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The guilt of the working mum

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The guilt of the working mum

Like many women I’m one of those who has kids - and a job - and tries to do both. Rewarding though both aspects of my life are, it’s far from easy. Individually both have their challenges, and along with most working mums I’ve spoken with, you never feel like you’re quite getting the balance right.

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Nick Setchfield signs with the agency

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Nick Setchfield signs with the agency

I've signed a new client! Nick Setchfield is the features editor at the UK's bestselling genre magazine SFX. For years I've been asking him to write a book and he finally sat down and did it. I think there was probably quite a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into it but it was well worth it.

 

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Submitting my first client

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Submitting my first client

Yes, so we have finally reached the stage where I went out yesterday to publishers on both sides of the pond with my very first client Sam Hawkes who I took on in June last year. 

You may be asking - why has it taken so long? Well the simple answer is, it takes time to craft a book. Sam's original submission was wonderful, fabulously written with original characters and some great world building. But my previous role was as an editor and editors like to tinker with words. Okay - maybe not so much tinker as ravage, pillage and reorder. 

A Day in the Life of a Cover Designer - with Mark Ecob

A Day in the Life of a Cover Designer - with Mark Ecob

So it's not just the publishers and editors that make a book work in publishing. The content is vital, yes - but what's also really important is the package. The whole 'don't judge a book by its cover'? Yeah right! If retailers don't like the cover they wouldn't support it, if the consumer didn't like the cover they wouldn't buy it. Ensuring that a book has a commercial, appealing and original cover - considering just how many books are published each year - is one hell of a job. Hats off to all the designers out there who do such a cracking job.