WhitLit 2015 boasts a plethora of illustrious authors including Kate Mosse, David Nicholls, Patrick Gale and Penny Vincenzi. But this year the organisers have also programmed a special Writers’ Day on Saturday 9th May in the Whitstable Castle, featuring debates, discussions and workshops with writers, editors, agents and publishers. I’ll be popping up in the Everything You Need to Know About Self-Publishing event, together with Debbie Young, another self-published author and key player in the Alliance of Independent Authors.

In this lively (hopefully!) session, we’ll be covering tried and tested ways of getting your book out into the world, social media and marketing advice for authors, along with tips on the pitfalls to avoid. There’ll also be some of my more extraordinary/surreal publishing moments in there, such as unwittingly inviting the Mayor to my launch (she came – she was lovely!) and managing to shift 31, 000 copies of the Kindle edition of Cinema Lumière in a month.

As a little taster I’m doing a reading from Cinema Lumière the night before (Friday, 8th May, 6.30 – 8pm pm) at the beachside Keams Yard gallery, where we’re building a miniature two-seated cinema to screen some of the world’s first ever films made by the Lumière brothers and Georges Méliès. Cherry Bomb and the Rockets are doing an acoustic set afterwards and there’s free fizzy stuff.

The reading/cinema/mini gig won’t cost you a thing and it’s just a fiver for the Everything You Need to Know About Self-Publishing event. Can’t say fairer.

Tickets from the Horsebridge 01227 281174 or online www.horsebridge-centre.org.uk (booking fees apply).