Julia and the Book Factory

On Friday I went with Sam Eades, my lovely publicist at Headline, to Clays printers in Bungay, to see Every Vow You Break roll off the presses. I had been told by David Headley at Goldsboro Books and S J Watson that it was an astounding day out (‘like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for book nerds’), and that the sandwiches were very good. They were right on all counts.

After those remarkable sandwiches at Cambridge House, a beautiful Georgian building where the company started and which they now use for hospitality, We were shown around the massive factory by the lovely Vicky Ellis and Phil and Steve, having a peek at every single part of the process.

Standing in the middle of a factory full of conveyor belts piled up with my new novel has to be one of the top experiences of my life. If I say how close I was to wanting to breast feed my warm, fresh, book, you’ll understand where it ranks for me.

Here, in the spirit of a geography field trip, is my photo essay. Unlike when they were printing the first editions of Harry Potter, when even mobile phones were confiscated at reception, they now allow cameras in.

So hard hats and hi-viz jackets off to all at Clays, and thank you for a day I will always remember.

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4 thoughts on “Julia and the Book Factory

  1. Your old grandad would wonder where the hell he was with all the modern printing techie stuf. In his day everything letter was placed by hand – backwards onto a “block” Fantastic event for you and we are so proud of you.
    From J&R

    1. I did think of Poppa a lot as I was going around, wondering what he’d make of it. And I did drop the fact that my grandfather was a Fleet Street printer in to a couple of the chats I had with the printers there.

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