ABAL Luncheon: Mary Carey Shares Tips on Writing a Book, Getting Published

On Monday 7 March 2022, the American Chamber of Commerce in Luxembourg (AMCHAM) held an in-person ABAL luncheon dedicated to "Overcoming the challenges of writing and publishing the book in your head" at Cercle Munster in Luxembourg-Grund.

A dozen AMCHAM members and guests attended this intimate luncheon, during which Mary Carey, a local author, former journalist and current Senior Manager Media Relations & Editorial at PwC Luxembourg, presented her novel "Irresistible Blending" (Black Fountain Press) and offered her tips for writing and publishing a book.

Paul Schonenberg, CEO and Chairman of AMCHAM, and Daniel McKenzie, Head of Sales & Marketing at AMCHAM, expressed their joy at being able to hold in-person events again after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guests enjoyed a three-course meal while listening to Mary Carey speak about her writing journey. The Toronto (Canada) native explained that she had "always wanted to be a writer". Alongside her long career in finance, journalism and corporate writing, she set up a writer's group, the Creative Writing Club of Luxembourg, several years ago, where she co-edited and contributed to the anthology "Writing from a Small Country". She later left the club to focus on her own writing.

Mary Carey explained that her background in journalism and corporate writing had helped prepare her to write her first book, since "you can never miss a deadline". In addition to setting deadlines, it is important to have structure and discipline when writing a book, she added, as well as being prepared for rejection (from publishers) and criticism. "Criticism is the only way to grow as a writer", she said. Ms Carey added that it was important to believe in your own book idea. She also stressed that the writing process takes time: it took her about one year to write Irresistible Blending and another two years to edit it.

She added that writing a book is "a collaborative process", particularly when opting to work with a publishing house rather than going down the route of self-publishing. One of the advantages of the former option is that the publisher is there to accompany and support the author throughout the process. 

Despite the amount of work and time that goes into writing a book, Mary Carey described the last three months (since the publication of Irresistible Blending) as "the happiest three months of [her] life".

Regarding the opportunities and challenges for writers in Luxembourg in particular, Ms Carey said that there were a lot of great publishers in Luxembourg, as well as literary competitions and grants, but "market is an issue".

She added that the best way to sell any idea, whether it be for a book or a film, was to use the "elevator pitch", i.e. be able to pitch your idea in two sentences. Another tip was to partner with an established network or company that can add some credibility to a book idea. 

For the budding writers present, Marey Carey also recommended various writing exercises, such as keeping a dream journal, to hone their skills.

Paul Schonenberg concluded by praising Ms Carey's presentation and the interactive question and answer (Q&A) session that followed, adding that such events can only be successful with "the right people".