I had a book launch and nobody came 

How to promote your book using social media, traditional media, promotional tricks, and which models work best for authors.

Steve Mchugh, Kate from Handheld Press, Joao F. Silva, (CrowCaller) A. M. Blaushild , Siobhan Logan, Space Cat Press (M)

The ethics of a fictional war 

Do authors have a responsibility to honour the horrors of war, or is a fictional war free to glorify the battle and miss the gory truth of death?

Ben Jeapes, Jaine Fenn, David R Lord, Dr Bob , Kevlin Henney (M)

The Science Fiction Comedy Mystery Romance 

Some genres are a perfect fit for cross-over and some - just - ain’t. The Fifth Element was a perfect mash-up of genres but they don’t all work quite so well. So, what does, and what doesn’t?

Anna Smith Spark, David Green, Thomas Wrightson, Penny Hill , Stephen Cox (M)

How to make AI socialist? 

AI and machine learning are set to transform the knowledge economy in the same way automation changed the manual labour economy. How can society learn from the mistakes of the past in not disempowering the workforce and putting lots of people out of work?

Cheryl Morgan, peter sutton, Stephen Oram, Roz Clarke , Piotr Swietlik (M)

Water, water everywhere 

The ocean as a locus for sci-fi and fantasy

Ida Keogh, S Naomi Scott (Not Todd), Joel Cornah, J. E. Hannaford , Dr Bob (M)

Telling the story 

What’s the best viewpoint for telling your story? First person, or third? Maybe setting it in the context of a news item, police procedural, historical archive, family legend, or shaggy dog story works best for different types of tale

Will, Helen Claire Gould, Siobhan Logan, Space Cat Press, Stephen Cox , Thomas Wrightson (M)

...with a twist! 

How much do writers adapt/manipulate real world settings or historical events or science to fit their novels? How far is it okay to deviate from the facts of your setting whilst writing SFF fiction?

Joanne Hall She / Her, Jaine Fenn, D.M. Murray, Phil Williams , peter sutton (M)

Subversion 

Reinventions of traditional tropes are the flavour of the moment, but what makes some work and others fail? Should we be fiddling with the classics or coming up with fresh ideas instead?

Ida Keogh, F. D. Lee, Michael R. Miller, Caroline Mersey , J. E. Hannaford (M)