A one-hour interactive online seminar with literary agent Simon Trewin

30 January at 16:00

All registered participants will be sent a Zoom link via email

When writers think about getting published, their eyes often go straight to the big houses. But that instinct can quietly shut down some of the most interesting and viable routes into print. Small presses remain one of the most overlooked — and misunderstood — parts of the publishing ecosystem.

In this one-hour online seminar, veteran literary agent Simon Trewin looks at why small presses shouldn’t be ignored, and how authors and publishers can engage with them in a more informed, strategic way. Small presses are often highly focused, editorially driven and proudly idiosyncratic. They can be more open to distinctive voices, unconventional projects and books that don’t sit comfortably within mainstream commercial expectations.

Drawing on decades of experience working across the publishing landscape, Trewin will talk through how small presses operate, what motivates them, and what makes a project resonate. Just as importantly, participants will be invited to share their own experiences — good, bad, and baffling — and to ask direct questions about where small presses might fit into their own publishing ambitions.

This is not a lecture, but a conversation: a chance to rethink assumptions, compare notes, and explore how “small” can sometimes offer exactly the kind of attention, commitment and clarity that writers and publishers are looking for.