The Bookseller - Comment - How to help debut writers fly

This summer the commercial fiction teams at Orion trialled an eight-week online course for our 2024 debut writers. In part a response to The Bookseller survey on the mixed experiences of first-time writers, the aim of the course was to demystify the publishing process and connect those writing in similar genres. The course tutors were a combination of established authors from the Orion stable, external speakers and colleagues from across the company, each briefed to give a window into their working day and share their wisdom and expertise. I had no idea what to expect from the programme, but quickly these lunchtime sessions became the highlight of my working week. To my surprise, I learnt a great amount from the sessions too, inspired by the openness of our speakers and the honesty of the debut writers.