Honest Breaks Into The London Book Fair

We waltz through the blazing gates of the London Book Fair, longing. Shake hands with the devil. Shake hands with anything living or otherwise. We find the toilet for that all important pre-meeting piss, smoke one last cigarette, puff chest out like a soon to be slaughtered cockerel.

The background full of booth packed next to booth. The action of schmoozing, explaining, stating, proclaiming. Who are you? I am me. Are these your books? Yes they are. And watch as months, years sometimes, of hard work is fingered, careful, thought-provoking, original literature is flicked through in seconds to find the market, to establish potential, sales figures, numbers rolling in the eyes of many a suit. So we publish alternative literature, neglected voices, the raw, niche stuff, listen this is the good stuff, this is the stuff no one else has the balls to publish, the really great stuff, listen this is the stuff that means something.

We hand over the business card. We hand over the leaflet. We move on. We wade through puddles of ego and crowds of fame junkies. We sit and drink an overpriced tea. And smoke another cigarette. The background of serene booths with appointment after appointment and explanation upon suck, upon brainjuice, years of selling paper meat.

The young rebels, somebody calls out, a well-wisher, thanks, so we talk and her eyes lit up; we blink waiting for deliverance, explain some more, feel good, great, there are people out there not just calculators. More cards are exchanged and lips licked.

See you again next year with more books in the bag and an appetite for justice.

 

Our thanks go to Deanna Leah, from HBG Productions, Aaron Silverman, from SCB Distributors, Mark Suchomel, from the Independent Publishers Group, and Jennifer Szunko, from ForeWord Reviews. It was great speaking to you and we very much appreciated your advice and support.