What are the deadlines I should be aware of?
If you have an All-Access ticket, the following tasks need to be completed by May 18th 2026:
• One-to-One bookings (deadline 10am BST)
• One-to-One file uploads (deadline 1pm BST)
• Gala Dinner menu selections for Saturday/Weekend ticketholders (deadline 1pm BST)
• Friday Night Live entries for Saturday/Weekend ticketholders (deadline 1pm BST)
All attendees with an All-Access or Workshop Pass ticket should book any workshops or panels before attending the Festival, as you will be registered at the workshop door. Workshop attendance is first-come, first-served, so we recommend booking in as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
After purchasing your ticket, you will be able to access a
to-do list with a countdown to our main booking deadline on the booking platform.
What sort of ticket should I buy? Are there any payment plans available?
We have two different ticket types available: All-Access Pass and Workshop Pass. You can purchase each of these ticket types as a single-day ticket (Saturday or Sunday) or for the full weekend.
An instalment plan is available through PayPal – Pay in 3.
You can also purchase optional Ticket Insurance to protect the cost of your ticket in the event that you need to cancel for reasons of illness, injury, bereavement, unexpected work commitments, or travel disruptions outside of your control.
Can I see which sessions are available before I buy my ticket?
You can view all upcoming workshops on the
Agenda page of the booking platform before purchasing your ticket. When you purchase your ticket, you'll be prompted to add workshops to your at the same time, so we recommend looking at the Agenda and noting down any you're interested in before heading to checkout. Workshops which are not available to book will be shown as Sold Out. You can change your workshop bookings after purchasing your ticket (see below for more information).
While you can view the full list of participating industry professionals on the
One-to-One page, their availability will not be shown before purchase, so please get in touch if you would like to check this. Sessions are first-come, first-served, but we are offering a range of sessions with agents, publishing editors, book doctors and other industry professionals across the weekend, so all All-Access Pass ticketholders will have the opportunity to make a booking.
I want to buy a ticket but I'm not ready to book my workshops yet – what should I do?
When purchasing your ticket, you will be asked at checkout to select workshops. We recommend booking these as far in advance as possible, since due to limitations on room capacity, we cannot guarantee that sessions will remain available to book.
However, you can choose to skip this step and book your workshops later, if you prefer. You can find more information on how to do this in the related FAQ: '
Can I change my bookings?'
Due to room capacity limitations, we cannot guarantee admission to any workshop which you have not pre-booked. Booking in advance is the only way to ensure that you will be able to attend workshops of interest to you, so please make your selections carefully. For more information, please see the related FAQ: '
Can I attend a workshop or One-to-One if I have not pre-booked?'
I have access needs. Can these be accommodated?
The venue is equipped with step-free access to the building and to all rooms used for the Festival. There is a wheelchair-friendly lift that is designated specifically for festival attendees (general hotel guests are not permitted to use it) and we will be advising all attendees to allow those with accessibility needs to use the lift first.
I have dietary needs. Can these be accommodated?
Lunches will be served buffet-style and will cover a wide range of dietary needs. Venue staff will be available if you have any questions about the buffet options.
Tea and coffee will be served through the weekend. In addition to dairy milk, non-dairy milk alternatives will be provided during tea and coffee services.
If you would like to attend the Gala Dinner (with a Saturday or Weekend All-Access ticket), you will be asked to submit your dietary needs and select a menu in advance. You will need to ensure that all saved dietary information is correct by 1pm (BST) on May 18th 2026, as we will be passing all information to the venue after this deadline.
What are One-to-One sessions?
One-to-One sessions are 15-minute live feedback sessions with an industry professional (e.g. a literary agent, publisher or book doctor). They are available to ticketholders with an All-Access Pass. Single-day All-Access Pass ticketholders are entitled to one session while Full Weekend All-Access Pass ticketholders are entitled to two sessions, one on each day.
One-to-One sessions must be booked by
10am BST on May 18th 2026. After this deadline, it will not be possible to book a One-to-One session. You can find out more about booking your One-to-One in the following FAQ article: '
Booking a Festival One-to-One'.
In advance of your One-to-One session, you will usually be asked to submit documents for your chosen industry professional to review. While the submission requirements will vary between different genres and different industry professionals, most sessions will require you to submit a query letter, a synopsis, and the first 5000 pages of your manuscript. These documents are required no later than
1pm BST on May 18th 2026. You can view more information about One-to-One document requirements in the following FAQ article: '
One-to-One file uploads'.
What is Friday Night Live (but on a Saturday)?
Friday Night Live (but on a Saturday) is our flagship competition held during the Gala Dinner at London Festival of Writing on Saturday, June 13th 2026. The competition is open to Saturday and Weekend All-Access ticketholders.
In advance of the London Festival of Writing, eligible ticketholders may submit one 500-word writing sample in any genre. The deadline for submissions is 1pm BST on May 18th 2026.
Six finalists will be invited to read their entry aloud on stage at the competition finale, in front of a panel of literary agents who will give feedback. The final decision will come down to the audience, who will choose their favourite entry by popular vote. The winner will receive a Manuscript Assessment, lifetime membership, and a 30-minute online Agent One-to-One session.