London Book Fair

What a week!

I'm back in Scotland after a whirlwind trip to London to the annual Book Fair. It was my first time visiting both the Fair and the city, so I had no idea what to expect. I will admit to being terrified of using the tube and a bit daunted at the prospect of meeting so many people, but I set out determined to face my fears.


And boy am I glad that I did. I had a wonderful three days. The Book Fair was huge. I'm not even kidding. I honestly didn't expect Earls Court to be so big. We walked round  it loads of times and there are still stalls I never found. Don't believe me? - then check out the pictures.

Earls Court from the outside

Earls Court from the inside

Unfortunately many of the talks I wanted to attend were on Monday morning, while I was still on the train. I only managed to make it to one seminar on Monday - How to Get Ahead in Publishing. It was very informative and the speakers were all interesting and provided me with food for thought. There wasn't much time to properly take everything in on the first day, but I did spot some posters of my favourite books which made me very happy indeed.

On Tuesday, I spent most of the day browsing the stalls, trying to take it all in. The sheer scale of the Fair was astounding. I never realised just how many publishing companies there are! It was a visual treat. The stalls of the big companies were especially impressive.

I also attended several talks. Does Teen Fiction Require a Ratings System was particularly interesting to me, being a big fan of YA. The debate was stimulating and fun, and there were plenty of references to YA books I've read to get me fangirling on the inside. I now have Night School down on my list of books to read. The seminar on authors and social media was also really good. I've noticed how authors use Twitter as a promotional tool, but I'd never considered the idea of broadcasting that was discussed by the panel. I suspect that I'd be classed as a broadcaster, but then I don't think I really get Twitter even now. It left me with a lot to think about, especially if I ever do decided to try and get one of my stories published.

One of my favourite fangirl moments

Another proud fangirl moment

On the whole, the Book Fair was a good experience. I expected it to be a little less formal and business driven, but that was probably naivety on my part. We are constantly being told at university that publishing is a business and at the Book Fair I saw that in action. I did manage to speak to some people on Wednesday and parted with a few of my business cards, so it wasn't a total networking disaster! The people we did speak to were lovely and gave us some great advice. It was definitely an experience that I am glad to have had, and hopefully one day I will be able to go back.


It would require a whole other blog post to talk about my entire trip to London (and there will be one!), but suffice it to say, I have fallen in love with the city and, yes, I even got used to the tube in the end. In my next post I'll tell you all about our non-LBF escapades (I went to see Les Mis!), but for now I will leave you with a reminder that Buzz Magazine is now out in Edinburgh. Look out for it in cafes, bars, hotels and shops all around the city. You don't want to miss it!