Want to read at Waterstones in London?

 

I was delighted to be asked by Novel London to read from my novella, The Finnish Girl, at Waterstones, Covent Garden last Friday

This event, which is organised every month, celebrates new fiction with first chapter readings by selected writers. My contribution was The Finnish Girl, a prequel to my Navy fiction series, The Englishman. Novel London is unique – unlike most author readings, each writer receives a high-quality video recording of the event. This is an incredibly useful PR tool for an author to use online, especially if you are at the beginning of your career and need exposure. But even for me, who after 10 years in the business and with 6 books to my name could be considered a veteran of self-publishing, these kinds of events are helpful in spreading the word about my writing. Plus it keeps my performance skills (such as they are!) up to date.

Pop over to their YouTube channel to see how it went for me and Andrew Smith, who read from his historical novel, The Speech. Please also note that you can now get a free copy of The Finnish Girl. (See below)

For the first time, the evening included a Q&A session

After the readings, there was a question and answer session with Andrew and me, moderated by the author of Candyfloss Guitar, Stephen Mariott. We discussed balancing writing with marketing, gave tips to new authors, and debated the pros and cons of self-publishing versus being published by an indie press. Listen to the conversation here.

If you are an author with a book out, why not apply to Novel London to take part in these central London bookshop readings?

Or if you are a keen reader, wishing to find new and exciting books, do come along to hear the authors read from their recent work. It’s a free evening in central London and there’s wine! 😉

The next event is on 5th May 2017 at Waterstones, Tottenham Court Road. There is more information on Novel London website here.