One of the hidden things about being a successful writer is that – unless you are J.K Rowling – you are going to have to promote your baby, your work of art.

In the case of One Year One Night by SL Roman – written with my writing partner Laura Meloni Bywaters, it represented an interesting challenge after it was published in N. America.

That’s a huge country and there are worldwide digital rights too.

I grew up with a journalist, worked as one for 17 years, married a hack and even taught media.

So I thought I better have a go.

All those skills come back of course. Distill your opening message to one and a half lines, don’t use abbreviations and in the case of broadcasting and social media, write in a natural manner – using ‘don’t’ instead of ‘do not’ and that sort of thing.

I’d already written a blog for an earlier book about my family and also about my allotment so I was reasonable familiar with that style. I was already on Facebook and Instagram and I joined Twitter for a while and then left it, for obvious reasons, registering with Bluesky instead.

I avoided Tik Tok for about 10 years because I had always been scared of seeing my face on TV (no problem with the voice though that took some training). I joined the latter just before Xmas to find lots of youngsters who read which was a surprise and I have fun posting thoughts, ideas and pieces to camera. The anxiety has gone and I just try and concentrate on the content.

Of course I joined just as it was banned in the U.S. but the American tiktokkers seem to come back including lots of individual public libraries.

And then there were all my journalistic friends. This was tricky as a lot of them had been employed by my Dad and I was known as the editor’s daughter. Again, a case of dropping any ego or pride and just approach them and see how it goes.

One success was with my first deputy news ed. at Essex Radio (the Southend-based indy station launched in ’81). Chris Mann presented the teatime show on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire and he generously interviewed me twice – for a good half an hour. I sold one copy of Don’t Bring Lulu; Her Family’s Tale of Trial and Triumph by Ron, Doris and Sarah (me) Onions from that but it gave me confidence and a lovely photo, posing with the book and Chris. And Allison Ferns at BBC Radio Sussex also responded to my request for an interview, leading to a great trip to my home town of Brighton.

Another connection from the days of commercial radio news was Prof Tim Crook who as Tim Crook was the crime reporter for Independent Radio News. I followed his career from a prolific and rated court reporter in London to a teacher on the M.A. course in Radio at London’s Goldsmith University to writing a global best-seller about a conman – The Secret Lives of a Secret Agent: The Mysterious Life and Times of Alexander Wilson, first and second editions. 

He helpfully posted a review for the current book – One Year One Night by SL Roman – on Amazon.com, commenting,  

‘Excellent characterisation, drama and plot combined with educational value makes this an ideal book for any school library wishing to add resources in 2025 – the 80th year since the end of the Second World War’.

Those were the highlights of the media promotion of books bearing my name, my family’s name and now a pen-name shared with my writing partner – there ‘s a lot more work done, speaking to the public in person – but that’s for next time. Happy marketing!

Note to editor. SL Roman is the pen-name of Sarah Onions and Laura Meloni Bywaters who both live in the borough of Kingston in SW London. Sarah was born in Brighton in southern England and Laura was born in Rome.

Now on sale everywhere: in the UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Year-Night-S-L-Roman/dp/B09GZPYRJ4 and in the US: https://www.amazon.com/One-Year-Night-2nd/dp/194715981X.

Also, at Barnes and Noble in North America. And in Surbiton, SW London at The Regency bookshop.