PRESS RELEASE
Fourteen books launch at the UK's first
BIG Indie Book Launch
*More than 200 guests signed up to attend The BIG Indie Book Launch, Foyles Charing Cross Road, London last night (5thJuly, 6-8:30pm) at the prestigious Foyles Charing Cross Road.
*Organised by publishing PR & marketing agency LitPR (www.literallypr.com) which has worked with more than 600 authors over the past 12+ years, this is the first event of its kind, launching 14 indie books on the same evening, and a concept that is going to be taken internationally in 2024.
*At the party, Kent-based LitPR confirmed it has won yet another award - IE 100 Awards 2023 Winner - Boutique PR & Marketing Agency of the Year - UK!
*From children's fiction to memoirs, business books to self-help, thrillers to women's fiction - there was something for every reader to discover and enjoy.
*Guests included journalists, publishers, literary agents, bloggers, influencers, editors and industry professionals. Each guest was given a bag (provided by author Carole Smith, Have You Seen The New Forest Unicorn?) to fill with goodies from around the room: t-shirts, bookmarks, sweet treats, badges, and of course... books!
*Also in attendance were representatives from The Alliance of Independent Authors. ALLi's The Big Indie Author Data Drop 2023 was quoted at the event to demonstrate the strength and potential of indie publishing:
- Median self-published author income is growing by 53%.
- Self-publishing has a reverse gender pay gap - women earn 40.9% more than men in indie publishing. Men earn 41.4% more than women in traditional publishing.
- LGBTQIA+ indie authors earn almost 19% more than heterosexual authors.
- More than 2,000 self-published authors surpassed $100,000 in royalties (Amazon, 2022).
LitPR Team at The BIG Indie Book Launch, Foyles Charing Cross Road, London, 5th July 2023. L-R Maleeha Mir, Joanna McQueen, Helen Lewis, Macy Lewis, Diana Ashlee, Rachel Knight, Kay Kett.
Photographer: Yakir Zur Photography
There are so many publishing parties every summer but this year there is only one that has enabled a momentous 14 books to be launched in the same evening... and in the prestigious Foyles Charing Cross Road bookshop no less - affectionately known as the cathedral of books!
Leading publishing PR and marketing agency, Literally PR (www.literallypr.com), has worked with more than 600 authors since 2012 and organised myriad events. Their clients have been traditionally published authors, including by the "big 5", plus mid-sized and indie publishers, as well as self-published authors.
Helen Lewis, Director at LitPR and founder of The BIG Indie Book Launch, says:"It was a brilliant evening full of positive energy and happiness. The room was filled with people who love books, who love indie publishing, who love the creativity, independence and vitality within the indie market. We are over the moon with how successful the evening was and congratulate each and every one of the 14 authors who officially launched their books tonight at The BIG Indie Book Launch. We're already planning for our next one - to be held in London ahead of Christmas!"
- Books by indie authors account for 30-34% of all eBook sales in the largest English-language markets, according to Publishers Weekly.
- Self-published author LJ Ross wrote the UK's second best-selling series in history!
- And, according to an article in The Bookseller (February 14 2023), publishers and agents say TikTok has contributed to a ‘new wave of publishing' that has seen an increase in the number of self-published works acquired by traditional houses recently.
The BIG Indie Book Launch, created by LitPR, was a celebration of indie publishing in the UK, starting this summer in London and going international from 2024. The concept saw indie publishers and self-published authors having the opportunity to be part of an exciting, professional book launch event to launch their latest books.
More than 200 friends and connections of LitPR's team joined the guest list including bloggers, reviewers, influencers, journalists, booksellers, librarians, literary agents, other authors and publishers. The huge interest in this first BIG Indie Book Launch demonstrates the growing interest in not just supporting indie authors and publishers, but in discovering new writing talent - however they're published.
Independent publishers such as those at The BIG Indie Book Launch (Unbound Firsts, Harriman House, EnvelopeBooks, Genius Media, Hashtag Press, Brown Dog Books, Grosvenor House and Double A Group Publishing) work so hard for each and every one of their authors to help build their author brand, connect their books with their target readers, and produce successful, high-quality books. The indie publishers are the innovators, the risk-takers, the investors, the building blocks and the future of publishing... the books that you, your parents, your children, your friends, your colleagues will be reading in 1-3 years' time!
The BIG Indie Book Launch will become synonymous with the positive side of indie publishing. 14 authors launched their new books at the event that included a quick-fire round of author readings, food and drink, goodies, and even a giveaway hosted by author DCR Bond which saw one lucky guest win a mini break in north Devon, the setting of her debut novel, Sarah Needs Saving.
Also at the event, were UK-based printing company Clays, which is a proactive supporter of indie publishers and self-published authors, with a 150-year heritage. And, publisher Envelope Books, also responsible for Booklaunch magazine.
THE OFFICIAL BIG INDIE BOOK LAUNCH LINE-UP:
• Sarah Needs Saving by DCR Bond (Prosperina Press, Women's Fiction)
• Felix Unbound (2nd edition) by Cathy Gunn (New Generation Publishing, Contemporary, Fantasy Fiction)
• Mary and Her Seven Devils (special hardback edition) by Peter Morris (Brown Dog Books, Adult Fiction)
• Last Dance At The Discotheque For Deviants by Paul David Gould (Unbound Firsts, Mystery, Fiction, LGBTQIA+)
• Belle Nash And The Bath Circus by William Keeling (EnvelopeBooks, Satirical Historical Fiction, LGBTQIA+)
• Safehouse by James Adley (Brown Dog Books, Thriller Fiction)
• Book 1 in the Becky Bexley the Child Genius series: Trying To Make The World A Better Place by Diana Holbourn (Self Published, Teen Fiction)
• Baller Boys vs The Bulldozers by Venessa Taylor, illustrated by Kenneth Ghann (Hashtag Press, Children's Fiction)
• Book 1 in The New Forest Tales series: Have You Seen The New Forest Unicorn? by Carole Smith (Ink!, Young Readers, Fiction)
• Paradise Erased: Chronicles of an Exile by Miguel Ángel Monzón (Grosvenor House Publishing, Non-Fiction)
• In Pursuit Of The Beautiful Soul by Justine Kolata (Double A Group Publishing, Non-Fiction)
• The Crypto Handbook by Sam Volkering (Harriman House, Non-Fiction)
• Humourology: The serious business of humour at work by Paul Boross (Genius Media, Non-Fiction)
• 50 Golden Rules - The Beginner's Guide To Entrepreneurship by Garry Mansell (Brown Dog Books, Non-Fiction)
NOTES TO EDITORS
For media interviews and more information:helenlewis@literallypr.com/dianaashlee@literallypr.com