The Long Road: Authors Share Their Journeys to Publication

Join authors Aaron Shulman, Dinesh Thiru, and Amy V. Borg, along with literary agent Maria Cardona Serra (ACM), to discuss the many various paths that can lead to a traditional book deal. Whether you’re just starting to explore the craft of writing or have been on the journey toward publication for years, this talk will provide valuable insights on the book industry and the process of getting published.

This free event includes an audience Q&A.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Half-Filipino, half-Maltese, Amy V. Borg has spent her life slipping between countries and continents. She currently authors fantasy novels and short stories for both children and adults, as well as select short non-fiction, all while editing other people’s books and running writing events and workshops in the city of Barcelona. Her work has been shortlisted for both the inaugural Gollancz Rivers of London Award (now the Future Worlds Prize) and the Penguin WriteNow Mentorship, and she has just signed the contract for her debut book deal.

Maria Cardona Serra started her career at the Schavelzon Agency in 2010 and joined the Pontas Agency in 2014. She has a BA in Translation and Interpreting and a BA in Linguistics, both from the Pompeu Fabra University, as well as a Masters in Publishing (IDEC). She is a 2015 Frankfurt Fellow, a 2021 Taipei Rights Workshop Fellow, and a 2022 Torino Book Fair Fellow. She lives in Barcelona, where she focuses on upmarket and literary fiction by authors who write in English and Spanish. Her clients include 2020 Booker finalist Avni Doshi, Alana S. Portero, JJ Bola, Elena Medel, Ayesha Harruna Attah, and Mariane Pearl, among many others.

Aaron Shulman is the author of the non-fiction narrative The Age of Disenchantments: The Epic Story of Spain’s Most Notorious Literary Family and the Long Shadow of the Spanish Civil War (Ecco/HarperCollins, 2019). A former Fulbright scholar, his work has appeared in The New York Times, The Believer, The New Republic, The Wall Street Journal, and El País, among many other places. He is the co-owner of the book-collaboration agency Splash Literary, which works with authors, agents, and publishers on nonfiction books.

Dinesh Thiru is a writer and dad living in Barcelona. His debut novel, Into the Sunken City (HarperCollins, 2024), received starred reviews from: Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, School Library Journal, and BookPage. Dinesh is half-Indian, half-white. He grew up in the States, and he married his college sweetheart from the University of Pennsylvania. When not writing, Dinesh enjoys reading, karaoke, the ocean, and walking around.