Launching our 2024 Events Calendar

Off the back of a successful calendar of events in 2023, we have been working hard to line up as many fantastic events for authors to attend this year, both hosted by ourselves and other organisations. Read on to learn more about all the events planned for 2024.

So, what’s on?

First things first: our flagship events for 2024 are:

1. The Self-Publishing Conference 2024
2. London Book Fair
3. Bournemouth Writers Festival
4. Jericho Writers Festival of Writing
5. Self-Publishing Experience days

The Self-Publishing Conference will be back for its tenth year, and delegates will have a brilliant say in knowledge sharing, expert talks and masterclasses to enjoy alongside other like-minded authors. The London Book Fair, the UK’s largest publishing event, will again be taking place at the Olympia Exhibition Centre in London in March 2024 and Troubador will be present on our stands for the duration of the show. As well as our stands, we will also be hosting a talk in the Author HQ on day 2. In the first of the two festivals, we'll be attending, will be hosting multiple sessions for the first time at the Bournemouth Writing Festival in April to help authors figure out the best publication route to achieve their publishing goals. At the second festival, Jericho Writers' Festival of Writing, we will be exhibiting and co-hosting a talk with their self-publishing expert, Debbie Young.

As well as our flagship events, we’ll be hosting a huge number of other online and in-person events throughout the year. Read on to find out more about all our events.

The Self-Publishing Conference 2024

Back for its 10th year, the Self-Publishing Conference will again be taking place at College Court in Leicester on the 14th of September 2024. The Self-Publishing Conference is the UK’s longest-established dedicated self-publishing event and offers authors a chance to find out about a wide range of publishing options, to hear from and question those who work within the thriving self-publishing world and network with fellow authors, many of whom will already be experienced self-publishers. Find out more about the conference here.

The informal event aims to educate, inform and inspire authors who are self-publishing their work, or who are considering it as a route to publication. The day attracts a wide variety of authors, from fiction to children’s, non-fiction to business, and the day is structured so that delegates can choose the sessions that are of the most relevance to them. As well as the sessions throughout the day, authors will have plenty of opportunities to network, ask questions of experts and connect with fellow authors for a day full of knowledge gathering.

For our keynote session, we are thrilled to have Ben Hunt-Davis MBE joining us. Ben is an Olympic gold medallist and author of Will It Make The Boat Go Faster? as well as a consultancy company of the same name. In the keynote, Ben will give delegates a brief overview of his achievements ahead of writing his book and why he decided to write the book in the first place. He'll then provide authors with his key advice for achieving publishing success in whatever form an author is looking for. Ben will also be signing his book during the lunch break.

For our Plenary, Debbie Young from Jericho Writers will be joining us for a Q&A session focusing on what authors should be thinking about ahead of self-publishing their work. In this session, Debbie will highlight everything that she thinks authors should be thinking about before self-publishing their work. From the objective setting to choosing the right route for you, you'll leave this Q&A feeling confident about how to get your work published in the right way for you. As the course tutor for Jericho's Simply Self-Publishing course, Debbie's wealth of knowledge will be explored during this 40-minute session, leaving plenty of time for delegates to ask their questions at the end of the session.

As well as Debbie and Ben we have a whole host of other experts joining us for the conference. You can find the full agenda and get your ticket here.

London Book Fair

Following a brilliant London Book Fair last year, Troubador will again be attending the conference with our newly branded stand. In addition to the main stand (in the same location as last year, 2D62) we have also taken up residence in the Writer’s Hub. Authors looking to explore their publishing options would be welcome on our stand as always to chat with the team of experts that will be there from both Troubador and our sister company, The Book Guild.

As well as exhibiting, Troubador will also be hosting a talk in the Author HQ. Alex Thompson, Business Development Manager, will be hosting this talk to help educate authors on all things self-publishing at 1pm on day 2 (Wednesday 13th March 2024).

While the London Book Fair has typically been a trade-focused event, the creation and endurance of the Writers Hub as a major part of the event show just how much author presence is now encouraged. We had a fantastic time getting to know lots of authors at the fair last year and, as well as renewing our relationships with our trusted trade partners and suppliers, we can’t wait to meet more authors this year. 

Bournemouth Writing Festival

For the first time, Troubador has been asked to host 2 sessions at the Bournemouth Writing Festival. From networking and Writing on the Beach to masterclasses, panels and talks, the festival has everything to inspire writers to write and get their work out into the world, and we are looking forward to being a part of this brilliant event.

We’ll first be hosting a session on “Traditional vs partnership vs self-publishing: what is best for you?” in the main 200-seat theatre on Saturday 27th April. In this session, our Business Development Manager, Alex Thompson, will be taking authors through the differences between the three publishing routes, the pros and cons attached to both and which route typically suits what kind of author. The session will be a useful one for authors who are yet to publish, those who have published multiple times and every author in between to figure out their next steps in publishing their work.

Shortly after, again in the main theatre venue, our Customer Services Manager, Chloe May, will be hosting another session, this time a Q&A with a self-published and a partnership-published author to distil down the differences between them and help authors decide on the best route to publication. This session will also be very interesting for authors of all kinds but will be of particular use to those who would value hearing from authors who have ‘been there and done that’ with either self-publishing or partnership publishing their work.

Jericho Festival of Writing

The Festival of Writing is an annual writing festival which sees hundreds of writers gather from around the world for a weekend of writing workshops, one-to-ones and more. The Festival of Writing will come to London again in 2024, and Troubador will be exhibiting and speaking. 

Alex Thompson will be joining Debbie Young on stage to co-host a session on all things self-publishing. While the specifics are yet to be decided, the session promises to be informative and engaging for seasoned and debut authors alike.

Self-Publishing Experience Days

If you’re an author considering self-publishing your work, finding out how to go about it, what can realistically be achieved and your options can be daunting. Our experience days are sessions and workshops held at our offices in person, hosted by staff from Troubador Publishing.

The day’s sessions look at all aspects of publishing a book, ebook or audiobook – from editing the manuscript to typesetting and cover design, marketing and distribution. If you’re considering self-publishing as an option for your work and want to find out more, the Self-Publishing Experience Day is just right for you.

Our continuous goal is to demystify the self-publishing process, explain what your options are as a self-published author, look realistically at what you can expect from self-publishing and demonstrate the processes involved in putting a book and/or ebook together. There will be multiple in-person sessions throughout the day, designed to be an informal look at all aspects of the publishing, distribution and marketing processes. A final, detailed timetable will be provided to all delegates in advance of the day.

At the end of the Self-Publishing Experience Day, you will have a far better understanding of self-publishing in general as well as an appreciation of the freedom and excitement that it brings with it. The Self-Publishing Experience Day is held in person at Troubador’s offices in Market Harborough, Leicestershire. We promise a whole day of enlightening and stimulating information in an informal setting.

Other events

While the events above are the biggest for Troubador planned for the year, we have many other smaller events, both online and in person, free and paid, throughout the year. From webinars on how authors can best use social media to build their author brand to workshops around how to promote your ebook effectively, the Troubador team are dedicated not only to helping authors create and promote their books but also to learning as much as they can about being an author and the publishing industry. 

Find our full calendars of events here.