On purple blue background, on the left the words For Writers. On the right hand side, the hashtag #Cymera23

 

Cymera is committed to providing SFFH writers with some of the tools they need to get their work to that next level. Be it writing workshops, feedback from editors, opportunities to read or discuss their work, or an insight into the publishing industry, we have it all.

 

Inside SFFH Publishing

Over the festival weekend, we will be chatting to industry professionals in our Inside SFFH Publishing events.

What does an editor do all day? Why should you get an agent? And why you should always listen to your publicist!

Confirmed Line-up

Saturday 3rd June

1pm - 1:25pm: Robbie Guillory, Agent at Underline Literature Agency

1:45pm - 2:15pm: Simon Spanton, Editor at Large at Angry Robot

Sunday 4th June

10:30am - 11:00am: Unfortunately our planned speaker Nazia Khatun, publicist at Orbit Books, has had to cancel. Instead we’ll be talking with Rebecca Wojturska, founder and powerhouse behind Haunt Publishing, Scotland’s independent publisher of Gothic Fiction .

11:15am - 11:45am: Gemma Creffield, Commissioning Editor at Angry Robot

1:45pm - 2:10pm: John Baker, Agent with Bell Lomax Moreton

These sessions will take place in the Lomond Room and are free to attend, no ticket needed.

 

Our Inside SFFH Publishing talks are supported by the Writers’ and Artist’s Yearbook

 

Agent & Editor One-on-Ones

Writers will have the invaluable opportunity to talk directly to an agent from a literary agency or an editor from a SFFH publisher about their work, seek advice about any stage of the writing process, and receive direct feedback on pitches and ideas.

Friday 2nd June - 2pm - 4pm, digital via Zoom with Caro Clarke

Saturday 3rd June -2:15pm - 3:30pm, in person with Robbie Guillory or John Baker

Sunday 4th June - 2:15pm - 3:30pm, in person with Caro Clarke

Meetings will be 15 minutes long, and there will be a £25 fee. For the in-person meetings, please select which Agent you’d like to speak to on booking. Please note spaces are limited.

By booking tickets for this event, you are committing to submitting your submission letter and the first 2000 words of your novel (or less) by Monday 08.05.2023

Please send your material to admin@cymerafestival.co.uk

Booking Deadline Monday 8th May 2023.

Open Mic

Do you have a fresh piece of writing ready for the world to see? Then we want your reading! Poetry, a bit of a novel or short fiction, we love it all!

There will be two in-person open mic session over the festival weekend, plus one digital one.

The in-person Open Mic will take place in the Cabaret Bar at the following times

  • Saturday 3rd June 3pm to 3:30pm

  • Sunday 4th June 3pm to 3:30pm

To join us in person, please apply here

To join the digital open mic, please make a recording of your reading and submit it via this form.

We will edit all submissions together into up to two videos which will premier across the festival weekend (2nd to 4th June 2023) Please keep your reading to five minutes maximum.

Submission deadline for both in-person and digital is Sunday 21st May 2023.

Brave New Words

Please note that all our Brave New Words Slots for 2023 are already filled. Please make a note of the below for 2024.

Cymera: Scotland’s Festival of Science-Fiction, Fantasy and Horror offers a platform for Scotland-based emerging and newly published writers to read their work in front of our audience.

Brave New Words readers will appear just before some of our main events.  Readings will be a maximum of five minutes.

Are you a Scotland-based writer of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror and are interested in being one of our readers?

Drop us an email on programme@cymerafestival.co.uk and tell us a little about yourself and your work.

Please note that whatever piece of work you intend to read has to be available to purchase, in digital form or in print. Both traditionally published and self-published writers can apply. Spots are limited and will be allocated by our programming team.

(On a related note, the lovely folk from Glasgow in 2024 are building the Indie Author Reading Library. For the opportunity to share a reading of your work on their YouTube channel, just fill out the form below: https://forms.gle/GXMqJudXuAEG742r9)

Writing workshops

Portfolio Review

Sunday 4th June, 12:15pm - 2pm, in-person

Calling all comic artists! Drop in and get some feedback on your portfolio from David Bishop, comics writer and former editor for 2000 AD and Judge Dredd.

Live Podcast Recording with Page One Podcast

Join podcasters Marco Rinaldi and Tariq Ashkanani for a live recording of their writing podcast, Page One – with a special guest yet to be revealed.

On Page One - The Writer’s Podcast, Marco and Tariq talk to writers of all kinds, from bestselling authors to screenwriters to comic writers to learn about how they go about creating their stories.

Don't miss a deep dive into each guest’s writing history, including how they broke into the industry, their writing process and an exploration of their work. There might even be a sneak peek of upcoming projects!

Saturday, June 3, 2023, 3:30 PM 4:30 PM, Lomond Room

How to Write a Submission/Query Letter

There is much advice out there for writing your submission/query letter. To start you off, here what the Writers and Artist Yearbook advise.

 

Top Submission Tips from Mark Leggatt

We asked author and editor Mark Leggatt to give us his top tips for submitting to agents.

Mark is the author of Names Of The Dead, The London Cage, and The Silk Road, a series of international thrillers which weave fact and fiction across the globe. He is also the author of a Historical Fantasy series, the first of which is in final draft.

He is also a freelance literary consultant and editor for several of the UK’s leading literary consultancies, providing editorial reports, developmental editing, copy editing and assessments.

More about Mark on his website http://www.markleggatt.com/