Amber Farrington is my first Adventure Author student to self-publish their book. 'The London Hustler' hit the metaphorical shelves on the 5th April 2018. It's a guide to naïve expats arriving in London for the first time. Through a combination of brutally honest stories from her own experiences as a new arrival fresh off the plane and top tips and money saving recommendations, Amber manages to educate the reader so that they don't just survive in London, but thrive without breaking the bank. Here's Amber to explain it in her own words...
Amber Farrington - Author
How Publishing my first book was both harder and easier than I imagined
Moving to London was a Baptism of Fire for me. I was convinced I was “supposed” to be here, but initially I found very little to be excited about and really just wanted to return home to Australia. Hitting these lows actually became the turning point in my London journey and through hustling, researching and lots of determination, my journey began to turn around. There was something within me saying that there simply MUST be a better way. It shouldn’t be this hard to adapt to life in London. Well, I was right, and this search for a ‘better way’ resulted in me unearthing some very crafty ways to make life here a lot better. Money savers were my biggest achievements – from free rent to free hair cuts, cheap meals, free exercise classes, even the best travel currency cards! But I also discovered how to meet new like-minded friends, tapping into various groups, networks and events. I also found many ways to save on travel and maximise your experience – and even overcame my homesickness. I found it equally comforting and disturbing to hear that so many other new-arrivals in London were experiencing very similar (if not the EXACT SAME) struggles. Once I had learnt all this, it just seemed rather obvious to put all my solutions into a book to share with others.
I began writing and over time the book began to take shape. Enter Jon Doolan. He responded very helpfully to a question I had posed in the Yes Tribe Facebook group and from that point on – like it or not – I appointed him my unofficial Editor/Mentor/Teacher. I often wondered if he regretted answering that post after I spent the following few months peppering him with questions! He very patiently and chronologically walked me through step-by-step all of the tasks I needed to complete – from setting up a website and mailing list, to starting the marketing, to editing, formatting, engaging test readers and so on. It’s fair to say that without his guidance, I may never have achieved my goal of getting this baby published.
I will never forget the first time I got my manuscript back from an edit. My heart sank – not because the criticism was harsh or off the mark, but quite the opposite. Everything listed was things that I had known I had been a bit lazy with, or once pointed out, agreed that it could be improved or altered. My heart sank because I realised although I had the makings of a good book, if I wanted to publish something I was truly proud of, there was more work to be done! I experienced this same sinking feeling every time I sent the book off to another friend or test-reader to review. Your eye naturally skims past the start of their message about how they loved it and straight away jumps to all the suggested improvements! I became very good at gratefully accepting constructive feedback though, because each time (despite the extra work it created) I felt my book was becoming better and more refined... like chipping away the carbon to get to the diamond. And of course not all feedback you have to action – ultimately it was my baby and I could dress it how I saw fit! But most of the time I did accept and apply the suggestions, because we all know that the longer you spend with your baby, the more you think it is the most beautiful baby in the ward and objectivity goes WAY out the window 😉
After all of this though, the actual process of publishing seemed rather simple. You just upload your manuscript and cover, set your categories and price and submit! Four hours later and you get an email from Amazon that your book is now live, published and available for download! “Have I really done this?” I thought cheekily. I actually had a bit of a “Catch me if you can” moment... you know where Leonardo DiCaprio just puts the pilot uniform on and they let him fly a plane! Is there no one checking that I am qualified to officially be an “Author”? I guess this is the benefit of modern self-publishing route – there is no-one behind the counter assessing your credentials or checking references - not even a sobriety test is involved! Feeling proud, accomplished, and a touch audacious, I can now proudly accept that I am indeed a Published Author.
Amber's book is available exclusively on Amazon now. Go check it out and leave her a lovely review while your at it.