11 - 14 Sept 2024

BAD SYDNEY

Crime Writers Festival 2024

BAD is back for 2024.

Welcome to unforgettable fiction from your favourite authors, engrossing true crime stories, meet new writers you’ll hear more about, ponder moral dilemmas – would you put a murderer to death?

Find out more about bush justice, crimes of religion, bearing witness for Indigenous people, what it feels like to flee for your life. Hear stories of true crime, crooked cops, find out what makes juries tick and exactly what happens when a dead body is discovered.

Walk the crime talk and put names to crime sites in Surry Hills, Kings Cross and the Rocks.

Aspiring to join your writing heroes? Take part in a writing workshop. Your manuscript is ready? Pitch it to top publishers and agents.

The Danger awards evening features guest of honour Michael Robotham talking about his 20 years in publishing. He hands out the award for best fiction. Who will win? Plus there’s an award for best debut, best true crime and the People’s choice award which you can vote for.

BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival 2023
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BAD SYDNEY - BAD Sydney 2024: Sydney Crime Writers Festival
Partner: NSW STATE LIBRARY

BROWSE OUR BAD SYDNEY 2024

Program

🖋️

TUTOR: Candice Fox

DETAILS:

What keeps readers turning the pages? As Candice Fox knows, pace, plot and structure are crucial. She shares her secrets on constructing your book so readers can’t put it down, in this four-hour Masterclass.

How do you hook readers so they can’t stop reading? When is enough really enough? What do you do about a book that droops in the middle? Will readers care about what happens to your characters?

With a decade of bestselling publishing experience and a practical, personalised approach to teaching, Candice sets students up to get their ideas down in a straightforward and effective manner. She has a student-led style and will drill down into the topics that those in the class feel they need most. 

Candice Fox is one of Australia’s most acclaimed crime writers. She has won three Ned Kelly awards for Hades, Eden and The Chase. Her novels – Fall, Crimson Lake, Redemption Point and Gone by Midnight – were all shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award. Crimson Lake has been adapted for television as Troppo and the second season aired in July 2024. Candice’s most recent bestseller is Devil’s Kitchen. She also collaborates with international bestseller James Patterson. Her books have been translated into 15 languages.

NOTE: THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL. WAITING LIST ONLY.

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TUTOR: Duncan McNab

DETAILS:

Writing non-fiction (true crime) brings a unique set of challenges, requiring care and compassion for those who lives are forever changed by a crime, and to step safely through a legal minefield. Join bestselling crime writer Duncan McNab on an insider’s guide to the foundations of writing a true crime book including:

  • story selection and development  –  it needs to make 80k words plus; people in the story – especially those who drive the narrative; chronology; geography etc
  • what research you’ll need and where to get it and how to get it, getting it right, maintaining objectivity, let the research drive the result and not what you want to drive the research
  • keeping an eye on the appropriate handling of those involved
  • keeping an eye on the lawyers (for stories involving litigation or the living)
  • the essentials you’ll need to get it to completion, edit and publication, pictures (with rights) 

🖋️

DETAILS:

In this four-hour, fast paced beginner’s workshop, you’ll discover how to plunder your own life for unique plot angles, develop a killer premise, create engaging characters and outwit readers with red herrings and plot reversals that create mystery and suspense. 

By the end of the workshop, you will understand the vital components of crime fiction writing including characterisation, structure and pace, and techniques of concealment and revelation. You’ll also learn how to develop authentic dialogue, add humour and create a satisfying denouement.

This workshop is led by Amanda Hampson, the bestselling author of nine novels. Her first foray into cosy crime, The Tea Ladies was one of the top ten bestselling Australian novels of 2023 and The Cryptic Clue released in 2024 was also an instant hit. The next in the series, The Deadly Dispute (Penguin) will be out in April 2025.

NOTE: THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL. WAITING LIST ONLY.

1

DETAILS:

Why do our leading crime writers set their books outside Australia? Is it cultural cringe? Do they just want a research trip? What are the difficulties and the rewards? How do they deal with the different cultures and idioms? Will they ever come home again? Tim Ayliffe investigates with Candice Fox, Michael Robotham, Michael Brissenden and Roger Simpson whose latest books are set in the US and the UK.

2

DETAILS:

Rural noir and country-based true crime fascinates readers both in Australia and overseas, in part because these genres open the gate on the challenges of remote policing and rural court processes, and the delivery of justice in the bush. BAD Sydney hears from a journalist, a true-crime writer and a police-procedural novelist on roping in rural crooks in an arena experiencing judicial, media and policing cutbacks.

3

DETAILS:

Is justice delivered justly to all or are some groups better served by the justice system than others? Indigenous Australians are overly represented in prisons and Aunty Barbara Nicholson helps give a voice to inmates from Junee Correctional Centre and other prisons with the Ngana Barangarai (Black Wallaby) project and publications. Veronica Gorrie’s new book When Cops are Criminals examines the widespread problem of police brutality and corruption from different perspectives. Together with Wiradjuri Elder Aunty Bronwyn Penrith, they talk justice and injustice as well as the role of Elders with Larissa Behrendt.

NOTE: To be recorded for Speaking out on RN

4

DETAILS:

Are people affected by place? Crime novels offer the chance to explore the intimate relationship between landscape and those who live – and kill – there. Michaela Kalowski talks to three writers who go local and deep – Michael Duffy (the Blue Mountains), Natalie Conyer (South Africa and Sydney) and Alan Carter (Tasmania). Find out about the crime equivalent of ‘terroir’, the impact of landscape on wine – and people.

5

DETAILS:

Every day women are in peril and Australia is experiencing an epidemic of domestic violence. Many women are in danger in the home and from those closest to them. This is reflected in the fiction of three debut writers Brooke Hardwick, Lisa Kenway and Susannah Glenn. Podcaster and writer Claudine Tinellis will explore why these authors are driven to write about women in danger and how their books might contribute to the ongoing debate.

6

DETAILS:

It would appear that we can’t get enough true crime books, podcasts and TV shows. But is this good for us? Does true crime keep us informed? Does it bring injustice to light? Does it complement police work or make it harder? Is it making us more fearful or should we just lighten up and see true crime as just another kind of entertainment? Tim Watson-Munro will explore these questions and more in his conversation with Michael Willing (former Deputy Police Commissioner), Xanthé Mallett (writer, podcaster and forensic anthropologist), Tracy Hall, a crime victim who has taken part in a podcast and crime journalist and podcaster, Mark Morri.

7

DETAILS:

Crime fiction is a generous genre. Browse the shelves for locked room mysteries, cosy crime, tales of the private eye, police procedurals, thrillers from the legal to the ecological and psychological, historical mysteries and meta-fictional stories that reflect on their own construction. Hear crime fiction specialist and experienced reviewer Sue Turnbull talk to Sulari Gentill (historical and meta-fiction), Amanda Hampson (cosy crime with an historical angle) and David Whish-Wilson (thriller set on a fishing trawler) about their recent books and what attracts them to writing crime.

8

SPEAKERS: Xanthé Mallett and Michael Willing

FACILITATOR: Michael Duffy

DETAILS:

The scene: You’re going for a morning walk with your dog. Naturally, you find a dead body. What happens after you call 000? Of course you’ve read about this in crime novels and seen the TV shows – but what actually occurs in real life? Find out when former crime reporter and novelist Michael Duffy interrogates Michael Willing, former Deputy Police Commissioner and the longest serving Head of Homicide in NSW and forensic anthropologist, writer and podcaster Xanthé Mallett.

📒

SPEAKERS: Roberta Ivers

FACILITATOR:

DETAILS:

If you have a completed manuscript or are well advanced on your book, BAD offers you the opportunity to talk to fiction publisher Roberta Ivers (HarperCollins) for a short 6-minute pitch session. If you’re at a very early stage of writing this is not for you. A workshop may a better place to start.

Not many slots are available. If you want to be considered, please send in an expression of interest to catherine@badsydney.com with a book outline and a pdf of your manuscript by 25 August at the latest.  We will let you know if you’ve been one of the lucky ones. If so you can then book and pay to secure your spot (fee $30). You will be sent more information to prepare your pitch and maximise your chances of success.

NOTE: PITCH SESSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

📒

SPEAKERS: Abigail Nathan

FACILITATOR:

DETAILS:

If you have a completed manuscript or are well advanced on your book, BAD offers you the opportunity to talk to agent Abigail Nathan (Alex Adsett Literary) for a short 6-minute pitch session. If you’re at a very early stage of writing this is not for you. A workshop may a better place to start.

Not many slots are available. If you want to be considered, please send in an expression of interest to catherine@badsydney.com with a book outline and a pdf of your manuscript by 25 August at the latest.  We will let you know if you’ve been one of the lucky ones. If so you can then book and pay to secure your spot (fee $30). You will be sent more information to prepare your pitch and maximise your chances of success.

NOTE: PITCH SESSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

👢

SPEAKERS: Elliot Lindsay and Amanda Hampson

FACILITATOR:

DETAILS:

The Surry Hills garment industry can be traced back to the nineteenth century and became one of the state’s largest employers in the mid-twentieth century. Yet, as the Singer sewing machines sang in the sweatshops, the criminal underworld fought to control the sly grog and red-light trades in the surrounding laneways. Join best-selling author Amanda Hampson and historian Elliot Lindsay on a laneway adventure. Discover the history of the Surry Hills garment district and hear the stories of the local crooks, cops and pleasure-seeking soldiers who inspired The Tea Ladies series. 

NOTE: Start at Central Station Exit 3 Elizabeth Street

1

DETAILS:

Are we most under threat by stranger-danger or by the threats that lie closer to home? What should we fear most – the danger that lurks without or the danger that lurks within? Three debut authors have written compelling novels about the perils which threaten us close to home. Hear Zahid Gamieldien, Mitch Jennings and Bruce Nash talk to Suzanne Leal about where the real dangers might lie. 

2

DETAILS:

Australia entered new territory in 2023 when 19 recommendations emerged from NSW’s “world first” commission of inquiry into LGBTIQ+ hate crimes, but how well are authorities responding? Journalist Michael Burge reads the tea leaves with three authors who refused to accept the cover ups. Steve Johnson’s three-decade quest to find the man responsible for the death of his brother Scott at Manly exposes an openly hostile police force. Jonathan Butler’s examination of the unsolved murder of a family member on home soil during WWII lifts the lid on the possibility that many such hate crimes remain under-unreported; and Duncan McNab’s unique perspective as a former police detective and true-crime author shines a light on whether justice is a realistic proposition for families still waiting for answers.

NOTE: Steve Johnson will be streaming live from the USA

3

SPEAKERS: David Hardaker and Anne Manne

FACILITATOR: Michael Duffy

DETAILS:

How did they get away with it? Two books describing outrageous crimes against innocence. Anne Manne’s Crimes of the Cross provides a detailed account of priests in the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle abusing children for 30 years – 30 years! – and how clergy and leaders covered up abuse and abandoned survivors. Brian Houston was the leader of Hillsong Church as it became the biggest Pentecostal church. Its rise and rise seemed unstoppable until dirty secrets started to come out as described in detail by David Hardaker in Mine is the Kingdom. Anne and David talk to Michael Duffy about the stories they uncovered.

4

DETAILS:

Former Director of Public Prosecutions Nicholas Cowdery examines the jury system – its purpose, its effectiveness and the psychology of juries. He will be in conversation with Malcolm Knox, journalist, former juror and author of The Secrets of the Jury Room, barrister and former prosecutor Mark Tedeschi, Professor of Law Jane Goodman-Delahunty and Michaela Maree who has also recently served as a juror.

5

DETAILS:

It’s always a pleasure to pick up a book featuring another adventure with your favourite detective. Or is it? Do writers ever feel trapped by the popularity of their fictional detective creations? Arthur Conan Doyle, for instance, tried unsuccessfully to kill off Sherlock Holmes.  Hear Michael Robotham, creator of Joe O’Loughlin, Cyrus Haven and others, Tim Ayliffe whose journalist hero John Bailey has just had his fifth outing and Amanda Hampson who has created the unique tea lady Hazel Bates talk detectives and death with Kate Evans. 

NOTE: This session is being recorded for the Bookshelf on ABC Radio National.

6

DETAILS:

Roger Rogerson who died early this year is one of the best-known crooked cops in NSW – but far from the only one. This session reviews the life of the Dodger, and reflects on police corruption, the role of the media, and Royal Commissions in bringing these crimes to light. Hear acclaimed journalist Kate McClymont, ace crime reporter Mark Morri and former NSW police detective Duncan McNab in conversation with Michael Duffy as they ponder the evidence and look at the situation today. 

7

DETAILS:

How do we know whether those who claim to be on our side are working for or against us? Michael Brissenden, crime novelist and journalist talks to three writers with new books in which our judgement may be challenged. Hear Candice Fox (Devil’s Kitchen), Nicola Moriarty (Every Last Suspect) and Hayley Scrivenor (Girl Falling) about their latest books, where nothing is as it seems.

8

SPEAKERS: Ashlee Donohue and Amy McQuire

FACILITATOR: Larissa Behrendt

DETAILS:

The voices of Black Witnesses need to be heard and heeded. In this panel, Amy McQuire talks about her new book, Black Witness, a collection of powerful essays on events and injustices affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Ashlee Donohue’s Because I Love Him is a powerful personal account of love and domestic violence. Listen to two strong Black Witnesses in conversation with Larissa Behrendt.

NOTE: To be recorded for Speaking out on RN

📒

SPEAKERS: Juliet Rogers

FACILITATOR:

DETAILS:

IF you have a completed manuscript or are well advanced on your book, BAD offers you the opportunity to talk to fiction publisher Juliet Rogers (Echo Publishing) for a short 6-minute pitch session. If you’re at a very early stage of writing this is not for you. A workshop may a better place to start.

Not many slots are available. If you want to be considered, please send in an expression of interest to catherine@badsydney.com with a book outline and a pdf of your manuscript by 25 August at the latest.  We will let you know if you’ve been one of the lucky ones. If so you can then book and pay to secure your spot (fee $30). You will be sent more information to prepare your pitch and maximise your chances of success.

NOTE: PITCH SESSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

📒

SPEAKERS: Tara Wynne

FACILITATOR:

DETAILS:

IF you have a completed manuscript or are well advanced on your book, BAD offers you the opportunity to talk to agents Tara Wynne (Curtis Brown) for a short 6-minute pitch session. If you’re at a very early stage of writing this is not for you. A workshop may a better place to start.

Not many slots are available. If you want to be considered, please send in an expression of interest to catherine@badsydney.com with a book outline and a pdf of your manuscript by 25 August at the latest.  We will let you know if you’ve been one of the lucky ones. If so you can then book and pay to secure your spot (fee $30). You will be sent more information to prepare your pitch and maximise your chances of success.

NOTE: PITCH SESSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

🥾

SPEAKERS: Elliot Lindsay

FACILITATOR:

DETAILS:

While driving through the city at night, it was not uncommon to take a detour through the infamous Kings Cross to catch a fleeting glimpse of the creatures of the night: girls saturated in neon glow, tough guys, sailors, drunks, and spunks. On this walking tour, the most notorious news headlines of the last 60 years will be brought to life as you visit the haunts of the most notorious crooks and cops and see the sites of murders, bust-ups and debauchery. 

NOTE: Start at Kings Cross Station (Victoria Street exit)

1

DETAILS:

Whitney Fitzsimmons explores the issue of trust, what can happen when it is misplaced and how trusting the wrong person can lead us into very real danger. Three debut writers with very different stories in three contrasting settings – mountain climbing (Claire Sutherland), journalism (P.A. Thomas) and on the Antarctic ice (Riley James) will reflect on what can go wrong when trust fails.

2

SPEAKERS: Anna Downes, Dave Warner and Holly Craig

FACILITATOR: Andy Muir

DETAILS:

Western Australia is the scene of crime in these three stories set in our biggest state where there are no safe spaces. Certainly not on Rottnest Island in Holly Craig’s book, nor the far north according to Dave Warner or even on the sparkling Coral Coast as Anna Downes reveals. Travel with them to WA to find out how and why.

3

DETAILS:

Imagine a near-future Australia where a family member has been murdered. The killer is convicted and capital punishment has been reinstated. The only catch is you have to kill the offender yourself and you can chose your method. Could you do it? This is the scenario in Georgia Harper’s What I Would Do To You. Hear Georgia in conversation with criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro and novelist Debra Oswald whose book The Family Doctor explores preventative murder under the ethical gaze of Dr Simon Longstaff, Director of the Ethics Centre. 

4

SPEAKERS: David Marr and Matthew Condon

FACILITATOR: Larissa Behrendt

DETAILS:

What is the impact of discovering murder amongst members of your own family tree. What would you do? Hide it or reveal it? How would you deal with your own feelings of shame and guilt in the light of what has been done by those whose genetic inheritance you carry? Two writers tell their story. Matthew Condon is writing about his great uncle and David Marr’s Killing for Country exposes hidden secrets. They talk to Larissa Behrendt.

5

DETAILS:

Who knows what happens behind closed doors? Family is front and centre in four new twisty psychological thrillers. In BM Carroll’s new crime novel, there’s a disappearance on a family outing. In Kelli Hawkins’ book, a mother with her own secrets worries about what her daughter may have done, while Petronella McGovern’s latest thriller explores siblings and their secrets. Georgia Harper explores how far a family will go to avenge a murdered child. Rhys Gard is the unofficial family therapist.

6

DETAILS:

Welcome to dark stories and micro fiction set in Sydney’s Western suburbs. In this session Andrew Charlton MP for Parramatta will launch BAD Western Sydney: The Second Casethe second volume in a collaboration between WestWords and BAD Sydney.  Dinuka McKenzie and Candice Fox will talk about their work with WestWord’s emerging writers and we hear from some of the writers themselves in a session hosted by WestWords Executive Director Michael Campbell.

7

DETAILS:

Three published writers share their stories of how they came to be published with Sophie Groom CEO of Writing NSW. Hear online thriller bestseller Matt Rogers tell us about now turning to print with Simon & Schuster. Dinuka McKenzie who recently published her third Kate Miles detective story to great acclaim tells us about her journey into publishing after winning the Banjo Prize. Lisa Kenway is a practising anaesthetist and a writer whose debut novel inspired by her fascination with memory and consciousness was published this year. They talk about their paths to publication, as well as the pleasures and pitfalls of the writing life.  For everyone who wants to write or enjoys reading!

8

SPEAKERS: Nick Stride, Jack Beaumont and Matt Bevan

FACILITATOR: Tim Ayliffe

DETAILS:

Tim Ayliffe journalist and thriller writer will be in clandestine conversation with three people who have personal experience of the world of espionage. Jack Beaumont went from being a spy to writing thrillers set in the world of intelligence agencies while  journalist Matt Bevan looks behind the news to reveal the dangers that lurk beneath. Nick Stride will describe how he and his family found himself had to flee for their lives when he leaked secrets from Vladimir Putin’s one-time deputy.

NOTE: Nick Stride will be streaming in live from New Zealand

🥇

SPEAKERS: Michael Robotham

FACILITATOR: Sue Turnbull

DETAILS:

Join us over drinks and nibbles to celebrate Michael Robotham’s 20 years in crime publishing. Sue Turnbull talks to him about past and present triumphs and they look to the future. Then comes the announcement of the 2024 Danger Awards and a brief chat with the winners. This year there will be four – for crime fiction, for debut crime, for true crime and the second People’s Choice Award. Don’t miss it.

📒

SPEAKERS: Vanessa Radnidge

FACILITATOR:

DETAILS:

IF you have a completed manuscript or are well advanced on your book, BAD offers you the opportunity to talk to fiction publisher Vanessa Radnidge (Hachette) for a short 6-minute pitch session. If you’re at a very early stage of writing this is not for you. A workshop may a better place to start.

Not many slots are available. If you want to be considered, please send in an expression of interest to catherine@badsydney.com with a book outline and a pdf of your manuscript by 25 August at the latest.  We will let you know if you’ve been one of the lucky ones. If so you can then book and pay to secure your spot (fee $30). You will be sent more information to prepare your pitch and maximise your chances of success.

NOTE: PITCH SESSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

📒

SPEAKERS: Lou Johnson

FACILITATOR:

DETAILS:

IF you have a completed manuscript or are well advanced on your book, BAD offers you the opportunity to talk to agent Lou Johnson (Key People Literary Management)  for a short 6-minute pitch session. If you’re at a very early stage of writing this is not for you. A workshop may a better place to start.

Not many slots are available. If you want to be considered, please send in an expression of interest to catherine@badsydney.com with a book outline and a pdf of your manuscript by 25 August at the latest.  We will let you know if you’ve been one of the lucky ones. If so you can then book and pay to secure your spot (fee $30). You will be sent more information to prepare your pitch and maximise your chances of success.

NOTE: PITCH SESSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

🥾

SPEAKERS: Elliot Lindsay

FACILITATOR:

DETAILS:

The Rocks is Australia’s most historic neighbourhood. It has over 200 years of incredible history. Many myths have developed over the years, told by enterprising publicans and tourist-exploiting storytellers. However, the truth is much more incredible than the fiction. On this walking tour, you will explore the old laneways and shoreline with true crime historian Elliot Lindsay to uncover the tales of murderers, smugglers, bandits, gangs, and bodies in cellars. 

NOTE: Start at the Customs House courtyard opposite the light rail.

🖋️

TUTOR: Candice Fox

DETAILS:

NOTE: THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL. WAITING LIST ONLY.

🖋️

TUTOR: Duncan McNab

🖋️

DETAILS:

NOTE: THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL. WAITING LIST ONLY.

SPEAKERS: Roberta Ivers

DETAILS:

If you have a completed manuscript or are well advanced on your book, BAD offers you the opportunity to talk to fiction publisher Roberta Ivers (HarperCollins) for a short 6-minute pitch session. If you’re at a very early stage of writing this is not for you. A workshop may a better place to start.

Not many slots are available. If you want to be considered, please send in an expression of interest to catherine@badsydney.com with a book outline and a pdf of your manuscript by 25 August at the latest.  We will let you know if you’ve been one of the lucky ones. If so you can then book and pay to secure your spot (fee $30). You will be sent more information to prepare your pitch and maximise your chances of success.

NOTE: PITCH SESSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

SPEAKERS: Abigail Nathan

DETAILS:

If you have a completed manuscript or are well advanced on your book, BAD offers you the opportunity to talk to agent Abigail Nathan (Alex Adsett Literary) for a short 6-minute pitch session. If you’re at a very early stage of writing this is not for you. A workshop may a better place to start.

Not many slots are available. If you want to be considered, please send in an expression of interest to catherine@badsydney.com with a book outline and a pdf of your manuscript by 25 August at the latest.  We will let you know if you’ve been one of the lucky ones. If so you can then book and pay to secure your spot (fee $30). You will be sent more information to prepare your pitch and maximise your chances of success.

NOTE: PITCH SESSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

SPEAKERS: Juliet Rogers

DETAILS:

IF you have a completed manuscript or are well advanced on your book, BAD offers you the opportunity to talk to fiction publisher Juliet Rogers (Echo Publishing) for a short 6-minute pitch session. If you’re at a very early stage of writing this is not for you. A workshop may a better place to start.

Not many slots are available. If you want to be considered, please send in an expression of interest to catherine@badsydney.com with a book outline and a pdf of your manuscript by 25 August at the latest.  We will let you know if you’ve been one of the lucky ones. If so you can then book and pay to secure your spot (fee $30). You will be sent more information to prepare your pitch and maximise your chances of success.

NOTE: PITCH SESSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

SPEAKERS: Tara Wynne

DETAILS:

IF you have a completed manuscript or are well advanced on your book, BAD offers you the opportunity to talk to agents Tara Wynne (Curtis Brown) for a short 6-minute pitch session. If you’re at a very early stage of writing this is not for you. A workshop may a better place to start.

Not many slots are available. If you want to be considered, please send in an expression of interest to catherine@badsydney.com with a book outline and a pdf of your manuscript by 25 August at the latest.  We will let you know if you’ve been one of the lucky ones. If so you can then book and pay to secure your spot (fee $30). You will be sent more information to prepare your pitch and maximise your chances of success.

NOTE: PITCH SESSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

SPEAKERS: Vanessa Radnidge

DETAILS:

IF you have a completed manuscript or are well advanced on your book, BAD offers you the opportunity to talk to fiction publisher Vanessa Radnidge (Hachette) for a short 6-minute pitch session. If you’re at a very early stage of writing this is not for you. A workshop may a better place to start.

Not many slots are available. If you want to be considered, please send in an expression of interest to catherine@badsydney.com with a book outline and a pdf of your manuscript by 25 August at the latest.  We will let you know if you’ve been one of the lucky ones. If so you can then book and pay to secure your spot (fee $30). You will be sent more information to prepare your pitch and maximise your chances of success.

NOTE: PITCH SESSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

SPEAKERS: Lou Johnson

DETAILS:

IF you have a completed manuscript or are well advanced on your book, BAD offers you the opportunity to talk to agent Lou Johnson (Key People Literary Management)  for a short 6-minute pitch session. If you’re at a very early stage of writing this is not for you. A workshop may a better place to start.

Not many slots are available. If you want to be considered, please send in an expression of interest to catherine@badsydney.com with a book outline and a pdf of your manuscript by 25 August at the latest.  We will let you know if you’ve been one of the lucky ones. If so you can then book and pay to secure your spot (fee $30). You will be sent more information to prepare your pitch and maximise your chances of success.

NOTE: PITCH SESSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.
BAD Merch

FOR THE FIRST TIME

BAD is selling
Official Merchandise!

If you’ve already got your tickets to the 2024 festival, then you can now buy your very own BAD t-shirt and a BAD tote bag to match – extra spacious and handy for carrying multiple books at once.

 

Any BAD t-shirts and BAD tote bags ordered must be picked up on the days of the BAD Festival at the ticketing desk.

BAD T-shirts (black with the BAD logo) – $25 (Sizes S, M, L & XL)

BAD Tote bags (with the BAD logo) – $15

VIEW OUR BAD SYDNEY 2024

HIGHLIGHTS