I hope this lands in your inbox on a day when most of what you need to do is done for the year.
Whether its Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, something different, or nothing at all, I hope you're able to relax over the festive season and recharge your batteries for the year ahead.
Thanks for taking the time to browse my words in 2025. In a world where we're bombarded with voices clamouring for attention, I'm grateful to you for 'listening' to mine.
As the year closes out, I'm happy to say that I've finished my latest draft of 'Dignity' and I'll be tackling the submission process fully in the New Year.
At the risk of committing a grave injustice, it has already landed in the in-trays of a few agents, but I suspect that right now they'll be more focused on mince pies and mulled wine than scanning its pages.
While I recognise it's probably not the cleverest time of year to be submitting a manuscript for consideration, it does mean that in a world of often arbitrary deadlines, I've met mine by sending a few queries out before the end of the year. Folly aside, it was gratifying to put that tick in the box.
Continuing the deadline theme, I'm giving myself the first half of 2026 to find an agent. If I'm signed by then, it's likely to be 12 to 24 months before 'Dignity' hits the shelves, and it may well emerge with a different title and cover artwork. If the partnership I'm seeking isn't forthcoming, then you can expect to see the book on the shelves in July 2026*.
It's a much gentler tale than 'A Little Something To Hide' and a more conventional novel, which I hope you'll enjoy. I'm stoked with it and I look forward to it finding its way into the world.
I'm also chuffed to have a solid pipeline developing which will enable me to publish a new book every 12-18 months. I've adopted an approach where I aim to complete the draft of a novel in the first half of each year, before popping it in a drawer to steep. While that's happening, I'll blow away the cobwebs from an earlier effort, with the intention of arriving at a polished manuscript ready for submission by the end of the year. It makes for easy goal setting, which for 2026 are threefold:
Well, that's it from me for this year. I hope the New Year shines bright upon you and yours, and that you'll find something to love in the pages of a book.
Cheerio for now
Craig
* Since writing this, the publishing date for Dignity has moved to 1 September 2026.
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Craig Brown is an author living in Newbury. To follow his work visit craigbrownauthor.com
Facebook/BlueSky/Threads/Instagram: @GOMinTraining
Copyright © Craig Brown, 2025
23 December 2025
