My First Novel is One Year Old – how’s it going and what I’ve learned

Officially the publication date agreed between me and my publisher was Tuesday 25th July 2023, which means The Walk is an entire year old! What actually happened was Amazon and Waterstones started fulfilling orders early, and so the listed publication date on Amazon is actually the 17th .

Nevertheless, the 25th was the day the cards came, the flowers came (thanks again, Gemma!), the publisher announced it on social media and in my own mind, I officially became an author. And that was now an entire year ago.

It was already an incredibly long journey up to that point – the book took nine months to write, two and a half years to be accepted by a publisher and a contract signed, then a further seven months to appear on the shelves. Novel writing is no get-rich-quick scheme – in fact, unless you are very, very, very, very lucky with the weight of a Big Five publisher behind you, it’s not a scheme to get rich at all.

I have been so privileged in the past year to be invited to four different Essex-based Book Clubs to meet readers and speak to them about the book (a fifth is in the calendar for next month) – these events were so interesting because it really showed how people from various walks of life can read the same set of words and interpret them completely differently. I hope to do more of these in the coming year, if people are still reading The Walk.

I hosted or attended three author events in this year as well, all based by the sea in Southend – a tiny launch event at The Novel Coffee Shop, a collaboration event with two other authors (shout-out to Rose Cleary and Tim Burrows) between Books-on-Sea bookshop and La Petite Petanque restaurant, and I opened The Forum (Southend’s biggest library)’s ‘Southend Libraries Present…’ author series back in March, which was a real honour and a great chance to meet local people who love books.

I’m really excited to move forward in 2025 as an approved speaker with the Federation of Women’s Institutes (Essex), with three invitations to speak at meetings next year at Roach, Bradfield and Shenfield, and I really hope to do more of those. My nan was a member of her local W.I. and it brought her great comfort and joy in difficult years of her life, so I’m really privileged to be involved with them.

There have, of course, been challenges as well as triumphs. I am not well known. Sales were low and slow, and whilst some great retailers like Waterstones,WHSmiths, Foyles and even shops abroad listed the book on their website, very few chains stocked it in their shops. A few Essex-based independent bookshops did, and I am extremely grateful to them for doing so.

The reviews from those who have read the book have – mostly – been glowing and I love to read those, and I do enjoy the feedback from the 3-and-4- star reviews as well.

In hindsight, though, I suppose I knew very little about the realities of publishing – like, for instance, when anyone asked me if there was a certain retailer I wanted people to use to buy the book as it would generate more royalties for me, I said no, because I assumed it was all the same. As it turned out, the payment was six – SIX – times higher to me if the book was bought direct from the publisher, as opposed to on Amazon or through Waterstones or other retailers. Maybe it should have been obvious, but I had no idea and missed out on potentially hundreds of pounds.

Better luck next time!

And indeed, there will be a next time, as Book #2 is in progress. I am so grateful to all the readers of The Walk who asked if I had other books they could read and/or when and if another was coming, because they enjoyed my writing. That is just so lovely to hear. Quite by accident there are nuns in this coming book as well – but better ones. I won’t say much now, but what I will say is that The Walk is a book about good mums and bad nuns, and the coming book, provisionally titled Canonesses, is entirely the opposite.

Thank you sincerely from the bottom of my tired, caffeine-stained heart for all your support, love, encouragement, advice and general cheerleading this past year. Every purchase, every library borrow, every review and verbal recommendation to a friend has contributed to my success and happiness, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Happy birthday, The Walk!

"The Walk" can be purchased direct from the publishers here.