The London Book Fair has always been the fancy parlour of the publishing establishment. You can sense it when wandering around the stands, where the members of publishing family gather for business, politics, and gossip along with an inevitable, well-dosed degree of gloating.
However, something has rocked the boat in recent times. New members of the family have arrived in town.
Over the course of the last few years this branch of the family has grown luxuriant. Independent publishing has turned into a smashing success. With success came recognition which was just one step away from celebration. KWL has been one of the main party hosts at LBF since the fair decided to open the their doors to independent publishing back in 2013. In the meantime, KWL has grown both with and thanks to our talented, enterprising, and passionate authors.
Last year at LBF we had a terrific line-up of authors who joined forces with Kobo Writing Life. We shared the stage at Author HQ and enjoyed a big signing party at The Free Word Center the following day.
And here we get back to where we began. Can family reunions be the best parties? I guess that depends on the type of family you belong to. I personally enjoy being part of the independent publishing clan and this makes me a little too partial. On top of this, I am not a big fan of self-referential assessments, especially when you have filmed what you are talking about. So, you should probably take a look at this three-part video and judge for yourselves…
Part One with Jillian Dodd, Diane Capri, Ruth Cardello and Melody Anne
Part Two with Raine Miller, H.M. Ward, CC MacKenzie and Steena Holmes
Part Three with Chris Keniston’s, Fabio Bueno, Lee Strauss and Rebecca Donovan
The Kobo Writing Life Team will be at London Book Fair 2016, in search of new adventures.
We will have a KWL booth within the Writers Block (1F 50).
We are also holding 2 sessions at Author HQ.
Here is an outline of our seminars:
Tuesday 12th, 16:45 – 17:30
Inside out. The business of writing recounted by Mark Lefebvre and Joanna Penn.
The life of an independent author is much more than writing. In order to succeed in the new age of publishing, authors need to turn into all-around entrepreneurs. That’s much easier said than done, especially at the beginning, with so much to learn, countless setbacks waiting to happen and only 24 hours in a day.
Kobo Writing Life Director and independent author Mark Lefebvre is joined, on the stage of Author HQ, by bestselling author and entrepreneur Joanna Penn to share what the life of an independent author looks like through their own eyes.
Wednesday 13th, 13:45 – 14:30
Is self-publishing getting onto the next level?
Self-publishing is still widely regarded as borderland where adventurous authors try their luck in search of a breakthrough. Some of them succeed; others give up while many keep on trying. Over the course of the last few years, though, a different kind of player joined the table; independent publishers have been a growing force in the self-publishing business, being able to offer a unique blend of professionalism, business acumen and flexibility. Is this the next level in the evolution of the self-publishing business? If so, what does it really look like?
Kobo Writing Life Manager Diego Marano will dig into this topic in collaboration with Bookouture Managing Director Oliver Rhodes and UK bestselling author Kathryn Croft.
—
See you there!
