Jeremy Robin’s Political Satire Lands with a Punch

Wendy reviews books set in Italy. For more articles like this one, subscribe to her Substack channel Italy Writers and get in touch via Sunflower Publishing.

In 2022, Jeremy Robin joined our yearly Italian writing retreat. Armed with a pen, a sharp sense of humour, and a quiet curiosity about fiction, he took part in group workshops, evening readings, and plenty of discussion over food and wine. He left with a solid story idea—and more importantly, the motivation to write it.

Fast-forward to today, and Jeremy is now a published author. His debut novel, Court In The Act, is available from Bookvault Publishing and listed on the Great British Bookshop. It’s smart, timely, and refreshingly bold—proof that you don’t need a publishing contract from day one to make a serious impact.

A Satirical Crown and a Constitutional Crisis

Court In The Act kicks off with Prince Albert, fourth in line to the throne, finding himself unexpectedly arrested by the FBI. Following a family tragedy, he suddenly becomes king—just as he’s about to be indicted. Cue national panic, public outrage, and an opportunistic prime minister ready to reshape the government in his own image.

The task of averting disaster falls to two unlikely heroines: Margaret Hubble, a principled MP, and the reluctant Princess Matilda. Together, they attempt to steer Britain away from the brink. Jeremy describes the book as a “satirical thriller,” but it also functions as a darkly comic warning on power, personality, and the fragility of modern democracy.

It’s witty, tightly plotted, and entirely plausible.

A Lawyer, a Dinner Party, and a Late-Night Plot Twist

Jeremy’s background isn’t in fiction. He worked in law and advertising—fields where words matter, but not usually in the shape of novels. The initial spark for Court In The Act came during a late-night chat after dinner and a game of snooker. What started as a jokey sketch of a storyline turned into a full-blown manuscript, Netflix casting fantasy included.

Writing it, he says, wasn’t about rigid daily word counts or elaborate planning. He began with a few characters, a rough trajectory, and let the plot develop as he wrote. It wasn’t fast, but it was steady—and once he started, he didn’t stop.

Retreat, Write, Repeat

Writing retreats don’t produce novels overnight, but they do create space: to think, connect, and take your writing seriously. That’s what Jeremy found. Meeting other writers, getting feedback, and taking the craft seriously helped him get past the hardest part—starting.

He didn’t shelve the experience when he got home. He sat down and kept going. And eventually, he had a first draft.

Gatekeepers, Ghosts, and Going It Alone

Like many debut authors, Jeremy started by knocking on traditional doors. He queried agents, sent the first 10,000 words, and waited the standard three months. The silence was louder than the rejections.

“I expected a few no’s,” he told me, “but I didn’t expect most of them just wouldn’t reply at all.”

Eventually, he decided to self-publish. His first attempt—via a company that promised a lot but delivered little—left him frustrated. “They offered phone consultations, glowing projections, the usual fluff… and hadn’t even read the book,” he said. Worse still, the formatting and cover specs were off, and after initial replies, the company stopped responding altogether.

So he moved on.

That’s when he discovered Bookvault Publishing, a UK-based print-on-demand platform. “They don’t charge you upfront,” Jeremy explained. “You upload the manuscript, and they handle the rest.” His friend Bruce—a retired editor and designer—stepped in to finesse the layout and adjust the cover design. The final result? A professional-quality paperback that looks at home beside any traditionally published political satire.

The book is now listed on The Great British Book Shop, with delivery comparable in speed to Amazon. Jeremy’s cover features the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace—a nod to the novel’s core themes—and he personally came up with the title, Court In The Act, after considerable back and forth. “It took me longer than writing the first few chapters,” he joked.

While he hasn’t yet gone down the Amazon route, he’s keeping that option open. “I wanted to let it build a bit first—see what happens without diving straight into the algorithm machine.”

Building a Buzz (Without Selling Your Soul to TikTok)

Marketing a book can feel like a second full-time job. Jeremy’s taking a hybrid approach—some social media, some face-to-face engagement. He’s planning book signings in Stroud, Henley, London, and beyond, and enlisting the help of tech-savvy family members to support online promotion.

There’s no single rulebook for marketing a debut British novel, but getting the book out there—and connecting with readers—remains the goal.

The Story Continues

Jeremy is already working on a follow-up, this time focusing on the original book’s villains, with a new plot set largely in the south of France. It’s still early days, but from what he’s said, it sounds like more satirical fun is on the way.

What I appreciate most is not just that he wrote a book—but that he followed it through, shaped it, published it, and now owns it in every sense. Court In The Act isn’t just a writing retreat success story; it’s a reminder that publishing doesn’t belong solely to the traditional gatekeepers.