my paperback is out now!

The paperback of my book Thank You For Calling the Lesbian Line is out now, which means it’s just over a year since the book first published. In many ways it’s been a normalish three-hundred-and-seventy-one ish days for me since the book was out (life & work continues!) and in many ways it’s very much NOT been a normal time of my life. Publishing a book doesn’t change your life but it is something very special; it’s the culmination of a lot of hard work and belief – not just yours, but a whole group of people around you to turn something in your head into something that can be held in someone else’s hands. It’s not a perfect book, but I did my best, and that’s all I think we can ask for. And now it’s out in a more portable format than ever.

To mark the occasion, please indulge me in a list of some good things™ from the last year:

I’ve been on live radio twice.
The book was reviewed in The Guardian and Book of the Day.
The book was shortlisted for a prize.
We raised over £1000 for London Friend through merch sales – there’s still some left!
I’ve done over 30 book events in bookshops and festivals around England and Scotland (with more on the way).
I’ve donated copies of my book to the Lesbian Herstory Archives in New York, Glasgow Women’s Library and Margate’s Queer Library.
I have sold my book to women who once worked on a lesbian line, to people only just hearing about it, to couples to share with each other, to mums buying it for their daughters and in one memorable exchange, a young person buying the book in secret so their parents didn’t find out.
I have heard from readers who said this was the first book about lesbians they read, who said it helped them see themselves and someone who said one of the calls was very similar to something she herself went through and was grateful others would know about it.
I have met so many more people who worked on lesbian lines and had the privilege of speaking to them about their experiences. I have met others researching lesbian history and those who are excited to start.
I know for a fact that lesbians are everywhere.

For a debut, unknown author with a, let’s face it, pretty niche book about the history of a lesbian telephone service (and me), I’m so incredibly proud of all the book has done so far in finding readers and bringing people together. To see people at events chatting with each other and experiencing some of that community I speak about in my book has honestly been the best part of all this.

Thank you to everyone who has bought a copy, shared it on social media, came to an event or told their friends about it – I’m so incredibly grateful. God bless every bookseller who has put the book out on a shelf or invited me to speak and sign books – who have ran to the corner shop to get me a beer, plied me with biscuits or given me a lift to the station. Please support your local indie bookshop, they are doing the work and making real community.

If you’d like to buy a copy of the paperback, you can find it at your local indie bookshop, on bookshop.org (affiliate link) and Waterstones. You can also borrow it from your local library or request that they purchase a copy. Audio books are available from places you find audio books (Libro is great and here’s why)

You can also support the book in other ways, like leaving a review on Goodreads or Amazon (without needing to purchase a copy). You can tell your mate about it or your gay cousin or tag me on social media if you spot it somewhere! Not going to lie, I love getting those!