Trapeze imprint launches with New Voices 'festival'

Trapeze, one of Orion’s newest imprints, is holding a week-long series of events to celebrate its official launch, featuring authors including Madeleine Shaw, Rubyetc, David Barnett and Daniel Cole.

Trapeze New Voices Week will take place 3rd - 8th October, with events to coincide with Super Thursday and Books Are My Bag Bookshop Day on 8th October. They include a "New Voices Day" at Waterstones Deansgate, and a panel event on "How To Build Your Online Brand" at Twitter UK.

The Twitter UK event will begin the week with a session on "How To Build Your Online Brand", featuring authors Madeleine Shaw, Rubyetc, Lizzie Loves Healthy and publisher Anna Valentine. Tickets are £5 and include refreshments and a Trapeze tote bag.

Trapeze authors Madeline Shaw, Daniel Cole and Rubyetc

New Voices Day, taking place on Saturday (8th October), will meanwhile comprise a fiction and non-fiction "bootcamp", tackling pitch, plot and pacing in a workshop called "Shaping Your Novel" with author Sarah J Naughton and editor Sam Eades. In addition, author David Barnett, Cathryn Kemp and editor Emma Smith will be covering the fundamentals in "Writing Nonfiction 101" and a live "slushpile" event will see writers asked to pitch to the Trapeze commissioning team. "Friendly" feedback will afterwards be provided.

Activities will also be taking place across social media platforms Twitter, Facebook and Periscope on a daily basis. The festival will begin each day with "writing motivation" from author-in-residence Isabel Ashdown, a series of #HachetteInsider Q&As with @HachetteCareers, an in-conversation with @HelloIAmMariam, a Twitter Crime Night In event with Laura Dearman, Isabel Ashdown and Sarah J Naughton and finish with a "draw along" and Q&A with Rubyetc.

Sam Eades, senior commissioning editor, said: “We are delighted to launch new imprint Trapeze this Autumn with an exciting series of events aimed at readers and aspiring writers. New voices are so important when building a new imprint, and we are thrilled to be offering a programme of practical and inspiring talks and workshops, from our brand authors and debut novelists, as well as the commissioning team at Orion.”