Tickets are now on sale for the second Romance Writing Festival, taking place on Saturday 3rd October 2026 at the Marsham Court Hotel.

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Here's what's happening:

• Five talks throughout the day focusing on a particular part of the writing journey.

  • Sharon Kendrick, author over 120 Harlequin Mills & Boon romance books, will be giving a talk on getting started.

  • Jeevani Charika will discuss how to get through the messy middle.

  • Gary Dalkin and Sophie Beal reprises their ever-popular editing talk.

  • Alex Thompson, managing director of Trobadour Publishing and The Book Guild, will be exploring self-publishing options.

  • Isabelle Knight, founder of Build Your Author Brand, will be chatting about how you can create your author brand.

• Five panels designed to inspire your romance writing​

  • ​Romance legend Katie Fforde will be in conversation with BBC South's Edward Sault.

  • Sue Moorcroft will be on stage with her agent Juliet Pickering talking about building a bestseller.

  • BBC Music's Fee Mak will be chairing a contemporary panel with Suzan Holder, Liam Livings and Abiela Bello.

  • Nikki Moore and Clare Swatman will be chatting about writing high concept fiction.

  • Janet Gover is back with the hugely popular Slay the Slush Pile where agents will make a snap decision on your writing by listening to a few of your words.

• Evening Networking Event to meet and mingle with other romance writers and writing professionals.​

• Activities including a literary walk of Bournemouth and Beach Walks.

• Plus, everyone gets a Ploughman's lunch, an arrival tea or coffee, a welcome drink at the evening event and a £5 voucher to spend in the bookshop.

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Three Masterclasses

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We have three 90-minute masterclasses in addition to the full programme, including:

• Romantasy author Amy de le Force will lead a masterclass on writing irresistible romantasy.

• Literary agent Saskia Leach will help you get your submission pack sorted.

• Author Lola Jaye will unlock historical fiction for the modern audience.

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Six literary agents

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Book in your 15-minute slot with one of six literary agents.

 

You do not need a ticket to the Romance Writing Festival to book a masterclass or agent 1-2-1.

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Check out the full programme using the yellow link below!