After 5 years of (part-time) writing, getting beta reader feedback, re-writing, structural edit, re-writing, finding a publisher (1 year – thank you Hardie Grant!), re-writing, copy edit, re-writing, legal review, re-writing, cover development (finding Sylvester Aguddah’s wonderful collage art), seeking and receiving some fantastic testimonials (thank you!), strategizing on my personal brand (strange – but very millennial J), designing a logo and building a website (aren’t they beauties?), getting active on social media (“Hi there!”), responding to publicists’ requests for articles, interviews, events, etc (quite nice to be asked, eh?), and then planning the London launch to coincide with UK publication day…
…totally knackered?
…yes, but…
…what a wonderful feeling, so appreciative of the support I got, and oh, what a blast!
Yes, “Gibbous Moon Over Lagos – Pursuing a Dream on Africa’s Wild Side” was launched with suitable fanfare at the Royal Geographical Society in London (where I am a Fellow), just 20 years after the publication of my first book “Esprit de Battuta – Alone Across Africa on a Bicycle”.
Over 80 people came to support me, including the Nigerian Ambassador to France HE Modupe Irele, Nigerian Minister at the Nigerian High Commission to the UK, Mr Oludare, Second Secretary to the Australian High Commission to the UK representing HE George Brandis, QC, Mrs Bethany Uloma, Western Australian Agent General Mike Deeks, Australian Honorary Consul to Lagos Mr Alan Davies (my replacement to this role). There were many Nigerian supporters which was wonderful – some I did not know, invited by others. There were good friends who had travelled from faraway to attend to attend (including from San Diego, thank you Ann!) and some from nearby, plus new friends, and of course, there was my No 1 supporter, Andrew.