Meet Victoria Villasenor and Nicci Robinson. In 2014, the couple first met at a literature event at Waterstones on Bridlesmith Gate. The two ended up connecting and went on to work on community projects together; they had a passion for mentoring authors in the beginning stages of their careers. They took these values and focused them on Global Wordsmiths - a community interest company Victoria established in 2012 that seeks to help writers realise their dreams. Our own writer (and creative behind Queer Notts) Jade Bramley sits down with Victoria and Nicci at the very same Waterstones where they met almost a decade prior, to discuss the work they do in the literature world and how they incorporate queer activism into it…
What is Global Wordsmiths all about?
Nicci: We want to build a community of writers who can lean on each other. Writing can be a very solitary pursuit most of the time. We offer up help with all the elements of book publishing from start to launch, as well as hosting writing retreats, community group chats and drop-in Zoom writing rooms. These community-based activities are essential because I think a lot of writers have mental health issues, so we are very much about helping and supporting people who tend to be the most creative but don't believe in themselves.
What value does queer literature bring to the community?
Nicci: We’ve learnt through doing our stalls at Pride that people don’t know about these kinds of books. We always tell them to imagine all the genres - crime, horror, science fiction, romance - now put queer people as those main characters and they get their happily ever after. The girl getting the girl, the guy getting the guy, the person getting their person, everything that is in our spectrum happens in these books.
Victoria: We once had a couple get in touch who told us they had walked past our Pride booth three years in a row but never had the courage to stop. One day they finally did and talked to us about our books and bought a whole bunch of stuff. She got in touch later to say, “You don’t understand what it means to be in this world now. I didn’t know queer books existed, and they’ve quite literally saved my life.” She went on to start the Queer Literary Loft and got into reviewing books, which has given her a sense of purpose and a place in the world, and she and her wife have become good friends of ours.
Global Wordsmiths is all about community and building writers both in their craft and also in their self-belief
Why do you value mentorship so much in your work?
Victoria: Well, we have a mentorship going on right now with a girl who came on one of our writing retreats to support her mum who wanted to do it. It wasn't really even her thing but it turned out she had this amazing voice. She doesn't have great self-esteem and doesn’t believe she can do it, so being a mentor for her means that every month she knows she has to give us words. There’s structure and somebody in her corner saying, “Yeah, this is fabulous.” That little bit of support can make all the difference in the world. For us, Global Wordsmiths is all about community and building writers both in their craft and also in their self-belief.
I’ve read a lot about your LGBTQ+ publishing house, Butterworth Books. Can you tell us more about that?
Nicci: Butterworth Books is not your traditional publishing house as we don’t get any money from it. Every author that is with Butterworth Books is still an independent author, they have full control over their work and promo, and they get all their own earnings - but we make sure the product is done to a high level of production. It’s copy edited, development edited, it’s proofread, the cover design is quality and everything looks beautifully packaged. You get to retain your creative control and stay independent but have all the support of being with a publishing house.
Every author that is with Butterworth Books is still an independent author. They have full control over their work
What are the benefits of joining an indie publishing house, as opposed to mainstream?
Victoria: The route you take depends on what you want. If you just want to write, and you’re happy to hand it over for someone else to handle your marketing and all that stuff, it basically takes all the pressure off of you. But you have no control and they’re going to take royalties. If you’re good with that, then maybe traditional publishing is for you. However, if you want more control, don’t want to pay those royalties, and if you have some money to invest in your editing, cover design and marketing, then indie or self-publishing is a great way to go.
Do you have any future projects that you want readers to know about?
Victoria: We are hosting the Queer the Shelves Festival here at Waterstones in late May or early June. We bring in queer authors from all over the place - it’s a big thing for us and we would love for more queer people to come to experience that community. We also have our ‘Do It’ writing retreat at the end of March.
Nicci: We have four books coming out between us in 2023 too! Plus a full slate of books coming out for Butterworth this year.
Do you have any final words for novice writers?
Victoria:You have to believe in yourself and believe that your voice matters. It really does. Your experiences, your story, your generation matters. You have no idea who your book’s going to touch.
Nicci: If you want to write or have any questions, we’d love to hear them. Don't be afraid to reach out because we are happy to talk to you and help you take your next step. Look to the community to help get you where you want to go.
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