Bring along anything you're actively working on - cover letters, author bios, synopses, the first ten pages of your manuscript (sometimes more) - or simply your questions, concerns or discombobulations. The publishing business is a strange one, and often mystifying for newcomers. Huddles can help at every stage.

You don't actually need to bring anything at all. Simply attending, listening and contributing your thoughts where you want to is quite sufficient. There's no pressure to take part - you'll still benefit.

Over many months of Huddling, we've found they're especially good at:

• Keeping you in the loop, professionally and socially. Our cast-iron rule of confidentiality creates a safe environment to talk freely and openly about the publishing business. Huddlers are a diverse bunch, geographically and in every other way - yet united in concern and support for each other.
• Putting our hive mind to work on your writing tasks - improving a title, slicking up a synopsis, crafting a covering letter. We've done all these and more.
• Bringing clarity to things writers often find baffling - Amazon Reviews, Author Central, or simply what a blurb needs to do these days to be effective. These are topics other (often highly priced) seminars barely begin to address.

Any Platform Plus+ member of Litopia.

There's no limit on the number of Huddles you can attend - many members come along every week.

Booking now happens through Litopia's events system. You must book in advance - if you just turn up on the day without booking, you won't be allowed in. Booking ahead is also what lets you see the documents other members post for confidential feedback.

Here's how it works:

1. Each Huddle is posted on the Litopia Events page. You'll also see a notice in Café Life and in the Huddle Notices forum - both link back to the Events page, which is where booking actually happens.
2. Go to the event and book your place. It's free to Platform Plus+ members and confirms instantly.
3. Once you've booked, you're given access to a private thread in The Huddle Hangout for that Huddle. The Zoom link is in that thread - that's how you join on the day.
4. You'll also receive a confirmation, plus automatic reminders before the event.

@Jonny is responsible for Huddle administration. If you've booked but can't find that week's private thread, send him a direct message and he'll sort it out.

• 4:30pm UK - social side kicks off; come for a natter
• 5:00pm UK - main working session begins
• 7:00pm UK - Huddle finishes

You can join any time before 5pm, but do come along from 4:30 for a natter if you can. The work session runs two hours.

What happens in the Huddle stays in the Huddle. This isn't Las Vegas, but it is a serious commitment to keeping other members' work and conversations totally private. If you can't agree to this, you may not join a Huddle.

This rule of confidentiality includes discussions before and afterwards in The Huddle Hangout. No-one is at liberty to quote, summarise or attribute anything they learn in a Huddle. That's the only way we can provide a secure environment for people to show work in progress, talk about issues that may be personal and confidential, and frankly for Pete to talk openly about what's going on in the publishing business.

Because Huddles are off-the-record, it's worth restating our basic rules of behaviour here in the Colony:

1. Don't Give Offence

   People who knowingly and intentionally cause distress to other members have a very short lifespan here. However, offence is sometimes caused unintentionally - writing is an imperfect medium, and words can carry meanings we don't always intend. The intention may be benign even when the consequences aren't.

2. Don't Take Offence

   It takes two to tango. Any offence given, intended or not, needs an aggressive reaction to escalate - so don't. First consider whether offence was genuinely intended; if not, you needn't respond. If it was, pass the matter to the Guardians. They'll intervene and resolve - that's their function, and why we're grateful to them. Likewise, if you see a (very rare) dispute arising anywhere in the Colony, don't pile in on one "side" - that just escalates things and makes you as culpable as either party. Alert the Guardians, then stay out of it.

3. Be Prepared to Sincerely Apologise

   The art of apology is little valued these days. Most apologies you hear begin with "I'm sorry if…" - at best conditional, at worst a passive-aggressive deflection of blame. A sincere apology costs you nothing. It simply means saying: I understand I've hurt you, and I'm genuinely sorry. Perhaps I can make it better.