The dream has come true. You're a published author!

But what happens after the happily ever after? How do you survive post-publication day? How do you keep up momentum for your second (and third, and fourth) books? And how, in a world where author incomes are shrinking, do you keep paying the rent?

Today's authors don't just need to be good with words - they need to be event planners, public speakers, marketers and sales people. These are all skills that you need to learn - and we're here to help teach you.

We're Non Pratt, author of Trouble and Remix and ex-comissioning editor at Catnip Publishing, and Robin Stevens, author of the Murder Most Unladylike Mysteries and ex-assistant editor at Egmont. We're full-time authors who have spent years as part of the publishing industry, so we know exactly what you and your publisher are going through.

In this session we'll aim to explain all the different parts of an author's day job, and help you navigate every pitfall you may face, from 300 twelve year olds in an auditorium to one bad Goodreads review. We'll help you become the kind of confident, prepared and clued-up author you need to be to survive the world of children's books and emerge triumphant with that coveted second (and even third!) book deal.

• The launch and beyond: what happens post-publication
  
• Selling yourself: how to help your book
  
• Making money: how do authors do it?
  
• The bad and the ugly: how to cope with inevitable disappointment
• Keeping up momentum: landing that second book deal
  

This event is aimed at helping authors who have a contract with publishers, whether they are already published or on the journey to publication. Everyone is welcome, though!

(Batnon & Robin logo by Marty Cleary)