Find some of the most commonly asked questions here.
It depends on whether you are a member of SCBWI or not, and what extras you want to sign up for. But the basic rates are the following: SCBWI Member £270 Non-Members £300 There are other optional extras, Friday Night social at £25 (including one drink, food then a cash bar); 1-1 Professional Reviews bookable through this website £40. You must book these tickets separately. The Saturday Night Dinner and MBL party are included in your conference ticket. See those events for costings below. You MUST book a ticket by clicking on the BOOK NOW! button. This is NOT a free event! You will be required to show proof of purchase before being admitted to this event. No refunds. Programme is subject to change without notice.
Conference bookings open in September. To book the conference click on our ‘Book tickets’ links on the website. Select which tickets you require. Members may be asked to show proof of Membership (Member reference number) on arrival. If you are not a SCBWI member, consider joining now to gain the Conference discount. Once you have booked your Conference Ticket (or at the same time as you book your Conference Ticket) you will then be eligible to book a 1-1 Review session with one of our fabulous agent/publisher reviewers. Please follow the 1-1 booking instructions on the website carefully. Once you have booked your chosen 1-1 slot we will be unable to accept any changes or give refunds for cancellations.
Bookings for 1-1 reviews will open at 7pm on Monday 11 September. If you are an author, illustrator or author-illustrator who would like a face-to-face critique session with an industry professional please do your research BEFORE bookings open. Reading the biographies and extra information on the 1-1 page of the website will help you decide which Agent, Editor, Publisher, Art Director or Designer you would most like to book with. Appointments are currently limited to one slot per delegate, sold on a first-come, first-served basis and must be booked in advance. Cost is £40 . No changes or refunds will be given. You MUST book a conference ticket first to secure a 1-1 slot. To increase the likelihood of your booking going through, please make sure your device is running the most up-to-date operating system. If you experience any problems, swapping your browser from Safari to Chrome may also help. Once you have booked your session please follow the submission guidelines.Writer’s review booking and submission deadlines are 15th October.
Yes! We held back 1-1 sessions for our first month of bookings to ensure as many people as possible had an opportunity to book one. Now we have opened up bookings for everyone to select.
Breakouts are when the audience splits up to attend professional events that happen concurrently. You can choose your preferred sessions on this website by registering for free. These choices will be saved in your SCBWI Member Home. Sessions will be for Writers, Illustrators, Newbies and PULSE. Yeah, we know it’s really hard to choose. Please note the Conference is NOT free. You MUST purchase a ticket.
Bookings for conference tickets remains open till 2330 GMT on 25th October 2023. If you want to book a 1-1 Review for authors, Illustrators or Picture Books please see the information on the 1-1 Review pages page and make your booking before September 30th 2023. See full details of our Key dates and Costs
You must organise your own accommodation and transportation. Lunch and coffee breaks are part of the conference fee as well as a drink and dinner at the party on Saturday night. The booking form will enable you to tailor what you opt into. The following are additional costs which are not included in the conference fee: Friday night social and welcome party for early arrivers £25. 1-1 Portfolio or Manuscript Review – £40 members (£45 for non-members) Saturday Night party and Mass Book Launch is included in your conference ticket. Additional plus ones are £50 each.
We are very sorry you can no longer attend. Unfortunately, as we’re sure you understand, SCBWI is a non-profit charity and the Conference is carefully budgeted and planned ahead of time - so we are unable to offer refunds Please contact conference@britishscbwi.org if you have any queries.
There are plenty of places to stay in Manchester, depending on your budget. Public transport is decent. Top tip: the committee and some of the speakers will be staying at the Hyatt House Hotel, which is a short walk to the conference venue and where the bar is being kept open until late.
This year's conference hotel partner is the Hyatt Hotel Manchester. They are delighted to offer a discounted rate on their hotel rooms to the first 30 SCBWI conference delegates who book a room with them or Friday 3rd November and/or Saturday 4th November. Discounted cost for a Single is £150 / Double £165 inc. VAT and buffet breakfast. There is an additional city visitor charge of £1.20 per room. When you have secured your delegate ticket you will be sent a confirmation email which will include a SCBWI Hotel Discount Code. When these 30 rooms have been booked this offer will end, sorry if you have missed it! This reservation Code can only be used when booking through Hyatt Hotel Manchester website, they will not take discounted reservations on the phone. On the Hyatt.com website, delegates will need to click on the Hyatt Regency property, select the date and add the discount code in the ‘Corporate and Group Code’ section and you will be able to book directly the discounted rate online. Discount code valid until 16th October
Info on Friday Fringe is to come! Please check back soon.
No! The SCBWI volunteers who deliver conferences and other events do not get paid. There are perks; the hard working conference team for example attend the conference for free. Network heads and various volunteers get discounts. But mainly we volunteer because we like what we do and we like being around people who love children’s books, as we do. Oh, and we do get to interact with the attending editors and agents at each conference.