We’re delighted to welcome Kirsty Dunseath, publisher of fiction at Weidenfeld & Nicolson, an imprint of the Orion Group, to our Wiltshire retreat on June 6. She’ll be talking to writers about the world of fiction publishing, what genres are selling and the importance of the hook and the pitch. She will look at an extract from each writer and give some feedback as to where their story might fit in the market and some tips on how they can make their work more sellable. Over dinner she’ll talk about the process of getting published and the various stages your novel goes through before hitting the bookshops. She’s very knowledgeable about the process of selling Film and TV rights so can answer writer’s questions on the subject.

Kirsty publishes a list of top-class literary fiction, upmarket crime and cross-over novels that appeal to a wide audience. Her authors include Gillian Flynn author of Gone Girl, Laura Barnett author of The Versions of Us, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, author of The Shadow of the Wind; man Booker shortlisted Emily Fridlund, Michel Bussi; Paul Torday, Julian Fellowes, Michael Palin, and Alice Walker. She has also published some narrative-driven non-fiction, such as the Call the Midwife series by Jennifer Worth. Before working for Orion, she worked at The Women’s Press and Jonathan Cape, an imprint of Random House.