Although we had a fantastic day, October’s in-person festival will differ from the 26th April 2026 Festival by concentrating on the nuts and bolts of publishing rather than genres.

The sessions will cover of the topics below, each panel consisting of four authors (different to April’s), plus a moderator (also authors): Morgen Bailey will be on the 10am: editing panel but hands-off thereafter.

Following feedback from our first festival, we have fewer panels (five instead of eight) lasting longer (40 minutes instead of 30 minutes Q&A including audience questions plus a five-minute reading from each of the four author on each panel) before the 30-minute break to buy/sign books and network. All the books wlll be available all day from our bookshop so you won’t have to wait until after each panel as there will be a separate signing area.

We were also told that some panels were too big (too many authors). I had planned no more than four authors but some had five or six, perhaps too much for a 30-minute overview. It was difficult enough to say ‘no’ to authors when the panels were full but there were authors I’d particularly wanted and they’d taken so long to come back to me that their panels had already officially filled.

So this October’s event will have five panels of four authors (some of whom are also experts in a given field) so twenty panellists in total. All the panel spaces are booked up already (sorry!) but we will have authors in the audience (purchasing the £15 all-day tickets) as well as readers from the Aylesbury area and beyond. A wonderful day for everyone.

If you do miss out on being a panel there are plenty of opportunities online – see the Calendar page for details.

Next April’s event will be different to this year with eight novelists (over two panels), four children’s authors (on one panel), four poets/short story authors (on one panel), and four non-fiction authors (on one panel) ~ twenty self-published authors total, some of whom will moderate some of the panels.

Within the topics, the authors/experts will be talking about the importance of each step, the service the expert provides (if applicable), what the author should provide to the expert, and anything else they think of.

Sunday 4th October 2026 (Aylesbury, UK) will run like this… 

• 7.30am: Morgen and Tim (husband and bookshop manager!) arrive;
• 8-9am: the authors will arrive with their books for the bookshop. They’re then free to spend the day watching the panels they’re not involved in, network and buy other authors’ books!;
• from 9am: ticket holders (the public and non-panel authors) will arrive.
• 9.40am: Morgen will do the housekeeping
• 9.45am: a 15-minute reading/performance by Dawn the Poet leading to…

• 10am: editing panel: you’ve finished your book, you’ve had someone you trust to go through it so now you’re ready for a professional to go through it, and get it ready for publication.
• Moderator Morgen or David (tbc): as editing is SPBF founder Morgen Bailey‘s day job so this is the only panel she’ll appear on, leaving her available to oversee the rest of the day. The four guest authors on this panel will include: Alastair McIver, David Wake, and Greer Glover. One author tba.

11am: there will then be a 30-minute break to buy books, have them signed and network.

• 11.30am: cover design, illustrations and book formatting panel ~ when you know what your book is finished (before or while the editor has it) you want to think about your cover, and any illustrations you might like inside, especially if you’re creating a children’s book or graphic novel. When it’s ready, how do you want the inside to look? What software might be used? This is the panel for that stage.
• Moderator: tba. The four guest authors on this panel will be Damiano Polcaro, Ella Hamilton, Jane Killick and Paul Gitsham.

12.30pm: there will then be a 45-minute break to buy books, have them signed and network, and have lunch!

• 1.15pm: Science-fiction, fantasy, cosy mystery, thriller and comedy author David Wake will be launching his latest book! Leading into…
• 1.30pm: what else do you need before your book is published? ~ this panel will be looking at what else is needed, i.e. what price will you charge? What should your blurb look like?
• Moderator: tba. The four guest authors on this panel will include: Guy Gratton and three authors tba.

2.30pm: there will then be a 30-minute break to buy books, have them signed and network.

• 3pm: publishing ~ you have your edited/formatted book and cover with all the information you need to proceed… how do you publish it? Do you do it yourself via Amazon’s KDP, Draft2Digital (who helps go wide), or each platform individually (i.e. Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo etc.) or hire someone to do those processes for you then give you full control thereafter. They will also talk about ‘vanity’ publishing. Self-publishing publishers will only do the work for you that you would do. You would retain all your rights, be able to access your Amazon bookshelf, be paid your royalties directly rather than via the publisher etc.
• Moderator: tba. The four guest authors on this panel will include: Deborah E Wilson, Lesley Bootiman and two authors tba.

4pm: there will then be a 30-minute break to buy books, have them signed and network

• 4.30pm: marketing/advertising inc. social media, website design etc. ~ you’re ready to tell the world about your book. How much of an online presence do you need? Do you need a website or is social media enough? Which social media platforms should you be on? What should you do on them? What are blog tours? Should you go out in the real world too?
• Moderator: tba. The four guest authors on this panel will include: HJ Furl, Phil Oddy and two authors tba.

5.30pm: there will then be a 30-minute break to buy books, have them signed and network

• 6pm: Morgen will then close the festival.
• We will have some clearing up to do but might go to the pub thereafter…

So the panels are:

• 10am: editing panel
• 11.30am: cover design, illustrations and book formatting panel
• 1.30pm: what else do you need before your book is published?
• 3pm: publishing
• 4.30pm: marketing/advertising inc. social media, website design etc.

And the twenty panellists are…

1. Psychological thriller novelist Alastair McIver (10am: editing panel)
2. Science-fiction dystopian novelist Adam Young (with Martin J Wheelan)
3. Crime novelist, graphic designer and marketing expert Damiano Polcaro (11.30am: design panel)
4. Science-fiction, fantasy, cosy mystery, thriller and comedy author David Wake (10am: editing panel). David will be launching his latest books at the festival at 1.15pm!
5. Crime/thriller author Dan Burford
6. Poet Dawn the Poet (9.45am: poetry performance)
7. Gothic/historical novelist Deborah E Wilson (3pm: publishing panel)
8. Romance novelist Ella Hamilton (11.30am: design panel)
9. Multi-genre author (fiction and non-fiction), editor and writing coach Greer Glover (10am: editing panel)
10. Non-fiction and aviation-related crime thriller author Guy Gratton (1.30pm: what else? panel)
11. Multi-genre short story author HJ Furl (4.30pm: marketing panel)
12. Multi-genre author Jane Killick (11.30am: design panel)
13. Multi-genre author and poet Karl W Newton
14. Historical, crime and romance novelist Janet Pywell
15. Multi-genre author Lesley Bootiman (3pm: publishing panel)
16. ‘Dark’ novelist and music non-fiction collaborator Martin Tracey
17. Science-fiction dystopian novelist Martin J Wheelan (with Adam Young)
18. Crime novelist Paul Gitsham (11.30am: design panel)
19. Science fiction/fantasy novelist and marketing expert Phil Oddy (4.30pm: marketing panel)
20. Historical non-fiction author Tony Ferguson.

 

New to Self-Pub Fest? If you are a self-published author and would like to take part in any of the other all-day festivals (FULL-DAY (In Person) or FULL-DAY (Online)) or are traditionally (or un-)published or reader and would like to take part in the mini-fests listed on the Calendar page, please see the Participate page.