La crème de la crème: Pru Rowlandson introduces the Debut Authors Festival

by anna battista

Debut Authors Festival, Friday 16th – Sunday 18th June, Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland

They are everywhere. Just look around, go into bookshops, leaf through magazines and papers, turn on the radio or switch on the TV. There are hundreds of new books, written by young and hip authors, up and coming literary starlets who are too often over-hyped by the media. But in this Babel of new authors and titles, how to identify the strongest voices, in a nutshell, the “crème de la crème”? Well, it might be easier than you think: just try the Debut Authors Festival.

Now in its second edition, the Festival, on at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre from 16th to 18th June, will feature readings by new authors from a wide range of backgrounds, but also talks by experts from the world of publishing.

Publicist and festival director Pru Rowlandson first thought about having such an event while working at Canongate and looking for a way to promote new authors. After talking to the Traverse Theatre, specialised in promoting cutting edge theatrical writing, she was struck by an idea, showcasing a group of new fiction writers. The result was a fantastic success. “Last year’s festival was a very positive experience,” Pru states, “there were lots of writers, but, above all, there were lots of people from different backgrounds, from book lovers and book groups to young people who are studying creative writing.”

One of the best events of the first edition of the festival was the Unpublished Writers Jam Session, an opportunity for young budding writers to read their unpublished work in front of an expert panel. “It was a very encouraging event, there were lots of agents and editors in the audience who were really interested in the writers reading their work, and one author even got an agent,” Pru remembers, “the atmosphere was amazing and I’m sure all the writers who took part in the session went back to work on their manuscripts with renewed enthusiasm.”

The next edition of the Jam Session promises to be even better than last year’s since there will be more agents and publishers coming from London, while the very final event of the festival, “The Business of Publishing and Selling a Book”, will feature highly influential book trade experts such as Derek Johns, agent with Britain’s oldest literary agency, AP Watt.

Yet, if you still feel a bit shy about reading your work aloud during the Jam Session, you can always attend the various readings. Divided in five different themes, the readings will focus on writers trying to break away from the places they grew up (Doug Johnstone, Gautam Malkani and Nicola Monaghan); on authors who drew the inspiration for their novels from the British landscape (Richard Benson, Horatio Clare, Helen Farish and Craig Taylor) and on writers inspired by lives lived on the fringe of society (Clare Allan, Alexander Masters, Alison Miller and Ray Robinson). There will also be events on writing humorous, funny and witty books (featuring Christopher Cairns, Jon Canter, Jane Harris and Glen Neath) and on adventure and travel stories (John Bennett, Alice Greenway and James Scudamore).

According to Pru one of the most difficult aspects of putting together such as festival is the fact that there are so many great new writers around. “People love new things,” she states, “and this year I got sent a lot more books, so it was extremely difficult to choose the writers who had to take part in the festival. Last year the festival was organised at the last minute, but this year we had more time and a better marketing budget, two things that I’m sure will allow us to reach a wider audience, though what I mainly hope is that there will be the same lovely and positive feeling that we had at last year’s festival.”

There are quite a few readings Pru is looking forward to, such as the event featuring Horatio Clare, Richard Benson and Craig Taylor. “I think it will be a fascinating talk, as all these writers approached this theme in a completely different way,” she explains, “but I’m also looking forward to meeting Alexander Masters, the author of Stuart: A Life Backwards, because I think he’s absolutely phenomenal and his work is brilliant on many different levels, and I can’t wait to see the new edition of the Jam Session, as I’m sure it will be encouraging and fascinating and the advice given by the judges will be invaluable.”

A last piece of advice from Pru for all the aspiring writers out there, before the festival starts? “Every publisher and agent gets hundreds and hundreds of manuscripts a year, so, in order to get a publishing deal, you really must have done something that shines out,“ she states, “I think that drawing from your life experiences to write fiction and non-fiction can be really good and inspiring, as some of the books from the authors who will be at the festival prove.”

Remember, the more you read, the more you become able to identify a strong voice in the world of literature and the more you’ll be able to criticise the voice in your own writing. In the meantime, whatever you are, passionate readers or obsessive writers, remember also that the Debut Authors Festival might have something in store for you.

{www.debutauthorsfestival.co.uk, www.traverse.co.uk}