Working Internationally: Writers

Whilst rooted in Scotland, our rich literary sector makes connections across the world in many ways. But taking your work outside of Scotland can be daunting: how do you go about connecting with international audiences and making the most of the resources available to you? Organised by Scottish Books International in partnership with Literature Alliance Scotland, our new Working Internationally events bring together experienced authors and industry professionals to demystify some of the ways in which organisations, festivals, publishers, and writers can work internationally.

Focusing on writers, the second event in the series will discuss ways to increase your international presence as an author and make the most of the resources and opportunities available to you. In conversation with Peggy Hughes, authors Graeme Macrae Burnet (Case Study, His Bloody Project) and Nadine Aisha Jassat (Let Me Tell You This) will share their experience participating in international opportunities and performing their work to audiences worldwide; and Black and White Publishing’s Rights Manager Janne Moller will provide some behind-the-scenes knowledge of rights sales and international opportunities for Scottish books and authors.

Book your spot and join us on Friday, 15 October, 5–6 pm for this free online event.

Co-owned by Publishing Scotland and the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Scottish Books International works on behalf of the literature sector in Scotland and is dedicated to the international promotion of Scottish books, writers, festivals and organisations. You can find out more on our website and follow us on Twitter @ScotBooksInt.

Panel:

Graeme Macrae Burnet was born in Kilmarnock and now lives in Glasgow. He is the author of four novels, The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau, His Bloody Project, The Accident on the A35 and Case Study, which will be published in October 2021. His Bloody Project was shortlisted for the 2016 Man Booker prize, the LA Times Mystery Book of the Year and the European Crime Fiction prize and won the Satire Prize for Fiction and the Vrij Nederland Thriller of the Year. It has been variously described as ‘astonishing,’ ‘fiendishly readable’ and ‘spellbinding’ and has been published in twenty languages. Graeme was named Author of the Year in the 2017 Sunday Herald Culture Awards and has appeared at festivals and events in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Russia, Estonia, Macau, India, Germany, Korea and France, as well as all over the UK. Twitter: @GMacraeBurnet. Websites: www.casestudygmb.com / www.graememacraeburnet.com

Janne Moller is the rights manager at Black & White Publishing. She has spent 20 years in the UK, but currently works from her native Denmark. She has worked as a literary agent, run a writers’ retreat and set up the rights department at Black & White Publishing, where she has worked for the past 16 years.

Nadine Aisha Jassat is the author of Let Me Tell You This. She has been published widely; including in Picador’s It’s Not About the Burqa, 404 Ink’s Nasty Women, and Bloodaxe’s Staying Human. Nadine has performed internationally, including with Edinburgh International Book Festival’s Outriders Africa, and has appeared across media, including BBC’s The Big Scottish Book Club. She has drawn significant acclaim: including winning a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award, and being shortlisted for the Edwin Morgan Poetry Award. Nadine was included in Jackie Kay’s International Literature Showcase selection, with Kay writing: ‘Hers is a powerful, unforgettable new voice.’

Chair:

Peggy Hughes is Programme Director at the National Centre for Writing, a literature house dedicated to the exploration and celebration of the artform of writing based in Norwich. Previously, she worked in various literature organisations in Scotland, including the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Scottish Poetry Library, Literary Dundee at the University of Dundee, and the Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust. Peggy chaired Literature Alliance Scotland, Scotland’s largest network for literature organisations, from 2017 until August 2021 and is now a trustee. She is also on the board for the publishers 404Ink and the charity Open Book Reading, and frequently chairs literary events around the UK.