Talks for Writing Groups or Publishing Hopefuls

Demystifying Book Publicity

I have worked as a book publicist for over twenty years: currently, I job share the role of Deputy Publicity Director at Quercus Books. It’s a privilege to work in such a creative field and always fun to reminisce about dressing my colleagues up as zombies, carting slowly defrosting grouse carcasses to Crewe on a boiling hot train, marshalling five hundred VERY EXCITED schoolchildren and other, less dramatic, tasks I have undertaken in the course of my career.

I have the unusual privilege of seeing both sides of the publicity process as I am also, with my other hat on, an author and have worked both with publicists and on my own behalf to promote my poetry anthologies. So I’m able to share information on what you can expect your publicist to do and how best to complement their activity, as well as how you can blow your own trumpet, increase your book sales and reach your readers.

“The Whatsapp group has gone nuts since your talk - everyone's really fired up and keen to get to the stage of being able to work with a publicist, and several of them have added you to their 'ultimate goals' list!”

— Jen Feroze, of Write Club with Create 98

Talks can be delivered online or potentially in person (I am based in the South East). Please email me for booking enquiries and for details of fees.

I can talk about the role of Publicity in the acquisitions process and what the Publicity department will be looking for when a submission is put forward at a publishing house. I’ll also cover what your publicist will do, if you’re traditionally published, and how you can promote your own books - both working with your publicist and independently. Having been an author and a publicist, I have the unusual privilege of having been both sides of the fence, and I’ve worked with both traditionally published and self published authors.

“Thank you for such an inspiring talk! It was fantastic to get the benefit of all your knowledge and expertise delivered in such an entertaining, engaging and inspiring way. So many people who attended have said how much it's got them thinking and doing already - me included! Such a valuable thing to get your insight and such detailed, practical advice on this topic which can seem so mysterious and impenetrable and doesn't after your help.”

- Katharine Perry, The Mum Poem Press

I can tailor my talk to writing groups - and have spoken specifically to groups wanting to gain a wider audience for their poetry - or to those looking to break into Publishing PR, for whom I can add my own experience of what companies are looking for in applicants for publicity jobs, drawing on my experiences hiring publicists at all levels over more than a decade.

Demystifying Publishing: The Journey of a Book

I also have a talk that gives a peek inside a commercial publishing house. This will be of interest to aspiring writers or school and university students considering careers in publishing and wondering which avenue within the industry to pursue.

I give an insider’s insight into the journey of a book through a publishing house and what each department does. What are Foreign Rights? What’s the difference between Marketing and Publicity? What does an editor actually do? What’s the role of Production? How accurate is this meme? (People in publishing have a lot of thoughts about this meme!)

This talk helps explain what to expect if your book is acquired by a traditional publishing house. Although it might be the end goal of many writers, it’s actually the start of the next part of the process! What are the publishing team planning to do to create and launch your book? What will your role in the process be, and how much of it happens behind closed doors? Why does it all take so long?

Literary Events

In this talk, I take the temperature of the literary events landscape. What opportunities are there for authors to reach and expand their readership? How has the landscape changed post-Covid?

We’ll look at the different forms events might take, covering panels, interviews and talks. We’ll look at opportunities in bookshops, libraries, literary festivals and schools. We’ll talk about working effectively with your in-house publicist, if you have one, managing expectations and setting boundaries.

I’ll also cover how to pitch yourself for events, and give tips on how to forge connections in your local literary network that will help you reach new readers as well as supporting your local bookshop (and, hopefully, winning their support for your work in return!)

We get down to the nitty gritty of when you should expect a fee, or your travel expenses covered, for a book event and what level you might expect these fees to be at.

We’ll look at online events opportunities, too, and evaluate their benefits.

Talks can be delivered online or potentially in person (I am based in the South East). Please email me for booking enquiries and for details of fees.