How I got Published
On my own I followed laborious instructions on agents websites about proposals. As directed, I sent carefully prepared manuscripts via email only to receive automatic replies to say they were FULL UP. More useful to put that on the website first don't you think.

I tried an online publisher (leanmarketingpress.com) - they showed interest and wanted to see the whole book. I wrote it up in 3 weeks getting up before work to do so. They eventually rejected it.

Having told no one what I was doing, I mentioned my project to a friend over lunch. I realised whilst I knew no one in publishing - other people did. She suggested I talk to her brother in law - who had published a book. TELL PEOPLE - THEY WILL WANT TO HELP YOU - ONE DAY YOU WILL HELP SOMEONE ELSE. Her brother in law knew people in the industry and people in the industry are looking for titles to publish. Within a few weeks I had contact names and set up meetings. I could now get turned down face to face! And I did. But every rejection came with advice and a new direction. Eventually I found the right publisher for the book.

My last contact (Cyan Books) kept the idea for 6 months before finally taking the risk and saying 'yes'.

If they had said 'no' I would probably have gone to Penn Press and self published. I was confident enough that there was an interest and I could sell some copies. On the other hand, I may have consigned the project to the dustbin.

My 5 Top Tips to getting your book published

1. Immerse yourself in the industry.
   I found the following research invaluable to get access to agents, publishers and other writers. Attended events by Spread the Word spreadtheword.org.uk. At their Novel Pitch event (6 writers pitch their work to a panel of judges) I heard the following people talk and they gave vital (free) information to writers: Simon Trewin (agent), Becky Swift (www.literaryconsultancy.co.uk), Juliette Mitchell (Penguin), Peter Straus (Rogers, Coleridge & White Literary Agency), Caroline McCarthy (www.literaryconsultancy.co.uk), Ellah Allfrey (Random House), Nii Parkes (Flipped Eye).
   
   I joined 26 www.26.org.uk - 'for anyone who cares about words'
   
   Attended a week long Arvon Writing Course (Creative writing in Business - Dark Angels) at Lumb Bank, Yorkshire. It was like the Apprentice for writers - I nearly came home after day 2 - but I'm so glad I didn't. Poet Simon Armitage read by the fire on Wednesday night.
   
   Attended free session in lunch hour about how to get your book published by cartoonist and author John Byrne. I subsequently sent him a book proposal and he kindly talked me through it. He's a cartoonist and published writer.
   
   Went to a writers group called Living Fruits.
   
2. Tell people what you are doing
   Eventually you'll find someone who has either had a book published or works in publishing.
   
   
3. Read Useful Books
   Rachel Stock, How to Get Your Book Published
   Steven King, On Writing
   William Stunk, Jnr, and E.B. White The Elements of Style
   
   I joined a book club. Favourites so far: F Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby; Virginia Woolf, Mrs Dalloway; Patrick Gale, Notes on an Exhibition; Johnathan Franzen, The Corrections.
   
   
4. Know your market
   Who is it aimed at? What's the competition for your book? There's always something similar out there - find it - how is your book different/better? How well is that book selling? Prove there is a market. Which publishers publish your type of book?
   
   
5. Learn how to sell the concept of your book in a sentence.

1. Hold an 'event' or signing in bookshops.
   Contact the events co-ordinators in your local bookshops.
   
   
2. Organise 'show cards.'
   Put this in bookshop - ideally in the front window - if they'll agree - week before and after the signing.
   
   
3. Anyone who contacts you and genuinely likes the book - ask them if they'll put their comments on Amazon.
   
   
4. Contact other shops.
   I thought my book suited the stock in Oliver Bonus. They agreed and decided to trial the book in a handful of their stores. I contacted WH Smith - their 63 shops at airports didn't want us - so I contacted the one non WH Smith store at City Airport who said 'yes'.
   
   
5. Contact newspapers/magazines/websites/radio & TV and send review copies to those interested.
   
   My co-writer was interviewed on BBC 5 Live, BBC London and BBC Gloucestershire.