Workshop: “Publish your book”, Jo Parfitt

Jo Parfitt, author of 26 books, publisher, journalist, editor, speaker and writer’s mentor, explained the key success factors that clinched her first publishing deal for a cook book titled “French Tarts”. Amongst others, she identified the need for self-belief, being authentic, timely and focused, and stressed that sufficient attention was paid to the “wow” factor. Most of all, she believes it is vital that you have the authority to write on that subject. ‘You do not need to have qualifications in the topic,’ she explains. ‘But you do need to have been there, done that and got the teeshirt.’

She then turned to her second taste of success, the publication of her bestselling cookbook “Dates” (now in its second edition) with recipes made with this nutritious dried fruit. She sold thousands of copies in Muscat, Oman, where she was living at the time, back in 1995. Here she  highlighted the need for thorough research and the advantages of having the author him- or herself being present to target the market. Most of Jo’s books are not cookbooks, however, as she has published more than 10 word processing handbooks and six publications based on the ‘career in a suitcase’ she has created during the 21 years she has been overseas.

Jo further explained that every aspiring author should stick to a number of golden rules when writing a book, including what she calls ‘the right recipes and ingredients’ as well as stay true to the purpose for writing the manuscript.

Asked about the economics of publishing a book, Jo provided insightful information and tips for the aspiring authors in the audience.

Having been informed of a number of the key necessities to write a book, Jo asked the audience to write down (a.) what they knew that others don’t, (b.) unusual things that had happened to them, and (c.) who they knew. Subsequently, the attendees were requested to pair up with their neighbor and discuss whether and to which extent these notes could serve as an idea for a publication.

Jo finished by providing feedback on a number of the ideas that were shared with the entire group and she encouraged the members to pursue their passion of turning great ideas into publications.