London Author Fair

On the 28th of February I attended the first London Author Fair in the rather luxe setting of Covent Garden's Hospital Club.

 "The London Author Fair will host hundreds of authors across three floors of the private members club, for a day of radical seminars, intimate workshops, one-on-one collaborator hubs, educational films, the live PitchUp! literary agent submissions event run by LitFactor, and a lavish late-night drinks reception and networking event to close."

This conference is different to others in that it is not a writing 101 affair, it is taking a more in depth look at the industry and is also trying to break down artificial barriers between traditionally published and self published authors and the more tangible barriers between authors and the industry. An excellent networking opportunity.

If you click through (and I recommend you do, the programme is available on the site, videos of seminars to come and there may be a sneaky picture of me looking pensive in the audience) you will notice that the founding collaborators are Kobo, Blurb, Createspace and Nook Press. At first I was concerned that this implied that it would have a narrow focus on self publishing.

Be reassured there were so many seminars and workshops to attend, looking at lots of different aspects, that any attendee could organise their schedule to meet their own personal needs and interests. Alongside representatives for the collaborators there were many agents and folks connecting with the industry in varying capacities (and all were happy to mingle and chat in the in-between times).

I was lucky enough to book a pitch, with David Headley of DHH Literary Agency, but as the result is yet pending (you'll have to await a later blog post).

It was a wonderful day, so many exciting and interesting things going on, getting to listen to and speak to agents and industry folks directly, swapping stories and support with other writers (the cafe was lovely but under the eyes of several industry stations, the smoking area was the easiest place to skip through social awkwardness and get chatting. Even if you don't smoke!). The atmosphere was really comfortable, but with an edge of excitement and determination. I definitely recommend booking a ticket, the next fair is going to be in New York in the autumn, then in various locations in Europe next year.

Here I'm going to share my pickings, this blog post has already crept into essay length although I have only really written what floated to the surface. What to expect from industry, what you need to be; developed, identifiable, aware.

Developed

Your book. Edited, revised, beta read. Again. This may seem like standard, basic advice. It is. But as writers we have to be as objective and professional as possible when viewing our work against this criteria. Specially if you wish to self-publish (or be an author-publisher as the new phrasage seems to be swinging toward) as one of the reader concerns is the slew of published e-books that are terribly edited, formatted, gaping plot holes ect. We are the minders of our integrity.

Which is, of course, equally important if you wish to take a more traditional route. Perhaps more so as you will be confronted with critical gate keepers at a sooner stage. This is a lesson it took me a whiles to grasp, or rather I understood it but I did not have enough distance from my work to make a good assessment. It took a few months of rejections, some personalised with useful critique, to make me have a good hard ponder. And, after buying my ticket and booking a pitch with an agent, a few weeks before the fair was to take place...I cut nearly 40k from my book. An entire childhood! It's now up on my blog as a free novella Innocence in bite-sized chapters. Was it bad? No. It just wasn't good enough for today's market. Book two merged with A Song of Sorrow and rather than a series I am now writing a duology. I feel my work is now a lot stronger, the reader is pulled more directly into the plot and I have let go of the constraint of my fledgling writing style, embracing my development.

Your craft. Study stories, story structures, your genre, different writing techniques. Know your industry and market. Research. Saturate yourself.

Asses your resources and skill sets. Offset desire with logic when considering a publishing route.
Self-publishing or traditional. What wealth do you have? If you go the typical self publishing route you will need to buy services: editorial, cover designs, advertising, distribution. All the things a traditional model would provide.

Identifiable

Your Brand is a concept that is under ever increasing focus. Whether trad or SP authors need to be quickly identifiable to their audience. What sets you apart from other writers in your genre, what is unique or interesting about you and your work? If a reader becomes a fan what values or ideas are they associating with?

I believe this can be separated, somewhat, into two categories although those certainly overlap. Core message with personal brand association, and visual/material branding IE the cover designs of your books being of a theme and standing out on the shelf/web page.

If you are anything like me this may be a struggle. Good luck! If you're not? Bah. Grumble. ::admiration::.

Marketing. This is why you need a strong brand. All authors are increasingly reliant on their own marketing skills.Whatever route you take, you will be doing the leg work. If this is a particularly strong skill for you then this would help SP, if not then perhaps a trad route will offer more guidance (the level of which depends upon what agent/imprint/publisher you catch).

Social media presence. Twitter (get on it now if you are not. Lots of industry folk and fellow writers are on it and tweeting tidbits of advice, industry buzz and engaging debate.) Facebook (specially if writing romance, crime, general fiction). Have a voice. Listen.

Genre presence. Goodreads is good here, connecting with readers and writers over their love of reading. Lots of groups that are genre specific to join. Blogs: find out who is blogging and keep an eye out for trends, concerns, movements, debates. Community sites. Get involved.

Gigs. Find out what goes on in your local area. Literary festivals, writing/reading groups, poetry/spoken word nights and slams. Get involved.

This all boils down to community: Embrace it! Between writers, connecting to readers. Something I hope to see imprints and publishers embracing more. It is a symbiotic relationship between book lovers, one that we all should nurture and revel in.

Aware

When you are in the development stage I'd recommend looking at what this assessment brings to light and letting this inform your decisions. There are more and more services that are catering to different writer's needs and these could prove very valuable in shaping your journey. IE if you plan to SP then look at what companies are offering what services, at what prices, look at what community sites they have attached to these services. Take advantage of them, from the earliest point in your writing career. You will form friendships with other writers in the same position as you, you will have a network to share advice and experiences with. Something to consider here is the processes your book will have to go through before it reaches the reader, looking at the distribution channels of those you are associating with and if this is the best for your book. Some still use the same companies as the big publishers, other are looking to invest in more dynamic print-on-demand methods. Cost is key here, both for the providers of services, and for authors in what they are willing to pay. Investigate carefully before making a decision.

Here I must admit that I walked out of the distribution seminar. I was looking for nitty gritty, and the panel was made up of representatives from the sponsors detailing what they have to offer in this area. Excellent if I was shopping around for such, but, alas, not my agenda for the day.

In this regard there were some concerns raised from the industry folks in services that demand up-front fee's. This is still frowned upon, but becoming an increasingly grey area. As reflected in the phrase Author-published. Implying that not only is a writer an author upon publication, with all that entails, but they are also a publisher and have to consider their choices through a business perspective, purchasing services publishers purchase. (No picking peppers, promise.) It also worth looking to the growth of imprints and small press here, routes that mingle different aspects of trad and SP.

If trad? Research who's who and who's representing what, what trends are shaping the mainstream and what gaps you can fill. #MSWL is useful here, agents and publishers use it to tweet their manuscript wishlists. Look at what agents offer as part of their representation, consider what sort of publication you want to pursue, of what you want your career to be. Make no mistake: you do not hand over your ms and then wait a few tense months before the gold and accolades role in. This is work and if you want success you will have to work your ass off.

Porter Anderson's review and discussion can be found here and is a fascinating read. (And yes that's me, A Fox, lurking beneath Wise's crafty quote. No joke. Caveat: I get nervous in front of cameras!)

If you are already SP and thinking of seeking representation to expand? Be careful. You will have to demonstrate clear success. Think 50k units sold, at least. And that is sold, not given away for free or at a very low price. The Bookseller's monitoring of digital sales (as much as they are able what with notorious silence from a certain uber publisher/store) demonstrates this: they only count a sale as a unit sold above £2.

There was some discussion of hybrid authors; authors who print publish traditionally but keep their digital rights, or fight for a contract which sells these rights at a competitive rate. Which, as an aspiring author sounds very appealing but so far it is authors who already have traditional deals, a back list and platform that are doing this. It is this which plays a big factor in many writers choosing to go SP, sacrificing trad experience, access level to market and marketing avenues. I hope the future brings more reconciliation in this area.

The democratisation of the industry was another hot phrase. Breaking down the barriers between writers and the industry. My concern here is that this seems to hinge upon services offered, many at an outlay cost. And if you are poor this may increasingly become a limit on your options. This is not democratic. We shall see. But we must also remember that this industry is at its best when it transcends social class.

And the biggest thing to be aware of? The industry is modernising, in a time of recession. This leads to much that is precarious, a shifting landscape, but also lots of innovative opportunities...and opportunistic traps.

There was an undercurrent of doubts, an uncertainty after technological upheavals, but also a sense of determination, a flash of a gambler's chance, and a question: Where are the publishers? A call for unity, stability with healthy competition in a modernising market.

And after? Adventures to be had...