Hattie Holden Edmonds's Blog

It was a woman I'd never met who finally swung it. As I lay on a plump mattress under a duck down duvet one night in late April, I thought about what she, Liz, had done with her day. While I'd been sitting on my backside, shuffling words around and working my way through a variety of nut-based snacks, she'd been putting out fires, breaking up knife fights and comforting dozens of bewildered children who know her as a second mum.

The tinkle of laughter through a canvas tent. The simple delight of hearing a story read aloud. The thrill of spotting your favourite author queuing for a foraged elk burger. It could only mean one thing - the literary festival season is upon us.

These days festival organisers are increasingly open to indie authors because they can bring something different to the table. So if you fancy the idea of reading your book aloud to a room/tent/pub-full of literary punters, there are a few things to...

Spring's here and the self-publishing sap is surging with three unmissable events...

Spring's here and the self-publishing sap is surging with three unmissable events. First up is the London Book Fair (15th - 17th April), which this year includes the IndieReCon 2015, a free online conference offering advice and education for all indie authors. It culminates in a live all day event at Foyles bookshop in Charing Cross Road, where you can pick the brains of some of the most successful self-publishers on the scene.

Event number 2 is a Masterclass by that doyenne of self-publis...

"An absurd and uninteresting fantasy which was rubbish and dull," said one of the twenty publishers to knock back Lord of the Flies, which later sold more than 150 million copies.

If you haven't been slapped round the chops by at least twenty publishers, then you haven't earned your literary chips. Rejection is a well-worn path on the road to success (however you define success), and it's good to remind yourself of all those truly gifted writers who've faced it before you.



"You're welcome to le Carré - he hasn't got any future," pronounced one of the many publishers to turn down The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, the book which kick-started a writing career of over hal...

A good editor is essential to the success of any book. So this week I interviewed Sarah Vincent, author and editor of ten years with Cornerstones, one of the UK's leading Literary Consultancies.

What to do if you're not Mary Berry, you don't have a big publisher/telly show to promote your collection of classic yet still current recipes, but you're still determined to make your book a success?



A good editor is essential to the success of any book. So this week I interviewed Sarah Vincent, author and editor of ten years with Cornerstones, one of the UK's leading Literary Consultancies.



Can you sum up your job as an editor?

The team at Cornerstones know my preferences, which tend towards c...