The Guild is pleased to offer a new online training course for our members. To book on, visit our e-store.
Developing Your Book-Writing Skills: How to get from wanting to write a book, to finishing your first draft
Tuesday, February 23rd
6 pm – 7:30 pm
Venue: Online via Zoom
Cost: £15.95 pp
Presented by Guild Chair Pete Brown
For many beer writers, a book represents an enduring ambition and a pinnacle of achievement. But a work of 40,000 – 100,000 words is a big challenge for any writer who has not done it before (and remains pretty daunting for those who have.)
From practical issues such as such as research, developing a coherent structure and consistent tone of voice across thousands of words, to the mental challenges such as stamina and dealing with doubts and lack of self-confidence, on this course Pete Brown breaks down the long process of book-writing and guides you through it.
While the course focuses mainly on longform narratives about beer and pubs (e.g. history, travel, memoir, in-depth discussion/argument), it also covers coffee table/illustrated books (e.g. structured lists of beers to drink/pubs to visit.)
There’s no “magic fix” to becoming a published author. But this course will help you avoid the most common traps along the way to arriving at a completed manuscript. Attendees will:
- Know how to develop an idea for a book, and evaluate whether or not it should be written.
- Receive guidance on how to write a book that is theirs – not a copy of someone else’s.
- Learn the practical, everyday skills and habits needed to research and write a long-form piece of beer writing.
- Gain tips for getting around the serious hurdles that occur throughout the process and often cause people to give up.
n.b. This course does not cover issues such as how to edit a completed manuscript, or how to find an agent or publisher. These will be covered in future Guild courses later in the year (and should ideally be addressed after a book is at least part-written.)
Participants will be invited to submit questions in advance and will be encouraged to share and talk about their own projects if they are happy to do so. There will also be ample time for Q&A.
This course will be limited to 20 attendees.
Pete Brown has written twelve books, mostly on the subject of beer and pubs. Eight of these have been shortlisted for awards, and five won those awards. Two books have been adapted for transmission as BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week. While Pete’s books have mainly been published by large, mainstream publishers, he also has experience of small publishers, crowdfunded and self-published books.
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To reserve your place, visit our e-store.
Contact secretary@beerguild.co.uk with any questions.