthouse on the state of the market in publishing today and what you can do as an author to give your work the best opportunity of traditional publication – should you wish to follow that route.
The morning will also include an important talk from Jacqui on confidence in our work – and how not to let our concerns about publication get in the way of our writing life. We know that all writing work begins with inspiration, curiosity and engagement with our stories. Jacqui will teach strategies that will enable you to always put your writing first and to look ahead to publication with excitement rather than fear. At The Writing Coach, we know it’s vital to only seek publication when you are ready and this day will allow you to consider your own readiness for the journey ahead.
During the day, Jacqui and our special guests will cover the various types of publishing, including the full pros and cons of all options – from self-publishing to small publishers to the traditional route. You will be invited to map your own path based on what is best for your writing, and we share tools to enable you to form your personal strategy.
We will also cover pitching and synopses. Whether you go the traditional route or not, having a well-written synopsis is key and the process of formulating that perfect agent letter will be part of our day. We will also look at other core marketing documents for the self-publishing journey.
We are delighted to announce that booking is now open!
Please note our terms and conditions prior to purchasing.
Now for lunch…
Your ticket includes a finger buffet menu including salad and a dessert which will be served in the adjacent studio room. This will be a perfect opportunity to get to know your fellow writers better, as well as to speak with Jacqui and our special guests personally.
You will also have an opportunity to take a look at the visuals from our morning event. The ideas we cover will be chronicled by visualiser David Lewis. After the event, you will receive the key visuals by email as a aide-memoire of all that you have learned.
Our aim is to help you unravel the possibilities for your book and to ensure that you leave with absolute clarity about the steps on your path. We are entirely realistic in our teaching and acknowledge the importance of getting your book right first of all. It can be a long path to publication and our focus throughout will be on how to stay true to yourself as a writer, how to develop as a writer and how to remain inspired and focused whilst navigating the path to publication.
In the afternoon, we will be welcoming our speakers. There will be plenty of time for Q & A to allow you to put your personal questions to all.
Booking & Payment
We are delighted to announce that booking is now open!
Please note our terms and conditions prior to purchasing.
Highlights from our previous Getting Published Days
Our Facilitator and our Visualiser:
Jacqui Lofthouse is a novelist and founder of The Writing Coach. She has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia and is the author of four novels, The Temple of Hymen, Bluethroat Morning, Een Stille Verdwijning and The Modigliani Girl. Her novels have sold over 100,000 copies in the UK, the USA and Europe. Jacqui has also run a small publishing imprint ‘Nightingale Editions’. She has taught creative writing in a broad variety of settings from City University to Feltham Young Offenders Institution. At The Writing Coach, her mission is to help writers to be confident and productive, producing their best work and getting it into print.
David Lewis is a professional cartoonist and live illustrator with nearly thirty years experience in the corporate sector. David’s skills have been used at events ranging from the Shakespeare & Co. Literary Festival in Paris to conferences, workshops, and presentations for multi-national companies in Milan, Abu Dhabi, Detroit, and Stockholm. His many satisfied clients include Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (for her 80th birthday celebrations), Richard Branson, many sections of the NHS and large corporations ranging from Johnson & Johnson to Nationwide and Google. You can find out about his work here.
We can’t wait to meet you at this very special day with The Writing Coach! Our aim is to enable you to look forward to publication and to see it as an inevitable outcome in your writing life.
