Writing is a solitary business. Even with the backing of an agent and a publisher, the common experience of most writers is one of lonely endeavour. And that even extends to those activities where you’d expect some support: in these cash-strapped days, many mid-list and newly published authors have found that their publishing houses are doing little in the way of promotion and marketing. And the self-published writer is even more isolated.

Then there are those of us who choose to live abroad. Read any advice on how to promote your book and you’ll find tips like approaching local bookshops, supermarkets and libraries. But when your book is in a foreign language, it’s a tough sell. The same goes for book signings and readings.

So that’s where Grand Ouest Authors comes in. Its aim is to build a network of anglophone authors in the Grand Ouest region of France – Brittany, Normandy and the Pays de la Loire. By banding together, I hope that we might more easily participate in regional events, and become a more attractive proposition for retail outlets.

The idea for this group came from an article in The Author, the journal of the Society of Authors. In ‘Ganging up’, author Simon Whaley described how he and a bunch of other Shropshire-based authors collaborated at cultural events and organised group book signings. They attracted far more interest than any one author would have merited.

And so that’s the plan here. Nothing is fixed in stone yet, but among the ideas for the group are:

  • Group stands at local events, selling copies of books and doing signings.
  • Approaching retail outlets with a point-of-sale display (‘local authors’) featuring our books.
  • Group-based publicity – press releases issued to regional and national media covering our activities (including new books).
  • A online presence (this site), including a group blog, online shop, author profiles, news and forum with both public and members-only sections.

If you’re a book author in the Grand Ouest, please do join us.