Hi all,

Welcome to the 7th week of the editing your first draft course! You can find all previous weeks linked in this summary post if you need to catch up.

After tackling the heart of the story, the point of view and setting, the characters and the dialogue (phew!) we are now going to look at the plot! I know, I know, you probably expected this one to come first but actually all the work we’ve established up to this point will be so helpful in tackling the plot.

If you remember, in Week 2 we looked at John Mullan’s distinction between story, narrative and plot from How Novels Work — we’ve established the first two (story and narrative) and are now tackling the third (plot).

• Story: material of events and characters and what happens in it.

• Narrative: the way the story is told.

• Plot: the causal chain that connects events and characters1.

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The Edinburgh International Book Festival will be opening its doors THIS WEEK and I’m thrilled to be back to chair a couple of events and also see my brilliant authors on stage talking about their books or chairing other authors.

This year I’ll also be seeing Keio Yoshida (whom I chaired last year) with Baroness Brenda Hale and Karon Monaghan KC, Kae Tempest, Talat Yaqoob, Nicola Sturgeon and Sanna Marin, Margaret Busby and Hannah Chukwu, Mona Chalabi, Claudia Rankine and of course my wife Cat (who is the Clarke half of Evelyn Clarke!).

I always love the festival as I get to see fab events, discover (and buy) an unhealthy amount of books and catch up with everyone. Hope to see you there if you can make it!

If you have access needs, do bear in mind this venue at the Futures Institute has accommodations for most needs and you can find the list here.

Without further ado, here is the full list in chronological order so you can organise your days!

Ashley Douglas, Kate Lister & Jean Menzies: Ladies of Pleasure

Sat 15 Aug 2026 | 17:15 - 18:15

Non-Fiction | Courtyard Theatre

Women’s sexuality is often missing from the history books, but reading between the lines can reveal a lot about how female pleasure has been controlled, misunderstood, and set free over the centuries. Today, the Festival brings together three writers who’ve been thinking deeply about the role of sex in women’s stories: Flick author Kate Lister, Aphrodisia author Jean Menzies, and Ashley Douglas, the historian uncovering Scotland’s 16th-century Sappho in With My Own Hand. Chaired by Vic Murray.

Tickets

Our Many-Voiced Country

Sun 16 Aug 2026 | 18:00 - 19:00

Poetry | Spiegeltent

Now in his second year as Makar, Peter Mackay brings together contemporary poets working in Scotland who showcase the range of languages being spoken and written across the country. From English, Catalan, Orcadian, Scots and Gaelic, to Tamil, Arabic, Persian, and Kutchi (and beyond!), this special event will weave together a tapestry of multi-language poetry, featuring performances from: Helena Fornells Nadal, Harry Josephine Giles, Marjorie Lotfi, Robbie Macleòid, Q Mannivanan, and Alycia Pirmohamed.

Tickets

George E Osborn: Video Games, Politics, and the Battle for Global Influence

Mon 17 Aug 2026 | 17:30 - 18:30

Non-Fiction | Courtyard Theatre

Video games are played by – and connect – billions of people worldwide, meaning that, beyond entertainment value, they hold incredible potential for influence. In Power Play, leading game industry expert George E Osborn reveals how authoritarians, extremists, and populists have taken full advantage of this, co-opting the industry to develop games that promote their worldviews. Today, he delves into gaming and geopolitics, toxic communities, and how one of our favourite hobbies is being weaponised for political purposes. Chaired by Caro Clarke.

Tickets

A Verse of Poets

THE SCOTSMAN EVENT

Mon 17 Aug 2026 | 18:30 - 19:45

Poetry | Spiegeltent

Join your host, Beth Cochrane, for a glittering line-up of poets from across Scotland. From Scots Scrievers to Gaelic singers, Edinburgh Makars to Edwin Morgan Poetry Award-winners, tonight’s roster use their poetry – sometimes tender, sometimes uplifting, sometimes downright raucous – to explore everything from the journey of diaspora to the naming of unspeakable desires. Featuring: Clementine E Burnley, Ceitidh Chaimbeul, Taylor Dyson, Hannah Lavery, Michael Mullen, and Andrés N Ordorica. You won’t want to miss this.

Tickets

Sara Sheridan: The Jewel Keepers

Tue 18 Aug 2026 | 11:00 - 12:00

Fiction | Venue T

A dangerous, long-guarded secret, a high-stakes treasure hunt through history, and a puzzle that stretches back generations – Sara Sheridan returns to the Festival with her immersive, Edinburgh-set novel, The Jewel Keepers. Join Sheridan, author of The Fair Botanists (Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year 2022), as she chats about the real historical events amid the dramatic fiction, plus what she discovered during her exclusive behind-the-scenes access to Edinburgh Castle while researching the novel. Chaired by Ashley Douglas.

The livestream for this event will also be available on demand after the event ends.

Tickets

Polly Atkin & Gillian Best: Pain, Presence, Possibility

Thu 20 Aug 2026 | 15:15 - 16:15

Non-Fiction | Venue NW

How do we live well in bodies that don’t make life easy? In Swimming the Seasons, Polly Atkin finds relief, freedom, and joy in year-round immersion in wild water. In Chronic, Gillian Best combines cutting-edge pain research with her own search for understanding. Together, they explore pain and disability, swimming and self-knowledge, and the possibilities of paying closer attention to body, mind, and the natural world. Chaired by Roxani Krystalli.

Supported by Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation and the High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom

Tickets

Jem Calder & Derek Owusu: New Masculinities

Fri 21 Aug 2026 | 17:00 - 18:00

Fiction | Venue NW

When a debut author 'discovered' by Sally Rooney meets one of Granta’s Best Young Novelists, you can count on a fresh, fiercely intelligent exchange of ideas. Be in the room today with Jem Calder and Derek Owusu as they discuss their novels of modern masculinity and authenticity in the digital age, then run (don’t walk) to put I Want You to Be Happy and Borderline Fiction right at the top of your TBR pile. Chaired by Andrés N. Ordorica.

Tickets

404 Ink: Ten Years of Publishing Loudly

Sat 22 Aug 2026 | 21:00 - 22:30

Spiegeltent

Publishing loudly was always the name of the game at alternative press 404 Ink, but all good things must come to an end. After 10 years fostering some of the country’s most exciting literary talent, innovating every step of the way, you’re invited to join co-founders Heather McDaid and Laura Jones-Rivera as they end their story not with a whimper, but a banging celebration of their brilliant authors. Featuring Genevieve Jagger, Nadine Aisha Jassat, Carrie Marshall, Elle Nash, Andrés N Ordorica, and Arusa Qureshi. (Note: this is a standing, party-style event with limited seating).

Tickets

Chris Kraus: The Four Spent the Day Together

HAWTHORNDEN FOUNDATION EVENT

Sun 23 Aug 2026 | 17:15 - 18:15

Fiction | Courtyard Theatre

Against an increasingly polarised backdrop of Trumpian, right-wing politics, how can we begin to understand the America of today? With her urgent new novel, The Four Spent the Day Together, Chris Kraus offers her unflinchingly honest attempt via the histories of three generations of American lives. Join the author of modern classic I Love Dick for a conversation about repeated patterns, fresh starts, and making sense of chaos. Chaired by Harry Josephine Giles.

Tickets

Alycia Pirmohamed & Ece Temelkuran: Hope when Home is Lost

Thu 27 Aug 2026 | 17:30 - 18:30

Non-Fiction | Courtyard Theatre

How does our understanding of the ideas of ‘home’ and ‘belonging’ shift in a war-torn and warming world? Today’s event features a powerful conversation with three authors writing urgently about displacement and connection: Hoda Barakat (Sheikh Zayed Book Award-winning author of Hind, or the Most Beautiful Woman in the World and Voices of the Lost), Alycia Pirmohamed (poet and winner of the Nan Shepherd Prize with non-fiction debut, Shorelines), and Ece Temelkuran (essayist and Women’s Prize for Nonfiction-shortlisted author of Nation of Strangers). Chaired by Mohamed Tonsy.

Event update

Hoda Barakat is no longer able to appear and this event will go ahead with Alycia Pirmohamed & Ece Temelkuran

Tickets

Sarah Howe, Rachel Long & Sarah Stewart: Lyric Memory

Fri 28 Aug 2026 | 14:00 - 15:00

Poetry | Venue B

Poetry has the capacity to say what other forms cannot. In Sarah Howe’s Foretokens, for example, the T. S. Eliot Prize-winner forms a portrait of a mother in search of her past and herself. Sarah Stewart’s Devour Everything, meanwhile, wrestles with issues of motherhood, memory, and loss, and Rachel Long’s Sparrow on the Rooftop interrogates the experience of self as other. Join these remarkable poets discussing their new collections with Marjorie Lotfi.

Tickets

Joelle Taylor: Maryville

Sat 29 Aug 2026 | 18:00 - 19:00

Fiction | Spiegeltent

Joelle Taylor, the luminous T. S. Eliot and Polari Prize-winning author of C+nto & Othered Poems, brings her raucous storytelling back to Edinburgh for another knockout event. Delve into her remarkable new collection, Maryville, an innovative history-in-poems of lesbian culture and LGBTQ+ rights, told through the lens of an imagined dyke bar in London and the four butch lesbians that inhabit it. Don’t miss the riotous energy tonight as Taylor chats about and performs from the collection! Chaired by Caro Clarke.

Tickets

Nature Journaling: A Workshop with JC Niala

Sun 30 Aug 2026 | 10:30 - 12:00

Venue A

JC Niala (The New Eden) is an award-winning writer, environmental historian, and anthropologist specialising in human-nature interactions; today, she leads an inspiring workshop for anyone curious about starting – or developing – a nature journaling practice. You’ll start with the senses and explore ways into creatively recording your relationship with the natural world. Then, under Niala’s expert guidance, you’ll experiment with creative approaches to celebrating the many forms 'nature' takes – in landscapes, cities, and our own lives.

Tickets

Victoria Bennett: The Apothecary by the Sea

Sun 30 Aug 2026 | 14:00 - 15:00

Non-Fiction | Venue B

With the years of early motherhood behind her, Victoria Bennett uprooted her family and moved from Cumbria 500 miles north to Orkney, where she set about transforming a scrappy backyard into a wild seaside garden. From teas and tinctures to tides and storms, this nourishing conversation with the award-winning author of All My Wild Mothers will explore the restorative power of growing found in her latest memoir, The Apothecary by the Sea. Chaired by Alice Tarbuck.

Tickets

Cal Flyn & JC Niala: The World Beyond Ourselves

Sun 30 Aug 2026 | 15:15 - 16:15

Non-Fiction | Venue NW

What does it mean to live alongside nature? Why do humans seek it out? Can we balance our need for wilderness with our desire for community? Cal Flyn and J C Niala reflect on these questions in their books. In The Savage Landscape, journalist Flyn (author of Islands of Abandonment) explores humanity’s relationship with wilderness; in The New Eden, award-winning nature writer Niala celebrates the nature in our cities. Together, they discuss their visions for the future. Chaired by David Farrier.

Tickets

André Aciman & Sarah Maxwell-McNicol: Call Me by Your Name

Sun 30 Aug 2026 | 17:00 - 18:00

Fiction | Venue T

André Aciman’s million-copy bestseller, Call Me by Your Name, was adapted for the screen to Oscar-winning success by James Ivory in 2017. Now, artist Sarah Maxwell-McNicol gives new life to this moving story of first love through a gorgeously illustrated graphic novel. Aciman and Maxwell-McNicol reflect today on their co-creation process, bringing existing characters to life in new ways, and what goes into adapting a beloved queer cult classic for new audiences. Chaired by Andrés N Ordorica.

The livestream for this event will also be available on demand after the event ends.

Tickets

See you there!

All best,

Caro

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Hi all,

Welcome to the fifth week of the editing your first draft course! You can find all previous weeks linked in this summary post if you need to catch up.

Last time1, we worked on your characters and we are now focusing on dialogue. It’s important for you to ask yourself what you think is good dialogue. For me, it’s when I don’t notice it. By that I mean:

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Hi all,

Welcome to the fourth week of the editing your first draft course! You can find all previous weeks linked in this summary post if you need to catch up.

We worked on the heart of the story as well as the perspective from which the story is told and its setting. We also touched a little bit on characters through discussing narrators but this week we will go into more detail about ALL the characters.

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Hi all,

Welcome to the second week of the editing your first draft course!

Last week we worked on the heart of the story — its core — as well as its genre. You will also have had a think about the themes and emotions you want to highlight. These answers will help you refine every other narrative choice which we’ll be tackling in the coming weeks.

Today we will be looking at the narrative, in other words how the story is being told. We talked about story last week, and we will talk in a few weeks about plot and structure. This section on the narrative is about who is telling us (the reader) this story, what do they know, where are they this story from in time and place? There are so many different ways to tell the same story with the same plot using completely different narrative devices. I’m borrowing the distinction between story, narrative and plot from How Novels Work by John Mullan because I think it can help to break it down in this way. He distinguishes between:

• Story: material of events and characters and what happens in it.

• Narrative: the way the story is told.

• Plot: the causal chain that connects events and characters1.

Read more

Hi all,

Welcome to the first week of the editing course!

If you are able to print your manuscript, then please do have a copy of it printed near you. If you can’t print and you will be looking at your book on screen then I suggest you change your manuscript’s font to a different one from the one you write with (weird advice, but helps reading it in a new light when you can’t print) and save it as a PDF1. The reason for that is that we won’t be making changes to the manuscript just yet and this way you won’t be tempted to correct things in the document.

I’m taking you through the editing process in this way because we are starting from a first draft which will undoubtedly be flawed. We will be interrogating every aspect of your narrative choices and you will investigate whether these choices make for the most impactful way to tell your story. Once we’ve established which parts you will keep as is and which parts you will change, we can then work on a plan on how to implement the changes. If you change your narrator, it will impact on plot and characters and therefore you don’t want to be making changes to scenes you will end up having to cut. Here we are building a plan of action so that you can organise your revision in the most efficient way. I promise that more thinking now makes for fewer drafts down the line. The aim isn’t to have a high number of drafts as a badge of honour, it’s to have an efficient and effective revision process so you can get on with the editing, the sending out for feedback and the submitting.

The way I’ve organised the weeks is by layers of story. Think of writing a story as you would building a house. The heart of the story, point of view, setting, characters, plot and structure are your foundations — until these are solid, there’s no point fixing the wallpaper (beginning or ending?) or door handles (metaphors or imagery?). Your decision on what story you are telling will impact the point of view, which will then impact the characters as well as the plot and structure. All this to say, trust in the madness, there is actual method behind this.

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Hi all,

I hope you’re all well and enjoying the summer! One of my favourite parts of my work as an agent is to work editorially with my clients. I love this part because I get to read an early draft and then my author and I discuss the endless possibilities it gives us and settle on how to make the story shine.

I’ve condensed in an online course what I do when I tackle a first edit and what questions I ask of my authors and also which aspects I feel need to be worked on first. I do all of this in my brain as I read and take small notes, but I organise it more or less in this way when I feedback to my authors.

I know editing can feel daunting and possibly makes you feel like you’re an awful writer. But editing is not like that, it’s a totally normal part of the process and one everyone has to go through. It’s actually a conversation between the story you have in your brain and the one you put down on paper. Sometimes the one you have on paper is the story in the order it came to you, other times it’s in chronological order of what happens to your characters. When you re-read the novel, you realise that while it is one way of telling the story, it may not be the best way to do it. The editing process is about reading the book critically as a reader and questioning your narrative choices. It’s also when you realise that a crucial piece of information stayed in your brain and didn’t make it onto the paper.

Now, some of you may well say that the story just ‘came to you’ or that they just wrote down what the ‘muse told you to’. If that’s your process, there’s nothing wrong with that and actually it’s a great way to write for yourself or get a first draft down. However, if you are looking to be published (and therefore go through countless rounds of editing), you may want to move away from this and see yourself as the creator in the driver’s seat, making the decisions.

When I talk about analysing and querying the decisions you’ve made, I don’t necessarily mean that everything needs to change. It happens fairly often, especially if this isn’t your first book, that your instinct on some narrative decisions was spot on and after thinking through the other possibilities, you confirm your original choice. Going through your novel in this way is as valid as realising you need to rewrite the whole thing in a different tense or with a different narrator. Every first draft is a shitty first draft, ask any established writer. You need all the ingredients layed out on the chopping board before you can start preparing a dish — it’s the same for a story.

I see a lot of people tackling edits by just re-reading their book on screen and start fiddling with sentences. I think that, while this is something to do down the line, it is a waste of time to do during your first edit. This course is for you to plan your edit in the most efficient way. We will be looking at the manuscript throughout but not touching it until we have a full plan over what needs to be revised.

The course will run throughout July and August and you can join on a weekly basis. I am structuring this course for busy people with jobs/studies and/or caring responsibilities who may not be able to edit full time. Each week’s tasks will take a handful of hours to work through and can fit around your schedule. We will have Zoom check-ins every couple of weeks or so to discuss any issues (or you can email/message them outwith the Zooms and I will reply). If you’re lucky enough to be able to dedicate some good amount of time to writing and editing, you may want to wait a few weeks before joining in so you can do the whole planning of the revision in a shorter amount of time.

Here is how I will break it down weekly:

Editing Course: Week 1

For the first week, we will be working on the story as a whole. What is your story about and what are you trying to say? What theme is it and what emotions do you want to elicit?

Editing Course: Week 2

For the second week, we will focus on the point of view you have chosen to tell your story from. Is it the right narrator? We will also be discussing your setting (both physical place and the time). Are your choices of location and the ‘present’ for your characters the best way to tell your story?

Editing Course: Week 3

Zoom to discuss your story, narrator and setting and any questions you may have. Join the chat to get the link or DM me!

Editing Course: Week 4

On the fourth week, we will be discussing your characters. Are you happy with the number of characters? Are they all active participants with distinct personalities? Do their journeys make sense?

Editing Course: Week 5

Tagging on from the previous week on characters, let’s look at dialogue. How do your characters talk to each other? Is every character speaking consistently with their personality? Does every character say exactly what they mean and how they feel?

Editing Course: Week 6

Zoom to discuss your characters and dialogue and any questions you may have.

Editing Course: Week 7

For the seventh week of this course, we will be tackling a big one: plot and structure. Does your character’s journey move the story forward? Do you have any setbacks, and a climax. We will be looking at pacing and tension to show how best to mix length and intensity of scenes to let your writing breathe. We will also be looking at the beginning and end: does your story start with a bang and do you tie up all your threads and make the ending satisfying?

Editing Course: Week 8

Zoom to discuss your plot and structure and any questions you may have.

Editing Course: Week 9

The final post of aspects to tackle will be about descriptions and the atmosphere you are conjuring. Are you setting the scene and mood for the book? We will be looking at the (dreaded!) show, don’t tell: or scene vs summary, active vs passive, drama vs narrative. We will look at advice on how not to overwrite.

Editing Course: Week 10

Zoom to discuss your descriptions and any questions you may have.

Editing Course: Week 11

This final week, we will wrap up the course with suggestions on how to organise your revisions, when you know when to stop, how to tackle authenticity reads and next steps.

I will be answering questions on a weekly basis by email, DM or chat but we will have Zoom sessions to discuss each session which will be advertised in the Chat if you want to subscribe and join.

This course will be open to paid subscribers only, so do consider becoming a paid subscriber to access all the content.

I have a running offer where you get a comp subscription if you buy or pre-order one of my authors’ books from an independent bookshop (3 months comp for paperback, 6 months comp for a hardback edition). Head over to this page to see the list of titles with links to my local indie Portobello Bookshop (but feel free to support your local!).

If you feel you really need this course but can’t afford the fee or a book, I am also happy to give away some comp subscriptions if you borrow books (ebook and audio too) from a library in the UK! Just message me if you have any questions.

Until next time,

Caro

PS: Instead of taking endless photos of my (dusty) bookshelves, I’ve decided to use a different visual for this course to help inspire you! I hope you’ll enjoy the art at the top of each post which I’ve pilfered from my wife’s artwork folders. Do give her a follow on her Instagram if you want to see more!

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I woke up today feeling incredibly guilty about my full inbox and slow response times and decided to explain why everything has been getting slower. On my end for sure, but I think for everyone too. I mean, we all know why — more people want to be published and the industry has been getting increasingly complex and difficult to navigate so everything takes more work and we all just lack time.

I thought I’d give you a snapshot of my inbox to show you the actual numbers and also why I think that, while deeply frustrating, demanding faster response times may not be a good thing. If anything, we should slow things down more.

Inbox triage — the numbers

Let me walk you through my inbox (please don’t judge). I have three for the agency which I look at (though I have recently passed ownership of the info@ one to my colleague!!).

I use my inbox as a to do list and everything in the inbox itself requires me responding or doing something (and then responding). That can be taking two hours to research something, a week to edit or two seconds to log. Every email I receive that is an FYI or has been dealt with gets filed in its appropriate folder or deleted. I will read an email that comes in more or less when it comes in, but it then joins a massive priority triage system that only makes sense in my brain. I have a Focused section for every day business emails and an Other one for newsletters / notifications / non-clients.

I currently have 198 emails in my ‘Focused’ inbox which makes me break out in hives just thinking about it. These are emails I have triaged already so I do know I need to deal with them (or I’m waiting for an answer to fully deal with it). (Don’t ask me how long some of them have been in there, I can’t bear to look.) Then I have 389 emails in my ‘Other’ inbox which has industry newsletters for me to read (and log editors moves or publishing news), google docs notifications of edits made by my clients which I need to review, google alerts for coverage on my clients, and submissions or full manuscripts which have come to me either through referral, or Substack or which I’m looking at as a favour. The info@ inbox has 50 emails on it that need to be replied to as well.

Then we get on to the submissions inbox. The way I deal with my submissions (and yes, I deal with all of them myself) is through a two-step triage system. First I scan the letter and if it isn’t something I represent (children’s books, gritty crime, historical fiction, romance) or if it’s something I’m not keen on, I will put in a ‘To Reject folder’ to email back at a later stage. Then all the ones I need to read (and engage with fully) stay in the inbox. My submissions inbox has 747 emails in the To Reject folder — I’ve assessed them but haven’t had time to email back yet. I will usually do them in chunks when I have a minute (sorry). The inbox itself has 319 email submissions. 177 of them arrived in the past month or so which I haven’t opened yet. The rest of them (yup, all 142 of them), I represent the genre, I like the pitch and I just need to take the time to properly assess them with a quiet brain to see if I am the right agent for them. I wish I could speed up this process but the only thing it needs is a quiet functioning brain which I don’t often have because of everything else.

Unfortunately, my job isn’t emails only. The bulk of my job involves editing, writing pitches, meeting editors and authors, contracts, invoices, payments, submitting (which does involve SOME emailing!!) so it’s not like I’m not trying to get to the bottom of it. It’s just that every week a new wave comes, I have offers/auctions to work on, or a crisis hits I need to deal with. And I COULD close submissions fully, or pass on everything in one go, or stop sending rejection emails. But I do think it’s respectful to take the time to send a rejection email (even if a form rejection email) for someone who has taken the time to submit.

It’s also that I’ve been having to step in to do a lot more things which aren’t necessarily my job — publicity and marketing, trouble-shooting, etc. — and I am often having to deal with the constant staff changes on the publishers’ side.

Consequences

That means that the ghosting that happens or the long response times, are not (on my end at least) that I don’t care or don’t want to read. It’s also not that you are not a priority — a lot of my inbox is for priorities that should all have been done yesterday if only I’d had the time. The odds are that I just haven’t gotten to it yet. And we all face ghosting from every other part of the industry, we are all essentially drowning.

I want to be able to fully engage when I look at an author and a submission I like the sound of and I need my whole brain for that, which seems in short supply these days. And it’s the same for every editor ghosting me — a lot of the time, a decision just hasn’t been made.

I thoroughly reject this need to optimise every aspect of the publishing process — to be a good agent, I also need time to think, time to research, time to transition from one book to the next. We are not machines. We need to carve out more space for publishing people to have time that isn’t filled with meetings or undoable to do lists. So yes, more staff are definitely needed but it doesn’t look like this is the direction publishers are going… It isn’t healthy for employees and I think it is also making the industry worse.

I personally think that snapshot decisions only favour writers who have the ‘right’ background, the ‘right’ connections and write the ‘right’ things. There is a reason there have been huge steps back in inclusion in publishing, lack of time has made people prioritise what they know is easy.1 This has led to commissioning which is risk-averse and samey which is a real shame. I don’t think it’s what people are craving and I don’t think this is going to help book sales get out of their slump. So maybe, instead of trying to find ways to optimise publishing as it is now cough AI cough we should actually look at the whole process and slow it down a wee bit2.

You will ask me why I took the time to write this post and not tackle the aforementioned mountain of work… the answer is guilt. And I feel this works as a general apology to everyone because all this to say, I know I didn’t reply to your email yet, but it’s on the list, I promise!

Until next time,

Caro

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Today I’m thrilled to welcome to Portobello Literary to celebrate the publication of her book The Queer Bookshelf: A Reader’s Guide. I first came across Layla when her brilliant agent Abi Fellows shared the news of the book and I knew immediately I needed it on my shelves.

I’m just back from an event at the Portobello Bookshop where my author Ashley Douglas talked about her picture book The Lass and the Quine, the first original LGBT+ inclusive children’s book published in the Scots language, as part of Porty Pride. It was so joyful to be in a room celebrating inclusivity and books and to pick up Layla’s book alongside A.J. West’s How Queer Bookshops Changed The World. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the queer books I discovered over the years and the bookshops that champion them. I even have an illustration of the Gay’s The Word bookshop window framed on my desk to keep as a guiding light.

The book that got away (and what I did instead)

by Layla McKay

When I was writing my non-fiction book The Queer Bookshelf (out now with Scribe), I realised that the extensive research I was doing wasn’t only about the history of queer literature. It was also turning up a lot about queer bookshops. I came up with the idea of a follow-up: The Queer Bookshop, about the history of LGBTQ+ bookshops. This was all going well until I started interviewing some of the earliest queer bookshop owners. They gave me anecdotes in abundance… but then they said the same thing:

“Errrr I hate to tell you this, but I’ve been interviewed by someone else who’s already writing this book… I think someone’s beaten you to it.”

A bit of detective work led me to the author AJ West. Sure enough, his lovely book How Queer Bookshops Changed the World was not only already written, but coming out just three weeks before The Queer Bookshelf.

I spiralled into despair. You know that feeling when someone has already had the idea you’d become enchanted by? (Also the feeling that after years of no new books about your topic, having to compete for a very specific book buying audience.)

I responded in two ways. By pivoting and repurposing my research… and by making friends with the other author. Because he had the idea fair and square before me, and it’s great (even if I didn’t get to write it), and as authors we should support each other. Plus, there’s no such thing as wasted research.

I looked at all my information about LGBTQ+ bookshops in the 1970s. My work behind The Queer Bookshelf. Plus the interviews I did with senior diplomats for my first solo non-fiction book Breaking the Rainbow Ceiling. All that lovely research… I asked myself: what would a writer do?

I enrolled in a Faber novel-writing class.

While The Queer Bookshelf was going through its editing stages, a secret fiction project started to develop. And I started to feel just a little excited about what was emerging.

I was almost too scared to confess to my agent that I’d attempted a novel. I was a non-fiction author. What business did I have styling myself as a novelist? And whatever would she make of my unexpected story of gay diplomats and book smuggling?

She loved it. And I literally jumped for joy. When she sold the North American rights to Sourcebooks (Note: still seeking a UK publisher), I wanted to rush back through time and tell 12-year-old me sending The Little Hamster to Scottish publishers that this was one day actually going to happen.

A Diplomat’s Guide to Book Smuggling was announced by Publisher’s Marketplace the same day as my book launch party for The Queer Bookshelf. I know how this sounds. I know this is obnoxiously lucky. I am shy with gratitude and imposter syndrome. But also, how lovely to know that this sort of thing is possible.

As for my ‘rival’, we are capitalising on the links between our books for events about the history of queer books and bookshops. It’s why I’m getting to do an event at the British Library on 6th July. Which all goes to show a writing setback can bring some pretty joyful opportunities.

Layla McCay is the author of The Queer Bookshelf: a reader’s guide, about the past, present and future of LGBTQ+ literature and the joy of reading books with queer themes. It’s out 4th June 2026 with Scribe in the UK, 30th June in Australia and New Zealand. Buy the book here.

Queer Books

The joy of queer bookish life with the author of The Queer Bookshelf: a reader's guide.

By Layla McCay

Thank you so much for this gorgeous post, Layla! I always think that setbacks always tend to evolve into opportunities and there’s never any wasted work or research. Do share in the comments all your favourite queer books and bookshops to spread the love!

I am now off to lost myself in the pages of The Queer Bookshelf! Hope you all have beautiful weekends!

Until next time,

Caro

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I hope you’re all well and enjoying the sunshine! I am back at my desk refreshed after a couple of weeks off emails/meetings (which sounds like a holiday but some work was done!) and a flurry of catching up.

There have recently been a lot of discussions about publicity within publishing as it’s becoming harder to get your book noticed and, sometimes, all the pitching in the world either doesn’t land any meaningful coverage or does land the coverage without making an impact on book sales. So I thought I’d go through what I personally do to help my authors navigate this stage of the publication process.

What’s the deal with publicity?

I believe that the way publicity used to operate, especially in corporate publishing, isn’t working as well anymore. Emailing press releases and doing mass mail-outs of proofs or finished copies isn’t enough to move the needle the way it used to. Now press releases need to be hookier and mail-outs often need to include even more elaborate (and costly) add-ons to be noticed amongst the hundreds of parcels received every week by journalists or bloggers.

There are many reasons for this and they’re all complex. The media landscape is shrinking and there are ever fewer avenues to pitch to for book coverage. There is competition with other forms of media like TV, film, video games, podcasts, etc that are taking these shrinking media opportunities.

On the publishing side, publishers are amalgamating more of their teams and the sheer scale of workload means that decisions on publicity and marketing can very much be made by imprint rather than for individual books — which means that on any given list there will inevitably be books that aren’t prioritised.

While these problems won’t be solved overnight, I like to focus on actions we can take.

I have created a Google Docs Template (obv) with the below and ask my authors to fill it in and then we usually share the document link with the publisher (editor, marketer, publicist) when it comes to have our meeting about publicity and marketing. If there’s anything that should stay between the author and the agent, we paste it in a new document.

Publishers usually start working on their campaign for the book around 6 months pre-publication and actually pitch between 6 and 3 months pre-publication so you will probably have a meeting scheduled within that time frame. Some newspapers or festivals have longer/shorter lead times than others hence the range. Obviously, super big books start earlier but for these the publisher will be on top of them and hounding you for what they need.

Now you might be thinking that you actually saw a campaign plan around acquisition for your book so the publisher will already have done some thinking about it and have a rough roadmap. HOWEVER, I wouldn’t take what was promised (it’s more of a wish list, pie in the sky type of thing) at acquisitions for a done deal. The publishing team that bought the book will likely not be the same 18 to 24 months after, when it comes to publishing your book. They are also working on a different budget target so the pre-publication meeting is when you know what will happen.

Your pitch for the book

Your agent, publisher and everyone in between will have a pitch for your book but it’s useful for you to put down the writer hat and put on the published writer hat before even starting to think about publication.

There is the way you talk about your book to your nearest and dearest… and there is the way you talk about it publicly. Sometime it’s the same, sometimes there’s some editing, fine-tuning and actual changing of the story behind the book. Readers love stories, especially the story behind the story, and they will always want to know so prepare in advance answers to questions like: why did you want to become a writer? Why did you write this book? What was your inspiration?

Sometimes the inspiration for a setting, plot or character becomes obvious after the writing of the book. Influences aren’t always conscious so take some time to think about your book at a distance.

Prepare your one-sentence pitch (head over here for tips) and also use the opportunities to write bullet points of what you think are the noteworthy aspects of your book (setting, characters, plot, tone, voice, etc.). Most of the time, this will align with what your publishing team has but sometimes you add something the teams don’t known about (especially when it comes to its relevance to you) and that will help their pitching.

Medium favoured

First things first, it’s good for an author to think about which type of media suits them best. You don’t have to be open to everything and just prioritise things that are more comfortable for you. You will likely have to consider opportunities outside of your comfort zone but do ask for help with training and prep ahead of time and talk through your concerns.

• If you are short on time, it’s okay to favour options where you can do things in advance (print articles/interviews, podcasts) or give the publisher two weeks of your time and they can book everything within that time frame.

• If you’re not great with public speaking then maybe limit the amount of live radio/TV/physical events and instead favour print or online events.

• If you don’t like talking about yourself, you may be less keen on interviews or some type of events focused on authors.

• If you hate being perceived, you can do more written things but you can also choose to have events that are about the topic of your book where you invite other authors and you lead the discussion rather than be the focus of the event.

There is no right or wrong way to do this, only a way that is most comfortable to you. Be honest with your publishing team — share what is a ‘no’ and what is a ‘not sure but willing to challenge myself with the right support’.

Here’s a list to get you started: which of the below are you most comfortable (or uncomfortable!) doing and if you have experience in any of them?

• Print (interview of you)

• Print (article you write)

• Radio / podcast

• TV

• Physical events (festivals, bookshops, other venues)

• Zoom/online events

Topics you ‘d rather NOT talk about

I know you may be thinking that you’d rather NOT share which topics you don’t feel comfortable about and just avoid them. But this is not the best way to do things because if it’s about something juicy present in your book? You will 100% be asked about it, no matter how small. Also, the internet is forever so once something is out in the world, it’s there forever (there’s no getting that genie back in the bottle).

Think about things you wouldn’t feel comfortable saying in a busy train station for example, and share with your team if there is any topic or person or event you don’t want to talk about or ever want to be asked about. Then if there’s a topic you’re comfortable talking about but only with care, then share that too.

Essentially, journalists and anyone interviewing you will want a good story for their article/event so everyone knowing in advance what not to ask is very important to help you feel comfortable and safe. The topics you don’t want to talk about won’t be shared with everyone but rather to the people who need to know.

This also goes for anything in your past that isn’t in your book but could be in the public domain. Being transparent from the start and placing your boundaries will help smooth the publication process.

Do bear in mind — these things can be updated at all times so if you said you were comfortable about something and change your mind, that’s absolutely fine. Just communicate the change with your team and they will handle it.

I have seen too many authors go ahead with things because they don’t want to be a pain or they don’t want it to affect their career. Find the one person you trust in the team and tell them (or ask your agent to do it) — it is better for everyone to avoid a tricky situation than to deal with the consequences of one.

Articles or essays to pitch to print media

If print articles are something you’re interested in, the good thing is you don’t have to write the article in full, just a pitch for it. It’s useful to have a few different ideas for a publicist to pick from: maybe something about you/your life, a theme in the book, a craft thing, etc.

A pitch is typically a short paragraph for each idea. It’s more useful if it is adjacent to the book in some way and will lead people to want to read the book.

The ideas should be ‘hooky’ so timely and universal but showing your unique voice.

Have you written for any publications / do you have any media contacts?

I know it can feel cringe but list everywhere you’ve had a piece published or were interviewed in and any contact you may have (yes, even Brian from high school who now has a book podcast).

Places that have featured you may be more likely to feature you again and therefore your publicist may want to be in touch again and mention the previous article.

Even local press or academic websites etc.

Do you know any authors personally?

I know, super cringe again, but do list all the authors you know. (And I mean, personally know — have had conversations with and are on good terms with. NOT anyone you can think of). Maybe they’d be happy to read the book and offer a blurb if they like it? Or maybe they could pitch a review to a publication (two birds one stone)?

They could also be great people to contact to chair events.

While publishers do their best to secure blurbs, it is getting incredibly difficult (mostly because of how many books are getting published and blurb requests sent!) so a personal connection goes a long way.

This is why it is very good for your community if you yourself support others in their time of need. It’s not always possible but it’s good for the ecosystem. ‘Treat others as you’d like to be treated’ is always a good mantra — supporting your fellow authors, indie bookshops and publishing staffers is always appreciated.

Places to target for reviews or features

It is useful for your publishing team to know which places you would love to be featured in. Yes, we all want the broadsheets, but is there a specific section there that you’d love to get.

Publicists work hard but these slots are increasingly hard to secure so it’s useful to know where you would love to be featured.

Events / Festivals

It’s also good for you to share with your team which events or festivals you’d like to be pitched to and if you have any personal contacts there. It focuses the publicist’s job and it’s great for them to be able to book something you were really keen on.

I know many authors would want events (EVERYTHING) EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. And to a certain extent, your publisher will want to do as much as they can, but events have lately seen ticket sales down and have led to fewer book sales so it may not be financially beneficial for your publisher to pay all your expenses for a small quantity of books sold. It’s better to do fewer but more targeted festivals.

Prizes

Again, it’s really useful for your team to know which prizes you think your book could be submitted to. Most prizes rely on publishers submitting and with many of them incurring a fee, your book may not be submitted unless you ask.

Additionally, for a handful of prizes that limit the number of submissions a publisher/imprint can make, you can ask to be submitted but you may never be told if you are. These are at the discretion of the publisher and a company policy not to share.

Summarise your access needs

You may have already filled in a form at another stage of publishing regarding your access needs but I find it useful to add a summary that may be relevant to the pitching on the same document. Think of accessibility needs when it comes to travelling, in-person or online events and/or interviews.

• Forms – for example providing forms in Braille or audio formats, or the publisher handling that aspect for the author

• Tasks like signing, events etc – for example giving extra time to travel and complete the tasks, or requesting people to wear face masks

• Interview arrangements – such as providing wheelchair access, communicator support

• Making sure the location has the right facilities and equipment – accessible building but also amenities like bathrooms and kitchens need to be accessible

• Training opportunities and extra support

• Building rest times — rest times should be taken into account when making schedule

What’s next?

As mentioned, you will likely have a publicity and marketing meeting with your publisher between 6 months and 3 months pre-publication for your hardback / first publication (paperback meetings don’t always happen). If you don’t have one planned, start asking your agent to enquire about one 6 months pre-pub.

I tend to be collaborative with authors and publishers so we divide and conquer at the meeting who is the best person to approach which newspaper/festival/author. (No, publicity isn’t actually part of my job, but I do want my authors’ books to get the best shot and sometimes step in when needed).

I use a colour coding system (obv) to flag who is pitching to whom and when a pitch has been turned down so we can move on. I know publishers don’t always like to be this transparent but I’d rather an author know the pitching was done, and sadly didn’t land, than leave them to wonder if it has been done at all.

We don’t usually have another meeting but we update each other in the run up and after publication. Aside from some long lead times, you usually do the bulk of publicity a couple of weeks before and after publication and then one-off events/festivals during the rest of the year if you are keen for events.

Around two months after your publication date, your publishing team has moved on to other titles and will be less proactive (the bulk of their work has been done pre-publication). They will still be reactive to any opportunity they receive so keep them updated with what you’re doing.

Resources

The most useful resource I have found was created by who put together The Author’s Publicity Toolkit.

It is designed for writers who want to take initiative around their book’s visibility when professional publicity support isn’t available because of budget, timing, or access.

It is not positioned as a replacement for a publicist. Publicity is a relational business built on trust, experience and long-term media relationships. Instead, this toolkit empowers authors to understand the process, do meaningful work themselves, and become stronger collaborators within the publishing ecosystem.

I hope this is helpful! Is there anything else you’ve done that’s missing from this list?

Until next time,

Caro

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