Becoming a Published Author – Beverly Knops

 I am writing this article whilst travelling on a train from London to Wales. I have discovered that busy train journeys are more conducive to writing than my quiet study. This is one of many things I learnt whilst co-writing ‘Living with ME and CFS’

In the spring of 2021, I received a phone call from Dr Gerald Coakley, a Consultant Rheumatologist. I assumed he wanted to make a referral to Vitality360, but he was phoning to ask if I wanted to co-author a book.

He had been approached by the Penguin Life team and although he was personally interested, he felt it should be written jointly with a therapist.

My initial response was no!

1. We were in the middle of a pandemic
2. I had just handed in my notice to my NHS job of 29 years to manage Vitality360 full time
3. I was in the process of buying a new house
4. The NICE guidelines were due to be published.

I came off the phone, flung myself onto the sofa and recall saying to my husband, ‘This is all just too hard’. His response was, ‘You will regret it if you don’t do it, you can do it. Phone him back.’

On August 16th 2022, I received an unexpected brown box in the post. It contained 10 copies of the book.

I had actually done it!

The book was published on the 22nd September 2022. Penguin asked Gerald and I to attend an online webinar where we were interviewed about the book.

I was very anxious, as the audience of 200 were largely unknown to me, and the interviewer wanted to delve into some of the controversies in the area.

What questions would they ask? Knowing many of my Vitality360 friends were present helped enormously and I got through it. I received lovely messages and my husband poured me a glass of champagne.

Launch over!

So, apart from discovering that train travel helps me write, what else have I learned?

• Writing a book (or in my case half a book) takes much longer than I imagined.

• When researching a topic, it is easy to fall down rabbit holes, which takes up a lot of precious time. I consider myself a pragmatic clinician, so I had to learn to be a pragmatic writer.

• It is essential to have support. The team at Penguin were strict regarding the style and deadlines, but also took the time to talk us through every step of the process.

• I have amazing friends and colleagues. They gave me their time, support and freely shared their knowledge and experience whenever I needed it.

• I really value positive feedback, but I can also cope with negative comments which, as expected, we have received.

• The voice of those with lived experience needs to be heard, but so does the voice of experienced therapists.

Our Business Development Manager having a good read!

Writing the book has helped me to reflect on my clinical experience and clarify what I really believe in. I now feel in a stronger position to articulate this. I do not plan to write another book, but I do intend to continue being heard.

Look out for more blogs, articles and webinars in 2023!