Discussing the world of publishing with Kate Mosse at Manchester Literature Festival

Not Kate Moss, but Kate Mosse — CBE, British playwright, essayist, broadcaster, and author of an extensive list of historical fiction, non-fiction, and gothic literature. I visited her talk at Manchester Literature Festival, aimed at helping new writers to break into publishing.

On a Monday afternoon, sunny yet blighted with bursts of rain, Kate Mosse addressed a room full of budding authors whose enthusiasm practically leaked from them. Her tone was that of a sage mentor, and just as motherly. She started with introducing herself, talking about her books, and how she broke into the industry. She acknowledged that in those days, as a woman who has just come out of university, “you became a secretary.” She went to typing school, then spent seven years working for publishing houses, eventually becoming editorial director.

Talking about how difficult it was to become a writer and just how long it takes can seem both freeing and daunting to new writers. But Mosse admits that she was incredibly lucky to make a living and support her family simply through writing books — her gratitude really showed itself.

She bestowed many pearls of wisdom on the audience that afternoon, and it’s difficult to narrow them down into an article, so I have compiled the pearls that stood out. Firstly, “To be a good writer, you have to be a good reader". Mosse emphasised the importance of re-reading your favourite books, or even books that aren’t your taste — and especially, to read with a critical eye and notice how they are put together.

Next, the real work is in editing, so make sure that each chapter and paragraph serves a purpose — “Make every word earn its place". She rebuked the idea of working on multiple projects at once, saying that you shouldn’t let your attention be pulled away. An audience member asked if she had ever based her fictional characters on someone she has met in real life, which she shook her head at — she only takes certain attributes from real people — a particular thinking habit here, an aimless fidgeting there.

Most importantly, Mosse stressed the importance of writing the novel that you want to read, emphasising that “only you can write your book". I could tell that the audience members relaxed their shoulders at this — realising that there is no competition, that the idea that has made its way to you is yours, and only yours. Mosse took extra care to say — “If you write, you are a writer". In fact, she advocated that we must respect ourselves as writers, even if we aren’t published.

When asked how she balanced the hectic life of being a mother and author, Mosse advised us to incorporate writing into your everyday, even if only 45 minutes  — "Write about the steam from the kettle while you’re waiting for it to boil, or the large leaf you saw on the ground as you’re waiting for a tram to pass by...which, I noticed, all seemed to be going to East Didsbury today?"

After a myriad of questions ranging from her social media usage (she quit X after Elon Musk sponsored it, since “We can’t be giving money to evil people!”) Mosse went on to divulge her experience and advice in everything querying and agents, down to the finest details — whether or not to mention how many cats you have in a query letter (her advice: don’t).

But the most important thing she said in this talk was probably this: to be resilient. “All my characters are resilient,” she said, referring to her Feminist History for Every Day of the Year, which she was to talk about that evening. She mentioned authors such as Eimear McBride, who, despite many rejections and many emails that read: "If you just change… then we’ll take it", refused to change her book at all — it was hers, and this was how it would be. This was the sort of ‘respecting yourself’ that she stressed deeply earlier. That being said, be open to advice and constructive criticism from experts!

The talk ended with an enthusiastic round of applause - I think every audience member left Manchester Central Library that day having learnt something they didn’t know before, or at least with an ounce more confidence and self-assuredness.