London Book Fair Fringe and IAF '15

Our Day by JJ Marsh & Gillian Hamer

Bestseller CJ Lyons

Friday 17 April saw London Book Fair's first Fringe Festival. Foyles, London's biggest independent bookstore, opened its doors to the Alliance of Independent Authors, IndieReCon, and IAF15 organised by Triskele Books.

The atmosphere was buzzing from the opening minutes of the event, and from speaking to other attendees, there was more atmosphere in the room than in the whole of LBF at Olympia!

CJ Lyons opened the event explaining how by using the analogy of a blacksmith. Forge your first book with love and care, then keep honing your craft. Engage with readers. Don’t try to sell a million. Write something a million people want to buy. Not bad advice from someone who has now sold well into the millions of books. And food for thought for all authors in the room.

L-R: Peter Urpeth, John Prebble, Nicola Solomon and Debbie Young

Debbie Young of the Alliance of Independent Authors chaired a discussion with panellists Peter Urpeth of Scottish based Creative Agency, Emergents; John Prebble of Arts Council of England Literature Relationship Manager and Nicola Solomon of the Society of Authors. The theme was how to keep the cash coming in while you write. Grants, prizes, Public Lending Rights, mentoring schemes, partnerships with business development organisations and sponsorship are all potential sources of support for authors.

Dan and Rohan

Dan Holloway and Rohan Quine fired up the audience by speaking eloquently and poetically on diversity in literature. Both writers are superb examples of genre-busting talent and the audience responded to their rousing appeals for creativity and originality in publishing. Read Dan’s poem 'Because' and Rohan's stirring speech in their own sub-post in WWJ.

ALLi’s literary agent, Toby Mundy of TMA chaired a panel including Scott Beatty of Trajectory, book-scout Sharmaine Lovegrove of Dialogue Berlin & Fremantle Media, and Katie Donelan of BookBub to discuss how authors can sell more rights. Porter Anderson introduced SELF-e. Authors everywhere can sign up to get their ebooks into US libraries.

Sharmaine Lovegrove, Scott Beatty, Katie Donelan, Toby Mundy

Much talk centred on what self-publishing should learn from trade publishing. Rarely vice versa. Porter Anderson explored this key question with panellists Robert Caskie, Senior Agent at Peter Frazer Dunlop; Dr Alison Baverstock, Associate Professor, Department of Journalism and Publishing, Kingston University and Robin Cutler of Ingram Spark had an interesting discussion on how self-publishing affects trade publishers, editors, agents and bookshops?

Debbie Young and Piers Alexander introduced the new #Authors4Bookstores campaign. All writers and readers love bookstores and want to see at least one on every high street. This new campaign encourages and enables indie authors and bookstores to form mutually beneficial, supportive relationships.

  

Dr Alison Baverstock, Robert Caskie, Porter Anderson, Robin Cutler

Last session of IndieReCon saw Joanna Penn grill a range of successful indie authors, Rachel Abbott, Steena Holmes, CJ Lyons, Mark McGuinness and Nick Stephenson on their tactics, breakthrough moments and advice. There were interesting individual stories from each other, but also a collective agreement that the story was key - and making the effort to engage and retain readers vital.

Orna Ross & Porter Anderson wrapped up the conference with a look back at the last three years of ALLi and plans and hopes for the future. You can access all this and more via IndieReCon – talks, tips, ideas, videos and vast amounts of resources to peruse at leisure.

The Indie Author Fair at Foyles

Team Triskele

The last part of the day was IAF15 @Foyles, organised by Triskele Books. Fifty authors with books, balloons, goodies, quizzes and smiles welcomed browsers, bookclubbers, friends and most importantly the elusive band of readers.




The atmosphere was happy, friendly, communal and everything an indie author fair should be. Books were sold, contacts made, canapés devoured and wine consumed - and everyone went away happy and looking forward to the next IAF.

So, now we’re planning the next one. After a cup of tea.

The Inaugural Indie Author Fair - Chorleywood Lit Fest

By Gillian Hamer (Triskele Books)

The place to be between 2-5pm on Sunday 16th November was Chorleywood for Triskele Books' inaugural Indie Author Fair - or #IAF14 as it shall henceforth be known.

The idea. A pop-up bookshop for indie authors to show off their abundance of talent to the general public and allow a mix of writers and author services to meet up. 

The reality. Forty authors, spread across two halls; support from the Alliance of Independent Authors; sponsors that included Ingram Spark, Reedsy, Matador and the presence of Kobo's Diego Marano, there wasn't a spare inch of space in sight.

As well as opening up a pop-up bookshop for members of the public, contributors also managed to cram in author readings, children's story time, professional photo shoots, Huffington Post interviews, Ingram Spark video-blogs - not to mention afternoon tea and cake.

#IAF14 was a wonderful event. An eclectic mix of authors from across genres, getting together not only to socialise but to sell their wares.

The odd hiccup - microphone batteries, copious amounts of steps, water supply running dry mid tea-time - meant a steep learning curve. We can see room for improvement, but the feedback was overwhelmingly positive and everyone seemed thrilled with the concept and eager to take part again.



Triskele table at IAF

But don't take our word for it ... let's speak to some of the authors who took part in the event.

Lily Forbes at IAF

LILY FORBES
author of 'Growing up under The Mango Tree.'

https://www.facebook.com/lilyforbesauthor
 

We pulled up outside the impressive War Memorial Hall in Chorleywood for the 2014 Lit Fest. I located the well-worn steps on the right that I would soon be treading with my boxful of books. A visit to the heaving Red Lion Pub for a quick thirst quencher whiled away the twenty minutes of pent up excitement before I joined a gathering of a ‘family of independently published authors’. Every 61cm square table tantalisingly displayed an array of beautifully designed and intriguingly titled books. Each one of them could have been purchased for a bedside read or a Christmas present for a fellow book lover. Twelve readers chosen to represent a variety of Genres gave a indication of the calibre of the books on offer. The camaraderie throughout the afternoon from the stalwart organisers, the eager participants and the inquisitive crowd of buyers was palpable.

JANE TURLEY

The Witty Ways of a Wayward Wife.

I loved the Indie Author Fair at Chorleywood and the opportunity it gave me to engage with readers and to read from my novel. There’s no doubt in my mind that the vast majority of book lovers are only interested in the end product and not in the publishing process. It’s not about who you’re published with or how big your back catalogue is, it’s purely about entertainment. As awareness of the professional independent sector increases, readers will find that it is as rich, diverse and entertaining as mainstream publishing – if not more so – because there are no boundaries, no self-interested parties taking control. Events like the Indie Author Fair will thrive because they put writers back at the heart of publishing and, ultimately, it is the relationship between the reader and the writer that really counts – everything else is peripheral.

Carol Cooper at IAF

CAROL COOPER

author of One Night at the Jacaranda

http://pillsandpillowtalk.com/

The Indie Author Fair was a great experience for getting to know other authors. Perhaps less so as a platform for indie books, but only because a small basement room in Metroland might not be the optimal arena for showcasing our varied work. But from small acorns... So here's to the next opportunity, wherever it may be, and many thanks to the organisers.


JOAN FALLON
https://www.facebook.com/joanfallonbooks

My thoughts on the IAF are I didn’t sell many books but I gained a lot in other ways - talking to like minded writers, sharing doubts and problems, all helped me come away feeling revitalised. It helped me to clarify what I am really trying to do - ie write good books. So, yes, a worthwhile trip from Spain.

CATRIONA TROTH

author of Ghost Town / member of Triskele Books / chief organiser of IAF14.

After six months' planning, the whole day seemed to go by in a blur. So much could have gone wrong, yet somehow the whole Heath Robinson contraption stayed on its wheels. We even survived the home-made PA system failing to work on first try. Everywhere around me, I felt so much energy and good will - the creativity and generosity of indie authors made manifest.

 DEBBIE YOUNG

http://www.authordebbieyoung.com/

It was inspiring to be in the same hall as so much indie author talent, and I really enjoyed meeting some that I had previously met online but never in real life, as well as meeting old friends and making new ones. There was a lot of interest in ALLi, and with so many members present, the atmosphere was very conducive to joining our influential and ever-growing organisation. The event was also yet another example of the power of the authors' collective, showing incredible synergy among the members of the renowned Triskele group.

Debbie Young at IAF

One highlight for me personally was being asked to read a couple of my short stories aloud in the hall. It could have been daunting and difficult to be heard above the buzzing throng, but it turned out to be a really attentive audience, who went quiet and stood still for every author reading. It was a privilege to be a part of the readings programme, and my confidence has been boosted by the kind comments I received after my readings.

I was also really glad I said "yes" to all the other benefits offered - namely an interview with Ingram Spark, which will run on their blog after editing, and a professional photo shoot at a very reasonable price with a terrific photographer who had been brought in for the day. Like most people, I hate having my photos taken, but in a very short space of time she produced some shots I was really happy with, and all the pictures I saw of other authors that she'd photographed were super.

I hope this will be the first of an annual programme of events. I've been recommending attending to other author friends who weren't there, and to those who provide services to the indie author community too (ALLi partner members), so I think next time we're going to need a bigger venue!

Huge congratulations to the Triskele team for making it such a success.

Authors at the London Book Fair: how things change!

by Catriona Troth

This year was my fourth year attending the London Book Fair, which gave me a chance to reflect on how things have changed for authors since that first, tentative visit.

My first impression, back in 2011, was of the vast stalls of the big publishing houses, crowded with people holding earnest conversations in twos and threes. But if you weren’t part of this arcane world, then they were essentially advertising space for the publishers’ most highly promoted books. And as for those agents you might long to corner and impress with that carefully honed ‘elevator’ pitch, they were secreted away in the International Rights Centre, where admission was by appointment only.

However, if you made it past those, there was still plenty to enjoy. Dotted around the Fair were theatres and speaking areas, each of which has their own programme of seminars and interviews. The Children’s Zone, the Digital Zone, the Translation Centre, The English Pen Literary Café … the programme was so crowded that it is impossible to see everything you might be interested in.

Blink and you might miss it, but even back then, there was an author lounge. As I told Gareth Howard of Authoright recently, I recall sitting literally at his feet to hear him explain the difference between marketing and distribution, because his audience far exceeded the handful of cuboid pouffes furnishing the Lounge.

My second visit, in 2012, saw the beginning of an author revolution – the London launch of ALLi – the Alliance of Independent Authors. In a room overlooking those very publishing stands I’d stood in awe of the year before, Orna Ross, proclaimed:

“Hello. We’re here. We’re at the London Book Fair and we’re here to stay!”

Orna Ross Launching ALLI, LBF12

And how very right she proved to be. By the following year, those upstart authors had made it down on to the floor of the fair itself, with a considerably expanded Author Lounge, sponsored by Authoright and an exciting schedule of seminars and workshops. What’s more, in its first year, ALLi had created a virtual network of authors, all of whom were eager to meet in person and exchange ideas. There was a tremendous buzz of excitement and a sense that here – rather than anywhere else in the Fair – was where the real innovation was happening.

Unfortunately, despite the expansion, space became a major issue. On Monday, the audience for the talks was spilling out into the aisles outside, with people craning to hear and waiting in line in the hopes of getting a better spot for the next session as some people moved on. By Tuesday, the organisers had got twitchy about this. Those acting as gatekeepers, with their little clickers scanning our badges, were limiting the numbers coming into the lounge, and the security folk were moving people on if they even stopped outside to grab a quick photo. It all left many of us with the sense that, as authors, we were expected to play quietly while the grownups conducted business.

So what of 2014?

Arriving through the main entrance, you would be forgiven for thinking that very little had changed in the past three years. Earls Court One was still dominated by the massive stands of the big publishing houses. Literary Agents were still tucked away in their eyrie above the main floor. But head for the back of Earls Court 2, and you’d find a new confidence among the author community.

The Author Lounge – now redubbed Author HQ – was no bigger than the year before, but the layout was more ‘open plan’, allowing a greater numbers to access to the seminars. It was also placed in a corner of Earls Court 2 with a wide aisle in front of it, so that people overspilling it were no longer a health and safety issue.

Seminar at Author HQ, LBF14

There was, as always, a great programme of seminars for authors – from ‘Breaking Through: what Independent Authors know about Reaching Readers’ to ‘Negotiating Author Contracts’, ‘How to Get the Best From Your Publisher,’ and ‘Top Ten Things to Know about getting your book made into a Film/TV show’ (to name but a few). You can read about a selection of them here.

It was wonderful, this year, to be able to share the Fair with my Triskele colleagues, as well as reconnecting with friends from the Alliance of Independent Authors (now sporting the shiny new badges by which we could identify one another). The huge sense of energy and innovation that I’d felt the year before culminated, this year, in the ALLi/ACX party, where amidst the noisy chaos of a crowded pub, we heard readings from authors such as Dan Holloway, Polly Courtney, JJ Marsh, Jessica Bell and Jerome Griffin .

JJ Marsh - reading at the ALLi/ACX party

In some ways, I felt as if I ‘came of age’ at this LBF. Now I was one of the people having meetings over coffee (or wine) with the likes of ePubli, Silverwood Books, Nook Press, Writers and Artists Yearbook and Chorleywood. Unfortunately, all this meant that, despite being at the Fair for all three days, I scarcely had time to visit the English Pen Literary Cafe, where author interviews take place. Previously, I had heard crime writer Margie Orford talk about her first-hand experience of South African prisons, discovered the Anthony Horowitz seeds his books with hidden names, anagrams and other puzzles , heard William Boyd announce the title of his new Bond novel and heard the judges of the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize discuss the shortlist. This year, I caught a few minutes of Jim Crace talking about why he doesn’t write political novels – and even fewer of the magnificent Malorie Blackman. But that was all.

For me, though, the most memorable part of the whole three days has to be the impassioned speeches from Dan Holloway and Debbie Young at the Open Up To Indies Launch on the Kobo stall on the first day.

Holloway challenged the publishing world to decide whether to ask, “How do we keep all the bad books out?” or “How do we make sure to let all the good books in?” and warned that the first alternative “denies reader whole swathes of the outstanding.”

Young described Open Up to Indies as “an exercise in stepping beyond my self-published author’s mindset to empathise with the parties that influence that important end-user of all authors’ products: the reader. It was about viewing the bookshop from the other side of the till; seeing the literary festival from the frantic desk of the event manager; perceiving librarians as more than just the people who stamp your ticket.”

So if you are wondering whether it might be worth making the trip to LBF15, in its new home at Olympia, here are a few reasons why you should:

• To meet other authors, exchange tips and be inspired

• To hear interviews with writers from around the globe

• To take advantage of the huge array of free seminars and workshops available

• To connect with the passion and dedication behind campaigns like Open Up to Indies

See you there!

Catriona Troth is the author of the novels Ghost Town and Gift of the Raven. She is a member of the Triskele Books Author Collective, and of the Alliance of Independent Authors.