
I hadn’t taken part in an Authors’ Fair before so had high expectations of selling some of my books - as did many of the other authors, judging by the number of copies on display. This didn’t happen; but it still proved to be a most worthwhile experience, allowing me to meet (face to face, not on the internet!) other likeminded writers. It was interesting to see how people had approached the task of self-publishing in different ways. Some, such as myself, had gone down a completely solo road, some had been lucky enough to start their career by being traditionally published and then chosen to self-publish while others had banded together and formed a small collective of authors. Triskele Books is one such collective; five writers have formed a self-help group who edit, proofread, give each other feedback and finally publish and market their books under the name of Triskele Books. It seems an excellent idea and the standard of their work is extremely high. Whether they plan to stay small and selective or expand in the future one can only speculate.

The organisers had suggested that the participating authors might like to enliven their displays with some item that related to their book, an idea that quite a few took on board. And none was more successful than Geoff Gudgion’s Saxon helmet, which he used to promote his contemporary thriller, ‘Saxon Bane’. More than one passer-by was tempted to try it on.


Writing is a lonely business and when you look at your sales and see poor returns it is easy to get depressed and think of giving it all up. Taking part in an event such as the Indie Author Fair can be reinvigorating and is a good way to revitalise your work. The old saying is true; ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’ and one great thing about Indie authors is that they are a very helpful bunch, willing to share ideas and offer suggestions to fellow writers.