Ghost writing a book may seem like you’re doing all the work for someone else’s glory. But that’s not always the case as author Mark Robertson tells us what it’s like to create a book for one of his friends.
When I was a young child, my father asked me, “What would you like to do to leave your mark in this world”? It was a very profound question to ask an eight-year-old, and one that I couldn’t answer at the time, but it was also one that never really went away. Throughout my life, I’ve tried to do as much as I can to fulfill my potential. I learned how to fly an aircraft, have driven across most of the planet and even had something brought up in Prime Minister’s Questions. Yet still, the conversation about how I should leave my mark never really went away.
Skip forward a few decades and the answer dropped into my lap almost by accident. I was working on an event in London with Kathryn West, who is the subject of the book. I knew she worked in the police force, but what I didn’t know were the things she’d done throughout her career. It was only after having a chance conversation where she was talking about a particularly rough day at work that the idea dawned on me. A few days later, I approached the subject and asked if she’d ever fancied the idea of having a book written about her? Thankfully, she said yes, she’d considered it but still had three years left in the force so couldn’t do anything about it at the time. We agreed to keep in touch and put the idea to bed for a while.
A couple of years later we were about to start, but then my personal life took a bit of a turn as tragically, I lost my wife to cancer. It was a devastating time and quite frankly ripped me apart. During this time the world at large was also gripped in the middle of the pandemic. Clapping for the NHS became the norm, and every night millions of people tuned in to watch Boris Johnson address the nation. The book was put on hold again and I thought this thing was never going to happen!
From Handbags to Hand Grenades by Mark Robertson and Kathryn West
However, in January 2023, Kathryn and I finally got to sit down across my dining room table. She lives over a hundred miles away from me, so I knew this wasn’t going to be straight forward from the start. I turned on my recording device, had a notebook ready and we started to chat. From then on Kathryn would come to my place every five or six weeks and I would take notes while she just chatted. We then usually finished the day by going out to a local fish and chip shop and eat a bag of chips as we sat in her van, whilst winding down overlooking the sea on the south coast.
In the times when she wasn’t around, I’d first make a generic transcript of the recordings. From there, I could see a “picture” in my mind of where I start and where I’d want to get to. It’s almost as if I had a storyboard mapped out in my head, which proved to be very useful, as I was portraying the journey of someone’s thirty-year career. I’ve known Kathryn for a long time and knew that she was a police officer in the MET, but it was only as her story unraveled did I get to know the real hardship she’s been through and how the job took its toll. As we sat at the table we laughed, we cried and on occasion my jaw would drop with the stories she has. This was a real eye opener, and I knew we were onto a Pulitzer Prize in the making. Over the next few months, we repeated this process as Kathryn would turn up and I’d show her what I’d written based on our previous conversation. Once any adjustments had been made, we then did another round of recordings, followed by several more pages of notes. And little by little, our book started to form.
Once the manuscript had been completed then came another mountain. Trying to find a publisher! It’s 2024 and I’ve got a copy of the Writers and Artists yearbook in my hand. I flick through the thirty pages of literary agents in UK and Ireland and end up sending my pitch to 155 of them. It was relentless and grueling, not to mention soul destroying every time I received a rejection. On three occasions I did have an agent say they wanted to take me on board which I thought was fantastic. Only to then be let down and have the balloon burst as they would stop taking my calls and not answer any messages. I’d heard about scary stories like this and despite feeling low, it actually put more fuel into the fire and gave me an increased level of determination to succeed. Eventually, I settled with a hybrid publisher, and we signed a contract. It wasn’t the way forward that I was initially hoping for, but at least it took away all of the hassle of selling, storage and distribution that you get if we went down the self-publishing route.
From that point onwards it then became a case of working with the publisher to bring our concept together. Kathryn and I would discuss any proposals that the publisher made, and we would make any adjustments that were necessary. Two years after Kathryn and I first sat down in my dining room, From Handbags to Hand Grenades hit the shops in Paperback and Kindle. Followed by six months after that came the audio version too. Now, I can finally answer my father’s question and say… I’m a published author with a book that is being sold all around the globe. It’s taken me nearly 50 years to get there, but I did it in the end…
(c) Mark Robertson
About From Handbags to Hand Grenades by Mark Robertson and Kathryn West:
From Handbags to Hand Grenades is the riveting true story of Kathryn West, a courageous front-line officer in London’s Metropolitan Police force. From 1990 to 2020, she dedicated her life to serving and protecting the people of Britain during some of the most historical and life-altering events of our time.
This gripping memoir follows her career, intertwining significant news stories that shook the nation. To preserve anonymity, some names and places have been changed, but the events surrounding them remain unaltered. Readers will be transported to the heart of the action, from the harrowing Tavistock Square bombing and the attacks on Westminster Bridge to the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower. West’s narrative balances true grit with humorous anecdotes, including tales of politicians’ lost handbags, visits to the White House, and dancing at the vibrant Notting Hill Carnival.
Through her eyes, readers will gain unprecedented insight into the inner workings of the Metropolitan Police. From the first page, West’s authentic voice will draw you in, revealing the sadness and happiness, lies and deceit that police officers must navigate daily. Prepare to laugh, cry, and have your eyes opened wide as you witness the reality of life behind the thin blue line.
Order your copy online here.
And read more ghostwriting on Writing.ie here.
