The Year That Was 2013

2013 has been quite a year for me. I'm not sure I can recall a time when so much happened in a mere twelve months.

First of all, I finally took the plunge and published all of my novels on Kindle. After the success of The Englishman (over 2,000 downloads as we speak and counting), I was encouraged to push out into the world both my family drama, Coffee and Vodka and the spy thriller, The Red King of Helsinki.

In November this year I also published a paperback copy of The Englishman, which has been terribly well received. (Even if I say so myself).

Joey at West End Lane Books with the first signed copies.

So, from a writer with three novels languishing in her drawer, in twelve and a bit months I've become a published author with a loyal readership. Bring on more years like 2013!

The 2013 London Book Fair was another game changer in my career as an independent author. I've written about the changes in the publishing industry many times here, but to see the shifting landscape with my own eyes was something to behold.

I also gained a tremendous amount of encouragement and new ideas from the LBF this year, not least thanks to the Alliance of Independent Authors, an organisation which has worked tirelessly to promote and support indy writers and who were very much a presence at the Book Fair. Thanks must got to Orna Ross, Joanna Penn et al for all their hard work this year.

Me with Joanna Penn who gave a wonderfully
informative lecture at LBF 13
on indy publishing.

The Fair was also a wonderful opportunity to make new writer friends: I got to meet the Triskele Books girls through Catriona Troth, other notable indy writers such as Roz Morris, Rohan Quine, Dan Holloway and Grisha Ryzhakov to name but a few. I cannot wait for LBF 2014, wild horses wouldn't keep me away!

The year 2013 has also been eventful in the life of my family: in May, Son asked his long-time girlfriend to marry him  and she said yes! The young couple will marry in 2014, an event that has been a red letter day in my calendar for many months already. I just cannot wait!

Aren't they cute?
Son with his fiancé in Provence this summer.

Not in the least less important, Daughter finished her History of Art degree at University of Birmingham this year and graduated in June. It was such a proud moment for me, and I spent almost the whole of the day holding back tears, only losing the battle when Daughter stepped onto the stage at the Great Hall to receive her degree certificate. Oh well, I'm sure I wasn't the only parent to dab a tissue at the corner of her eye at that point.

Daughter looks pretty happy?

As if all of the above wasn't enough, something equally thrilling happened in my working life in 2013. In late 2012 I took on a part time role at a Finnish charity called Finn-Guild. I've been a member of this ex-pat organisation since the early 1980's, but going to work there to look after the finances of the charity and its commercial arm, Guild Travel, has been a huge trip down memory lane. I'd not worked with Finns since I left Finland some thirty years ago, and just being able to speak your mother tongue in an office in London's Camden has been quite life-changing. I hadn't realised how much of myself I'd hidden away while adapting to life in the UK. Spending time with fellow countrymen has made me feel as if I'd come back home. It's made me a more complete person.

To top it all, in the New Year, I'm going to move to a much more important and challenging role with the Finns. From February 1st, I will be taking over as Development Manager/General Secretary of Finn-Guild. So watch this space, there will be many more posts about Finnish and Nordic culture on this blog in 2014.

So there it is, my short - very personal -  review of 2013. All that remains is to wish you all:

Hauskaa Uutta Vuotta - Happy New Year

2 0 1 4 !

 

Gift of the Raven by Catriona Troth

I met Catriona by chance at London Book Fair in April, and as soon as we’d exchanged a few words, we found that we had much in common. Catriona is British but lived in Canada as a child. As you know, if you've read this blog before, my childhood was partly spent in Sweden. We also liked the same kind of books, and shared many opinions on writing and being an Indy writer. Had it not been for the madness that is LBF, I’m sure we would have spent hours talking about displacement, books and writing.

So, I was delighted to be invited to TriskeleBooks Summer Launch at Foyle’s Bookshop in London’s Soho, where Catriona’s debut novella, Gift of the Raven, was launched.

I took the book away with me on my recent holiday to Provence, and read it in one afternoon by the pool.

Gift of the Raven delivers quite a powerful punch. From the very first page you are deep into the world of Terry, half-Indian, half-white boy whose short life in Canada has been tragic: Terry's father is dead or doesn’t care what happens to him, his mother has some mysterious illness, and his step-father is not what he at first seemed to be.

Life for Terry goes from bad to worse when he is forced to move to a new neighbourhood and a new school.  My heart was in my mouth for fear of what would next happen to Terry, and I couldn’t stop reading the story.

The novella is beautifully told and Terry’s voice is truly authentic.

The only criticism I have about this excellent book is that it’s a novella rather than a novel. I wish I could’ve read on to find out what happened next! So, Catriona, is there going to be a continuation to Gift of the Raven? 

A few words about The Alliance of Independent Authors

There's a strange discussion going on over at David Gaughran's site about an organisation I myself feel honoured to be a member of, Alliance of Independent Authors. David published an interview with Orna Ross, the founder of ALLi, which has (strangely) caused a bit of a stir on the site. The organisation was even accused of being a scam. You can read the post here.

Having read the many comments, I wanted to air my views on ALLi too.

I've spoken before about what a difference my membership of ALLi has made to me as an Indy author. Writing is a lonely business, so having a community of other Indy writers to call upon for advice, support and a laugh is invaluable.

I joined ALLi after I'd read about it in The Bookseller in the weeks following London Book Fair 2012. At the time there was no other organisation (that I could see) which would fight the corner of the Indy writer. What I didn't realise at the time was, what a forcefield of support for writers the organisation provides, especially through its Facebook group. You ask a question (any question) and not only is it answered incredibly quickly, it's also answered in a professional and friendly manner. There is no one-upmanship, no spamming with your own titles; at the same time a certain amount of self PR is allowed. All of this amounts to a lot of saved time, and as any writer knows, time most certainly is money.

On top of this ALLi also offers a range of other tangible financial benefits - you can read about them here.

I've been a member of many non-profit organisation in my time (I even work for a Finnish charity), but rarely have I found an association, which has such a straight-forward, honest and energetic approach to its cause.

Long Live ALLi!
 

5 Reasons Why an Author Should Visit The London Book Fair

Many people ask me why on earth I attend The London Book Fair. Here are five reasons I always try to make the Fair:

1. To learn. During this year's London Book Fair I attended over ten seminars, and although not all of them were right for me, the majority taught me something new. I will write about specific subjects under another post, but for example in AuthorLounge on Tuesday (16 April 13), two industry giants, Pottermore CEO Charlie Redmayne and Eric Huang, Director New Business and IP Acquisitions at Penguin, gave an interesting and informative talk about how books are changing with additional digital content. Apps, games and toys are all part and parcel of the digital future for books. I came away excited about the future, rather than fearful.

2. To network. Each year, sometimes by pure accident, I meet someone who is interesting and who I can exchange views and keep in touch after the Fair. This year, because of the wonderful Alliance of Independent Authors, I met many like-minded writers. I also got two definite promises of book reviews from influential people. And I got to pitch to an agent who asked me to send my book to him. (I've been here before, still it was great to have affirmation from someone in the traditional industry that my writing pitching is on the right track).

3. To make friends. This year particularly, I really feel I've made some true friends. Having all the fellow ALLi members there has been such a huge support. Thank you Orna Ross for making it happen! Thanks must also go to AuthorRight who provided us with the AuthorLounge seminar area - and drinks at the end of each day! (VERY important). Gareth Howard was a tireless host - I wonder if he slept at all during the three days? Not forgetting the giant Amazon who hosted the ALLi 1st Birthday Party on Monday. What a coup!

4. To sell your books. Here planning is key. Making appointments with agents and publishers at LBF is notoriously difficult, but it does happen. However, even if you haven't planned ahead, just your presence at the Fair, talking about your book and asking other writers about theirs will provide results. As Joanna Penn from The Creative Penn says, reviews sell your books, and talking about your book(s) will gain you those. You are the best salesperson for your books, so be yourself and talk about your work.

Me with Joanna Penn

5. To see the bigger picture. I always remember the first time I entered the hall and was surprised by how many segments the industry was made of. The vast space at Earls Court is divided into areas by genre, from the academic press to children's literature, as well as industry segments from international focus (like Finnish Literature Exchange, FILI), the digital zone, to a few second hand booksellers. In the middle are the grand stands (some with staircases to bars) of the major publishers like Hachette (below), while the smaller boxes of the independent presses and second-hand booksellers line the walls, with perhaps a chair or two around a lonely table.

I took this picture at the end of the
last day - during the show this space was filled with literary folk having meetings.

One of the larger second hand booksellers at LBF13. Nice to see!

Finland was represented by FILI in the Nordic countries stand.

Inside the Finnish FILI stand.

This year there was a definite change in the air at the Fair. There was a rumour going around (I heard it from Rohan Quine ) that the International Rights Centre upstairs was a bit quiet and that all the action was downstairs. There certainly was a huge buzz around AuthorLounge (and no, it wasn't just the bar). Most of the time it wasn't possible to get inside to listen to the seminars, let alone get a seat.

So, if you are an author, or an aspiring writer, try to make it to The London Book Fair next year. It inspires, it makes good business sense and it's fun!

A-Z Blogging Challenge: O is for Overdoing it….

Oh dear, I think I rather tried to overdo it this month…



Not only is April the month of two important birthdays in our household, it is also the month of The London Book Fair, so when you honestly think about it, trying to also blog every day was a little bit overambitious. Welcome to my world!

So I'm afraid I will have to accept defeat (not an easy task). Please can all of you lovely A-Z Bloggers, accept my apologies for a spectacular A-Z Fail. I promise to do it another time (as long as it doesn't co-incide with LBF).

Look out for several post here about the Fair in the coming days. I know its no consolation, but it's something..? I will also not forget to post about MA in Creative Writing, something I was meant to do a few days ago under M.