Styled and set

‘I had been collecting stories for my book for longer than I care to remember but my home town’s annual literary festival What’s Your Story Chorley? finally helped me to realise my ambition to be an author,’ writes subscriber Linda Sherlock.

‘I went to a talk by Dea Parkin from Fiction Feedback. She was a founder member of Chorley Writers’ Circle which I later joined. She outlined different ways to get published in a clear and straightforward way and one of the publishers mentioned was Matador.

‘My book Shampoo and Set 75 Years as a Hairdresser is a memoir about my mum, Margaret Sherlock, who is the UK’s longest working hairdresser.

‘I contacted them in early 2020 when I was finally satisfied that I had finished my book. They suggested that I work with their sister company, The Book Guild. They were willing to part-fund the publication as they felt it was commercially viable and would be of interest to readers. From all the manuscripts which they receive, they chose ten each month to produce in this way.

‘Then Covid struck and I felt it wasn’t a good time to go to print. The book was released in June 2021 to coincide with a celebration of my mum’s 65 years in her own salon in Chorley, Lancashire.

‘We had great fun publicising the book as the story of my remarkable mum seemed to catch the imagination of radio, TV and the press. It helps if you can release your book to coincide with a landmark date or have a 91-year-old mum who wows the audience! I think the nostalgia of the book really appealed to many and this was reflected through the cover.

‘In March 2022, I was delighted to go full circle and give a presentation at What’s Your Story, Chorley? and show others that you can achieve your ambition to be a writer and open up new opportunities as well as meeting some lovely people along the way.’