I'm thrilled to announce that I was voted one of The Guardian's Top 100 Creative Professionals 2013 on 18 November 2013.

The nomination process was secret, but when the announcement came out, I really thought I had no chance of winning. I was up against luminaries from the writing and publishing world including JK Rowling, Iain Banks, Caitlin Moran and Charlie Redmayne (UK CEO of Harper Collins).

Because of our names, I was next to JK Rowling in the nomination program – very cool!

The winners were chosen by a public vote and announced at a reception at The Hospital Club, a fantastic venue for creatives in London, with bars, recording studios, meeting spaces and more.

There were 10 winners in 10 categories and amusingly, the winners list includes Benedict Cumberbatch, The Rolling Stones, Idris Elba, Damian Lewis … oh yes, and me!

This award means a great deal because I'm an independent author and not a part of the traditional publishing industry. In previous years, publishing wouldn't have considered someone like me because of the stigma of ‘self publishing'. But that is almost gone now, replaced by the creative entrepreneurship of indie authors – in the same tradition as indie musicians and indie film-makers.

It's an exciting world for authors right now, with huge shifts happening in this creative space. I'm looking forward to the next year!