“My debut Middle Grade story has been printed!” ~ a guest post from Kristina Rahim

Nosy Crow shortlisted for two 2025 Br...

“My debut Middle Grade story has been printed!” ~ a guest post from Kristina Rahim

Kristina Rahim, debut author of the highly anticipated middle grade story, The Doughnut Club, shares her experience of being a debut author and watching her heartwarming middle grade story go from an idea to a printed, physical product!

Stepping into Clays: The Journey Begins

Recently, I was given the incredible opportunity to visit Clays printers in Bungay, Suffolk to see my debut, middle grade novel, THE DOUGHNUT CLUB, become an actual BOOK!

To say this was a dream come true moment is a complete understatement.

On the day of the visit, I woke up smiling, just imagining what this experience was going to be like, and that smile got bigger and bigger throughout the day.

I met my editor, Zoe, and Karina, Head of Production, at Liverpool Street station early that morning. The publishing industry is completely new to me, so I usually come to meetings with an endless list of questions. Fortunately, I couldn’t have been in better company for this trip. Both Zoe and Karina answered all my publishing questions, along with an excellent array of random chat – the hour and a half train ride flew by.

When we arrived at the station, we were met by a local taxi driver. He had lived in the area for years and explained how most of his family members had worked at Clays at one time or another. Which is understandable, when I learnt that Clays has been printing books in its Suffolk based factory for over 200 years.

Before coming on this trip, I did a bit of research, and came across an episode of the BBC programme, Inside the Factory, where the presenters were given a tour of Clays. There were some amazing aerial shots of the factory which showed how vast it is, so when we arrived at the entrance, I was a little confused.

The front door looks like an average, unassuming office, nestled in the pretty village of Bungay. We were greeted by our guide for the day, Zuaira Islam, and kitted out in our high vis vests, safety trainers and ear plugs for the noisy sections.

Ink, Paper, and Excitement: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Book Production

While we waited for the tour to begin, I scanned the huge shelf in the meeting room of some of the books that have been printed at Clays. The fact my story was soon to be added to this shelf made my smile grow that little bit more.

The time then came for us to head into the factory.

Zuaira led the way, taking us briefly outside. We then walked through some regular looking offices, where customer service, account managers and the IT teams all sit. After this, we went through another door and that’s when the noise hit.

I knew then, we must be entering the building which was part of the vast factory I remembered from the aerial shots on TV. Once inside, we dutifully stuck to the green path on the floor, being careful to always look both ways when crossing, as any number of small forklifts could be passing by.

It was hard to get my bearings as we walked from area to area. Each section performed a different stage of the printing process. Machines spun, churned, cut, and whizzed around me. Zuaira and Karina did a great job of talking me through all the different elements. My mind fizzed with information, while the surroundings set off all my senses.

Each section we walked through was full of different smells and noises. The tour was so wonderfully planned, Zuaira took us through all the stages of a book’s creation in the order of how they happen.

During any one time, there could be 100s of different titles being printed at Clays. As Zuaira walked us through the early stages of the process, I saw the pages of other people’s books being printed before my eyes, which was exciting, but nothing compared to what I was about to feel.

From Manuscript to Machine: Seeing My Words in Print

Zuaira took as to where all the separate pages of a newly printed book start to come together. There was a row of about 20 small, red machines lined up next to each other, with a little window you could peer into on each. When Zoe appeared at my side and said, “That’s your book in there,” I gasped.

She was right.

Leaning closer to the little window of one of these machines, I focused my eyes on the pages whizzing past, and there it was.

The image of a doughnut with my name on it.

Now the emotions kicked in. I knew I would be excited to see my book being printed, but nothing could have prepared me for how it made me feel.

There had been a few stories before this one that I had written, but this was the story that meant the most to me.

This was the story I quietly got on with at a desk in our spare room, hoping it might be the one to get me that elusive publishing deal.

This was the story that won me the PFD Queer Prize in 2024 and started me on this journey to publication.

And, with the help and hard work of so many people, this is the story now being made into a book in front of my eyes.

Every machine that followed for the rest of the tour was working to produce my book. I saw pages be gathered, glued and cut. I saw gorgeous, glossy covers shoot past me and be folded around my printed words.

Then came the moment where my eyes sprung a leak.

Looking down from a step, I saw a conveyor belt flow beneath me, carrying endless copies of my finished book.

My mind was officially blown.

This whole experience opened my eyes as to how many people are involved in a story making it from an author’s brain and getting it onto a bookshelf. It’s incredible and I’m grateful to every person who has worked on making my book become a reality.

A gratitude I couldn’t help but show as I threw my arms around the lovely Clays employee who handed me one of the first books which came off the production line.