If you are in London, or live nearby, I would highly recommend this forthcoming conference on Self Publishing to be held in King’s College, The Strand, on 9th November. One of the organisers is my own Publisher and I have nothing but praise for him. (If he can put up with me, then he might do wonders for you)
http://bookmachine.org/2013/10/07/attend-the-self-publishing-summit/
This link lists the panels that are available and gives an overall summary of the day.
http://www.newgeneration-publishing.com/home/self-publishing-summit
Since I posted notice of this on Face Book, Friday 11th October, I have already read criticism of the panel selected to offer advice to aspiring writers, from those who have never been to such a thing. I attended this conference last year, and it was not the professionalism of the experts that amazed me, but the antagonism and stupidity of some of the audience. One ‘writer’ asked this question.
“I paid to have my book published, but it’s not become a best seller. Why is that?”
Publishers, printers, agents, publicists, editors and all the others that spoke from the podium, are business people, they earn money from books and writers. Writers provide the material. Writers can go their own way, without the assistance of these experts, and this point was heavily stressed however, it can be easier working alongside each other.
This I personally have found out.
I now have a traditional agreement with one of the organisers of this summit, and I’m delighted that I paid for The Desolate Garden to be published.
Once again, I can wholeheartedly recommend your attendance of this meeting. You may find it changes how you think.
About Daniel Kemp
At the age of seventy-six, Daniel Kemp has started his second year of studying the science of Psychology at the Open University. He is a member of The Society of Authors and also a bestselling writer. However, in early September 2025, he was diagnosed with cancer. He is now in palliative care at home, being looked after by his ex-wife. When he was writing his novels, he enjoyed writing stories that appealed to those who liked challenging themselves to solve mysteries that were set out before their eyes, but they couldn't.
His introduction to the world of espionage and mystery happened at an early age when his father was employed by the War Office in Whitehall, London, at the end of WWII. However, it wasn’t until after his father died that he showed any interest in anything other than himself!
On leaving academia he took on many roles in his working life: a London police officer, mini-cab business owner, pub tenant and licensed London taxi driver, but never did he plan to become a writer. Nevertheless, after a road traffic incident left him suffering from PTSD and effectively—out of paid work for four years, he wrote and self-published his first novel —The Desolate Garden.
Within three months of publication, that book was under a paid option to become a $30 million film. The option lasted for six years until distribution became an insurmountable problem for the production company.
All ten of his novels are now published by Next Chapter Publishing Company which has added an edition titled The Heirs And Descendants Collection, which holds all four books of that series, alongside an edition titled The Lies And Consequences Collection which contains all four volumes of that series.
He is the recipient of rave reviews from a prestigious Manhattan publication and described as—the new Graham Green—by a highly placed executive of Waterstones Books, for whom he did a countrywide tour of book signing events. He has also appeared on 'live' television in the UK publicising his first novel.
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Daniel Kemp 