From Festival Stage to Book Deal: Author Jo Jakeman’s Success Story

After attending our Festival of Writing, Jo walked away the winner of our Friday Night Live competition and an agented writer! After publishing several books, we caught up with Jo to take a trip down memory lane.

Hi Jo, thank you so much for taking the time to chat to us. Since joining us on the festival stage, winning the Friday Night Live competition and meeting your now agent, you’ve published three books. Can you take us back to that night and tell us a little bit about your experience?

It feels like such a long time ago! I’d heard Joanna Cannon talk about winning Friday Night Live and how it launched her career, and that inspired me to have a go but, ten days before the festival, I was rushed into hospital for abdominal surgery and told not to travel, but it was such a great opportunity that I ignored all medical advice (I don’t advise this, folks). I was shortlisted for Best Opening Chapter and Friday Night Live, and you can’t turn down a chance like that!

I was so nervous that I was sick before going up on stage. I knew absolutely no one there and was in a fair amount of pain, but everyone was so lovely and supportive that I came away from that night with a new writing group, many friends – and an agent!

What a whirlwind! How did your writing journey after winning Friday Night Live compare to beforehand?

I started writing the book that would become Sticks and Stones in February – seven months before Friday Night Live. I had no deadline and no expectations, and it was glorious! I must have done fifty drafts of my opening chapters because every time I got stuck, I went back and started at the beginning again, so I was really happy with the first third. It was the rest of it that was a problem!

When I signed with my agent (the lovely Imogen Pelham) the ending was still pretty raw, so she helped me work out what I wanted to say. We went back and forth for about six months before she sent it out on submission to editors. Until winning Friday Night Live, my writing was all for me but, from then on, a team was involved – and they all had opinions. There were deadlines and it quickly went from a hobby to a job. I’m not complaining – it was exactly what I’d wanted – but I felt the pressure pretty quickly. I now look at it like I’m getting all this input so we can make the book the best it can be, but back then, I felt like I was clueless.

Do you have any advice for writers entering Friday Night Live (or indeed, any competition)?

Um, try not to have life-saving surgery in the days before the competition? Seriously, though, preparation is key. Make sure your work is of the highest quality possible. Seek advice from others. Take advantage of courses, read blogs, and practice in front of the mirror or the dog. I recorded myself doing the reading until I was comfortable looking up from my cards long enough to engage with the audience.

As you were developing your craft, was there anything you found particularly useful on your journey?

Goodness, so much. For years I wrote in the metaphorical wilderness with a handful of books on writing. I didn’t let anyone else read my work, I just plodded on. It all changed for me when I started to engage in writing courses and share my work with others. I went to talks by authors and volunteered at my local book festival so I could breathe in the rarefied air of my favourite writers. I soaked up everything they had to say. Surrounding yourself with others who share your excitement for books and writing is invaluable.

Were there any surprises along the way? Or perhaps anything you wished you had known earlier, or been prepared for?

I wish I’d understood the publishing process better. Or, at all. When my first book came out I felt like an observer. I didn’t know what to expect or how much I could ask for. I assumed that everyone else knew better than me, so I accepted all of the proof-reader’s extra commas and didn’t push back at titles and book covers I didn’t like. I was so grateful for the opportunity that sometimes I forgot that my opinions were valid.

You need a certain amount of knowledge to be comfortable enough to stand your ground. Now I know enough to say, ‘How about we try it this way?’ I lost my confidence a few years back (Covid, poor book sales, changing publishers). I had to remind myself why I write and rediscover my love for it. Honestly, I could talk for hours about this, but I won’t bore you here. I’ll just say that confidence in yourself, and your writing, is the key!

Now you’ve been published, is there any advice you would give aspiring authors? Or anything you might have done differently in your journey up to now?

Never stop learning, questioning and observing. Read the books, listen to the podcasts, take a course. I’m currently doing an MA in writing for Script and Screen and I am learning so much that will affect the way I write – and structure – books. As I mentioned in my previous answer, confidence is key. The more knowledge and experience you have the easier it is for you feel assured in your writing. The reader needs to feel that they are in safe hands.

Thank you so much Jo, can you let us know what are you working on right now?

One Bad Apple is coming out on 19^th September 2024. It’s a slight change in direction for me. It’s less psychological suspense and more of a straight-up whodunnit about the murder of a headmaster at a prestigious boys’ school. Writing about pushy, competitive parents with secrets to hide and reputations to uphold has been so much fun.

I’m currently finishing my edits for The Vanishing Act, which will be released in September 2025. I can’t say much about that yet, but I am very proud of this one and loved writing it.