Our masterclass series goes behind the studio door and explores the processes of globally respected designers.
LOOKING FOR: MG, YA, ADULT FICTION Originally from the North East of Scotland. Kirsten joined Zeno in the summer 2024 after time working at a previous literary agency and before that working as a bookseller in the Charing Cross branch of Foyles. Kirsten has a BA (Hons) in English from Edinburgh Napier University and a Masters in Children’s Literature from Reading University. Kirsten is currently building her own list alongside handling Zeno’s translation rights. Kirsten is looking for: Scottish voices - especially something from the North East - Kirsten is Aberdonian and would love to help a writer from this space emerge. Water horror - as Kirsten grew up in Aberdeen she is always looking for horror inspired by the sea or the landscape of Scotland - bonus points if it has anything to do with an oil rig! Workplace horror like Camilla Grudova’s Children of Paradise or Calvin Kasulke’s Several People are Typing (this is not a reflection of her agency!) Romance - especially young and contemporary - obviously bonus points if it’s set in Scotland and written by someone who has lived there. Kirsten is a huge fan of all the usual suspects, Ali Hazlewood, Ana Huang, Bolu Babalola to name a few! Romantasy - less elves, more out of the box - Kirsten read Sarah J Maas in 2014/15 and so is looking for something that expands on the genre. A good crime thriller - Kirsten did her dissertation on terrorism so anything that is well written in this space would be a dream for her. Additionally she really enjoys serial killer novels and the recent fake true crime novels, Penance by Eliza Clark especially thrilled her. A Studio Ghibli esque fantasy - luscious landscapes, brilliant characters, a powerfulstory. If any of your comps are a Ghibli film she wants to see it! Fanfiction writers! Kirsten has always been on the sites and would love you to tell her if you’ve written fanfiction in the past / have an ongoing fanbase - maybe she has already read it. Kirsten already has: A nonfiction baking book - Kirsten would not want another at this moment. A middle grade cosy fantasy - Kirsten would love to see more of this! But worries if it’s too close to what she already has, then it would be a reason for her to turn it down. A Horror Vampire novel - again she would love to see more of this! But worries if it’s too close to what she already has, that would be a reason for her to turn it down. Vampires would probably be better for her if they were contemporary or in the romantasy space. A Game of Thrones esque fantasy - a client is already writing this and she wants to give it the space on her list it deserves! Kirsten is NOT looking for: Picture books / 5-8 books Poetry Police procedural Hard science fiction Kirsten would like you to submit a covering letter, one page synopsis and the first three chapters (Max 5000 words) of your completed manuscript in a single word document. (In addition to the paid sessions, Kirsten is kindly offering one free session for low income/under-represented writers. Please email agent121@iaminprint.co.uk to apply, outlining your case for this option which is offered at the discretion of I Am In Print). By booking you understand you need to conduct an internet connection test with I Am In Print prior to the event. You also agree to email your material in one document to reach I Am In Print by the stated submission deadline and note that I Am In Print take no responsibility for the advice received during your agent meeting. The submission deadline is: Monday 25th August 2025
The Designated Safeguarding Lead Advanced Course is an expert-led update and refresher course for school and college DSLs and their Deputies. It is an extensive, authoritative and highly rated, full-day training course that ensures DSL/DDSLs have the most comprehensive, effective and up-to-date knowledge and strategies in place to lead the safeguarding provision in their setting.
LOOKING FOR: YA/NA FANTASY, SFF, HORROR, ADULT FICTION John Baker (he/him) joined the Bell Lomax Moreton agency in 2019, cultivating a list shaped around his passion for science fiction, fantasy, and horror, though has lately also branched out into action/adventure fiction. John focuses on authors writing in the Adult, New Adult, and YA spaces. John leads the wider agency's film & TV desk, is the Secretary of the Association of Author’s Agents, and the co-chair of the AAA’s Bridge Committee. He also serves on the Kingston University MA Publishing Advisory Board. Under the umbrella of speculative fiction, John is looking for fantasy, science fiction, horror, romantasy, or literary speculative fiction. He has built a reputation as a champion of underrepresented voices and stories, be it from creators hailing from the global majority and their diasporas or neurodiverse authors, and naturally gravitates towards this kind of storytelling. In short, if he’s never read a story like yours before, he wants to see it. Adult fantasy: John loves beefy epic fantasy, especially non-Anglo Christian-inspired. Give him an immersive world, a fresh magical or mythic system, and an exciting cast of characters and he’ll be happy. He is a broad church in the genre so loves a political fantasy, swords and sorcery, courtly intrigue, monster hunting and dastardly villains. John is keen to find an urban fantasy that feels fresh and fun and he’s a sucker for a heroic quest narrative. He’s also very open to fantasy that isn’t easily categorised, but it is playing in that world. John is keenly hunting for more historical fantasy, especially inspired by modern history. He’s had fun with mythological retellings in the past, but as ever, let’s make sure it’s shining the spotlight on new stories. He would also love fantasy that centres on types of relationships less celebrated in fantasy, such as established and secure married couples, or siblings. NA/YA fantasy: In this genre, most importantly, John wants to have a good time, whether it’s swoon-worthy kisses in lush ball gowns, or gruesome gore and monsters, so send him pacy, plot-filled adventures. He’d love more books that teenage boys would love: Skullduggery Pleasant forever! Romantasy: The thriving new romantasy genre comes with its own set of challenges, so John wants to know what makes your romantasy different; what will set it out from the (very crowded!) market. Give it completely barmy stakes, cool and unique new settings, or a love story that will make your jaw drop. To be clear, he’s happily sorted for a human person meets a fae creature in the spooky woods. Also, cosmic romance is the genre of the future. Give him romantasy in space. Easy. Horror: John and horror are old friends. He loves horror inspired by myth and folklore, subversive weird horror that leaves your eyebrows in your hairline, historical horror that pulls from ghastly true stories, and anything that you’ll be reading with the light on. He also loves a gothic element and is particularly looking for horror with a strong romantic throughline, fun YA horror, and female & NB horror authors. Science fiction: SF is coming back! And John has been shouting about that. He loves to see an adventurous found-family romp through space or an epic, crunchy space opera. Speculative near-future is fun too, in the vein of Black Mirror’s more uplifting episodes, (e.g. San Junipero). He loves YA science fiction as well; the more creative the better. Literary: John is open to finding more rich magical realism or something character-led yet supernatural and would love a high-concept mystery, in the vein of Stuart Turton. He also loves spec fic that uses the speculative lightly as a way of confronting a deeper truth in society today. Weird stuff: John wants books that will blow people’s minds and defy categorisation. This is hard to describe, but think Gideon The Ninth, The Library At Mount Char, This Is How You Lose The Time War. John loves a pitch that leaves the editors baffled but intrigued. Action/Adventure, Historical Adventure, Espionage: John is branching out into non-speculative adventures, such as John Le Carré, Lee Child, Ian Flemming, and Mick Herron. More as his taste develops, but the hunt is on! Not looking for: military sci-fi or hard SF, or anything with biblical “character wakes up in purgatory/heaven/hell” narratives. The right comedic fantasy has yet to hit his inbox, but please don’t comp Douglas Adams or Sir Terry. John would like you to submit a covering letter, 1-2 page synopsis and the first two chapters of your manuscript in a single word document. (In addition to the paid sessions, John is kindly offering one free session for low income/under-represented writers. Please email agent121@iaminprint.co.uk to apply, outlining your case for this option which is offered at the discretion of I Am In Print). By booking you understand you need to conduct an internet connection test with I Am In Print prior to the event. You also agree to email your material in one document to reach I Am In Print by the stated submission deadline and note that I Am In Print take no responsibility for the advice received during your agent meeting. The submission deadline is: Tuesday 16th September 2025
Duration 5 Days 30 CPD hours This course is intended for This course is designed for business analysts. Overview After completing this course, you should be able to:Describe the benefits of implementing an Operational Decision Manager solution, and the collaboration that is required between the business and development teamsIdentify the main user roles that are involved in designing and developing an Operational Decision Manager solution, and the tasks that are associated with each roleExplain modeling concepts and the UML notation that is relevant to modeling for business rules and eventsDefine and implement object models for business rulesSet up the rule authoring environment in Designer by working with decision services and synchronizing across development and business environmentsCustomize the vocabulary that is used in rulesDiscover and analyze business rules for implementationUse the Operational Decision Manager rule editors to author business rules and decision tablesRun tests and simulations in the Decision Center Enterprise console to validate decision logic and rule changesExplain governance issues and work with Operational Decision Manager features that support decision governance This course introduces business analysts to IBM Operational Decision Manager V8.7.1. You learn the concepts and skills that are necessary to capture, author, validate, and manage business rules with Operational Decision Manager. Course Outline Course introduction Introducing IBM Operational Decision Manager V8.7.1 Exercise: Operational Decision Manager in action Modeling for business rules Exercise: Building the model on paper Exercise: Implementing the model Understanding decision services Exercise: Setting up a decision service Working with the BOM Exercise: Working with the BOM Introducing Decision Center Exercise: Exploring the Decision Center Business console Exercise: Exploring the Decision Center Enterprise console Introducing rule authoring Exercise: Understanding the case study Discovering and analyzing rules Exercise: Discovering rules Exercise: Analyzing rules Working with conditions in rules Exercise: Working with conditions in rules Working with definitions in rules Exercise: Working with definitions in rules Writing complete rules Exercise: Writing complete rules Authoring decision tables and trees Exercise: Authoring decision tables and trees Exercise: Authoring rules: Putting it all together Running tests and simulations in the Enterprise console Exercise: Running tests and simulations in the Enterprise console Introducing decision governance Exercise: Working with the decision governance framework Course summary
This module aims to develop knowledge and understanding of the status of an authorised economic operator in the export and in import of goods. This includes the advantages of the status, trusted trader, and the process securing the authorised economic operator status.
LOOKING FOR: ADULT FICTION, NON-FICTION Amanda Preston has been a literary agent for over 20 years and co-founded LBA in 2005. She won the RNA Literary Agent of the Year award in 2018. She represents commercial and reading group fiction, as well as a range of narrative non-fiction and memoir. She loves working with authors, championing them every step of the way, and works with them and their publishing teams to build them into brand names and award winning and bestselling authors in the UK and internationally. Whether commercial or reading-group, she loves innovative and well-written stories that hook her in from the start and whose voice stays with her. She is looking for novels that demand to be talked about and shared, whatever their genre, and that she is still thinking about days after finishing. She is on the hunt for a high-concept thriller which is character and plot driven, but also has a discussable issue at its heart i.e Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey and Girl A by Abigail Dean. She loves thrillers where the location is as integral to the plot as the crime i.e The Dry by Jane Harper and The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse, and would love a good locked-room thriller but is only looking for fresh and unique ideas in this area. She is also on the hunt for a glorious book club love story that is doing something a bit different and special i.e Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus or anything by Taylor Jenkins Reid or Liane Moriarty! Or smart, contemporary, observant romcoms with a very strong emphasis on diverse / own voices. Finally, she would love a historical that vividly brings that period to life as well as having a stunning plot i.e, The Familiars by Stacey Halls and The Doll Factory by Elizabeth MacNeal. Amanda would like you to submit a covering letter, 1 page synopsis and the opening three chapters (max 5,000 words). (In addition to the paid sessions, Amanda is kindly offering one free session for low income/under-represented writers. Please email agent121@iaminprint.co.uk to apply, outlining your case for this option which is offered at the discretion of I Am In Print). By booking you understand you need to conduct an internet connection test with I Am In Print prior to the event. You also agree to email your material in one document to reach I Am In Print by the stated submission deadline and note that I Am In Print take no responsibility for the advice received during your agent meeting. The submission deadline is: Monday 1st September 2025 by 12 noon UK BST
LOOKING FOR: MG, ADULT FICTION Jo Williamson has been in publishing for over 25 years. Having worked in Children’s books PR for Dorling Kindersley, HarperCollins and Orion, she started as an agent with Antony Harwood in 2008. She feels very privileged being with authors at the very start of their publishing journey and enjoys close working relationships with all her clients. From editorial help, general advice on the publishing world, guiding careers long-term and general cheerleading, she feels she has the perfect job. Although nothing is off limits and she loves being surprised by submissions. In middle grade children's fiction, Jo is particularly looking for books with heart, epic adventures with voice-led characters, and younger funny fiction with series potential. In adult fiction, page-turning Commercial Women’s and Book Club fiction are right up Jo's street, including psychological suspense, thriller, cosy crime and books that don’t quite fit the mould. Above all, she wants stories that linger long after the final page has been read. Jo is not the right fit for police procedurals. Jo would like you to submit a covering letter, 1 page synopsis and the first 5,000 words of your manuscript in a single word document. (In addition to the paid sessions, Jo is kindly offering one free session for low income/underrepresented writers. Please email agent121@iaminprint.co.uk to apply, outlining your case for this option which is offered at the discretion of I Am In Print). By booking you understand you need to conduct an internet connection test with I Am In Print prior to the event. You also agree to email your material in one document to reach I Am In Print by the stated submission deadline and note that I Am In Print take no responsibility for the advice received during your agent meeting. The submission deadline is: Wednesday 3rd September 2025
The New to the Role of Designated Safeguarding Lead Course is an expert-led course for those new to the role of school / college DSLs and or Deputy DSL.