Writers' News - Textile tales

	Textile tales Writers' News Home Study co-ordinator Rachel Bellerby has had her first book published, a history of textile mills in and around Bradford. History specialist Rachel, who has contributed articles to magazines including Ancestors, BBC History Magazine, Your Family Tree and Family History Monthly, had not even endured the usual round of rejections before Chasing the Sixpence was accepted for publication by Ayr-based Fort Publishing.
	'I'd seen so much in Writers' News about how difficult it was to find a publisher, that I expected to wait years before I had a proposal accepted,' she said. 'Then when the publisher, James McCarroll, came back to me, I only had from February until August to complete the book! 'I panicked at first, mainly because I can only write in the evenings,' she said. 'But once I'd completed the interviews, it was quite easy to group everything into subject areas, so that each chapter had a different theme.'

Primary research was conducted at libraries, council archives and museums, particularly Bradford's Industrial Musuem, who were 'a great help with the pictures'. Rachel wrote to local newspaper the Telegraph & Argus for former mill workers to come forward, and made some contacts through friends and family in the area. In addition to one-to-one interviews, arranging a get-together for twelve of the respondents was very productive.

'They bounced off each other,' she said. 'One would spark a memory and that would bring a whole new turn to the conversation, but from the tape afterwards, trying to remember who said what was a bit of a pain.'

To launch Chasing the Sixpence, Rachel organised a signing at St Mary's Church Hall, Bradford. 'I'd invited all the contributors, so it was very well attended,' she said. 'I sold 28 copies, which was a really good start.'

Rachel is now working on a guide to tracing ancestors in Yorkshire.

To order a copy of Chasing the Sixpence (Fort Publishing Ltd Ł9.99) tel: 08702 402182. Postage and packing is free.

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