This July, QUAD in Derby brings together a host of leading science fiction, fantasy and horror writing for Edge-Lit, an exciting new day event for one of the city’s leading venues. The ideal day out for fans, readers and aspiring writers of genre fiction, Edge-Lit gathers together over thirty authors, agents and speakers for a wide range of workshops, panels, readings and much more.

There are many more leading names to be announced for the event, with the first two Guests of Honour for the 2012 event confirmed as Christopher Fowler and Geoff Ryman.

Christopher Fowler is a multiple award-winning author with thirty novels and twelve short story collections to his name. He is best-known for his Bryant and May mystery novels, with his most recent title in the series being Bryant and May and the Memory of Blood. Christopher has also written a number of successful thrillers, as well as the highly succesful graphic novel Menz Insana. His other credits include creating the War of the Worlds video game for Paramount, as well as running a successful film marketing company and writing for TV and film stars such as Kenneth Williams, Michael Caine, Pierce Brosnan, Leslie Neilsen and the stars of Monty Python.

Geoff Ryman is an acclaimed author of science-fiction and fantasy, with his most recent title, The King’s Last Song, drawing stellar reviews. Other leading titles include Was…, Lust and Air, with his novels having claimed a host of awards including the British Science Fiction Award, World Fantasy Award, Arthur C. Clarke Award, The Philip K. Dick Award and many more. He is also a lecturer in Creative Writing at Manchester University.

Edge-Lit runs from 10am – midnight on Saturday 14 July 2012, with tickets just £25, including access to all activities on the day. For more information, and to book your tickets, visit the website HERE

BFS members Peter Coleborn and Jan Edwards will be running a writers’ workshop from 18 – 20 May 2012 at Westview Guesthouse, near Hay-on-Wye, the town that is built on books. The course runs for the entire weekend, and is all-inclusive with accommodation, meals and tuition included in the price.

Participants are invited to pre-submit up to 2,000 words of fiction (a short story or the start of a novel, but no poetry), for one-to-one feedback on Friday evening.

For full details, including how to book, please visit the website HERE

Polluto Magazine is seeking submissions of fiction on the theme “Witchfinders vs The Evil Red” (an explanation as to what that might mean is given in the submission guidelines).

Polluto is an award-winning literary magazine from Dog Horn Publishing. They state: “Don’t give us typical genre fantasy or horror. We want stories that are out of the ordinary, surreal and twisted, or laced with dark, wicked humour. We want angry voices, new voices, voices that want to toy with the reader and teach them something new and exciting. Take us to dark places, dirty places, and show us things to make us giggle, gasp or gag. All submissions must have a countercultural element. By this we mean an engagement with, challenging of, or subverting of popular cultures and ideologies.”

The submission window for the next issue closes on 31 March 2012, or when the issue is full. For submission guidelines please visit the website HERE

Inkspill Magazine are currently inviting genre submissions (throughout February 2012).

They state: “We are looking for short stories, poetry, articles and art relating to fantasy, science fiction, horror… and anything in between. We want to read fresh, original ideas, or classic ideas reinvented. Be part of a special issue and celebrate the diversity and imagination of genre.”

Submission information HERE

BFS member Andrew Hook, together with his partner Sophie Essex, have started a new magazine of poetry/prose/short fiction entitled Fur-Lined Ghettos. They are now seeking submissions. The magazine won’t be genre-specific so please look at the guidelines before making a submission.

They state: “We enjoy the surreal, the absurd, the nonsensical, the complicated, the simple, the truth, the lies, the complexity of words, the ecstasy of genius, the delightful power we find in the spaces between and dancing at the discothèque.”

More information can be found HERE

2012 sees the first Discover Festival taking place at Snibston Discovery Museum, Coalville, Leicestershire.  The event runs from Friday 18 – Sunday 20 May 2012 and includes access to a host of activities in the fields of science-fiction, fantasy and horror. Joining previously announced Guest of Honour Peter F. Hamilton, further Guests of Honour will be Graham Masterton and Jon Courtenay Grimwood. Other attending authors include Mark Chadbourn, Adam Christopher, A.J. Dalton, Tom Fletcher, Andrew Hook, Kim Lakin-Smith, Paul Magrs, Lou Morgan, Gav Thorpe and Conrad Williams, among others.

Peter F. Hamilton began writing in 1987 and sold his first short story to Fear magazine in 1988. His novels include the Greg Mandel series and the Night’s Dawn trilogy. His most recent novels are Fallen Dragon, Misspent Youth, Pandora’s Star, Judas Unchained and the Void trilogy.

Graham Masterton is a renowned horror author whose career was launched with the wildly successful The Manitou in 1976. Since then he has written over one-hundred titles, taking in not only horror but also thrillers, disaster novels and historical sagas.  Recent releases include The Pariah, Mirror and Family Portrait through Hammer Books, a leading name in the field of horror.

Jon Courtenay Grimwood is an acclaimed fantasy and science fiction novelist, and twice a winner of the prestigious BSFA Award for Best Novel. He is also an established newspaper writer, having published articles and reviews in The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph and The Independent. His latest series, the Assassini, continues with the release of The Outcast Blade in May.

Tickets for the festival include access to a host of activities throughout. There will be a wide range of author readings, panels, writing workshops and much more featuring some of the leading writers, editors and agents in genre fiction. Tickets cost £45 and cover all activities over the weekend – for booking and more information visit the website HERE

The Annual Conference of Verulam Writers’ Circle, St Albans

Featuring an array of influential and creative people in the UK publishing business, offering talks, workshops, seminars and a lot of networking. Returning for their 4th year are our hugely popular 3 and 5 minute pitches direct to leading agents and editors. But this year there is more: for a small extra fee you will be able to book a 10 minute face time appointment during Get Writing 2012.

- Guests include writers, editors and publishers’ representatives such as: Adrian Chamberlain, Donna Condon, Helen Corner, Philippa Pride, Michael Rowley, Toby Frost and the BFS’s own Lee Harris

- A vast range of workshops, from non-fiction writing with David Lindo to fantasy writing with Suzanne McLeod and M.D. Lachlan

- Get Writing Cup Short Story Competition with a prize of critique from Cornerstones Literary Consultancy, a cup and £50, plus the chance to have the story published on the National Short Story Week website

When: Saturday February 11th 2012
Venue: De Havilland Campus of the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield, Hertfordshire
Cost: £55

Visit the website HERE

Horror For Good is a horror anthology for charity, with 100% of the proceeds going to amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research.

Submissions of previously unpublished horror stories are invited by 15 December 2011. Read the full submission guidelines HERE

Screaming Dreams and Noose & Gibbet are proud to announce a joint project, simply called The Year. It will be published in 2013 and be edited by Johnny Mains and Steve Upham. This will be an anthology which will showcase the very best writings in Crime, Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy. Fifty-two stories, one for each week of the year…

This project is now open for submissions and while we are mainly focused on new, original fiction, there will be three classic reprints from each genre from different periods in that particular field’s history.

As the budget for the publishers will be rather taxing, payment will be £10 and a copy of the finished book. Stories will have to be no more than 3,000 words in length. If you’re a horror writer but have always wanted to write a crime tale, give it a shot – if you’re a die-hard sci-fi scribe, why not jump into the land of orcs and magic talismans. What will NOT get into the book are mash-ups, emotive vampires and sadly there will be no room at the inn for zombies. Try and stay away from the drunk, emotionally scarred detective and steampunk shenanigans. TV and film related spin off stories will also be a no-go.

The deadline will be 1 July 2012 – this will give you enough time to think of a story, write it and send it in. In the subject box put your name, title of the story and its genre. You will be notified whether you are in the book by 1 September 2012. No multiple submissions allowed and the date for all authors to sign off their individual stories will be 1 February 2013 with the book being published at the World Fantasy Convention in Brighton 31 October – 3 November 2013. Due to prohibitive postage costs in sending out contributor copies, story submissions will only be accepted from authors residing in the UK. Payment and contributor copies will be sent out the week of Monday 13 November 2013 unless authors are in attendance at the convention.

All submissions and enquiries to theyearanthology [at] gmail [dot] com

For full details see the dedicated website

“Authonomy is a writing community site for writers, readers and publishers, conceived and developed by book editors at HarperCollins. They aim to flush out the brightest, freshest new literature around.

If you’re a writer, authonomy is the place to show your face – and show off your writing on the web. Whether you’re unpublished, self-published, looking to get published, or just getting started, all you need is a few chapters to start building your profile online, and start connecting with the authonomy writing community.

And if you’re a reader, blogger publisher or agent, authonomy is for you too. The book world is kept alive by those who search out, digest and spread the word about the best new books – authonomy invites you to join its community, champion the best new writing and build a personal profile that really reflects your tastes, opinions and talent-spotting skills.

Authonomy are now thrilled to announce that they will be launcing a digital publishing programme dedicated to authonomy’s best authors! The books will be hand-picked by the authonomy Editorial Board, worked on by HarperCollins’ finest publishing teams, and published as HarperCollins digital originals across all possible devices.  This new HarperCollins list will look to publish one book a month, starting in January 2012. Most importantly, all of the titles will have been discovered on the authonomy.com website and will be published digital originals. The bestselling titles will go on to have print editions.”