KEYNOTE SPEAKER, PANELIST AND
EVENT HOST

Sarah Bullen is an experienced and professional MC and event host, known for her engaging author talks and insightful interviews with fellow writers. Sarah is a top publishing industry expert and speaker, specializing in the business of writing, author platforms, storytelling and publishing and trends. With over 17 years of experience, she frequently delivers keynotes and masterclasses at major conferences.

SARAH BULLEN

Author, Literary Agent, Speaker & Writing Mentor

Sarah Bullen is a multi-published author, former literary agent and publisher with a special interest in all things infused with magic and meaning. She is a top publishing industry consultant and speaker, specializing in the business of writing, author platforms, storytelling and publishing and trends.

She is based in Cape Town, South Africa and is the author of a number of books including The Other Side: Journeys into Mysticism, Magic and Near-Death, and has detailed her own journey into the world of spirituality through a life-altering NDE.

She is a former financial and magazine journalist writing for titles such as Euromoney, Marie Claire, The Guardian, Cosmopolitan and Psychologies UK. She has spoken at literary events for 17 years, including writing conferences, industry book fairs and festivals, podcast and writing programs.

She is publisher at Odyssey Books Press.

Sarah had a life-altering near-death experience herself where she was in a coma for three weeks and underwent an extraordinary near-death experience. Her story has become a book Love & Above: A journey into shamanism, coma and joy. Her latest book The Other Side: Journeys into Mysticism, Magic and Near Death gathers riveting and radical stories of people from Africa, who have crossed to the ‘other side’ or those who can contact it.

She is the author of the bestselling Write your Book in 100 Days.

Her range of books include:

SARAH BULLEN BOOKS

A title goes here. Click to edit and add your own.

Session length and format

Keynotes are usually 45 minutes.

For workshops, Sarah tailors each presentation to fit the event's needs. Most topics run 60–90 minutes, though sessions can be expanded up to 3 hours for deeper dives.

Sarah also offers full-day masterclasses that combine complementary topics—for example, pairing traditional publishing paths with query letter writing, or bundling proposal development with platform building.

How to Get a Book Published

A comprehensive guide to navigating the writing and publishing process.

Learn the basics of how to get your book published, including how to research markets, write query letters, and understand the commercial value of your work. We will systematically work through all the elements so your pitch is ready and you will have a list of where to target your search. We will cover your publishing options and the difference between agents, publisher and the traditional and hybrid options, and which is best for you.

Crafting a Nonfiction Book Proposal That Sells

At its core, a nonfiction book proposal is a sales pitch—it makes the case that your idea deserves to become a published, marketable book. A well-researched, thoroughly developed proposal often takes weeks or even months to get right. This session breaks down what separates a book concept that grabs agents and editors' attention right away from one that gets passed over in silence.

You will write, edit and develop your pitch with feedback and input

Publishing Paths - What are your different routes to publication?

Sarah breaks down the modern publishing landscape in clear, jargon-free terms, walking through the strengths and trade-offs of each major route to publication. Topics include: traditional publishing and which projects are the right fit for literary representation; what mid-size and independent publishers bring to the table; how to size up small presses, micro-presses, and digital-first imprints; and how to make sense of "hybrid" publishing—what it claims to be versus what it actually offers.

Understanding and Building an Author Platform

Do you need a platform, and what does that really mean? Which social media platform is right for you, and what should you be doing about it? Platform simply means: reaching the readers who are your audience, in a way that translates into actual book sales. Building that reach isn't a one-time task—it's an ongoing commitment that shifts and grows throughout a writer's career. This session explores how to build a platform strategy that feels authentic to who you are and true to the work you're creating.

Write, Publish, Profit! How to Plan, Write and Publish a Book

A comprehensive guide to navigating the writing and publishing process.

Write a Novel
(2 – 4 hour workshop)

A deep dive into the art of novel writing. We will take a journey through all the essentials to start your book - genre, plot, character and outline.

Write Your Story
(2 – 4 hour workshop)

Learn to craft compelling personal narratives in this masterclass on how to plan and write memoir.

Write Blogs, Social Media + Essays (4 hour workshop)

Plan 12 months of content with this hands-on workshop. We will unpack the structure of an essay and come away with a list of content to create

Is is possible we have been writing here for 12 years? Every summer ?
So many books were birthed in these hot winds from the Sahara. The village has changed but the healing magic never does.

Long solo writing stints, rejections and years with no words. Welcome to the painful life of a writer. All writers get stuck. This is the place we all get to, and there are so many places your writing can get stuck. I can’t tell you how many calls I have with authors who are in a sticky place in their writing.

Full piece in the link below
https://www.sarahbullen.com/post/where-is-your-writing-stuck

MODERN MARRIAGE? GREECE AND BOTSWANA

He is in a place so remote in Northern Botswana it doesn’t even have an address, camping and researching the old ways and old stories.
She is on a writing retreat on a Greek island with literature, music and laughter and midnight swims.
But notice.. there is yoga in both locations! Bush yoga and beach yoga.

We don’t live together, and we both have a large part of the year doing our own lives. And yet it works. I must say a conventional part of me squeals.. we must live together. We must make a house. We must share it all.

But we are both older and have had relationships and lives. So we find that where our lives intersect, it is amazing. But also where they are apart, it is amazing.

It’s early and the best time to write.
Later we will walk.
But quiet writing and sharing is what we are here to do.
Oh, and eating and laughing and late nights under the starry skies

We are starting a mentorship with a few authors who want to write, and complete a book over the next year. If you stick to it you will have something ready by July 2027. It may be a book! We are not promising any quick fixes, or fast deals. Rather a slow and steady push to sit down, do the time required to finally write your story.

Both novels and non fiction including memoir, are welcome to apply.
Please apply here if this is what you need.
https://www.sarahbullen.com/authormentorship @sarahcollinsprince

My happy healing places
Oh what a joy to come here every single year since 2015 with a mad bunch of writers.
I am back again for another month of writing retreating and laughing.

On my way to Lesbos for our annual Writers Retreat.
A month of salt, swims, long chats and good friends.

This year we have two weeks of writing and authors, poets and friends joining from all over.

Outside of social media doom and politics there is a wonderful world full of light and magic.

There is a room for you if you want to come and spend some time with your story.

PODCAST INTERVIEW: Near-Death, Spirit Worlds and Writing to Heal

In this soul-stirring episode of Healthy Mind, Healthy Life, host Sana sits down with Sarah Bullen—international writing mentor, literary agent, and author—for an extraordinary conversation about life, death, and everything in between.

Sarah opens up about her near-death experience, which included a month-long coma, a spiritual journey beyond this universe, and a powerful message from a mystical guide:

This message would come to redefine her life, her purpose, and her role as a writing mentor. From trauma and transformation to the sacred process of storytelling, Sarah reminds us why our stories matter—perhaps more than we realize.

About the Guest:Sarah Bullen is an internationally renowned writing coach, founder of The Writing Room and Kent Literary, and a trusted guide to thousands of authors around the world. A former magazine editor, Sarah's work spans memoir, mysticism, and mentoring. Her books Love and Above and The Other Side chronicle her profound near-death experience and spiritual awakening.

Key Takeaways:
• Sarah's coma led to a profound out-of-body experience that reshaped her worldview.
• Her message from beyond is a powerful reminder to embrace joy, even amid grief.
• Near-death experiences are deeply personal, often misunderstood, and not always blissful.
• Writing can be a sacred act of healing and remembering, beyond the pursuit of publication.
• Sarah’s approach to mentoring authors shifted from outcome-focused to soul-focused.

Apple

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/near-death-spirit-worlds-writing-to-heal-with-sarah-bullen/id1682799672?i=1000701366207&uo=4
Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2543f8kDWoTlBjTXbTnlNw

https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/healthy-mind-healthy-life/id1682799672?i=1000701366207

Join the masterclass and harness the messages from the unseen worlds.
See you in North Durban this weekend
#kwazuluspiritfestival

Durban! This weekend is going to be EPIC.
Are you coming ? I will be doing a channelled writing workshop on Sunday, and doing a panel on The Other Side with Christa Gumede Buthelezi, @christagumedebuthelezi @heikesym Hyke Sym and Cobus Visser (the man who walked up Everest on crutches).

We will be dancing, doing yoga, doing a firewalk on Saturday with Cobus Visser \V/ Whateverittakes on Saturday night, consulting psychics and mediums, doing breathwork, masterclasses to expand the mind and soul - and and swimming in the WARM Indian ocean. Enough of this cold water swimming ! Come and hang out at the Salt Rock Hotel @saltrockbeachresort

I will also be hosting a talk on how to get published and explaining our Odyssey Books Press call for submissions @odysseybookspress and what we are looking to publish in 2027. Join us.

If you look around
The whole world's coming together.

KwazuluSpirit Festival 2026-Ballito

Book your tickets on Quicket

Thinking about how to land a publishing deal?

Everyone wants the big-name traditional contract, but the reality is that the publishing landscape has shifted.

Traditional publishing isn’t the only route to success, in fact, many of my best-selling authors are completely independent.

If you want to get your book out there, follow the real roadmap:
- Finish & Polish: Make that manuscript absolutely cracking.
- Pitch Traditional: Try the traditional agents and publishers for a year to test the market.
- Pivot if Needed: Don’t let a “no” stop you. Explore indie, hybrid, and self-publishing avenues.

Your story matters. Don’t wait for a giant publisher to give you permission to share it!

#WritingTips #Publishing #IndieAuthor #WriteYourBook #AuthorLife SarahBullen

“A body in a coma is highly vulnerable. You can’t cough, can’t breathe, can’t move, and the body can’t control blood pressure or pulse rate very well.

Added to that, I was on a ventilator and running fevers because all brain function must be shut down in the deepest levels of sedation.

Of course, I knew none of that. I was just trapped in a world of endless nightmares.
I am in a loop after loop after loop. Dream after dream. In every loop I am suffocating to death. Slowly.”

An extract from my book Love and Above available on Amazon, Takealot and Audible.

Get your copy now.

🔗 LINKS IN BIO

A 14th-century chateau, fresh croissants, and the book you’ve been waiting to finish. 🥐🏰

Join me this October in the heart of South France for a week of dedicated writing, gentle support, mentorship, and creative flow. Whether you’re stuck on page one, writing for family or polishing a final draft, this is where your story comes to life.

✨ Ready to write?

Book your spot directly at sarahbullen.com.

#WritingRetreat #FranceRetreat
#AuthorLife #WriteYourBook #SarahBullen

Have you ever had a moment where the veil between this world and the next simply… parted? 🕯️✨

I’ve spent a decade collecting journeys of mysticism and other worlds, and at this year’s @kwazuluspiritfestival I’m bringing those stories to the stage.

I’ll be hosting "The Other Side", a panel discussion with an intuitive, a fire-walker, and a psychic medium. To explore what wisdom the other side is offering us in this moment.

I’m also running an experiential Channelled Writing Workshop for those ready to listen to the voices beyond their own.

Join us at the Salt Rock Hotel on the North Coast
🎟️ Tickets on @quicket

#TheOtherSide #ModernMystic #KwaZuluSpirit #Spirituality #Channeling #SarahBullen #AncestralWisdom #outofbody #neardeathexperience #loveandabove #NDE

Don”t leave your material behind!
Lesson learned
Could I have been arrested for public indecent ?
#franlitfest

Your story really doesn't start with you, it starts with those who came long before. 👣

@tanjameyburgh book, Reclaiming Ancestors (@reclaimingancestors) explores how we can heal through family constellations, deepen our connection to ancestral wisdom and links to the past.

It’s been a joy to walk this publishing path with her.

Grab your copy wherever you get your books.

#BookRecommendations #PersonalGrowth #TanjaMeyburgh #HealingOurRoots #WritingCommunitySA #TheWritingRoom

✨ From Grief to Grace: Why I’m in Botswana ✨

I’ve had so many questions lately about why I spend so much of my year in Botswana. It’s a strange, beautiful, and deeply personal story that started with the hardest journey of my life.

In 2012, I lost my husband to brain cancer. During his illness, he began studying with a Sangoma (a traditional healer) named Neil Campbell right here in Botswana.

Fast forward over a decade later, and life has come full circle in the most unexpected way. Neil and I became close friends over the years, and today, I am married to the man who was my husband’s teacher. 🤍

Now, we spend our time between Cape Town and this beautiful, quiet corner of the world. It’s where I write, where Neil leads men’s rites of passage, and where we’ve built a life full of joy from the ashes of the past.

For the full story of shamanism, survival, and finding love again, check out my book “Love and Above.” Available now on Amazon, Takealot, and Audible! 📖✨
#Botswana #LoveAndAbove #GriefJourney #Healing #Shamanism SecondChances SarahBullen LifeStories

NOVEL IDEAS: A NOVEL WRITING WORKSHOP

Saturday 16 May 10am Franschoek

If 'write a novel' is on your vision board, then join me for a two-hour masterclass to get your book started, or give you strong editing ideas. I teach genre-fiction rules.

We will go over the basics of building a novel - plotting, characterisation and driving story - with writing coach and agent Sarah Bullen (that's me). We will unpack the key conventions writers must grasp in order to construct a strong story in various genres (thriller, crime novel, new adult, young adult, romance).

Book your tickets now! Tickets available via Webticket
https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/EventCategories.aspx?itemid=1589974554

@franlitfest #flf2026

Franschhoek, I’m coming for you! 🍷📚

I’m thrilled to be back at @franlitfest this May, hosting two very different (but equally delicious) sessions. From the "rules of writing a romance" to the soul of the Karoo, we’re covering it all.

I can't wait to see you there!

✨ Tickets available on @webtickets

Original writing and timeless words
What writers stand the test of time?

In Botswana getting ready for the annual thanksgiving at the Campbell Homestead.
Just finished a book edit for a publisher and a week of friends and dancing ahead.

'I've finished my book — now what?'

Writing the book is only one step of the process.

First — are you actually finished? Finished means multiple drafts, beta readers, honest feedback, rewrites. Then you lift your head and look at what's next.

You'll need two things:

Your pitch documents (synopsis + manuscript for fiction; book proposal + manuscript for non-fiction) and a query letter — the email that introduces everything.

Then compile a hit list of about 20 agents or publishers. Research each one. Send your book out. You might hear nothing. You might get feedback. Hopefully, eventually, a yes. Allocate a good year to this process.

And the editor? Honestly — not yet. Publishers and agents are looking for your story and whether they can sell it. Clean up obvious errors and submit.

If it all goes nowhere? Consider self-publishing — ideally with a hybrid publisher who guides you through it.

Your book deserves to be out in the world. Take it one step at a time.

What books have stayed with you through every move, every decade, every unboxing?

In my twenties, living in a damp little flat in London, far from home, The Celestine Prophecy landed in my hands like a jewel. It lit up my path when everything felt dark and disconnected.

As the years passed, different books found me exactly when I needed them — through money struggles, motherhood, building a business, cancer, grief, midlife… all of it.

Stories shape us. The right one arrives at the right time and quietly changes how we think and how we feel.

Which books have you kept on your shelf, no matter what?

Which one helped you see life differently?

Join me at the KwaZulu Spirit Festival in May for a Channelled Writing Workshop
Unlocking Voices from The Other Side with Sarah Bullen

Channelled writing can tap into the realm of the spiritual or metaphysical. It is a practice in which you can receive guidance, wisdom, or creative content from a source beyond your own — whether you understand this as your Higher Self, spirit guides, departed loved ones, the collective unconscious, or a deeper aspect of the psyche. What you choose to work with is entirely personal; this workshop is welcoming of all worldviews.

This workshop is suitable for:
• Individuals on a spiritual or self-inquiry path
• Those wanting to connect to unseen messages or explore a new connection.
• Those interested in journaling, mindfulness, or expressive arts
• Anyone curious about the relationship between writing, consciousness, and intuition
• Writers seeking to break through blocks or access new creative material
No prior writing experience is necessary. You do not need to identify with any spiritual tradition. All that is required is an open mind and a willingness to show up on the page.

The KwaZulu Spirit Festival runs from the 30 - 31 May at the Salt Rock Hotel
Book your tickets at
https://kwazuluspirit.com/

Here's the question that haunts most writers before they even begin —
Am I actually qualified to write this book?

The answer is yes. But your authority might look different to what you imagine. ✍🏽

You might be a professional expert. A lived experience expert. Or a research expert who interviews the world and reports back.

All three write brilliant books. All three have something the reader genuinely needs.
The real question isn't whether you're qualified.

It's knowing which kind of qualified you are.

Link in bio for the full read — plus three writing tasks to get you started. 📖

#writeyourbook #nonfictionwriting #memoirwriting #bookcoach #sarahbullen #thewritingroom #writingtips #writersofinstagram #authorlife

Coming all the way to a Greek island is an exercise in slowing down.
And slowing down is exactly where the writing happens. 🌿
8 days in Skala Eressos, Lesvos — swimming, writing, feasting, and finding your story.

Books. Authors. Launches. Magic. 📖✨
This is what happens when a story finds its writer — and a writer finds their courage.

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BOOK-RELATED TALKS AND WORKSHOPS

Sarah offers keynotes, workshops, and masterclasses. She has spoken at events for 17 years, including writing conferences, industry book fairs and festivals, and writing programs. Sarah is a frequent guest on talk shows, podcasts, and writers’ circles and has been leading international writing retreats and adventures since 2007.

As a multi-published author, international writing coach, and literary agent.

RECENT PAST EVENTS

Circle of Excellence Business Mastery July 2026

Franschoek Literary Festival May 2026

KwaZulu Natal Spirit Festival May 2026

Cape Flat Literary Festival presenter 2026

Romance Authors Of South Africa 2026 panel speaker

Indie Authors Festival 2026

Franschoek Literary Festival May 2025

Kingsmead Literary Festival 2025

Blown away by Books 2025

Simonstown Literary Festival 2025

KwaZulu Natal Spirit Festival May 2025

Romance Authors Of South Africa 2025 panel speaker

Indie Authors Festival 2025.

SCBWI annual conference

Littlegig Salon at the Open Book Festival October 2025

Franschoek Literary Festival May 2025

Indie Authors Festival 2024

Fishhoek Books Festival 2024

Lamu Literary Festival 2023

Lamu Writing Retreat 2022

Circle of Excellence – Business Mastery Event ‘How to tell a story’ 2024-2022

Past Recent Events

Circle of Excellence Business Mastery July 2026

Franschoek Literary Festival May 2026

KwaZulu Natal Spirit Festival May 2026

Cape Flat Literary Festival presenter 2026

Romance Authors Of South Africa 2026 panel speaker

Indie Authors Festival 2026

Franschoek Literary Festival May 2025

Kingsmead Literary Festival 2025

Blown away by Books 2025

Simonstown Literary Festival 2025

KwaZulu Natal Spirit Festival May 2025

Romance Authors Of South Africa 2025 panel speaker

Indie Authors Festival 2025.

SCBWI annual conference

Littlegig Salon at the Open Book Festival October 2025

Franschoek Literary Festival May 2025

Indie Authors Festival 2024

Fishhoek Books Festival 2024

Lamu Literary Festival 2023

Lamu Writing Retreat 2022

Circle of Excellence – Business Mastery Event ‘How to tell a story’ 2024-2022

INSPIRATIONAL KEYNOTE TALKS

Do You Have a Story?

Do you have a story to tell or a message to share?
Do you need to know about current publishing trends?
Do you need a practical plan to structure and write your story, blogs or message?
How do you get published, and what does that mean any more?
Do you understand the changing world of indie authors, audiobooks and Print on Demand?

This information-packed talk will give you tools you need to plan how to move your message into words.

GET IN TOUCH

The Other Side

(40 mins)

What happens when you die? How are some people able to see or communicate with these other worlds? Do they have any real answers to help us live better? And how can you connect with these unseen forces? The world is increasingly looking for people who can cross this divide, bring back answers and share them.

Author and journalist Sarah Bullen, who has had a life-altering near-death experience herself, explores these mysteries as she gathered riveting stories of people from South Africa and beyond – people who have crossed to the ‘other side’ or those who can contact it. She shares the journey of her book, which offers original interviews with a fascinating collection of teachers with special abilities, individuals who have gone through near-death experiences and those who can communicate across worlds using mediumship, gifts, trance and plants.

GET IN TOUCH

The Stories We Tell

Have you ever asked yourself what story you are living, and how you can create a radically different one? Sarah Bullen is a storytelling mentor and author and she will share her own journey to discover how rock bottom is a door that can open into a new life. We will look at how mythic journeys have happened since time began, the Seven Thresholds we must all cross to move into adulthood, and how the stories we hear can form our entire response to hardship and difficult times.

Have you been listening to the wrong stories? What are the bigger and older ones?

GET IN TOUCH

KEYNOTE SPEAKER, PANELIST AND EVENT HOST

SARAH BULLEN

A title goes here. Click to edit and add your own.

How to Get a Book Published

Crafting a Nonfiction Book Proposal That Sells

Publishing Paths - What are your different routes to publication?

Understanding and Building an Author Platform

Write, Publish, Profit! How to Plan, Write and Publish a Book

Write a Novel (2 – 4 hour workshop)

Write Your Story (2 – 4 hour workshop)

Write Blogs, Social Media + Essays (4 hour workshop)

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BOOK-RELATED TALKS AND WORKSHOPS

Past Recent Events

INSPIRATIONAL KEYNOTE TALKS

Do You Have a Story?

The Other Side

(40 mins)

The Stories We Tell

KEYNOTE SPEAKER, PANELIST AND
EVENT HOST

Write a Novel
(2 – 4 hour workshop)

Write Your Story
(2 – 4 hour workshop)