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
Develop a Zombie Survivor FPS game from the beginning. Learn to create the zombie game step-by-step and set up your personally designed characters, weapons, animations, effects, and more. Create game modes with a complete game scenario with all the assets to build the game included in this course.
LOOKING FOR: CHILDREN'S: PICTURE BOOK TEXTS, NON-FICTION, POETRY Lucy Brownridge is Editorial Director at Wide Eyed Editions and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, and formerly Thames & Hudson where she helped to establish the Children’s list. She specialises in highly illustrated picture books and non-fiction (including poetry) for children. She has commissioned and edited books which have gone on to win the Carnegie Awards, The British Book Awards, the Klaus Flugge Prize, the Blue Peter Prize and have been translated into over 30 languages. She has been editor to Alan Ahlberg, Quentin Blake, Mariajo Ilustrajo, Yuval Zommer and Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho among many others. She is the author of The Fantastical Safari and The Cat Family series, and many other books for children. She is interested in the history of illustrated children’s books and is always looking for innovative ways to use the book format. ABOUT YOU Include a covering letter, in a Word document, telling Lucy about yourself and your sources of inspiration. If you have one, include a link to your website. She is keen to read stories she hasn't seen before or see artwork with a distinctive style rather than something that fits with trends. She has particular experience with picture books and illustrated narrative non-fiction. PICTURE BOOKS Please send one or two (max) full manuscripts, in a Word document, starting with a short summary/blurb. Make the summary punchy and engaging. Remember that the best picture book stories are simple and every word should count. Do you see this book as part of a series? NON-FICTION PROPOSALS Please send a paragraph explaining your idea, a contents list, if appropriate, and a sample piece of text. (In addition to the paid sessions, Lucy 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 15th September 2025 at 10:00am UK BST
LOOKING FOR: ADULT FICTION, NON-FICTION Diana joined the prestigious DHH Literary Agency in June 2024. She started agenting with Rupert Heath Literary Agency in 2011 before moving to UTA and Marjacq in 2017. Before that she was senior commissioning editor at Transworld. Diana was chosen as one of The Bookseller’s Rising Stars of 2012, was a nominee for RNA Agent of the Year 2019, and was shortlisted for Literary Agent of the Year 2022 at the British Book Awards. Her list includes a wide range of bestselling and prize-winning authors in the UK and internationally. Diana represents adult fiction and non-fiction. For fiction, she is looking for upmarket women's commercial, with depth and heart, including reading group, historical, saga, uplit and contemporary stories that are irreverent and make her laugh; accessible literary fiction, high-concept crime fiction and thrillers. She has a thing for spy novels and would love to find a great vampire story. On the non-fiction side: memoir, smart, funny feminists, lifestyle, cookery and social justice, and open to anything with a strong, original voice. She also encourages submissions from writers who have been traditionally under-represented. Diana would like you to submit a covering letter, 1 - 2 page synopsis and the first three chapters (a maximum of 5,000 words) of your manuscript in a single word document. (In addition to the paid sessions, Diana 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 17th September 2025
Fraud Prevention: A Guide for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises Course Description Copyright Ross Maynard 2021 Course Description Business fraud is a significant, and growing problem. Hardly a day goes by without news reports of organisations being hacked or having their data hijacked. Phishing scams and ID theft are also serious threats to businesses. According to data produced by Accenture, 43% of cyber attacks are aimed at small or medium sized organisations, but only 14% of those organisations are well protected. Around 60% of successful internet fraud cases are the result of phishing emails, and 30% of cases result from ID theft. These two approaches are increasingly being combined in business internet fraud. The aim of this course is to help managers in small or medium sized organisations understand the fraud risk that they face, and to take action to mitigate the risk. The course covers frauds risks, creating an anti-fraud culture and developing an fraud risk management strategy. The course comes with a fraud risk mini-audit and sample anti-fraud policies, and related policy documents. The best way to prevent fraud is to have clear anti-fraud policies and procedures which all staff understand, and which are rigorously enforced; coupled with an open, communicative environment, where staff feel safe and supported to question actions and raise concerns. To help your organisation put these elements in place, this course has five parts: Part 1: What is Fraud and Who Commits it? Part 2: Creating an Anti-Fraud Culture Part 3: Fraud Risk Management Part 4: Managing Bribery Risk Part 5: Appendices with sample anti-fraud policies, fraud response plans, a whistleblowing policy and anti-bribery policy. I hope you find the course helpful. Key Learning Points On completion of the course, delegates will be able to: Define meaning and nature of business fraud Appreciate the variable nature of people’s honesty and how that can tip into fraud Understand the personality types of people who commit business fraud Identify the elements of an anti-fraud culture Explain the steps required to guard against internet fraud Understand the elements of a fraud risk management strategy Outline the sanctions available for those committing fraud Develop an Anti-Fraud Policy, Fraud Response Plan, Whistleblowing Policy and Anti-Bribery Policy for their organisation Begin to audit the level of fraud risk and bribery risk in their organisation Curriculum Part 1: What is Fraud and Who Commits it? L1: What is Fraud? L2: The Variable Nature of Honesty Part 2: Creating an Anti-Fraud Culture L3: Creating an Anti-Fraud Culture L4: Internet Fraud and Cybercrime Part 3: Fraud Risk Management L5: The Fraud Risk Management Strategy Part 1 L6: The Fraud Risk Management Strategy Part 2 L7: Sanctions for Fraud L8: Tips to Help Prevent Fraud L9: The Fraud Risk Mini-Audit L10: Fraud Prevention Exercises Part 4: Managing Bribery Risk L11: The Bribery Act 2010 L12: The Bribery Risk Mini-Audit Part 5: Appendices Sample Anti-Fraud Policy 1 Sample Anti-Fraud Policy 2 Sample Fraud Response Plan 1 Sample Fraud Response Plan 2 Sample Whistleblowing Policy Sample Anti-Bribery Policy Pre-Course Requirements There are no pre-course requirements Additional Resources PDF copies of the following documents are provided with the course: Sample Anti-Fraud Policy 1 Sample Anti-Fraud Policy 2 Sample Fraud Response Plan 1 Sample Fraud Response Plan 2 Sample Whistleblowing Policy Sample Anti-Bribery Policy Sample Code of Ethics CIMA Fraud Risk Management Guide 2016 The Honesty Questionnaire The Fraud Risk Mini-Audit The Bribery Risk Mini Audit Course Tutor Your tutor is Ross Maynard. Ross is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants in the UK and has 30 years’ experience as a process improvement consultant specialising in business processes and organisation development. Ross is also a professional author of online training courses. Ross lives in Scotland with his wife, daughter and Cocker Spaniel
A workshop on EMDR with clients who are Neurodivergent on 13th of May 2025.
LOOKING FOR: ADULT FICTION Marilia Savvides founded The Plot Agency in 2024. She began her career in publishing at Peters Fraser and Dunlop, where she spent eight years, first as International Rights Agent, and later as Literary Agent, building her own list of authors. In 2019, she joined 42MP, where she worked as Literary Agent for four years, helping to launch and set up the Book Division. She is particularly interested in fiction that is beautifully written and cleverly constructed, but still accessible to a wide readership. She is often drawn to darker tales that weave together excellent characters and an impossible-to-put-down story, from immersive book club novels with a splash of suspense, crime and thrillers, accessible horror, and speculative, genre-bending or dystopian stories. She also adores smart, witty contemporary rom-com in the style of Emily Henry. In the thriller, crime and mystery space she is interested in most areas, except military thrillers and organised crime/ mafia / mob stories. Big hooks and clever set ups are a big bonus! She adores Karin Slaughter (especially her standalone novels) and Gillian Flynn. In the book club / reading group space, she’s particularly drawn to fiction in the vein of Jodi Picoult, Liane Moriarty and Celeste Ng, and absolutely fell in love with Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll, both for the incredible voice, and the exquisite use of structure and time. Complicated family dynamics, empathetic and smart approaches to controversial issues, stand out protagonists (like Elizabeth Zott in Lessons in Chemistry or Bernadette in Where D’You Go Bernadette), long buried secrets, complicity, the road to justice, and impossible decisions, are all themes she finds herself drawn to. In the horror space, she’s a sucker for amazing female-centric stories in the vein of Yellowjackets, and the kind of contemporary, accessible horror that Stephen King always nails. She wants to get lost in a world that feels within reach of ours. In the speculative and dystopian spaces, she’s interested in genius ideas that set up big questions or reflect the most broken (and sometimes hidden) parts of society. She loves Octavia Butler, Margaret Atwood, George Orwell, and also adored The Leftovers, Station Eleven, Wanderers, and The Power. The what-ifs of life and fiction fascinate her. In the grounded sci-fi space, she’d love to find a smart, immersive, and accessible story like The Martian. She doesn’t represent fantasy or romantasy. In regards to sci-fi, unless it’s very grounded and has crossover potential to a mainstream audience, it’s not for her. In the romance space, she’s particularly drawn to smart, complex and witty characters, where the chemistry is jumping off the page. She loves contemporary settings and all the tropes, though the voice and characters must come first to make the reading experience fully immersive. She wants to be cackling, and rooting for the characters with all her heart. She is very hands-on editorially, and loves working with her authors to shape their manuscripts, and brainstorm ideas. The best part of the job is discovering debut authors, and helping them find a home for their books. Marilia would like you to submit a covering letter, 1 - 2 page synopsis and the first 5,000 words of your manuscript in a single Word document. (In addition to the paid sessions, Marilia 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: Tuesday 16th September 2025
LOOKING FOR: MIDDLE GRADE, YOUNG ADULT & ADULT FICTION AS WELL AS NON-FICTION FOR ALL AGES Prior to joining DKW in 2023, Camille worked at David Higham Associates as Agent’s Assistant to Jane Gregory and in the Children’s Translation Rights team. She has also worked in editorial for an academic publisher, in rights and marketing for an audiobook publisher and as an intern at Felicity Bryan Literary Agency. Camille loves engaging with narratives on a structural level in order to draw out their best qualities. Camille has an MSc in Publishing from Edinburgh Napier University and an MA in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh. She was Secretary of the Association of Authors’ Agents, as well as Co-Chair for the AAA’s Bridge Committee for early career agents and assistants, from late 2021 to early 2024. She also previously volunteered at the Story Museum in Oxford. Camille is looking to grow her list with a particular focus on middle grade, young adult and adult/crossover fiction, as well as non-fiction for all ages. Books that she has loved and that speak to her taste include Lockwood and Co by Jonathan Stroud (MG), I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson (YA), Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (crossover) and Every Summer After by Carley Fortune (adult). For more information, please visit Camille's page on the Diamond Kahn Woods Literary Agency website. Camille would like you to submit a covering letter, 1 - 2 page synopsis and the first 5,000 words of your manuscript in a single Word document. (In addition to the paid sessions, Camille 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 17th September 2025
New Excel Functions Course Description Ross Maynard Description In the second half of 2020 Microsoft released a significant upgrade to the most used spreadsheet programme in the world. Microsoft Excel now offers the ability to handle dynamic arrays – functions that return a range of results that update as the source data changes. In this course, we discuss the power of dynamic arrays and introduce the new functions. The functions I am going to cover are: RANDARRAY- creating a table of random numbers or random dates UNIQUE – identifying the distinct items in a list SEQUENCE – listing numbers with a set interval SORT and SORTBY – new ways of dynamically sorting data FILTER – building the ability to filter data into formulae XLOOKUP – replacing VLOOKUP with greater flexibility IFS and SWITCH making it easier to construct IF statements The new CONCAT, and TEXTJOIN text functions If you have an earlier version of Microsoft Excel then these functions will not be available to you and this course might not be for you. But if you do have a subscription to Office365 – either personally or through your work – I think you will find this course extremely useful. Learning Outcomes Participants in this course will learn: What the new dynamic arrays feature in Microsoft Excel means How the new RANDARRAY function works How the new UNIQUE function works How the new SEQUENCE function works How the new SORT and SORTBY functions work How the new FILTER function works How the new XLOOKUP function can replace VLOOKUP How to build IF statements with the new IFS function How the new SWITCH function works How the new TEXTJOIN function can replace CONCATENATE and CONCAT How the new functions can be used in management reporting Course Requirements There are no pre-course requirements. Additional Resources Course Spreadsheet with the examples covered. About Ross Ross Maynard is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants in the UK. He is director of Ideas2Action Process Excellence Ltd and has 30 years’ experience as a process improvement consultant and facilitator. Ross is also a professional author of online training courses for accountants. Ross lives in Scotland with his wife, daughter and Cocker Spaniel
From Small Talk to Big Opportunities - your perfect introduction to business networking. Networking can be intimidating and a bit daunting if you’re new to it, but it doesn't have to be. In this online introduction to business networking course, you'll discover... The benefits of networking. We’ll help you to recognise networking opportunities that will suit you. Know how to prepare for an event. How to follow up. And best of all, we’ll help you to create your own elevator pitch with our Pitch Building Template. This is your perfect introduction to the world of business networking, ideal for beginners who want to increase their confidence and feel more empowered. We understand the power of a network. Our passion for networking and helping others succeed is truly contagious, and we can't wait to share our knowledge and expertise with you. The main goal of this taster session is to help you overcome any fears or hesitations you might have about networking. We’ll guide you through the ins and outs of networking, leaving you feeling more confident about attending your next event, whether online or Face to Face. Don't let your fears hold you back any longer – Join us for this interactive this taster session that will set you on the path to networking success! This course is for you if… You’ve very little networking experience and you want to know where to start. You experience anxiety about meeting new people for business. You’re not comfortable in networking events. You want to develop your business You want to further a career or get a promotion.