London calling

It's been pretty quiet from me in the last week in preparation and the run up to the London Book Fair, which started yesterday at Earls Court. " The London Book Fair is the global publishing community's leading spring forum for booksellers, publishers, librarians and book production services worldwide. Ideally timed to provide you with a concentrated 3-day trading and educational platform offering access to the world's books, real business contacts and shared knowledge." For me, it was a one day flying visit, in and out to support the launch and promotion of Five Green Bananas, Scriblist Book One. The usual trade show fun ensued, of endless walking, wonderful one minute pitches to desk staff who have little idea what you're saying but are doing their very best and expensive photocopying. As one fellow user in the business centre commented, when charged for charging his mobile phone "It would put Earls Court in a better light, if they said it was free. For the sake of the £1.50." Image is (almost) everything when it comes to presenting yourself for the first time, but beyond the initial impression, you need to have good content and be able to hold your ground in the thick of it. The Fair is a zoo - not for the timid nor fainthearted, nor really for authors. The poor desk staffer at Orion wins my award for politeness and diplomacy whilst trying to tell the author in jeans and tatty jumper ahead of me in the queue that, "no agent was available for her to meet today. Yes, really, even if she'd come all the way from Canada" (without an appointment?). For some insider agent tips and a truly humorous perspective go and visit Miss Daisy Frost.