Becoming a debut author – Behind the Scenes Part 1

What a whirlwind I’ve had recently! First readers, first reviews and first press coverage for Kololo Hill. If you want a peek behind the scenes of what it’s like to be a debut – during a pandemic no less – read on.

Proofs for early reviews

I absolutely love my  book cover and my proof also looks fab as a result. Printed proofs or PDF copies were sent out to authors, journalists and book bloggers in Autumn 2020 so that they could read and prep reviews. It was also put onto NetGalley, where users sign up to become early readers and can ‘request’ to read books that they like the sound of, before they go out into the world. I’ve got a 4 star and above average rating on both NetGalley and Goodreads so I’m really pleased.

Audiobook recording

As a huge audiobook fan, I was thrilled to be sent a selection of voices to pick from for my audiobook. I can’t say just yet who will be reading Kololo Hill and bring the characters of Jaya, Asha, Vijay and the family to life, but let’s just say, I’m very excited. I was also able to hear some of the reading and discuss the narration approach with the reader (e.g. what kind of style, what accents should the main characters have etc).

Early praise

As a result of my publicist Kate Greene’s hard work, I can’t quite believe it but Kololo Hill has been picked as a 2021 Pick by Foyles, The Daily Mail, The Irish Times, Cosmopolitan and Eastern Eye! It’s wonderful to get early recognition.

I’ve also been lucky enough to get some wonderful reviews from authors I admire greatly. Here’s a selection!

‘Utterly heartbreaking and so moving . . . a thoughtful reflection on what home and belonging mean.’ – Haleh Agar, author of Out of Touch

‘A moving portrayal of a family uprooted from a life they have worked so hard for. At times devastating, I found myself grippedto this story rooted in our history yet scarily still relevant.’ – Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City

‘Kololo Hill offers a glimpse into a terrifying and fascinating period of history. Neema Shah evokes Amin’s Uganda and early 1970s suburban England with both nuance and a fresh and wonderful vivacity. This is a book with a huge amount of heart; I was entirely captured by the stories of Asha, Jaya and Vijay. Their dreams and dilemmas resonate with many of today’s key questions around culture, identity and the places – and people – we can each call ‘home’. – Joanne Sefton, author of The Guilty Friend

‘A searing, timely, and beautifully written tale of displacement, the meaning of home, and developing identity across generations. I loved it.’ – Stephanie Scott, author of What’s Left Of Me Is Yours

My writing tribe got even bigger

I’ve been fortunate to have made some brilliant new friends in real life (pre-Covid) through social media and writing courses. In particular, the @virtwriting group have been amazing. Anyone is welcome to join, just following them on Twitter and you’ll see all sorts of posts about writing and interacting with other writers.

But beyond that, I’ve also made another group of friends, the @DebutsUk2021’s, yep, all of those authors who, like me, find themselves published during a pandemic. They are a lovely group with some beautiful books coming your way this year so follow them on Twitter to hear all the latest.

And finally, I’ve learnt loads from those debut authors who had to deal with Covid this time last year, the @TheD2020Authors who can be found on Twitter as well as Facebook (where they’ve hosted a series of brilliant events full of tips on becoming an author).

Book 2 – eek

I wrote Kololo Hill while carrying on with my day job in marketing. Now, I’m juggling promotion for my debut novel, my day job and also writing book 2. One tip I have all aspiring authors is to try and get as much of book 2 drafted during the agent subbing process as possible. This has been a godsend for me, as I’ve not necessarily had the pressure of writing that ‘difficult book 2’ while promoting book 1. That’s not to say it hasn’t been difficult though LOL.

Either way, I’m delighted to see my dream becoming a reality and I’m definitely not complaining.