Last week I went to the London Book Fair again. It’s not hugely relevant to authors because it is mainly for publishers to do business, showcase their companies and for international deals to be struck (this is my third timer impression anyway). However, lots of different seminars happen throughout the three days which are very useful for writers to go to. I particularly enjoyed going to one about managing expectations about being an author with a panel including authors who had been former publishers, an editor and a literary agent. It helped me be aware of what the whole process (which can take years) is like on a practical day-to-day level.

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In the days leading up to the London Book Fair, I was working on my cover letter for Alice in Wheelchairland. I need to prepare a pitch and summary to show publishers why it is worth investing in me and my story. James Catchpole helped me edit the cover letter to sound as good as it could be, to gain other agents’ interest. I found it very helpful being asked why I made certain decisions, because it helped me to articulate for the first time why things had turned out the way they are. I guess stories are plot + execution, so if I make certain plot decisions I have to execute them well.

Some writers plan out their stories thoroughly, these are the architects and the engineers. Other writers discover the story as they write, these are the gardeners and the explorers, also called ‘pantsers’ because they are holding onto the seat of their pants. I very much discovery wrote Alice in Wheelchairland. Now I think about it, it feels very influenced by Steven Spielberg’s film Hook (1991). I didn’t know anything about the characters when I started and the plot twist surprised me as much as it will surprise the reader. I’m very impressed with what my brain came up with. I’m a bit worried that some readers might find the ending lame, but that’s just how the story turned out, and I won’t betray it in the editing process. I’m concerned twists offer a story up for ridicule, but I know that we have to be bold and take that risk. Part of owning who you are is owning the plot twists. It’s okay to love things which can be easily ridiculed.

I gleefully hope that I have written the kind of controversial ending that some readers will hate and others will love. Art is all a matter of preference and aesthetics, so you can’t please everyone! Though what I love about children’s books in particular is that most readers will grow up and forget them, even if they loved them they probably won’t remember what happened, just how it made them feel. Or course, if they love it they will read it over and over, far more than an adult would.

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I met up with a friend at the London Book Fair who works for a publisher and she tipped me off to a literary agency that might like my work. When I went home and researched them I thought she might be right, and submitted my story to them. I know I can’t put all my eggs in one basket and just hope for one agent, because that is wildly unrealistic in publishing, so I will be researching other agents as well. But I do really like this one. However, her name is the same as my main character, so Alice in Wheelchairland might put her off with its chatty intro, or it won’t.
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(Featured Image is cropped from a poster for Hook (1991) by Andy Fairhurst.)