Due to overwhelming demand and limited places, we've scheduled an introduction to international rights webinar on 24 August for those who missed out on this program, which we hope to run again in future.

Get ready to re-engage with international publishers, guided by one of Australia’s most experienced rights managers. This is a unique opportunity for early-career professionals working in publishing and literary agenting to learn about the entire rights selling process, delivered through targeted webinars and one-on-one mentoring.

Nerrilee Weir, Senior Rights Manager at Penguin Random House, will take attendees through the full cycle of selling rights across four hour-long webinars and two hours of one-on-one mentoring. 

Aimed at supporting those preparing for Frankfurt Book Fair in October, the first three sessions will cover the basics of understanding the rights available and researching relevant markets, as well as the practicalities of creating catalogues, building networks and pitching at both in-person and online rights fairs. 

Following Frankfurt, the final session will take attendees right through the remaining stages of the process in assessing offers, drafting contracts, and exploring opportunities for year-round rights sales.

This course is designed for those in junior rights roles, or those with responsibility for rights alongside their existing role – including literary agents – to gain skills and knowledge in establishing a strong international network and selling the work of Australian creators globally.  

Dates

The four one-hour webinars will take place on the following dates, with two one-hour one-on-one mentoring sessions to be arranged individually either side of Frankfurt Book Fair. 

• Thursday 28 July 11.30am (AEST) – Introduction to rights
• Thursday 25 Aug 11.30am (AEST) – Market research & book fair preparations
• Monday 5 Sept 11.30am (AEST) – Pitching & follow-ups
• Thursday 24 Nov 11.30am (AEDT) – Offers, contracts & year-round rights selling

Cost

• $100 for staff of APA member companies
• $100 for staff of Australian Literary Agents’ Association member companies
• $250 for non-members

All prices exclude GST.

This course is heavily subsidised by the Australia Council for the Arts, and attendees will be invoiced on their successful application, details below. 

About Nerrilee Weir

Nerrilee Weir is the Senior Rights Manager at Penguin Random House Australia. Nerrilee has been selling rights since 1998 and is responsible for selling rights in both the adult and children’s lists in all markets outside of Australia and New Zealand. Nerrilee handles English language rights sales (North America and the United Kingdom), translation rights sales, and film, television and audio rights. She is involved in the process from the initial pitch through to negotiation of offers and finalising of contracts. 

Nerrilee is a veteran of more than 40 book fairs including Frankfurt, London, Bologna, Taipei and Guadalajara, as well as undertaking sales trips to specific markets including North America and other markets. 

In association with the Australia Council for the Arts, Austrade and the Australian Publishers Association, Nerrilee was the Project Leader for the Australian presence at the Taipei International Book Exhibition for ten years (2007-2016) as well as Project Leader for publishing delegations to Korea (2016 and 2017) and China (2017). 

Nerrilee is the former Chair, Arts Practice, Market and Audience Development, Australia Council for the Arts.

Application process

Places are limited, and priority will be given to applicants with limited or no book fair experience. The commitment of time to attend all webinars and one-on-ones is essential for this opportunity. 

Please include a brief career biography and overview of your rights-selling plans when completing the event registration process.

Selection criteria will be based on timeliness and relevance of the training to your organisation and stage of career.

Applications close Thursday 7 July, and successful applicants will be informed by Wednesday 13 July.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.

The APA and the Australia Council encourage applications from people who identify as First Nations, from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with disabilities and people living in regional and remote areas. We actively work with individuals to support access needs and encourage applicants to contact us to discuss this further. 

Any questions around this training should be sent to Andrea Hanke at [email protected] or via phone 02 9281 9788.

Event applications & bookings are now closed