With Debbie Young of Off the Shelf Book Promotions/The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi)
Foyles Bristol was the venue for joining up with around thirty other SilverWood Books authors, plus a crowd of writers eager to learn about getting their books to publication.
The writing and publishing open day was brilliantly organised by Helen Hart and her SilverWood team and run jointly with Rob Norton events supervisor at Foyles.
The mood was informative, professional and above all fun. I talked to so many people that I needed regular injections of caffeine from the Foyles coffee shop.
Historical author Helen Hollick (left) with other SilverWood authors
Panel session Q&A
Topics covered an enormous range. The writing and editing process, of course. Nothing happens without a well-written story.
Next, we heard about book design – covers and interiors – and how important this was to demonstrate quality and make your finished book stand out in an increasingly crowded market.
Then onto many authors’ unfavourite topic – book marketing and promotion which covered author platform, getting your book into bookshops, audiobooks and crowd-funding.
Reading from PERFIDITAS!
Authors read from their own books (including moi). The big challenges were talking into the microphone without making the sound blurred and harsh and (more importantly!) not overdoing the drama queen act!
(I’m not entirely sure I succeeded in avoiding both of those!)
But I had spoken at many professional events before I turned to writing. Still, it’s somewhat unnerving spouting stuff you made up from your imagination in front of other creatives.
Historical authors Anna Belgrage and David Ebsworth discussing a serious point.
Some authors using SilverWood Book services had only ever met each other and the SilverWood team virtually. They lost no time swapping notes about writing, research and promotion! And many of us enjoyed talking to their fans who came along as well as to the SilverWood Books team.
Publishing assistant Joanna Zefron from SilverWood Books and historical author Lucienne Boyce
Self-published/independent authors can sometimes feel isolated, but this was very much the meeting of a community which regularly interacts virtually but on Saturday took enormous pleasure in meeting in ‘real life’. And I loved chatting with fans (yes, there were some Roma Nova ones!) and talking to new and potential authors just starting on their publishing path.
Updated February 2023 Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers –  INCEPTIO, CARINA (novella), PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO,  AURELIA, NEXUS (novella), INSURRECTIO and RETALIO,  and ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories.  Audiobooks are available for four of the series.Double Identity, a contemporary conspiracy, starts a new series of thrillers. JULIA PRIMA, a new Roma Nova story set in the late 4th century, is now out.
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines and taste world the latest contemporary thriller Double Identity… Download ‘Welcome to Alison Morton’s Thriller Worlds’, a FREE eBook, as a thank you gift when you sign up to Alison’s monthly email update. You’ll also be among the first to know about news and book progress before everybody else, and take part in giveaways.
Ha! Spotted me and my hat in your photos! Wasn’t i a grand day! Well done Foyles and SilverWood!
Love your hat, Helen! Yes, it *was* a grand day. I talked my self hoarse.
Lovely to see some pictures from the day. Thank you, Alison. We’ve had such positive feedback about the day – can’t wait until the next one! (Keep the date: Saturday 20 September.)
These are really ‘snaps’ in between talking! I’m looking forward to the official photos, but I think they will all show the enthusiasm and enjoyment that flowed through the day.
And I bet you’ll get fulled booked again for the next one on 20 September.
Lovely post, Helen, and great pics! And of course so great to meet you in real life at last! Off to tweet this now… 🙂
It was a huge pleasure to meet you in RL, Debbie. Quite surreal, but affirming, when these good virtual friendships turn into real ones.
Delighted to say that I was there, too, enjoying such a buzz amongst the Silverwood authors, and the professional organisation of the event. It’s certainly given me plenty of food for thought.
So pleased you enjoyed yourself as well as finding it useful. 😉
Denise I’m sure I speak for all the authors there – so glad you had a great time and found the afternoon useful. Helen Hart, Alison Morton, Debbie Young or myself (and any of the other authors!) will be more than happy to help out if you have any more questions. We’ve all got websites through which we an be contacted, just Google us. For myself, the only sad thing was that I didn’t get to speak to everyone (although I did try!)
Breakfast time, Alison, was particularly good.
Haha! We had some lovely writerly chat, didn’t we?
LOL I wasn’t prepared to get up that early!
Sounds like a lovely day Alison! I expect it was great to meet other SilverWood authors who you’d only met virtually.x
That was terrific! Mildly strange, but we were soon chatting away. A real sense of community.
It was a brilliant event. Good to meet all those that I did and sorry not to get to chat to everyone! Love the pics, Alison. Really sums up the day!
There were too many people to talk to, Wendy. The piccies are just a few quick photos. Longing to see the official ones!
Even more disappointed I wasn’t in a position to participate. Good networking, morale-boosting and practically informative event. Hope there are follow-on meetings 🙂
Yes, it was great but do not worry! There’s a second day being organised for Saturday 20 September. Here’s the SilverWood Books email: info@silverwoodbooks.co.uk
[…] or internet in general. (Want to know more about the event and my author friends, pop over to Alison Morton’s blog – or Helen […]