The Bookseller reports that 120,772 new titles were published in the UK last year. Imagine your book – the one you’ve invested years of your life in; the one your very reputation hangs on; the one that is supposed to save you from starvation in a garret – falling into a pile with 120,771 others. What are the chances of it coming out on top? That’s what authors are up against. Unless, that is, you are already famous as a footballer, model, senior royal or TV personality.

I’ve just been told that my next novel, Remember Remember, is due to be published early next year. Wahey! At last! But given that I don’t fall into any of the above categories the statistics suddenly acquire horrifying dimensions. Ho hum.

Some publishers invest money in marketing; some books develop a momentum of their own; some courageous authors devote vast amounts of time to promoting their own work. But for sheer energy and drive you’d go a long way to beat Edinburgh author, Nicola Morgan. Just reading about her schedule leaves you breathless. And she writes a brilliant blog too – well, two actually! One, ghostlygalleon tracks her own activities in a racy style; the other, need2bpublished is designed to help would-be or real-live authors. She seems to have invented a forty-eight hour day!

She’s just completing her term of office as chair of the Society of Authors in Scotland so I thought I’d pay my own tribute to her. She’s a brilliant chair of meetings, speaker and general holder-of-things-together. Thanks, Nicola!

Tags: Nicola Morgan, Remember Remember, Society of Authors in Scotland