Is it really necessary to go to London on publishing business when you live in the north? Surely emails, snail mail and conference calls would do the job just as well? Guest blogger Janey Louise tell us her story:
My journey to London began on the 6am train out of Edinburgh. Smart-suited business people populated the train, with the odd maverick in a shabby velvet jacket, long skirt and converse trainers. The overgrown student look of the infantalised children’s author.
There was a smart girl behind me, busily answering three mobile phones, in three slightly different voices. She was running a slick show: “Yes, Sean knows I’m going to London, but he doesn’t know it’s just a jolly,” she was saying. “Aye,” she continued, “Sarah knows it’s a jolly, but she doesn’t know that Mike is coming too, she’ll go mental…” Switches to posh voice: “Good morning, Scot Systems, Mandy speaking, can I help you?” *
I drifted off to sleep at this point: too complicated. On the London trip days, the alarm call rings at 4am, and the cab arrives at 5am. If I return on the same day, I’ll be back home by midnight. What I hate about the same-day return trip to London is the naughty things I do to keep my energy going – far too much coffee and chocolate.
So, on this particular day, the train was delayed. We stopped at York for 25 minutes. By the time I jumped off at King’s Cross, I was already cursing my optimism for booking my first appointment too neatly. Already, you can feel everyone jostling and being less friendly, and the air is so stifling. And why do I always take as much stuff for a day trip as I take on a week’s holiday?
Are these journeys worth the bother? Of course they are!
The face-to-face meetings and snatched lunches with editors between appointments are utterly essential in my experience. Body language can’t lie. These awaydays are where new deals are struck and ideas are floated, and bonds are formed. They are the days when weeks of questions and hunches about developments fall into sharp focus. The London away days might take three days to recover from, but they push my career forward by leaps and bounds.
Best wishes, Janey Louise
* All names have been changed (of course).
About Janey: Janey Louise Jones' Princess Poppy books are published by Random House. Her latest book Cloudberry Castle was published in September (Floris).
Read about Janey's experiences of self publishing in the Children's Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2011 »
Janey Louise,
There really is a big difference between distance communication and personal interaction. I find talking with someone in person essential for any major project. It’s just not the same if you’re trying to get a big idea across over the phone or by email, for example. The way we are able to see and interpret real expressions, tonality and body language in one on one conversation is a wonderful part of the communicative experience and should never be taken for granted. Thank you for raising that awareness.
Xean
12/3/2010