The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature: The Highlight of Day 2: Richard and Judy!

I caught a glimpse of the sun as it set in the horizon, right before it sank into the sea behind Dubai's skyscrapers, as I drove my car back home to Abu Dhabi on the final day of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. My second day at the festival was over and I was feeling slightly downcast that it had all come and gone so quickly and in an hour's time real life would have to be resumed from where I had exited it two days ago. I couldn't believe I had attended nearly 20 sessions, listened to over 30 speakers and bought a total of 10 books. I was exhausted, I was hungry (missed most meals), I was cranky (stayed up late the night before engrossed in one of my new books), I could feel the throbbing of an oncoming headache (too much caffeine) and my feet hurt from tottering on high heels all day. And yet, I have rarely felt better. Thank you @EmiratesLitFest!

The day had kicked off with a session entitled 'R&J: The Power of the Book Group'. Judging by the massive queue waiting at the doors there was no mystery or confusion as to who R&J might be. Two letters of the alphabet combined in one sentence with the words 'book' and 'group' can only ever mean one thing: the golden couple of British television and the two people behind one of the most powerful and influential Book Clubs in the world, Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan must be in the house.

From L to R: Simon Kernick, Rachel Hore, Judy Finnigan & Richard Madeley

For those who don't know who they are, understandable if you haven't lived in the UK, they were the first couple to host an American-style daytime morning chat show,'This Morning', broadcast on British television from 1988 until 2001 and subsequently moved on to present a daily chat show, 'Richard & Judy', from 2001 until 2009. They still carry on with the Richard and Judy Book Club, online, in association with booksellers WHSmith (click on HERE).

According to Richard, the secret to their success is down to 'the fact that they were a genuine couple who were married, had their ups and downs, had had previous marriages and came with loads of baggage etc, all of which endeared them to the public that could relate to them and connect with them. A public that could spot the sincerity of the relationship that the couple shared both on screen and off'.

Richard Madeley & Judy Finnigan

That aside, their impact on the book and publishing industry has been phenomenal. Who could have predicted that a 12-minute slot in a morning program, presented once a week would be so influential on an industry that is one of the hardest to crack? The couple were unaware of the impact they were causing when recommending a read on national TV until, according to Richard, one publishing house called them to request that they give them ample warning before reviewing their titles. The reason? the book Richard and Judy had discussed the morning before had completely flown off the shelves by the next leaving none in print. To this day, every 1 in 4 books sold in the UK is dependant on the approval of this enigmatic duo.

Richard and Judy have been responsible for the fortunes of many authors. Simon Kernick and Rachel Hore, who shared the panel with the couple in Saturday's session, are two such cases. Although at the time their books were reviewed by R&J, they were already established authors with not too shabby sale margins. However, the sales figures of their books ('Relentless' in the case of Simon Kernick and 'A Place of Secrets' in Rachel's case) skyrocketed beyond their wildest dreams right after the couple had chosen to talk about their book on their morning show. Rachel's book that followed after such success, went in straight into the Sunday Times bestseller list and she has never looked back since. Not only that, but Richard and Judy have managed to resurrect writing careers (simply ask author Jojo Moyes), cementing their status as Gods of the book industry.

Only two years ago, in a giant leap of faith, they joined the ranks of authors by releasing their own debut novels. Judy Finnigan's novel, 'Eloise' was the fastest selling hardback cover in 2012 and Richard Madeley's book 'One Day I'll Find You' was the fastest selling in 2013! They both share the opinion that the success of their books was first and foremost due to the public who have grown to love them and support them in their ventures and that their Book Club readings came a close second. It taught them to recognise style, pace and rhythm and to recognise what did and didn't work. It ultimately allowed them to develop an insight into the types of books that they would, one day, enjoy writing themselves. Although, Richard did candidly confess, that it was almost because of the bookclub that he almost didn't write his novel fearing that if the novel 'bombed' it would somehow jeopardise the credibility of the Richard and Judy brand.

And what ingredients make for a good book? Well, the panel unanimously agreed that it was definitely readability and a captivating start; although Rachel Hore did go on to explain that her genre of writing required an essentially more detailed description of mood and setting to allow the reader to properly visualise the scene the novel was being set in. But she was also aware that novels these days were required to be quicker paced in response to the demands of a readership that expected to 'get stuck in and cracking' from page one.

Of course there were many other sessions to visit during the course of the day that I am dying to tell you about. I even managed a chat with Saudi author Abdo Khal about his book 'Throwing Sparks' which is a real cracker. However, for the purpose of keeping posts short, sweet and less boring (I do want you to come back you know) I will stop and sign off with a list of the books that were chosen by the panel when asked by a member of the audience what they would take to read whilst stranded on a desert island.

Simon Kernick: Lord of the Rings by Tolkien
Rachel Hore: David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Judy Finnigan: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Richard Madeley: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

See you soon!

The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature - My Day One!

I made it through my first day at The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature and what a day it was. Simply put, it was a roller coaster of emotions ranging from the exhilarating to the tiring to the emotional. The energy of the festival is quite extraordinary in itself not only for the unbelievable talent on display with speakers, writers and literary professionals pouring their hearts out, sharing their experiences; genuinely happy, slightly humbled, to be a part of this magnificent literary gathering but also for the palpable energy of the army of organisers and volunteers who were professional, helpful and very very nice. 

On a personal level I could not have chosen a more poignant time to attend this festival that runs under the common theme of Metamorphosis. Whoever decided that this was going to be the case deserves a medal for that is exactly what attending this festival, in particular, forces one to do. There is no way but to be affected after listening to the likes of John McCarthy, author of 'You Can't Hide the Sun', talk about compassion, understanding the other, and forgiveness; this from a man who was robbed of five years of his life, held hostage in Beirut, not knowing whether he will be killed or spared. As the likes of Raja Shehadeh, a soft-spoken Palestinian and author of several books, struggling on a daily basis with the indignities of daily life that is forced upon him and his countrymen under Israeli occupation. These two men prove that anger need not only 'metamorphose' to bitterness but that it can be channelled to serve a higher purpose, a greater cause that better serves and builds a resilient, brave and ultimately more humanised existence.

And then there was girl-next-door author Jojo Moyes, best known for her tear-jerker of a book 'Me before You', with her vibrant animated talk about making it back from the brink and sharing the news that only a few hours ago she'd received confirmation that her latest book 'One Plus One' had hit #1 on the Sunday Times bestseller list. She openly discussed how as a writer although you are changing and adapting whether to publisher's demands or needs of the market one has to remain faithful to one's 'true voice', to put onto paper the story 'that is there in the forefront of your mind for no other will work'. Change is inevitable for a writer because audiences change too and she was honest in her account about the miserable days of pre-fame when she struggled to make it into the literary world, succeeding for a while only to be knocked down and then shooting to fame thanks to the Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan's book club. She did offer up a plethora of anecdotes that kept us well entertained and a confession thrown in for good measure about 'missing journalism so much for the first 18 months' that she 'needed counselling'. 

Speaking of Judy Finnigan, let me tell you that sitting in on her session 'From Sofa to Author' was my favourite of the day. There is a certain vulnerability to Judy and yet I have always felt that there is a fierceness of character and more strength and determination than she lets on. It was lovely to see her on the podium, briefly emerging from husband Richard's shadow, who was still present in the audience though, and listen to her talk about her novel 'Eloise' that, according to her, was inspired after the death of her very dear friend, Karen Keiting. There was not a dry eye in the house and not a soul unchanged by Judy's narration of the experience that will cement the memory of her friend in the minds of all. Writing the novel was her way to prove 'that good things can come out of the most tragic of events'. But after the tears came laughter as she regaled us with stories about her children who she said jokingly 'never leave do they?' and how becoming a grandmother has brought out the 'tribal' in her. Oh, ever the bookclub enthusiast, she did slip in a recommendation to read Joseph O'Connor's book 'Star of the Sea'. Judy is currently working on a new thriller that takes place on St. George's Island about a woman who loses her son in a sailing accident.

I did sit in for Arabic sessions as well. My favourite was Mohammed Acchaari, winner of the 2011 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF), for his novel 'The Arch and the Butterfly'. This fantastic, mild-mannered Moroccan author has a lot to say but unfortunately had little time to say it in being part of a panel of three in a one-hour session moderated by IPAF trustee Professor Yasir Suleiman. His views on the current state of Arabic literature are poignant; In my opinion he is a modernist and a reformer and I look forward to more chances where he is a speaker. Present on the panel with him was author Abdo Khal, winner of the 2010 IPAF for his highly controversial novel 'Throwing Sparks' which is now published in English. The panel was also shared with the 2012 IPAF winner, Saud Sanoussi, author of 'Bamboo Shoots' which has yet to be published in English.

So many more sessions to write about, but for fear of making this post too long, I will mention them in brief here and return to commenting on them in posts along the week. Author Alia Mamdouh's session entitled 'A Life in Writing', moderated by Professor Ibrahim Suleiman stood out for me and is one I will definitely return to next week. Charismatic 'Ibrahim Nasrallah', author of 'Time of White Horses', John Boyne, author who wrote 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' discussed his new novel 'Stay Where You Are and then Leave' aimed at young readers shared a lot of insightful details into the life of authors and their struggle to come up with ideas for their books. A Charlie Chaplin die-hard fan, he was highly entertaining to listen to and he offered up some great advice for the young audience attending the session.

So, that's it for the first day folks, tomorrow there is always more.