The Accidental Author
How in tarnation did I write a book?
Today’s newsletter is brought to you by LBK’s annual Winterval Sale!
We've got some more awesome things for you:
TOURING BUNDLE
This bundle of joy features a black and white naughty alphabet soup cap, a drinks receptacle, and our new ombré Voile strap.
HOW TO BUILD A BIKE BOOK
Now on sale is my Limited Edition How to Build a Bike book! Limited because I am literally sitting on the world’s only remaining copies. My profit-loving bike-hating publisher decided my sales weren’t cutting the mustard (I think I was doing ok for such a niche topic - I’ve sold 13,000 copies so far!) so they decided to stop printing and give me the option of buying copies - otherwise they’d be sent to cut-price warehouses or - gulp - the pulpers! So I rescued my babies in hopes that good people everywhere would be curious to learn how to take a bike apart, and how to build up a single speed from a vintage steel frame.
Could that person be you or someone you love? Makes a great gift!
THE GIFT OF KNOWLEDGE
Give less stuff - give the gift of knowledge!
Stuff takes up physical space, but knowledge only takes up brain space (there's room, trust me) and can never be taken away from you.
Our vouchers can only be used for classes thanks to tax reasons. (Please do not try to buy stuff, we will only refund it.)
And by the way - presales for our new rainbow ombré Voile straps and long sleeve softly cry trying t-shirts are still going strong as we haven't received them yet. If you order other things alongside these, we will wait till everything arrives before we ship - and this could be after we close on the 18th! We are hoping things will arrive soon though.
So. About that subject line.
I wrote and published a book in 2017. Weirdly (but unsurprisingly), I never called myself a writer or author until the end of last year, when I went on a life changing writer's retreat at Arvon. I thought I would share about how this book came to be, and what it was like birthing it.
The folly of the modern western mind is the belief that we are somehow born knowing how to do all the things, and if we don’t know yet how to do all the things perfectly and innately, it means they’re not worth doing at all. But humans are also curious, and if people want to give things a go, they also feel shame that they don’t know how to do things perfectly and innately - what a disheartening way to approach trying something new!
I see this all the time with bike maintenance newbies. At the beginning of teaching a class I always ask what brings you here and what do you hope to get out of today? Many sheepishly reply that they have been riding for years but don't know their STI from their SPD. And I am always there to tell them it’s ok to not know your STI from your SPD. You’re not born knowing this, it’s all friggin’ made up, and the only way to learn is to know that you do not know, and that’s ok, and then allow yourself the curiosity to find out - that’s the whole point of our classes and my personal raison d’être!
But I also know how they feel. I know it’s hard to believe but I was not always a mechanic. And I was not always a writer. I did not emerge from the womb with a spanner in one hand and pen in the other. Most of my 20’s were spent teaching, crying, and drinking (I never drank at work, but there was defo crying at work, and crying while drinking). Yet in 2017, when I was 37, I wrote and published How to Build a Bike, a beginner’s manual to building up a single speed from a vintage frame. How in the heck did that happen?
In 2016 one of LBK's students put my name forward to write a book. Euan Ferguson has written several books about London and food, and his publisher approached him to write a book called How to Build a Bike. While he was a very good student of LBK and self-sufficient when it came to most bike things, he thought that I might be a better choice to write this. My ears pricked up and my interest was piqued - but the demons inside started up their usual playlist: "You can't do this" "It's too hard" and "Who do you think you are?" are their greatest hits. (They still get played these days, but I've recently learned how to turn the volume down. I might talk about that process another time.)
So I set out to negotiate with the demons - what if I made it a collaborative effort with the other mechanics at LBK? In 2016 this was Nelson, Zooey, and Seb. All three of them declined. Demons 1, Me 0.
I still replied yes when Zena the commissioning editor emailed me to schedule an exploratory meeting - and we had a great chat. She was very supportive and encouraging. I turned again to face my demons. By this point I had spent 4 years getting my bearings with bike maintenance. I had started out in 2012 knowing next to nothing, but I was a sponge and soaked up via osmosis in the DIY workshop. I had also done all the admin behind our Build Your Own Bike classes, and I could now recognise part compatibility in my sleep. I knew how to take things apart and put them back together. I knew where to buy things and what to look for. Maybe, just maybe, I could do this?
So when Zena wrote again to ask if I wanted the gig, I said yes.
Let me tell you I had NO IDEA how to write a book or where to get started. Luckily Euan had been assigned to me as my editor, and he gave me pointers and tips along the way.
I simplified the book to centre around building up a single speed from a vintage steel frame, because that was going to make both my life and the reader's life much easier. Don't get me wrong, I started working on ideas for building up a geared bike and 1 x 1/8" threadless a-headsets - it was too much. You gotta crawl before you run. Cut your teeth on a single speed. (Maybe I'll write an addendum for gears someday...)
I lived in my local Hackney libraries, and a couple cafes as well. Writing at home or at work was out of the question. I lived in a flatshare with 5 other people (1 toilet!!!), and LBK was a screaming toddler that required my undivided attention. It took me 9 months to write - 9 months of editing editing editing editing - I ate/slept/shat that book, and I was so flipping sick of it by the end that to this very day, I still haven't read it in its entirety.
I am a bit embarrassed by how disorganised I was when it came to the photo shoots. There was always a tool or a part that I forgot and I wouldn't realise it until after we photographed - so I had to run off, grab the tool/part and set up the shot again. In my defence I'd just say it was my first time, I have ADHD, and it was me being a human being. However, there is only one picture in the book that had to be fixed in post - thank dog for photoshop. The designer was a magician. (I won't make you guess, it was the exploded headset layout. One of the bearings was swapped with a race or something like that. The chaos that might have caused! My reputation would be in ruins.)
I have occasionally read a passage here and there from the book, and I think to myself "not bad." The problem with writing and being a writer is that I could edit forever. And you have to draw the line somewhere. So I'm proud of where that line was drawn. It's a beautiful book, clearly written with great photos.
Zena the commissioning editor had told me that the book was meant to be an inspiration as opposed to a practical guide - but hundreds of people have told me they have actually used the book as a practical guide, and not just for building up a bike, but for every day small adjustments as well.
So if you don't yet have a signed copy, I'm currently sitting on the last 729 left in the world.
Help me get out of credit card debt and buy a signed copy here!
I would like to address this message that was posted on our Instagram page.
First of all, LOL
Second of all, Hamas is a symptom, a reaction to a brutal occupation. The West has been consistently destabilising the Middle East for at least a century, installing religious led coups as they become a foil for the West’s secular imperialism. (Though one could argue that they are Christian white supremacists…)
And thirdly, have they been living under Patrick's rock?
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but most of the Western world has been swinging its way to the right, shoving the Overton Window over, and rights for women and LGBTQI+ people have been rescinded in a rush. The US has revoked Roe v Wade, which has now made all abortions illegal, even in cases of miscarriage and rape. International sports governing bodies have practically outlawed trans women from participating in anything. Pink News has an article from earlier this year stating how according to the Rainbow Europe Map and Index, which tracks LGBTQI+ rights in Europe, the UK has now dropped down to 17th when back in 2015 it was number 1.
I believe this is what debaters call a scare crow straw man argument.
They have done some mental gymnastics to equate being pro-Palestinian and anti-Zionist with being anti-LGBTQ and anti-women. Meanwhile, the real anti-LGBTQ and anti-women brigades continue their work dividing people up, and people are afraid to take a stand for fear of being seen as anti-semitic. And Gaza continues to be destroyed.
It would be very easy to slip into despair at this point - I myself try it on sometimes, but it’s not a good look. Educating oneself is a way to feel some agency. Did you happen to catch the panel discussion about Christian Zionism? If not, you can watch the replay here. And if watching videos aren't you're thing, here's a really easy to read and understand primer, written in the style of those proselytising leaflets - but is refreshingly anti-zionist (they seem Christian though?) And here's an article that goes a bit deeper into the history of Zionism and modern day connections.
The powers that be are trying to make BDS practices illegal, because they work. Purchasing power is one of the few things we as consumers have. A purchase is a vote for a thing to exist. And if that thing existing depends on the theft of land and genocide of people, you can simply buy something else.
Here is a useful resource, a thorough listing of all the products and services that have ties to apartheid Israel, explains why they should be boycotted, and also gives alternatives. It's a really good example of the illusion of choice. There are some surprises on that list - I didn't know Buxton Water was owned by Nestle! Damn you water privatisation! And if you're a skincare geek like me (thanks to the pandemic), I've replaced all my Ordinary products (now majority owned by Estee Lauder, who are on this list and also test on animals) with Face Theory - ask me about skin care! I could talk about it for hours...
Anyway, Substack is now telling me this post is now too long for email, so I’ll stop now.
Oh wait before I leave, a poll! I love polls!
We are thinking of restarting our online fix-a-longs as part of our paid subscription offering. No price change, just an increase in benefits. I could revive some of my exclusive covid-era deep dive seminars (The Bike Whisperer, and Bare Minimum Bike Maintenance come to mind), and my fellow mechanics are also keen to get stuck in with some fix-a-longs that enable everyone to keep an eye on their bikes together throughout the year: m-check-a-longs, clean-a-longs, tube-patch-a-longs etc.
🍏 We would hold these once a month, with each month taught by a different mechanic on their choice of topic
🍌 Day/time would change each month depending on mechanic availability
🫐 Recorded and saved to be watched later
🍉 No change in price for membership (£5/mo)
That’s all for now friends, see you soon!
Thank you for being cool 😎
Ride on,
Jenni x