A good day at London Book Fair 2022. Great to see it back – in glorious hardcopy again – after two years of COVID isolation.

For me personally, it was a very different experience from my first visit (to LBF19). It has been an extraordinary journey from aspiring writer to emerging author.

I arrived last time intent on finding an agent. I quickly discovered that the agents there are busy trying to sell manuscripts to publishers. They were not there to meet me. The few I stopped were polite but flustered.

It was also plain that the show is not really for authors, let alone aspiring writers. The section dedicated to writing, ‘Author HQ’, is tucked away in an upstairs corner beyond the children’s books. It is a bit of a sideshow.

However, I learnt a huge amount about the industry in a couple of days. The presentations at Author HQ were really useful. I scribbled notes furiously. I also wandered the halls, asked questions and listened.

Ultimately, I came away knowing that I wanted to write. I also came away knowing I had a huge amount still to learn and do.

This year’s visit was very different – with one agenda only – to meet my publisher.