Author Interview:  Ruth Hampson

How would you describe the type of books/genre you write?

My first book: Salford to Shanghai: An Extraordinary Ordinary Story is part memoir part travelogue.  The kind of book I like to write is the kind of book I like to read: stories of people who have travelled the world or who have found themselves in a new country or situation through love, work or other passion. 

I love reading anything to do with travel or with people who have had unusual experiences and through them learning about the world and its people.  My own first book is a celebration of an ordinary person who gets to do some out-of-the-ordinary things and how to cope with/embrace them!

As well as documenting the travel aspects, I also wanted it to be warm and humorous, and to give some flavour of some of the places by including bits of background history, culture, literature and even snippets of folklore which make the places and people come to life.

I’ve also had a couple of essays/articles published, mainly focusing on a subject I’m passionate about which is the roles and perceptions of women in the speciality coffee industry. I think it’s really important to write from passion, experience and knowledge. Write what you know about, what you care about and what you want people to know.

I also focus in the book on how travelling inspired me to start up a business in an area on which I am also passionate: coffee and tea.  Having visited origin countries and worked directly with growers has influenced the kind of business it is; its connections to the origins themselves and the celebration of the people behind the product. 

It gives us the opportunity every day to engage with customers and link them to growers of the crop from the other side of the world that they drink every day.

What motivated you to start writing?

I’ve always loved reading and writing and before my first attempt at a book I’d had some articles published and have been a prolific blogger both within my own business and in previous employment. 

Coincidentally a couple of friends and family members had recently published books: one on childhood experiences in New Zealand and another on working for Medecins Sans Frontieres in Sierra Leone.  Their stories and way of writing prompted me to think: ‘I have a story that people might like to hear and some experiences I’d like to share’.

My other motivation was quite personal.  I wanted to write a book with an underlying theme or thread rather than a chronological sequence of events.  This thread or theme is that of overcoming obstacles, both internal and external; in my case teenage illness and extreme introversion, to push myself beyond limits of which I thought I was capable in order to achieve some dreams and have life experiences without missing out. 

The subtitle of ‘an extraordinary ordinary story’ captures this, the possibilities for anyone to achieve their dreams whatever their beginnings or perceived limitations.

Tell us the journey you went on to get your books published (e.g. direct on your website, self-published, assisted-publishing, traditional publisher)

I had no idea how to get my book published!  Initially I went to a self-publishing house and had my book printed.  Although it came out in beautiful quality with great colour photographs it was an expensive way to publish.  I ended up selling or gifting many of these books to friends, family and extended circle without any other way of getting them known. 

From proceeds (not profits!) of these books I made a donation to MSF.  Then I discovered that it’s possible to self publish for Kindle reader on Amazon and from there it’s also possible to have a paperback published without initial cost – these books are printed on demand which is a great way to widen the circulation of a book.  There are also options on Amazon for promoting your book.

What publishing elements do you most enjoy and most like to avoid, and why? (e.g. design, marketing, formatting etc.)

Being used to writing as part of jobs, blogger, articles and essayist I was used to writing, editing etc: crafting the words if you like.  The hardest part for me was transferring all the thoughts from my brain onto the page!  If only you could plug a USB stick into your brain and dump it onto the computer!  The challenge then is to arrange the information into a cohesive narrative and link it all together so that it flows.

With the hindsight of being a published author, anything you would have done differently?

I would have definitely taken more time and done a lot more research into how to get published and what the best way would be to maximise circulation.  I’m not really interested in financials but in having people read my story.

What tips or advice would you give an aspiring indie author who is looking to self-publish?

As above really, avoid expensive and limiting options and really research the best way to reach the widest audience or even target to audiences that will enjoy your books.

What marketing or promotional tools or techniques do you use to reach your readers?

I’m extremely lucky in that I own my own shop!  Although it’s not a book shop it’s quite a niche speciality coffee shop and really reflects my own personality and personal journey (and that of my husband and business partner).  The shop reflects a lot of my travels, we like to connect travel, origins of produce etc and bring people wider experiences. 

Having my book available for people to browse whilst they enjoy an Ethiopian coffee for example, or buy a copy to take away is a real bonus.  And never underestimate the power of social media.  It’s never been easier to reach a wide number of people.  Use social media, especially with images or snippets of your book as a taster to tempt people and spark interest.  Create a personality around yourself and your book that people will warm to.

What impact do you want your books to have on your readers?

In part due to the nature of my book I really want people to relate and to think ‘I could do that’ – I could travel to somewhere I never thought possible, or start up a business I’m passionate about, or start a hobby and have it become a passion that takes me to another part of the world.  Or even overcome personal doubts, lack of confidence or misgivings and achieve a dream however ambitious.

What is your latest book about?

I’m just about to start work on a collaborative book with my kung fu teacher and our Grand Master from Hong Kong.  This will explore the lineage, precepts, philosophy and body mechanics behind our particular martial art.  I’m very excited about this as it will be a unique opportunity to bring to life a really ancient and authentic tradition and to capture this knowledge and experience for a western audience.

What’s next on your writing journey?

I started my own business 7 years ago and in that time I have seen many other small businesses open and close.  One idea I have is to write a book for people who want to open a business and make it a really honest and helpful book about the pitfalls and how to go about it. 

When we first decided to start the business, having no experience of running our own business it was difficult to know where to start.  Having been a project manager for other larger companies I decided to treat the start-up as just another project. 

One phrase that kept coming back to me was ‘how do you eat an elephant?’ to which the answer is ‘one bite at a time’ – meaning that whatever you do it’s easier to break it down into small, easy to achieve targets.

As I love travel so much, another part of the book might focus on the emerging speciality coffee industry specifically.  On a recent visit to Prague we ended up visiting 5 or 6 speciality coffee shops and chatting to the owners and baristas.  It’s kind of a worldwide web of like-minded passionate individuals.  I’d like to keep the travel theme going.

About the Author

Ruth was born in Salford, Lancashire.  She has travelled in Africa and China and worked in the City of London before starting up and running an award winning business. 

She has a background in Philosophy and is interested in classics as well as western and eastern philosophy, and is an avid student and practitioner of Chinese martial arts.  She now lives in Harrogate, North Yorkshire where she runs her business.