By Mark Butterworth

When I first became an author, I had only the vaguest idea of what the publishing world really looked like, the scale of the business globally and the amazing constellation of specialists that make up the industry. I didn’t think too much about it; it seemed to me you thought of a story, typed it up, sent it to a publisher, they sent you a cheque, and the book appeared on bookshop shelves. Just like that, as someone once said. Of course, we all know it’s rarely just like that – even for JK you-know-who.

In March, I attended my fourth London Book Fair (or ‘LBF’ as we in the know call it) and I had the best experience so far and got the most from the event. Held at the enormous Olympia exhibition centre in west London, every possible feature of book publishing is represented, from the new, unpublished and un-agented author seeking a meeting with an indie publisher to the major names in the industry with platoons of representatives on the ground (or at their meeting desks), striking deals with literary agents for next year’s top sellers.

My own publisher (Troubador, for the record), are there each year and I duly visited their stand, looking for my latest book on their display. Hooray – there it was, photographs were taken, and discussion of future titles ensued. I was able to meet the head of sales and marketing and discuss a potential book launch event for my next title, published in June.

Then a chat with the production controller, going over the finer details of agreeing the cover design, any last-minute issues arising from the proofreading, scheduling the actual print run and hitting the target publication date. I was very pleased to hear that all was going well. Having in-person meetings is so rewarding and builds relationships on both sides. If any glitches should arise, it’s reassuring to know you can pick up the phone and speak with people you have met before.

Many other small and medium publishers are present, most only working through agents but some, such as Troubador, Pen and Sword, Atlantic Fiction and Falcon working directly with authors. Something to look out for from these publishers is what, exactly, are they going to do for you, not just in terms of having the book designed and printed, but also such services as marketing to the bookseller trade, social media, the press and radio and fulfilling orders from bookshops.

The Olympia halls make room for the most famous names in the industry, with Penguin Random House, Hachette, Palgrave Macmillan, Bloomsbury and Quarto occupying some of the largest spaces. But who else comes to sell their wares? A very long list is the answer with many specialising in unique aspects of publishing, such as children’s’ books, educational, Sci-Fi, the Arts, special editions of classics, cookery and many more. But as well as the ‘front-line’ organisations there are the supporting acts: providers of print paper, translators, illustrators, overseas rights, print-on-demand, organisations that help with ISBNs and even royalty income.

For me, the main advantage for authors in attending the LBF is the broadening of our understanding of the industry and gaining a picture of how we would like to have our work published. If you have an agent batting hard for you, then expect his or her attendance at the Fair, seeking out the right publisher, getting the best deals, in face-to-face meetings; the best sort of meetings, of course. Or you might not want to go down that route – and there are many reasons why – so the range of other ways forward can be appreciated at the Fair. And if you’re interested in print on demand, then there are many options to investigate here.

Despite the LBF being mainly a trade show for publishers and agents, it caters very well for authors, with a designated ‘Author HQ’ area, and a lounge where you can relax, have a coffee and meet other authors. A series of presentations and lectures runs through each day, but get there early, they fill up very quickly! I attended two; the first a very useful session on building relationships with your local bookshops and literary festivals. Helpful reinforcement of what we all know – if you’re a writer and you want your books to have the greatest chance of success, you also have to be a publicist, marketeer, public speaker, social media guru and a committed optimist. I found the ideas on being part of a festival line-up the most challenging; doubtful, even, as very few seem to me to promote little-known local authors, but I will certainly be trying harder from here on!

A presentation by Audible (are other voice recording services available?) on how you can get your pride and joy out there as an audiobook was very engaging, and intriguing. I will certainly be following it up, as the one topic that was not entirely clear from the talk was how much it costs to record and publish an audiobook if you wish to do it yourself, rather than ‘hire a voice’. I shall investigate.

A session that I missed, but heard it went very well was titled, ‘Beyond The Love Story: Sharing The Future Of Romance In Publishing’. And perhaps I should have made time to attend ‘How To Write An Amazon Bestseller’. Maybe next year.

As well as my own writing, I’m assisting another author with a wartime non-fiction history. Ahead of attending the LBF, we carried out research on which publishers might be right for the book and identified Pen and Sword as a front-runner. So, I duly sought out their stand (and very impressive it was too) and spent 20 minutes discussing the potential book. I came away with the feeling they would be a great partner to work with and we will now spend some time on our submission. A real tangible benefit from attending the Fair.

Another significant presence at the LBF is KDP – Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing. Now for me, I’m not great at IT and the idea of slogging through the various stages of uploading a manuscript and taking it all the way through to publication does not appeal. But there’s no doubt it’s favoured by a huge number of independent authors and their stand was certainly very busy.

The book industry is, of course, a global affair. Representatives from countries around the world target the LBF to promote local printing and publication. Huge stands from China, Saudi Arabia, India, Germany and France are supported by less grand structures from Turkey, Israel, Malta, Ireland – the list goes on. Perhaps, as an independent author, these features of the show are less relevant but, as mentioned earlier, it’s very helpful to have an understanding of the full spectrum of the publishing world; we are, after all, central to the existence of the industry!

Will I attend the LBF for a fifth year? That is certainly the plan and, with new ideas I have in mind for my writing, I feel reassured by the knowledge that the support and services are readily available. My advice to authors is give it a go; it’s an intriguing day out. But one caution: wear comfortable shoes. It’s a huge venue!

Mark Butterworth is an author and speaker on writing and lives in Essex. His historical fiction novels, The Pearl River and The Berlin Assignment will be followed by Readymoney Cove in June 2025. Mark’s modern romance, The Ffryes Affair, was published in February under the name of MC Butterworth. See details of Mark’s work at markbutterworthauthor.co.uk.

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