London Book Fair Masterclass - How To Get Published

The London Book Fair 2009 kicks off from Monday at Earls Court. There are some great seminars and workshops so I've decided to go along as a budding author.

This morning I went the a Masterclass titled "How To Get Published". I arrived early, maybe an hour before the doors opened. I hadn't registered in advance and wanted to make sure that I was able to get a seat. A handful of people were already milling outside the entrance doors by the time I arrived. The milling crowd were instructed to form an orderly line and by the time the doors opened, a long snake of people weaved its way around the building.

Once in and registered, we could go upstairs for coffee and pastries. I stood in the room and watched people coming in, trying to see if I could spot someone who might be the next big thing in publishing. I don't know what I was looking for but I thought if I looked hard enough, I might spot some magical quality. I didn't but it was fantastic to see the room filling up with people from all walks of life, all ages - all with one common purpose - the desire to be published.

After coffee and people-watching, I went into the conference room and made my way to the front. All the prime seats were already taken so I plumped for the second row, in the middle, where I would have an excellent view of the panel guests. The room had capacity for over 500 people and by the time the event started, all the seats were filled, people sat with notepads and pens at the ready to glean any nuggets of gold from those that knew.

The panel was made up of a senior commissioning editor from Bloomsbury, the Co-Head of Books Department from United Agents and three authors. The industry voices kicked off, sharing sage advice on how to get published. The thing that struck me immediately was that both representatives absolutely loved books and loved what they did, they had a passion that was clear to see. I don't know why I was surprised by this. I get really excited by the work I do and can get very passionate about it but in general it seems that if people are genuinely excited about what they do, they tend to keep quiet about it. Or maybe most people end up in jobs that they're not that excited about and so can't inject any joy or enthusiasm into their voices when they talk about it. A lot of people I know are crazy about music but very few make it their world so it was great to hear from people who had turned passion into work.

After the industry experts, it was the turn of the authors. Once again, more tips on how to do it. I scribbled away furiously but realised that most things they said were applicable to anything you do, not just publishing. Having dived into interiors six years ago and learnt stacks along the way, the tips I heard were not new but it was brilliant to hear them all again for a completely different industry. I guess at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what you do as the fundamental lessons are the same. Here are the main qualities that were essential:

- be passionate about what you're doing
- remain excited and optimistic
- work hard, put in the energy
- remain professional
- no room for arrogance
- be patient
- you need stamina, it won't be an overnight thing
- do your research
- write every day
- believe in yourself
- practice and hone your skills
- have the courage to let things go if they don't fit in the book
- listen to your voice and write from the heart
- be strong enough to take the rough with the smooth
- need to have confidence in yourself
- do things to keep yourself strong, do not undermine yourself
- passion, passion, passion!
- and stacks of hard work!

I know I've repeated myself with the last two points but they really did drive this message home. When the seminar finished, I found myself buzzing. I don't know if this was caffeine or excitement (I think it was the latter) but the old guy sat next to me said "I saw you scribbling away. Did you find it useful?". And yes, I found it incredibly useful even if I heard key messages that I knew already from running my own business. The points above could be applied to anything you do, these qualities are essential to succeed in life! At least I know in advance a little of what to expect and when it comes to being optimistic and passionate, I know I'm okay there too! Now all I have to do is come up with an amazing story and hope that I'm a gifted writer!

I'm going to spend the early part of next week at the main book fair. It makes sense to immerse myself in the world I want to be a part of, particularly while I have some free time. I start my creative writing course on Monday evening so things are moving in the right direction and I'm very excited about writing a novel.

I've also been out enjoying the city the last few days. On Thursday I went along to a night that was part of "Land of Kings" - a 2-day festival all along Kingsland Road and Kingsland High Street. Although there were lots of different events, I just went to one where my friends Harry and Tayo were DJing. It was in this mad little venue below a brightly-lit yet empty restaurant. When you walked into the restaurant, you had no idea what lay below and after a bit of confusion where the girl sat in the restaurant directed me to the ladies toilets instead of the party, I found where I was meant to be. It was a "classics" night which meant that I knew most of the records which pleased me enormously. Of course I love hearing something amazing I've never heard before but sometimes it's good to hear a load of cheesy records that you know all the words to!

Yesterday I went to the South Bank to meet my friend Barbara for a coffee. We're old friends from my Foreign Office days but have always bonded over a love for silly accents, hilarious antics from our days working together (which still make us laugh all these years on) and a shared passion for what we're doing. I got up to the South Bank early and although it was grey and pouring with rain, the sound of a jazz band playing by Hungerford Bridge filled me with an enormous love for the city and put a big smile on my face. I went up to investigate the impromptu mini orchestra and found about five or six guys from South America, all playing away and entertaining the crowds, with one drumming a beat on what looked like a large plastic water container. People were milling around enjoying the music and one couple started doing a brilliant be-bop dance at the bottom of the stairs. I don't know if they were professional dancers but they had some slick moves going which all added to the entertainment.

Barbara and I met and went up to the cafe in the Royal Festival Hall for coffee, cake and a catch-up. While we talked, the orchestra that was going to be putting on a free concert at 7pm tuned up and got ready. It was none other that the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra from Venezuela (Barbara had already seen them on Wednesday), the orchestra made up of former street kids that had wowed the proms back in 2007. I remember hearing about this amazing orchestra at the time and as luck would have it, I got to see them by chance. They were excellent and after playing some classical pieces, moved onto more Latin-inspired music where they really came to life. Whole sections of the orchestra would get up and dance around, there was an enthusiasm and energy that was infectious and even the rather reserved English audience started tapping their toes and clapping. Some even whooped in joy (or maybe that was just me) and once again, I wished I could do one of those ear-piercing whistles but I've never mastered the art which perhaps is a good thing. I got the bus back home stil buzzing from what I'd seen and heard and the continuing rain did nothing to dampen my high spirits!

I'm off out again tonight, back to Kingsland Road for my friend Andy's party Discobox. He's teaming up with the boys from Lovebox, maybe they're having a box-off as I think they're all playing in the same room. Taking over the other room is original soul boy and house don Terry Farley. I haven't seen Terry since way before I moved to Ibiza so it will be good to go and say hi to old man Farley and see what gems he has in his record box. I can't have a late night though as I'm off to a Sunday sermon tomorrow morning. It's on Curiousity and the speaker is Robert Winston. I've heard it's been incredibly popular with over 400 people attending so a great success for the School of Life who organised it. I'll come back and fill in how the curious sermon is!