I didn’t learn to read or write until I was 39 – but now I’m a best-selling author

A best-selling author who only learned to read and write at the age of 39 while working as a cleaner has now written 27 novels.

Karen Woods, 53, wrote her first book at age 39 after taking an adult literacy course — and has now written best-selling books and sold-out theater shows.

Hailed as Manchester’s Queen of Crime, the author writes that reading and writing has changed her life and says she wants to represent people who have had a rough start in life.

Now Karen has signed book deals with publisher HarperNorth and has appeared on TV shows including Loose Women and The One Show.

Karen said: ‘I was bought up on a council estate and my mother and father separated when I was 13.

Karen Woods, 53, from Manchester, didn’t learn to write or read until she was 39 after a troubled childhood, but published her first book in 2010

“All those excuses don’t matter, if you gain a little bit of confidence and self-confidence anything is possible.

“I feel like I represent all those people who have had a bad start in life. I want to be the inspiration for women who think they can’t do what they want because they have kids.

“Nothing is certain if you believe in yourself. I am now on my 27th novel and my dream has not stopped there.

‘I write real books and real problems and I’ve been called Manchester’s Queen of Crime. I’ve always wanted to wear a crown.’

Karen left school at the age of 15 when she was pregnant and tragically gave birth to a stillborn baby at seven months.

When she left school, she had not learned to read or write because she had trouble concentrating and regularly played truant with other students.

She worked as a cleaner and was offered a promotion at 39, but was told to write emails as part of the job.

She took an adult literacy course and, after two attempts, passed the test required to complete the program.

“When I worked as a cleaner and got the promotion, I lost a lot of sleep because I thought they’d find out I couldn’t read or write,” says Karen.

“I thought I could get through it, but they sent me to an adult literacy course and as the classes progressed, I started to get interested.

“Once I had the certificate in my hand, I realized that anything was possible – I could read and write and was the same as everyone else.”

At a welfare course, she revealed that her dream was to write a novel – and just three months later, she finished writing her first book, Broken Youth.

Against all odds, Karen’s book was picked up by Empire Publications of Manchester and she has since written 20 books for the publishers.

After learning to read, Karen, pictured with her latest novel, realized her dream was to become a published author

Karen is also an ambassador for adult education and patron of Read Easy and also works with children who are outside the mainstream education system

Now Karen has had book deals with publisher HarperNorth, which has published her last seven books, and has written sold-out shows at the Lowry Theater and Middleton Arena.

Karen said, “I had handwritten Broken Youth and had to type it out – it took me hours, but I managed.

“I went to a local newspaper that ran it in segments and then I got a call from Empire Publications – they loved it.

“When the book first came out, I used to sit and hold it and think about how it was a story that I wrote.

Over the years I ended up writing 20 novels for Empire Publications – Broken Youth and Grow Wars were bestsellers on Amazon.

‘I signed up with HarperNorth in 2020 and they offered me a two book deal – it was the first time my books were in Asda and other supermarkets.

“Now I’ve had three ‘two-book’ deals with them, I’m an ambassador for adult education and a patron of Read Easy.

The mum said she writes as a ‘hobby’, although she admitted she receives around £4,000 in royalties every six months

“I wrote and directed six sold-out shows at the Lowry Theater and Middleton Arena.

‘I do writing as a hobby – I still do cleaning and everything else a mother does.

‘I’ve only just signed a book deal so I’m probably getting £4,000 every six months – it’s nothing major at the moment.

‘I also work at a school in the behavior team and enjoy working with children who are not in regular school, I recognize myself in all of them.

‘I give inspirational readings in prisons – Northern Girls Love Gravy is always fully booked in prison and inmates say my books remind them of home.

“I want to inspire women over 40 to chase their dreams – it’s never too late.”