What No One Tells You About Becoming a Bestseller
Author Samuel Burr will share the remarkable journey behind his bestselling debut novel.
The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers follows an orphan raised by Britain’s finest puzzlemakers, as the hidden truth of his inheritance begins to unravel.
With a background in television production, Samuel turned to writing and graduated from the Faber Academy in 2021. Just three years later, his first novel became a bestseller. In this talk, he offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the twists, turns, and perseverance that brought his story to life.
Spaces are limited — early booking is recommended.
March 11, 2026
Assistance to writers on low incomes and/or from communities under represented in publishing
We are offering a free place on each of our online tutorials and Q & A sessions for UK based writers on low incomes and/or from under represented communities in publishing. Writers may apply for a free place on one of the sessions by contacting BPA with a short bio and a summary of their writing career to date. Please click here to Contact BPA with your application and in the case of writers on low incomes, proof of financial eligibility such as: Jobseeker’s Allowance; Disability Benefit; Income Support; Working Tax Credit; Child Tax Credit; Proof of being a full-time student; Housing benefit; Proof of being a full-time carer. All details will be kept confidential. Decisions on who receives the free places rest with the BPA team not the tutors.
Other online events you maybe interested in
The A–Z of Publishing: An Agent and Editor’s Guide – Feb 18 / Feb 25
Join us for either our London-based event or a live, online event, both featuring Joanna Swainson (co-founder and literary agent at Hardman & Swainson) and Katherine Burdon (commissioning editor at Quercus Books). These two-hour events offer a rare,...
Craft Meets Commerce: What Publishers Want Writers to Know – March 18 / March 25
Samantha Eades is an award-winning publisher, editor, and publicist with 20 years of experience shaping commercial fiction bestsellers. She has held senior roles at three of the Big Five UK publishing houses and most recently led the Orion Fiction team. Samantha now...
Psychic Distance – RECORDING
Psychic Distance: the fiction writer’s secret sauce. Over the years Emma has found that learning to work with psychic distance – often called narrative distance or emotional distance – is the game-changer for her students. Sometimes you may want the reader to be...
Q & A Liza DeBlock – RECORDING
Get the inside track on submitting to agents. Recording of an exclusive live Q&A with Liza DeBlock of Greenstone Literary Agency, our 2025 Pitch Prize agent judge. Liza reveals exactly what catches an agent’s eye—and what sends a submission straight to the “no”...
Pitch Perfect – RECORDING
It’s not only agents and editors who judge a book by the first page: in an industry driven by ‘Look Inside the Book’, the opening of a novel or memoir is one of the keys which draws a reader in irresistibly – or lets them wander off. Before even that, your covering...
Memoir, Life Writing, Creative Non-fiction – Oct 23
Thursday October 23, 6:00 – 8:00 pm GMT Writing about real lives and experiences – your own, or someone else’s – is rewarding but also daunting. What if you have too much information, or your story involves other people? How do you fill the gaps? How do you keep the...
Revising & Editing – RECORDING
All writers know that the most important stage of writing is actually the re-write – and this tutorial gives you the opportunity to find out what that really means. Of course editing is about a whole lot more than tidying up the sentences – but what should you be...
Short Story Writing for Novelists – RECORDING
Author Susannah Rickards Zoom Platform £40.00 At some point during the marathon of writing a novel, you will probably long for the glitter of a new project. Or wish you could inject your prose with fresh energy; differentiate your characters with...
Structure with Emma Darwin – RECORDING
Worrying about plot, structure and storytelling isn’t only for writers who’ve been told they have a saggy middle. Some writers can’t get writing at all until they’ve got everything worked out; some writers can’t think about structure till they have a whole first draft...
Self Publishing for Beginners – RECORDING
In a saturated market, where rejection and even ghosting from agents and publishers are an occupational hazard for authors, self-publishing can be a way to take ownership of your writing life. Whether you want to make a lucrative career out of writing or simply reach...