Sue Weeks, who goes under the stage name Suzanne Stewart, is a Bristol based author and lyricist who has worked in performance poetry, short plays and songs for local festivals
Sue has also recently published her first Young Adult novel, Rowan The Dreamweaver, which she wrote during the national lockdowns
She worked with a local agency to prepare the book for publication and was supported by members of her family including her granddaughter Paige who designed the original front cover, as well as her daughter Carole who helped to set up her social media pages.
Sue also worked with a local writing group “Café Corner Writers”, but realised that she needed help with her marketing strategy, especially as she was planning to self-publish her book. She first heard about North & East Bristol Enterprise Support (NEBES) through a local magazine, “Bishopston Matters” through an article where the editor described a helpful session that she had with NEBES.
“I thought that this would be really useful to me as they offered support to all types of businesses, including literary ones like myself. My initial experience with NEBES was attending a workshop on the use of social media in January 2022. I did find it helpful, but wanted to meet face-to-face to take the support further,”
The team scheduled regular 1:1 meetings with her to help fine tune her marketing strategy and decide how best to promote her novel to her target audience.
“I had a one to one meeting with Marketing Advisor, Alexandros and this was absolutely wonderful! I’ve continued to meet him every few weeks, and each time I have been left with a clearer vision of what further activities I need to pursue.”
This work includes developing links with local community and educational venues for book events, such as Horfield Leisure Centre. Sue also felt the sessions helped her to feel inspired to write more chapters of the sequel to her novel. She is now busy putting her learning into practice, so keep an eye out for her book!
Whether you need help with your business strategy or just want to be part of a community of like-minded entrepreneurs, visit our website to find out more and enrol on our programme. You can also get in touch with the team to tell us about your business plans: nebes@ytko.com
North and East Bristol Enterprise Support is fully funded by Bristol City Council and West of England Combined Authority under Universal Business Support. Running until March 2023, the programme is offering workshops in marketing, finance, branding, business planning and strategy and much more, as well as providing free access to e-learning platforms, 1:1 advisory support and networking groups.
