Getting Published panel FAQs

We can't wait to welcome you to our Getting Published panel, taking place on Wednesday 6 December between 7-8pm. So you can sit back and relax, here's some more information on how to join and get the most out of the panel.

Joining the event

The event will be delivered through Microsoft Teams. For the best experience we recommend that you download the Microsoft Teams app in advance.

To join the event, please click on the URL link that you have been emailed. This is your personal link - please don't share it with anyone else.

When you log in, you'll enter a Waiting Room prior to the broadcast of the event which will disappear when we go live. Your microphone or video will not be on show at any point.

Panellists

Ela Lee is a British-Korean-Turkish writer. She studied Law at the University of Oxford and went on to practise as a City lawyer. In 2021, during the global pandemic, Ela began work on her debut novel, Jaded, out in February 2024, which explores themes of consent, race, and identity. She lives in London with her partner and their mini Aussie Shepherd.

Julie Owen Moylan was born in Cardiff and has worked in a variety of jobs prior to becoming an author, from trainee hairdresser and chip shop attendant at 16 to business management consultant and college lecturer in her 30s. She then returned to education to complete her Master's degree in Film before going on to obtain a further Master's degree in Creative Writing. Julie is an alumna of the Faber Academy's Writing a Novel course and is the author of That Green Eyed Girl and 73 Dove Street. She lives in Cardiff with her husband and two cats.

John Baker joined literary agency Bell Lomax Moreton in 2019, where he is focusing on building his own small, cultivated list, shaped around his passion for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. John also leads the Film & TV desk for the wider agency and sits on the Association of Author’s Agent’s Bridge Committee. John has a small but unique list of authors who all share a passion for subverting expectations and creating rich new worlds of adventure. John's authors include the inaugural Future Worlds prize winner Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson, bestselling horror writer A. M. Shine, inaugural Imagined Futures prize winner Kenechi Udogu, and S. A. Maclean.

Alex Christofi is Editorial Director at Transworld (part of Penguin Random House  UK), where he has published Sunday Times bestselling and prize-winning non-fiction on a range of topics from politics and current affairs to science, nature and history. He has worked as a literary agent and is also a prize-winning author.

Sarah Shaffi (event chair) is a journalist, editor and author. Her journalism has appeared in the Guardian, The A.V. Club, Vogue Australia, The New Arab and more. She is the author of the children’s books South Asian Folktales, Myths & Legends, a collection of retellings from South Asian traditions, and the activity book All About Eid. She is the co-author of the picture books Afraid of the Dark and New Baby. Sarah has served as a judge for a number of literary prizes, including the Jhalak Prize, the Costa Novel Award and the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction. She programmed a fiction strand for The Bath Festival 2023, and regularly chairs author events.

Closed Captioning / Subtitles

Closed captioning (i.e. subtitles) will be active during the event. To switch on closed captioning you should see the 'CC - Captions' icon (usually at the top of your screen). Click on this and it should allow you to select 'turn on live captions'. This will switch on the closed captioning for you.

Fully adjustable captions will also be available via StreamText. These can be found at the following URL: https://www.streamtext.net/player?event=PRH

Use the drop-down options at the top of the page to change text size, colour, font, and background.

Which devices work best?

We recommend connecting to the event on either a laptop or PC. Whilst tablets and phones work well, the viewing and Q&A experience is better when using a laptop or PC.

We also recommend that you have downloaded Microsoft Teams in advance of the session.

Depending on your device there are different view settings, these are often active speaker or side by side. When a presentation is shared there should be the option at the top of your screen to ‘view options’ this should allow you to select ‘side-by-side mode’.

iPhones and tablets have different settings so we advise taking a little time to familiarise yourself with your device settings.

Asking questions

Your video and audio will be automatically turned off when you log in and will remain this way throughout the event, but you can use the Q&A function to ask questions.  

A Q&A box will appear in the black ribbon (normally at the top). Please use this function to submit any questions you may have for the panellists. Note that your name will be visible when you ask questions, unless you choose to submit anonymously.

Remember not to share your email address or contact information on here.

Recording of the event

The panel will be recorded and made available to attendees in the month following this event. Your name and video will not be visible.

Breaks

As the panel is 60 minutes long there are no scheduled breaks, but you are able to join and leave the session as and when you need to. The panel is being recorded and you will receive a link to watch back within a month of the event.

Any other questions?

If you require any additional information or if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at gettingpublished@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk