The Pregnancy Diaries - Out Now!

Pregnancy wasn't something I felt comfortable blogging about, but since I felt an urge to jot down my thoughts and feelings, I decided to keep an old-school diary instead. I wrote much of it in the early hours of the morning with a mug of hot milk. Perhaps I was channelling my future baby...

In my book, I share my thoughts on impending motherhood and how I prepared for a birth without fear. Being a largely positive account of pregnancy and childbirth, I think it's suitable as a gift for pregnant friends or relatives - or anyone curious about the journey! 

About the Book

Pregnancy was one experience journalist and author, Emily Benet, wasn’t ready to share on her blog. Instead she kept a diary, which she mostly wrote at 3.15am with a mug of hot milk.

What kind of mother will I be? Will I be able to breastfeed? Why is childbirth so painful when our bodies are perfectly designed for it? Will physical and mental preparation help towards a good birth? Do Japanese women eat sushi during pregnancy? How big is a rutabaga? What is a rutabaga? Why does my pregnancy app want me to organise an emergency escape route out of my flat? These questions, and more, occupied her thoughts as her belly grew.

By sharing her diary, Emily hopes to add a positive narrative in a landscape flooded with fear and grim stories. Her wish is for expectant mothers to feel empowered and encouraged, and to trust themselves, and their bodies, on the transformational journey to new life.

Buy The Pregnancy Diaries 

Publication Day! Baby Book doing well (Mother, being a bit silly)

#PleaseRetweet is born! 

To celebrate, I've wriggled my way into the following blogs and magazines. 

Thank you so much for hosting me!

Writers and Artists - Guest Post  

Did you know more people die from taking selfies than from shark attacks? One man even got attacked by a shark while taking the selfie. It didn't put him off taking another snap from his stretcher though. I guess he was thinking about all the potential 'likes' and 'retweets'. Getting bitten by a shark is social media gold; I'm thinking viral.

The question is no longer: "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" Rather, it's: If we were at an event but didn't tell everyone on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram ... were we really there?"  Read More. 

Rather Too Fond of Books - Q&A

Is life better now we have social media or was it better before?

What social media has done for freedom of speech and enabling the broadcast of important issues is incredible. With social media we can get different perspectives that aren’t offered in mainstream news. It has motivated people to help lots of great causes. 

On the other hand, being bombarded by so much information and so many opinions, not to mention the trolls and haters, can be difficult to process and can cause anxiety. There are plenty of pros and cons. How long have you got? Read More. 

Rachel's Random Reads - Guest post

In a recent author questionnaire I was asked, Did you go on any exciting research trips for this book? 

I laughed out loud. Oh yes, I've been all around the world for this book. Scrolling through Instagram photos does count, doesn't it? It's just I follow a lot of travel photographers. I don't think you get that kind of escapism on other social networks. Read more.

Litro Magazine - Guest Post

My young writer’s dream was very traditional: Get an agent, get a publisher and voila, career sorted!

I bought my first copy of Artists’ & Writers’ Yearbook in 2005 and would go through it with a pencil, underlining all my options. Next I’d print out my three chapters and a synopsis, put them in a big brown envelope and head to the post office, my heart brimming with hope. Maybe this time, maybe this time… Read more.

Becca's Boooks - Guest Post

Social media is a brilliant tool for connection and creativity, but the key is to use it and not let it use you. 

It should never stop you doing what you love. That's what #PleaseRetweet is all about. Taking stock of what you're doing with your life and remembering to enjoy the moment! Read More. 

OUT NOW IN PAPERBACK AND EBOOK

Interior monologue of a writer trying to sell a new book. (Or, the joy and pain of amazon ranking)

Right. This is it. The great launch is here. Well, not great. I'm not actually going to do anything. A bit of cava for lunch to mark the occasion, that's all. It's an ebook, we're in 2015...  Perhaps for the paperback I'll pay for a launch, but I don't know...  it's not really worth it, to be honest. Not financially. A lot of fun though.

Right. Here goes a quiet e-book launch.

I just want...

I just want so badly for it to be..

the one.

I know. I shouldn't have expectations. I'm going to be disappointed if I do. 

Everyone knows you have to write at least eight books before you get anywhere. Look at 

Jojo Moyes. She wrote eight books before You Before Me took off. 

I must prepare myself for the worst.

#PLEASERETWEET IS PUBLISHED. (video proof below)

It's just gone live on Amazon. Current position #56,000.

If it goes any lower... don't go any lower... I shouldn't look. Don't look!

#29,000

Thank f$%^ for that!

Maybe it'll go higher. Even if just one person buys it, it will jump up a few thousand. 

*appeals to friends and family on Facebook to 'help an artist out'*

#21,000

Yessss. Keep climbing! Please keep climbing!

Once when I discounted ShopGirl Diaries to 99p I sold 10 ebooks and it shot up to #80 in one of the 'women fiction' categories. That's what I need. A few people buying it at the same time. The higher it gets the better chance it has of reaching a wider audience. Wider than my friends and family, for instance.

*Appeals to Twitter*

#14,500

Thank you everyone! Thank you. I LOVE YOU.

#9,800

You are the most supportive, kindest bunch of people ever. I'm so grateful to everyone. I love you. You all know that right?

#5,000

Oh wow. This is the highest I have ever reached. Maybe this is the beginning of a new, more successful phase. Maybe the work is going to pay off. Maybe I can aspire to make a living out of this after all?

#6,000

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

*refreshes amazon page*

*refreshes amazon page*

*refreshes amazon page*

*refreshes amazon page*

*refreshes amazon page*

*refreshes amazon page*

*refreshes amazon page*

It can't be game over already! Maybe it'll go up tomorrow?

TWO WEEKS LATER

#86,000

I'M NEVER WRITING A BOOK AGAIN! I can't take it! I can't take any more! It's too hard!

....

Then again two weeks isn't that long, is it?

People haven't even had time to read it, have they?

Maybe it still could be the one.

Fancy helping #PleaseRetweet on its journey? 

Available now from Amazon 

and all good book shops!

5 Social Media Habits in my New Novel #PleaseRetweet

My new novel #PleaseRetweet is out today for e-readers! It's been getting some good reviews, which is exciting, by people who sound like they didn't want to read it in the first place...

"Absolutely NOT my sort of thing this, upon first perusal. I mean on top of a lot of other things it has Romance. I don’t do romance. Except in this case (and one or two other rare ones ) I kind of do. Fun I like. And this was the best fun I’ve had with a book when it comes to sheer laugh out loud moments in a long long time," Liz Loves Book, read full review.

It's a comedy about our obsession with social media, about:

1. Documenting every moment

2. The way we relate to people

3. Chasing the high from Likes and Retweets

4. Sharing everything because if we don't, did it really happen?

5. and getting our priorities mixed up...

I've reason to believe if we all bought it today, it would fly up the Amazon ranking out of oblivion, even for just a moment! 

Of course if you've bought it already THANK YOU! And for everyone who is going to buy it next week, or the week after, or... I'm not fussy, it all sounds wonderful to me.

And if you haven't and would like too, here's all the places you can buy it from.

I hope you enjoy it! Please Retweet if you do... well, I had to get that in somewhere didn't I?

Buy your copy of #PleaseRetweet from Amazon

The Temp Book Launch - Chandeliers & Pink Bananas

Last night The Temp was officially launched in my parents' chandelier shop. It was the setting of my first book Shop Girl Diaries and seemed like the perfect place to welcome my new novel into the world.

I had a pinch yourself moment as I laid out my books. One minute you're writing a book about a girl leaving spray painted bananas around London and the next, well, you're spray painting bananas to decorate the launch of that very same book, which got picked up by Harper Collins.  

When I say one minute to the next, I'm actually talking years. I wrote the first draft of this book at the end of 2012. That's why I really wanted to celebrate and have a party!

My worrying about the space not being big enough or the fizz running out was unwarrented. No chandelier fell down à la Fools and Horses and even the bananas were unharmed at the end of the night.

A heartfelt thank you to my multi-talented friend, Piera Lizzeri, for helping me organise the launch and for spray painting the bananas. Thank you to my writing buddy, Rachel Malham, for welcoming and pouring drinks for all the guests. Thank you to my wonderful Uncle, for being the doorman, and my lovely Mum for till duties. 

Thank you to everyone who bought my book, brought me flowers and joined me in celebrating such an important moment...

I better stop before I well up...

If you would like a signed copy of The Temp, you can buy one direct from the blog. I'll be thrilled to pop one in the post for you! 

Signed Copy of The Temp (including UK postage) £9.99

Signed Copies of The Temp

1 Signed Copy £9.99 GBP 2 Signed Copies £19.98 GBP 3 Signed Copies £29.97 GBP

*If you are in the USA and would like to get a copy of The Temp, please get in touch* emily@emilybenet.com

Cover Reveal of The Temp - which is your favourite?

Harper Impulse has just revealed my book cover for my new novel, The Temp:

The best bit is, if you don't like that colour combination, you might like one of these:

Why so many? Well, it's going to be serialised in 9 parts over a period of three weeks. The first part is being released on 28th September and you can pre-order it for 49p.

For anyone who loved the original cover of Spray Painted Bananas* (*original title released on Wattpad), you might be thinking this has all gone a bit girly, am I right? 

I'll admit I needed a lie down after seeing my cover options for the first time. But please don't let a bit of pink and a sultry 'come hither' expression put you off. This version of the novel is much better  and right now, I couldn't be happier!

The completed ebook is out on 23rd October. If you don't  have a kindle, you can always buy it for someone  who does *wink* *wink*

The printed book will be out on 18th December and is also available for pre-order for £7.99. Once I've got a physical copy in my hand I'll have a launch party! Do sign up to my newsletter for updates.

Now, I'm very curious to know which cover is your favourite?  

Sign up for monthly updates on my upcoming books, talks and workshops!

Shop Girl Diaries Launches on Kindle

I'm very happy to announce Shop Girl Diaries is finally available on kindle. This is the book that began as a blog that also became a short film starring the hilarious Katy Wix (Miranda, Not Going Out).

It's set in a world made up of shoppers, suitors and chandeliers. There's also a window cleaner that really gets on my nerves, a vomiting dog and a ridiculous amount of doughnuts. It's about lamps, love and a burning desire to become a writer. It also has some Salsa dancing thrown in for good measure.

On Set:Teaching Annette Badland
and Katy Wix how to pin crystal!

The independent lighting shop is the co-star of the story, as mother and daughter try to close down but just can’t seem to manage it due to a loyal following of colourful and bizarre customers.

For a taster, watch the film below, which was recently shown at The London Short Film Festival. If you've ever worked in retail, (or with the general public!) I think you'll love it... And if not, well, at least it was only £2.58! 

  Download Shop Girl Diaries from amazon.co.uk Download Shop Girl Diaries from amazon.com
I hope you enjoy it! 

Blogging for Beginners eBook Launch

Blogging for Beginners is now available to download from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

About the Book

Whether you're an individual or a business, a blog is an extremely effective tool for developing your online presence and reaching a global audience.

It's a dynamic platform which you can use to share your creativity, advice, services and skills. You don't need to be technically-minded to have a blog. All you need is an internet connection and a couple of spare hours in your week. Anyone can blog. That said, you don’t want to settle for just any old blog that you'll get bored of!

Blogging for Beginners poses the questions you should ask before you begin and all the information you need to get started. The book is packed with tips on how to set up your blog, develop its identity, choose content, gain a readership and increase blog traffic. 

Extract from my article in The New Writer and my new e-book Blogging for Beginners:

"When I was 11 years old, I wrote in my diary, 'I've started a new novel today which I'm going to get published.' I believed that to get a book published all I had to do was write one. It was a shock to discover this was not the case.

I later learnt that the book had to be brilliant. Not only that but it had to land on an agent’s desk at the exact moment they were savouring a fresh cup of coffee, the sun was shining and they were feeling a profound love towards all humanity. Rejection was inevitable. If you were very lucky, you would receive a personal letter, and only then to tell you that your book was rubbish but your font had potential.

Patience is not my greatest virtue. By 24 I was fed up of waiting for someone to pluck my work out of the slush pile and bless it with their approval. All I wanted was to write and be read. So I began a blog about the only thing I really knew anything about; working in my Mum's eccentric chandelier shop. At first, my readership consisted of a few friends and relatives, but gradually my following grew. I took my weekly deadline very seriously and edited as ruthlessly as if it were to be printed in a national newspaper.

Six months after I began, Salt Publishing got in touch with me through Facebook and told me they loved the blog. More importantly, they commissioned the book Shop Girl Diaries. Since then I've contributed articles on social media to magazines and guidebooks and I run blog workshops in the UK.

My experience has been positive, however a successful blog doesn't happen overnight. Blogging takes time, perseverance and often won't pay a penny directly or for some time, yet, if you stick with it, it can reap wonderful rewards. Having a regular blog increases your chances of your work becoming visible while making you accessible to those who might be interested in it. You also become part of a huge interactive community which can stimulate and support you in whatever your blog mission is. Blogging for Beginners is not just aimed at writers. This is for anyone wanting to be pro-active and embrace the blogosphere."

Download Blogging for Beginners from Amazon for just £1.92 

My next Blogging and Social Networking Workshop will take place on Saturday 25th January in London, SE1.

For more details and bookings, visit my Blog Workshops Page. Places are limited!

Launch of Serialised Novel: Spray Painted Bananas

My serialised novel Spray Painted Bananas launches today on Wattpad.com

It's a romantic comedy about Amber, a broke temp working in a catering firm in London, who after years of scrounging free wine from wacky art gallery openings with her best friend Farrell, decides there’s no reason she can’t become a conceptual artist herself. 

I'll be posting 2 chapters to begin with and then one chapter per week. 

Please come and find me on Wattpad and VOTE if you'd like me to continue the story!

Excerpt:

Chapter 1

There comes a point in your life when you can’t go on being scared. For me that point comes regularly, most often after my third glass of free wine. I say ‘free’ because I do most of my drinking at posh gallery openings. I stand in the middle of them, look around me at all the glamorous individuals muttering appreciatively and I pretend I’m in my natural environment. I pretend I’m an art collector and select pieces for my many rooms in my many mansions, and then I get the bus home.

If Londoners complain that booze is too expensive it’s because they’re not making the effort to track down the free stuff. There must be a show opening every evening of the week in this city and as long as you can stomach a bit of pretentious chatter then you can succeed in having an entertaining and cheap night out.

My partner in crime tonight is my best friend Farrell. He works part-time in a book shop and is as broke as I am. Pretending to acknowledge the striking composition of a randomly placed chair or the depth of meaning of some paint-splattered socks suspended from the ceiling is a small sacrifice to pay for a few complimentary beverages. We’d volunteer our comments if it meant getting free nibbles, but unfortunately the art industry seems to survive on a liquid diet only. And also no one particularly wants our comments.

Tonight the artist’s chosen materials are thick paint and reclaimed plywood. Plywood which has been reclaimed from skips, though judging by the state of them I’d be more inclined to say reclaimed from war zones. It’s the most traditional exhibition we’ve seen in ages. There’s still a concept thrown in though; there’s always got to be a concept typed up and displayed on a wall to be mulled over for months to come. Farrell and I prefer to make them up as we walk around.

A lot of strange things make it into galleries. Frankly I don’t know what went wrong with creating something you might actually want to put in your living room. I like landscapes but a landscape in the world of conceptual art could be anything from a peanut on a stick to a video of a talking meringue.  

The show is called Life & Death of a Ghost and is made up of five paintings on rough sheets of plywood and a stuffed chicken. The artist, who goes by the name of ‘Ghost’ has only used two colours, grey and green. Contrary to what you’d expect, the greener the subject the more dead they are supposed to be. The chicken is a grey lump. This means the chicken is alive. And yet it is stuffed. 

Continue reading on Wattpad...

Shop Girl Back to Reality

The funny thing is, barterers probably think I'm pleased to see them.
They come in looking so smug.
"Remember me?" they say.
How could I forget? I think. I'm still recovering.
They believe they're about to make my day.
I'm talking about the customers who reappear every few years, battle to the death over a price, pay by credit card then leave me feeling like I've been robbed.
Today a familiar unrelenting barterer reached a new low.
He tried to barter over my book.
"You know me," he said, as he flicked through it, "I like a good price."
I felt a chill run down my spine.
Oh no...
No, no, no...
"That book took me more than a year of blood, sweat and tears."
He looked unconvinced.
He turned to the last pages and started to read.
After a while he returned the book to the window display.
"I might come back."
The glamour of last week's book launch is truly over.
I'm back behind the counter, stringing beads together and apologising for goods that haven't arrived.
To be honest, they haven't arrived because they were ordered late because I've been too distracted.
You could say that lately I've been a bad shop girl.
It's difficult to take customers seriously sometimes.
Like the woman who pointed at a light this afternoon and said she'd need two when she moved house.
"When are you moving?" I asked.
"Maybe next year, maybe the one after... I don't know yet. Do you think you'll have them then?"
At the same time another woman was trying to describe the problem with her chandelier. Not one she'd bought from us but one that had been passed down through generations.
"I cleaned it and now it has a skin," she said.
"A skin?"
"Yes, like a skin."
"The plating has come off?"
"No."
"I've only got gold cleaner," I told her, "but that won't be any good."
I was obviously not helping but she just didn't want to leave.
"Like a skin," she kept saying.
I told her to call back next week when Mum was around.
After that I made a cup of tea.
You can always rely on tea to improve a situation.
I've also discovered a sense of commmunity does wonders too.
The Dress Shop Man bought my book today. He's going to display them in his shop as is Manze's, the famous pie n' mash shop.
Ah, pie n' mash... that's one off my list!
You'll know what I mean when you read the book.

Shop Girl is Launched

The Big day had come:
The Launch of 'Shop Girl Diaries'.
My nerves were momentarily eased by the successful match of my new tights with the dress.
It's those little details that really niggle.
As the Chines proverb goes, 'it's not the mountain that wears you out but the grain of sand in your shoe.'
Wait...Sand?
My shoes were full of grit.
But I was not alone.
The launch team were all there looking gorgeous though it was pelting with rain.
At this point I must thank Brian and Liz, ex-lighting geniuses, who swapped selling chandeliers for a marsh in Wales where they count migrating birds.
Thanks to their donation there was wine for everyone.
But there wasn't only wine.
Oh no.
Michael, from The Woolpack, who'd previously planned to donate winter Pimms was unperturbed by the museum's rule of no coloured drinks.
He set to work with his alchemy kit and came up with hot, white, winter punch.
What a treat - except I didn't have any because I was too afraid of getting drunk.
There wasn't much chance of that though because I was so busy signing people's books!
I see a blank page and I have to fill it.
So instead of just signing I wrote an essay in each one.
I was thrilled to have so many people there as excited by Shop Girl as I am.
Thanks to Alison and Di from the Fashion and Textiles Museum everything ran seamlessly.
Over 100 people came to the launch and the buzz was incredible.
61 books sold!
I thought I'd be so nervous when the time came to speak.
But I looked around me and saw these people were my family, friends, readers and fellow enthusiasts.
So I opened my mouth and trusted the right thing would come out.
I don't know what I said, I'm still waiting for the video, but I know I meant every word.
I'd almost opted not to read from my book but I'm glad I did. People laughed in the right places and some tell me they've been laughing since reading on trains and planes.
It was a wonderful night and I only wish I could do it all over again to talk to all those I didn't get chance to speak to.
Thank you all for coming and making it such a special evening.