How long does it take to make a book? Author Karen McCombie visits Berkhamsted Prep

‘You can surprise yourself with what you can do’, best-selling children’s book author Karen McCombie told pupils at Berkhamsted Prep during her visit. Author of over 100 fiction books, Karen spoke to pupils about her journey to becoming an author and debunked some common myths along the way.

Many pupils might think that to be an author you need to have been brilliant at reading and writing when you were young. As Karen proved, this is not the case: many famous authors, including Agatha Christie, became very successful despite having dyslexia. Karen also explained that if you only like reading non-fiction or graphic novels, you still like reading! Librarians can help you discover books that align with your interests and help you build the confidence to call yourself a reader.

Karen told pupils how she had struggled during school as a result of undiagnosed deafness after becoming ill. She fell behind in class and found reading and writing very difficult even after an operation restored her hearing. ‘I was the kid who struggled with reading and writing’, she said. ‘Who would have guessed that I would be the author who had her 100^th book out last year?’

‘There might be something you feel you’re not good at, but it’s always important to ask for help. With a bit of help, you can achieve much more than you’ve ever imagined!’

The second myth Karen addressed was that authors get ideas ‘just like that’. She explained to pupils that authors draw inspiration from a variety of places and the key to getting ideas is being very nosy. Ideas can come from your own life or your friends’ lives – even from a young age – so she urged pupils to keep hold of all their diaries. Carrying around a notebook is also useful for jotting down ideas when inspiration strikes.

Using examples from her own work, Karen demonstrated that she finds inspiration in all walks of life, from a childhood memory to a funny story on the internet. Her creativity and curious approach to life was a great way for pupils to see how anyone can come up with a story.

Karen’s final myth was ‘it doesn’t take long to make a book’. Pupils accurately guessed that sometimes it can take a year – or longer – for authors to turn the ideas in their head into the books you find in the library. Karen explained how making a book is a team effort that includes editors, designers, illustrators and printers. This was an opportunity for pupils to get an insight into the sorts of jobs they might be able to do if they one day want to work with books.

Pupils were able to ask Karen their burning questions and receive a signed copy of one of her books. Karen’s talk sparked fun discussions, demystified the process of being an author and opened pupils’ eyes to their own potential. Thank you Karen for such an insightful talk!