tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43594887386475423072024-03-06T02:34:44.957+00:0052 Ways To Write A NovelWriting advice from novelist Jane Holland. One post a week for 52 weeks (not necessarily consecutive weeks), discussing novels and novel writing. Join the dialogue.Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-30486354502934890202023-02-16T14:00:00.030+00:002023-02-16T14:00:00.236+00:00WEEK FIFTY-ONE: Writing A Book Series<p>HOORAY!!! Today, my fourth book in the popular Cornish Girls wartime saga series, A MOTHER'S HOPE FOR THE CORNISH GIRLS, is published. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfTzcxut9xAw4x_57gbbBpdh6hnsONecIO_uwsyq8ShPxQDT4r6l01rEWs9lzXrh1FXn3OmTbSZGrfT_lrHvQA3VDlk2-nnypUdKt9mewRXnhdVgLNSUxGeD3dXGqjCMt9M8d10Ob8EkKCKy3797uMx1DqG7QKY6lk15UYNW5d_xgFam45-bmDZcgTlQ/s2782/mothers%20hope%20promo%20Screenshot%202023-02-12%20at%2012.52.16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="2782" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfTzcxut9xAw4x_57gbbBpdh6hnsONecIO_uwsyq8ShPxQDT4r6l01rEWs9lzXrh1FXn3OmTbSZGrfT_lrHvQA3VDlk2-nnypUdKt9mewRXnhdVgLNSUxGeD3dXGqjCMt9M8d10Ob8EkKCKy3797uMx1DqG7QKY6lk15UYNW5d_xgFam45-bmDZcgTlQ/w407-h229/mothers%20hope%20promo%20Screenshot%202023-02-12%20at%2012.52.16.png" width="407" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mothers-Hope-Cornish-Girls-heartwarming-ebook/dp/B0B5NRC3B6" target="_blank">A Mother's Hope for the Cornish Girls: Amazon UK<br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>I write these books under the pen-name Betty Walker, largely to keep them separate from my romances, thrillers and other historicals, so readers are never disappointed. And writing a series that has become so popular has taught me some useful skills in writing a series, which I was only vaguely aware of when writing previous series, even for well-known publishers, where getting the 'history' right wasn't quite so vital! Now, I have readers waiting for each new book, who would quickly spot an error - and let me know about it on Twitter or Facebook!</p><p>So how does writing a series of books like this work? </p><p>Firstly, when working on or having completed book one in your series, it's important to keep a list of characters, their physical attributes, their particular views and circumstances, and how they connect to the plot and to other characters. You may also wish to keep a tally of places mentioned, again with a brief description and which characters interact with that location. You may also wish to keep a note of choices you've made re spellings and punctuation for certain words and phrases in the context of your story. This is because you will need to replicate these choices in future books or risk future books losing continuity.</p><p>Some publishers will do this for you! My own publishers for the Cornish Girls, Avon Books UK, are absolutely excellent and do indeed provide authors like myself with a 'style sheet' or series 'story bible' to allow them to keep track of such choices and character/location descriptions. But I have written book series (plural) in the past for other publishers who have completely ignored such considerations, including huge publishers who ought to know better, one might innocently think, and left me to keep track unaided.<br /></p><p>In those cases, continuity may have suffered, and I feel characters were harder to return to as an author. It was basically up to me to read back through previous books and make notes about characters and places and plot points, regardless of how many there were in the series... </p><p>Once, famously, sitting in a swanky London publisher's office with my husband, I was asked by my perky young editor what would be in my next book. I began to chat about my plans for a particularly evil villain, only to be interrupted by an embarrassed cough from my husband. 'I think you'll find, Jane,' he pointed out gently, 'that you killed that character off in the last book.' My editor's face was a picture. </p><p>So keep a 'story bible' to accompany the series. Just think, if your series takes off and you become madly rich and famous, and one day wish to drag an author friend or relative into writing more books alongside you for whatever reason, that 'bible' will come in handy as a manual for anyone who hasn't been steeped in the series for years. It will also be useful for the screenplay writers and producers if you sell the television or film rights (and your beloved series actually makes it to the screen, which we all dream of, of course).</p><p>Further points to consider when writing or planning a series...</p><p>Choose your location wisely. You will need to match location to genre or theme, i.e. a village for a 'cozy crime' series or quirky romantic series based around a shop or similar. Think how many characters you will need to sustain a series. They need to live - and work, in most cases - somewhere in the immediate vicinity, to maintain integrity of the world. So you might want to include a pub, some shops, a hairdresser, a small or mobile library, a parish hall etc. If you fail to mention these in book one and later need to expand your world, this could strike the reader as unlikely if the 'tiny village' suddenly tuns out to have all these other locations and characters, rather like Buffy The Vampire Slayer's home town of Sunnydale, which started small and obscure, but ended up not only with a university but a vast docklands area, even though in the final episode of the show we saw clearly that Sunnydale was surrounded by land, not water! </p><p>Choose your characters' relationships wisely too. Building a world around a set of single people who all live alone and have little extended family could be tricky. But a few married or dating couples, maybe with kids too - bringing in school teachers, Sunday School set-ups and emotional university departures for older children, plus the possibility of child abductions, runaways and serious emergencies! - or people living with grandparents, aunts and uncles, or cousins brings in many more dynamics that could prove fruitful for future storyline development. </p><p>Friends are great in series, of course, and my Cornish Girls series is based around women's friendships in time of war. But blood is thicker than water, and for most storylines you'll need plenty of characters who are bound to each other by more than being neighbours or nodding acquaintances, as these make stronger story threads later in the series. And never throw anyone away by making them <i>too</i> unlikeable or killing them off willy-nilly. You may not realise it now, but John's crabby old gran may be a perfect narrative character in Book Seven, when there's a murder in the local knitting circle!<br /></p><p>And always keep genre in mind when planning your series. Much as we may dislike it, books are categorised by publishers and booksellers alike into genres, and if your book series is 'undefinable' that will likely work against your series in the long run, <i>in most cases</i>. So do your research and see how other book series have worked, and try to stay within the usual parameters of your chosen series genre.</p><p>Finally, consider whether you want to write a continuous series, where readers need to start with book one and work through, or if your series can also be read as 'standalone' fiction, i.e. they may be linked by location or one or more characters, but essentially each book is a hermetically sealed story that can be read without reference to previous books. My Cornish Girls series can all be read as standalones - I carefully provide backstory in little drips throughout, so readers don't feel overwhelmed by 'what happened previously' but still get the context of what's going on - but a better experience would be to read them in a linear fashion from Book One onwards. It's up to the reader.<br /></p><p>Meanwhile, A MOTHER'S HOPE FOR THE CORNISH GIRLS, is out today, which is Book 4 in a probable 6-book series. I am writing Book 5 right now, and that's out August 2023, with the final Book 6 to follow - fingers crossed - in 2024. I would be hugely grateful if you could share it or previous books in the series or this blog post on social media, or even read it and leave a rating/review on Amazon and/or Goodreads, in return for my expertise above on writing series. </p><p>Good luck with your own series writing! <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkTpopodCikzpyuMG56r_VahGpS0fkdCb5zJrDfMuGEutrgLhLvz4S2rMmDsFDNQZRX2ySoh6g7mE1YEs9-yTZ81wUP30SsQ3EfisCFwX74pF1FAnDTSww3reYsKnf7bQigAGgc1TV0fi5wJuY5DMMUzV_Htl7ywe6100eruzEcWKPB-EFyrvJomHFw/s1600/1%20mother's%20hope%20asset%20blue%20sky.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkTpopodCikzpyuMG56r_VahGpS0fkdCb5zJrDfMuGEutrgLhLvz4S2rMmDsFDNQZRX2ySoh6g7mE1YEs9-yTZ81wUP30SsQ3EfisCFwX74pF1FAnDTSww3reYsKnf7bQigAGgc1TV0fi5wJuY5DMMUzV_Htl7ywe6100eruzEcWKPB-EFyrvJomHFw/w463-h260/1%20mother's%20hope%20asset%20blue%20sky.png" width="463" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mothers-Hope-Cornish-Girls-heartwarming-ebook/dp/B0B5NRC3B6" target="_blank">A Mother's Hope on Amazon UK</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-15848915649690785122022-04-27T15:32:00.004+01:002022-04-27T15:34:54.595+01:00WEEK FIFTY: WRITING A BOOK SET IN YOUR LOCAL AREA<p> A few weeks back, my latest novel THE MANOR HOUSE was published by Orion Dash in ebook and audiobook; the paperback is due out in December.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CYuPsZZjP-2xJqurJAdRQ5OE819W_EvRfo7ZSrw4nr1ThUyOLeKwWooK36xGzF2DU6W0ngeOo9Tv-cC79VJ5Au_kzKQPf0EHqOaQDnq_EwbfCxLpR9AYhoAmPJh0P5qLelKmN32VahYWF0gQhRSrJZitKQ779SmNp1QtCeB5QCW9qh_iMWFTaq8Xgw/s1080/The%20Manor%20House%20DASH%20BACK%20IN%20TIME%20ASSET%20TMH-1.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CYuPsZZjP-2xJqurJAdRQ5OE819W_EvRfo7ZSrw4nr1ThUyOLeKwWooK36xGzF2DU6W0ngeOo9Tv-cC79VJ5Au_kzKQPf0EHqOaQDnq_EwbfCxLpR9AYhoAmPJh0P5qLelKmN32VahYWF0gQhRSrJZitKQ779SmNp1QtCeB5QCW9qh_iMWFTaq8Xgw/s320/The%20Manor%20House%20DASH%20BACK%20IN%20TIME%20ASSET%20TMH-1.png" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09G49MQDQ" target="_blank">THE MANOR HOUSE</a> was written during lockdown in 2020. It was based on an idea I'd been kicking around in the back of my head for ages, but couldn't find the right backstory and vehicle to carry it, which was the tried-and-tested romance trope of a 'marriage opf convenience'. <p></p><p>Except I didn't want it to be a romance, and I didn't want it to be a real marriage. So I knew I wuld be looking at a suspense novel, with romantic elements. I also toyed with the idea of it being an historical novel. But having written 9 historicals ten years ago, and not feeling that I was ready to return to that genre, I opted instead for a sub-genre of the historical, the 'dual timeline' novel.</p><p>So I set this new novel partly in the past and partly in the present day. The past is autumn 1963. But what would connect these two very different story lines? A location ... and a person.<br /></p><p>And since we were in lockdown, I chose a location that was already familiar to me, and would also be easy to visit within my local area. I chose the beautiful and idyllic Camel Estuary in my own backyard of North Cornwall, England.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEily4dc0fvvZVzZU6GSGhdwQx-4PCgvbMRI1OiCy1R0t0h0fpV5Zt_s8FmU_rqxl5Ia5vfXY-2AN0tsxFUFyJsfngA2a6DFdv5bbzFlu2M8EsNGSQ4O-E1lVFUmdh5MIz2YKsUFLwKgs4Uzbdd9Q5Cf5mHOyDarCn8Uzom2T5yEGALnm2GJgVgRFWd-Zg/s480/camel%20estuary%20mick%20blakey%20dreamstime_xs_141270136.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="238" data-original-width="480" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEily4dc0fvvZVzZU6GSGhdwQx-4PCgvbMRI1OiCy1R0t0h0fpV5Zt_s8FmU_rqxl5Ia5vfXY-2AN0tsxFUFyJsfngA2a6DFdv5bbzFlu2M8EsNGSQ4O-E1lVFUmdh5MIz2YKsUFLwKgs4Uzbdd9Q5Cf5mHOyDarCn8Uzom2T5yEGALnm2GJgVgRFWd-Zg/w400-h199/camel%20estuary%20mick%20blakey%20dreamstime_xs_141270136.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Camel Estuary, North Cornwall. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>The Camel Estuary is a wonderfully atmospheric and picturesque part of the world. It follows the Camel River from the ancient town of Wadebridge through to the sea at the popular Cornish resorts of Rock and Padstow. A trail runs alongside the river on the southern shore, known as the Camel Trail, following the original track of the railway, which was closed in the mid-Sixties.</p><p>This immediately gave my story an interesting parallel - the railway existed in the Sixties but in the present day is a walking and cycling trail popular with locals and tourists alike. </p><p>The person that connects the two timelines is a poet, Lyndon Chance. </p><p>Lyndon is a fictional poet, a real wild child of the Sixties with a dark reputation that stretches beyond his death and into our present day timeline ...<br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i>Take A Walk in a Local's Skin</i></h4><p>To research my local area, ready for writing The Manor House, I initially took to the internet for photos and maps, since driving about during lockdown was problematic. Once the lockdown was over, I drove down there and took a walk along the trail, spent time by the river, explored Wadebridge - though I already knew it fairly well, having lived a few miles away for several years in the past - and soaked up the atmosphere. </p><p>This is about taking a walk in the 'skin' of a local ... noting sights, smells, sounds, textures, anything that will lend a feeling of reality or verisimilitude to the story, a feeling that the reader is there too, on the ground.</p><p><b><i>Over-Familiarity ... And Taking Care Not To Implicate Any Real People!</i></b><br /></p><p>One issue with writing a book set in your local area is to make sure you don't make mistakes based on over-familiarity - so double-check everything - and also that you avoid naming or indicating any real people with a present day storyline. I was careful not to be too specific in that part of the book, making sure to avoid involving anything or anyone that coud be considered to refer to a real person or entity. That's standard practice in contemporary novels, of course, but can be more pertinent when you're writing about your own local area.</p><p><b><i>Show Off What You Love About Your Local Area </i></b><br /></p><p>But the best thing about writing a book set in your own back yard is a chance to highlight what is best and most beautiful or exciting about your local area and to share that with your readers. The Camel Estuary is a key beauty spot and natural area in my area, and I love that it may inspire readers to visit this part of the world. </p><p>What fabulous places or key landmarks do you have in your local area, and how might you involve them in any novel set there? Remember, location isn't just a backdrop to your story, like stage scenery ... To build atmosphere and harmonise with your characters and plot, a book's setting should in some way reflect or complement those other elements.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09G49MQDQ" target="_blank">THE MANOR HOUSE</a>: out now on Amazon</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="a-text-bold"><u>1963.</u> </span><span>When Eleanor meets famous
young poet, Lyndon Chance, he offers a way to flee her abusive father.
In return, she must pretend to be Lyndon's wife. He takes her home to a
Tudor manor on the Camel Estuary in Cornwall, where she finds herself in
the middle of a feud between Lyndon and his twin brother, Oliver. It's
soon clear that the old house hides many dark secrets. But could they be
a threat to Eleanor?<br /><br /></span><u><span class="a-text-bold">Present Day</span></u><span class="a-text-bold">.</span></i><span><i> Taylor has come to idyllic Cornwall to research for her Master's
thesis, combining her love for conservation with a personal interest in
Chance's poetry. Haunted by her own tragic past, Taylor finds Chance's
notoriety fascinating. If only the poet's grandson, Julius, wasn't so
determined to thwart her attempts to uncover his family secrets. <br /><br />As
Eleanor realises she's out of her depth at Estuary House, drawn to
Lyndon like a moth to a flame, Taylor and Julius must fight their own
attraction - but could shadows from the past tear them all apart?</i><br /><b><br /></b></span><b><span class="a-text-bold">A stunning and richly evocative timeslip, perfect for fans of Lucinda</span><span class="a-text-bold"> Riley, Santa Montefiore and Kate Morton</span><span>.</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5JYcTkrRdm2im7PHnCGi2lGWUiGRHu3nsYqHqDSNY1sJ1YlXGM_A_wS7FoFmv7I3ldrWR_zdsyfQSdhFs3OuDN3TSEzG37R7BFyb_Y5dA6RuW68JetUzWQ-ouVtYlaVPB3u0mAcBpgzW7Yt0xUcC1RDvxhwngTgzg16Qmaz5qYT2WpoabZO5AoSJ0A/s671/THE%20MANOR%20HOUSE%20instagram%20resource%20EF071297-BC0A-4484-A55B-F77B3B10CACA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="671" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5JYcTkrRdm2im7PHnCGi2lGWUiGRHu3nsYqHqDSNY1sJ1YlXGM_A_wS7FoFmv7I3ldrWR_zdsyfQSdhFs3OuDN3TSEzG37R7BFyb_Y5dA6RuW68JetUzWQ-ouVtYlaVPB3u0mAcBpgzW7Yt0xUcC1RDvxhwngTgzg16Qmaz5qYT2WpoabZO5AoSJ0A/w400-h400/THE%20MANOR%20HOUSE%20instagram%20resource%20EF071297-BC0A-4484-A55B-F77B3B10CACA.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></b></div><b><span><br /> </span></b><p></p>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-57097328400549948612021-09-09T00:07:00.006+01:002021-09-09T00:17:12.464+01:00A New Thriller! (Publication Day) Plus, On Being Approached By A Publisher<p> So here's an interesting thing. Along with a few caveats and warnings. <br /></p><p>During the 2020 pandemic, I was approached by an editor from Lume Books who wanted to know how I'd feel about writing a book with a particular sort of whodunnit angle. I was intrigued, and after a few in-depth conversations back and forth, said yes to the idea. I produced a synopsis, we thrashed out a few details that needed to be altered, and then I signed the contract. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Keep-Me-Close-gripping-psychological-ebook/dp/B096W81Y6Q" target="_blank">KEEP ME CLOSE</a>, my latest thriller, out 9th September, is the result. </b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBoeVpld7mUofD3Ez6Hvu1kk8nxqcXqE3QOQWY2Wd3nXBrc1rtFnxPaXqsWoaU-lrQTunNaqEGmn3YMeWnMg5u6jRxxRZHRTgL53gT82_PaQEOPzepnxJLMIM-C82exu0n40MZBpV-T_zv/s1080/Keep+Me+Close_ad+asset.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBoeVpld7mUofD3Ez6Hvu1kk8nxqcXqE3QOQWY2Wd3nXBrc1rtFnxPaXqsWoaU-lrQTunNaqEGmn3YMeWnMg5u6jRxxRZHRTgL53gT82_PaQEOPzepnxJLMIM-C82exu0n40MZBpV-T_zv/s320/Keep+Me+Close_ad+asset.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It's always flattering to be approached by a publisher. But this isn't the first time it's happened to me. I've had several such approaches during my career. One was for this book, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Berties-Gift-heartwarming-biggest-Christmas-ebook/dp/B01F6K1UYI" target="_blank">BERTIE'S GIFT</a>. <p></p><p>Again, the publisher gave me the general idea - even some key characters and a loose plotline - and I was left to fill in the blanks and write the novel as I saw fit. </p><p>Although I had to write it in only 6 weeks to catch the Christmas market, it worked out very well and we sold translation rights too for BERTIE'S GIFT, for editions in German, Italian and Portuguese. Though writers should be aware, I didn't retain copyright in the actual idea ... only the writing. So that's one drawback if a publisher supplies a large amount of material to a writer upfront. (That's not been the case with my new thriller, however, which is entirely my own work.)<br /></p><p>Some time before that, I'd been suggested as a writer for spin-off original novels from a popular historical TV show. I won't name names, but I worked on the project for some months, producing a number of solid synopses, before it finally got spiked. I didn't get paid as nothing had been signed beforehand. So that was a bad experience. Later, I realised why things had ground to a halt when the next season of the show came out and I saw that the plots of the first few episodes were almost verbatim what I'd suggested for my synopses! </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQd0IgvXWc3xgg9Aa5uMt15n6_i2X0OwsgdGvUyDpwpVP3vGZaWsxByr2YTn0Tb5JL9DpqolUsYI0IVSiq_mmsBuUYfuIZShjqoLgKzAiADg8YQ2m4-DyfXWMiv-RLVmkV-8LZjrGxtThH/s1600/Bertie%2527s+Gift+cover+from+Hodder+PB+copy.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1028" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQd0IgvXWc3xgg9Aa5uMt15n6_i2X0OwsgdGvUyDpwpVP3vGZaWsxByr2YTn0Tb5JL9DpqolUsYI0IVSiq_mmsBuUYfuIZShjqoLgKzAiADg8YQ2m4-DyfXWMiv-RLVmkV-8LZjrGxtThH/w129-h200/Bertie%2527s+Gift+cover+from+Hodder+PB+copy.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>They'd already been shot at the stage I was writing the plots, of course. But because it was based on a real historical location/theme, I'd been using the same sources as the screenwriters, so there was naturally a lot of overlap ... Perhaps they'd decided either that I was clairvoyant or someone had leaked the storylines to me! So all that came to nothing. Not a great feeling.<p></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Berties-Gift-heartwarming-biggest-Christmas-ebook/dp/B01F6K1UYI" target="_blank"></a></p><p>But this time, with Lume Books, everything worked very well, and there was no time pressure involved. (The pandemic was underway and we were locked down while I was writing much of it, so there were fewer distractions than usual.) </p><p>It was a highly enjoyable experience. I easily wrote the novel to schedule, it was edited in good time, and the publisher has produced some excellent ad assets to accompany the launch. They've also been very supportive re promotion, putting the book up on Netgalley and monitoring reviews for me (as some readers have a sad tendency to write spoilers in thriller reviews, alas). </p><p>Basically, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Keep-Me-Close-gripping-psychological-ebook/dp/B096W81Y6Q" target="_blank">KEEP ME CLOSE</a> has been a success story all round and this time I'm very glad to have been approached. </p><p>There's even a blog tour happening this week and next! </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1844" data-original-width="2378" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJO3slTfL7dmzGZOoDlb9KjlheM_hCbMoJGJWomlQGhJydToI4vThJZySy1ABy8g-bOZn2DLX6aF5ot5qwMgaHWKYVk3wXI4xQoV5d3Ku8h6s2_DtwFPT17od2D-cJII7aGaqTTiAtg04v/w400-h310/Screenshot+2021-09-08+at+10.12.09.png" width="400" /></div><br /> <p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Here's the cover copy:</b></p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><b>Someone is hurting the most vulnerable person in your life, but they can’t tell you who it is. What would <i>you </i>do?</b><br /><br />When <b>shy publisher Kate Kinley</b> finds <b>mysterious bruises</b> on her mother’s arms she assumes the worst. Suffering with <b>early onset dementia</b>, her mother insists that nothing is wrong; it was just a clumsy accident. But <b>was it an accident</b>, or <b>has her mother’s illness made her forget what really happened?</b><br /><br />In desperate need of someone she can trust, <b>her isolation and paranoia grow</b> as the closest people in her life become <b>key suspects</b>.<br /><br />With each <b>heart-stopping revelation</b>, Kate begins to realise that the perpetrator is no longer interested in inflicting bruises; <b>they want blood.</b><br /><br /><i>Keep Me Close </i>is a compelling story of <b>gross immorality</b>, a <b>cautionary tale</b> of how easily wicked people can take advantage of the <b>vulnerable elderly people</b> in your life.<br /><br />If you love <b>dark, psychological revenge-thrillers</b> like <i>The Sister-in-Law</i>, <i>The Babysitter</i> and <i>The Girl on the Train</i>, you will love this <b>twisty, sinister read</b>. Perfect for readers of <b>Gillian Flynn</b>, <b>Karin Slaughter</b>, and <b>Paula Hawkins</b>.</blockquote><p></p><h4 style="text-align: center;">Buy it here on <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Keep-Me-Close-gripping-psychological-ebook/dp/B096W81Y6Q" target="_blank">Amazon UK: KEEP ME CLOSE</a></h4><h4 style="text-align: center;"> <br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: center;">Or <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Keep-Me-Close-gripping-psychological-ebook/dp/B096W81Y6Q" target="_blank">Amazon US: KEEP ME CLOSE</a><br /></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1MqKUHQz3bKu6p1LMR8htQ88_TZs9JOxJ7ihG5z5moOTW9c__NrESXFb0qNPzporDYdJEn7ycK29bQ2woAaByw1rRSg-UQmThyphenhyphen9qIQpQJtOA2A1srT4oACVUCjTppIFcS5JOSk_ToRAH/s1080/Keep+Me+Close_+ad+asset+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1MqKUHQz3bKu6p1LMR8htQ88_TZs9JOxJ7ihG5z5moOTW9c__NrESXFb0qNPzporDYdJEn7ycK29bQ2woAaByw1rRSg-UQmThyphenhyphen9qIQpQJtOA2A1srT4oACVUCjTppIFcS5JOSk_ToRAH/w400-h400/Keep+Me+Close_+ad+asset+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-50308550752087617082021-08-05T09:00:00.001+01:002021-08-05T09:00:00.205+01:00Paperback Publication Day! (of a very special book)<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Hooray, I’m thrilled to announce publication day for my debut historical saga WARTIME WITH THE CORNISH GIRLS in <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wartime-Cornish-Girls-first-uplifting/dp/0008400288" target="_blank">paperback</a>! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wartime-Cornish-Girls-first-uplifting-ebook/dp/B0875S29Y1" target="_blank">ebook</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wartime-with-the-Cornish-Girls/dp/B08Q5T343G" target="_blank">audiobook</a> have been out since April, but the book in its physical form is out in bookshops now, and also in Tesco and Morrison’s supermarkets for a short spell. </span></p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6sSyuBLyxIkrvcRaqtle-HDb24mxAoPTBRwOzYAS1G8ISTXh1OXnyRp4cmQzSZ33_Q3T6xTr9cb-7nllX0QmO5VfKQQVEzKt-DpV3cUwoIKl3Ne1Grb0qobGv1-cfD0_4iazC6mEs-Y3T/s1200/flowers+Wartime+Cornish+Girls+ad+Autumn+Flatlay+4.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6sSyuBLyxIkrvcRaqtle-HDb24mxAoPTBRwOzYAS1G8ISTXh1OXnyRp4cmQzSZ33_Q3T6xTr9cb-7nllX0QmO5VfKQQVEzKt-DpV3cUwoIKl3Ne1Grb0qobGv1-cfD0_4iazC6mEs-Y3T/s400/flowers+Wartime+Cornish+Girls+ad+Autumn+Flatlay+4.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wartime-Cornish-Girls-first-uplifting/dp/0008400288" target="_blank">Browse This Title On Amazon UK</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">WARTIME WITH THE CORNISH GIRLS was an idea that came to me back in 2019 and felt a bit mad at the time, frankly. I'd never written a saga before, and had never really read one either, except for a few classics back in my youth. But I bought a few current titles to see how the genre had moved on since then, dashed off an outline for myself, and started to write ... all in the hope I could make a creditable fist of the job and find someone to publish the result!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Thankfully, several publishers were interested, but in the end I chose Avon Books, a brilliant HarperCollins publisher I have long wanted to write for, and they offered me a two-book contract to kick off a potential series, which was music to my ears!<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This first book in the series is set in Cornwall during World War II, and centers around a top-secret communications and military base in seaside Porthcurno, which is constantly under threat from German bombers trying to pinpoint its location along the coast. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">My three female characters – Violet, an Eastender looking after her orphaned nieces; Eva, a chorus girl injured in a bomb blast; and Hazel, a Cornish housewife desperate to stop her teenage son from joining up – all end up together in Porthcurno, forming a bond of friendship that must see them through the dark and dangerous times ahead. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9mGSiqRPIqpV0Vy5bbZkBb2CAd2vHgmSWfjl6RdQaP3HjSA5j7YZLdZIC7BWDbDshQnB4FAXr5MXaCKUUrImurgwh4mzsaQJZiFa1wjfD3UGvmSp878HVuGVUXBAgGViSUv1Mr5xoRVa/s411/leaves+Wartime+Cornish+Girls+ad+Wartime+GIF+4.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="411" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9mGSiqRPIqpV0Vy5bbZkBb2CAd2vHgmSWfjl6RdQaP3HjSA5j7YZLdZIC7BWDbDshQnB4FAXr5MXaCKUUrImurgwh4mzsaQJZiFa1wjfD3UGvmSp878HVuGVUXBAgGViSUv1Mr5xoRVa/s320/leaves+Wartime+Cornish+Girls+ad+Wartime+GIF+4.GIF" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">By the way, WARTIME WITH THE CORNISH GIRLS is written under my new saga name, Betty Walker, and should be on sale in all good bookshops, plus some branches of Tesco and Morrison's supermarkets. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Pre-order sales have been strong, with over 700 Amazon reviews posted so far, and Kitty Neale, Sunday Times bestseller, has praised the book, saying: ‘A fascinating story, beautifully written, with interesting characters I really liked. A most enjoyable read!’ </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The sequel is <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B093G31YST" target="_blank">CHRISTMAS WITH THE CORNISH GIRLS</a>.</span> <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, have a peek at this first book on Amazon UK:
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wartime-Cornish-Girls-first-uplifting/dp/0008400288">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wartime-Cornish-Girls-first-uplifting/dp/0008400288</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Also, find me as Betty Walker on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/CornishGirls">https://twitter.com/CornishGirls</a> and on Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CornishGirlsSagas" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/CornishGirlsSagas</a></span></p>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-62390280824875738232021-08-04T01:17:00.001+01:002021-08-04T01:17:48.705+01:00Unboxing My New Book! A Video ...<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyXCSke2qzPG6bC25ppXyUYkH3ouDEH5W8buGJakkiCtj5mG_wTLwvDKol8E9GwSk0gO34eE_oFvdhmYKMS5w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-91677911619021651962021-05-01T13:08:00.004+01:002021-05-01T15:34:03.868+01:00ANNOUNCEMENT: New Writing Name and New Genre!<p>Hi everyone!</p><p>Just a quick announcement that I am moving names and genres yet again!</p><p>I have a new writing name, Betty Walker.</p><p> My debut World War II saga WARTIME WITH THE CORNISH GIRLS came out a few days ago, on Thursday, April 29th 2021, under this new name.</p><p>Isn't she a beauty?</p><p style="text-align: left;">This is the first in the Cornish Girls series, and is published by Avon Books.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivG1H2O1R0M7hHQgQ8ZEwPgbN3MfJGrplUzOgiR0xVtsKfw4GgzsGYpfjlLtB5ziZY2YnpAsr7hKHnV5gxf8TVIx2JC42KWO0eyxJ7YStOJgwKICMXQBO8yeK9pNjNg-X4cGnDoHUvvjw4/s1920/Wartime+with+the+Cornish+Girls+FB+Header.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivG1H2O1R0M7hHQgQ8ZEwPgbN3MfJGrplUzOgiR0xVtsKfw4GgzsGYpfjlLtB5ziZY2YnpAsr7hKHnV5gxf8TVIx2JC42KWO0eyxJ7YStOJgwKICMXQBO8yeK9pNjNg-X4cGnDoHUvvjw4/w320-h180/Wartime+with+the+Cornish+Girls+FB+Header.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>It's been so much fun, writing in a brand-new genre. And I can't wait
to see the cover for Book 2, due out later this year, CHRISTMAS WITH
THE CORNISH GIRLS.</p><p>And now I'm Betty Walker as well as Jane ... a
new name to add to my many writing names!!! But this is how writers
manage to survive in a rapidly shifting, and often shrinking,
marketplace - by reinventing ourselves and learning new skills. </p><p>Have you had to change pen-names or genres to survive or thrive? Let me know below. <br /></p><p>Jane xxx</p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b>1941. The Blitz rages over London.</b><br /><b>And even in Cornwall, the war is being fought…</b></p><p><i>When
Violet loses her sister in the Blitz, she must take her nieces to
safety in Cornwall. On the coast, she meets carefree chorus girl Eva,
who is also running from the dangers of London.</i></p><p><i>But Porthcurno hides a secret military base, and soon Violet and Eva realise there’s a battle to fight in Cornwall, too.</i></p><p><i>Together
with local Hazel, who works on the base, they must come together to
help the war effort. But will their friendship be enough to keep them
safe?</i></p><h2>The perfect uplifting wartime read for fans of Nancy Revell and Donna Douglas.</h2><p>‘A fascinating story, beautifully written, with interesting characters I really liked. A most enjoyable read!’ <b>Kitty Neale, <i>Sunday Times</i> bestselling author of <i>A Daughter’s Ruin</i></b></p><p>‘A
warm-hearted story – at times I laughed and at others I held my breath …
I loved the characters and I’m delighted it is the first in a series’ <b>Pam Weaver, <i>Sunday Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Goodnight Sweetheart</i></b></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Grab your ebook or audiobook copy here on Amazon:</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wartime-Cornish-Girls-first-uplifting-ebook/dp/B0875S29Y1">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wartime-Cornish-Girls-first-uplifting-ebook/dp/B0875S29Y1</a></b></span><br /></p><br /><p><br /></p>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-38350022143280746982021-03-22T11:07:00.008+00:002021-03-22T12:20:58.702+00:00Week Forty-Nine: Harnessing The Power of YouTube to Promote Your Books<p> So, the age of technology has finally caught up with me, or I've caught up with it, not sure which!</p><p>I spend a great deal of time promoting my books, and during the Covid-19 pandemic, I've seen many fellow authors turning to videos and live streams on Facebook.</p><p>Unfortunately, I live out in the sticks of rural Cornwall, and my wifi is too pathetic to allow live streaming even for only a few minutes. </p><p> But I did want to harness the power of visuals - watching an author, hearing an author - and after experimenting with my own digital radio station a couple of years ago for the same promotional reasons (sadly a bust; great fun, but wildly expensive and hardly anybody listened!) and podcasting (again, most people seem to prefer pictures to audio, though I freely admit I didn't make as much of an effort with my podcasts as I could have done) I felt I had some hard-won skills with audio editing and arranging that I could bring across to video editing.</p><p>I already had a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/VictoriaLamb1000" target="_blank">Jane Holland Author Youtube channel</a> with about 10 subscribers. Bit rubbish, but I'd only posted half a dozen videos in ten years! You get back what you put out, I guess. :)</p><p>So I recorded some new book promo videos and also some 'how to write' videos, which I felt might draw in some new punters. In my video 'blurb' or description, I put links to <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jane-Holland/e/B001K8BO1K" target="_blank">my Amazon Author page</a> and my social media, hoping to pick up at least a few extra readers over a long period of time. This has been a slow process, but I have noticed a small uptick in sales soon after new videos are released, so that's a sign that it's working. But my viewing figures are still too small to really make a difference. If I start hitting 100's of views per video, at some point in the misty future, that may change. Fingers crossed!</p><p>There are two types of YouTube content, in general. The first is topical, relying on a 'moment' for views - a book launch, for instance, or news item. You may get a flurry of views when it first goes live, but not much further down the line. The second is 'evergreen content' and this - as the name suggests! - deals with a more longterm issue, such as 'how to write' topics, and may not be so sensational, but is useful for bringing in new views and subscribers long after the video is published. For instance, your channel 'trailer' is evergreen content, a slow burn perhaps, but should keep getting views over the years, while book promo videos barely get any new views after the first year or so. </p><p> In general, it's best to aim for a mixture of topical and evergreen videos. If reading an extract from your book, it's a good idea not to make this too long, though this may work for some authors with a big following. Try to be personable and informal, but give good content - everyone loves an insight into an author's lifestyle or working methods!<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="305" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ip2oJWLeZPU" width="482" youtube-src-id="Ip2oJWLeZPU"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p><p>Now, I also happen to have a Certificate in Astrology from the Faculty of Astrological Studies (UK, London-based) that I passed back in the mid-90's. Ever since, I've been reading new astrology books, looking at astro charts and generally developing my skills there, and I even anonymously run an Etsy side-hustle as a horary astrologer (don't ask) which brings in a few extra quid most months.</p><p>So I decided to also launch an astrology channel, as these are quite popular and I follow a number of big name astrologers there myself. And in the video description, I put the SAME links to my author page and social media, trying for a double whammy effect. This is because my particular astro channel caters for creative or artistic people like myself - novelists, artists, actors, playwrights etc.<br /></p><p>This new astrology channel - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfZJx5fSGyofShD9sshn1xQ" target="_blank">Jane Holland Creative Horoscopes</a> - has been rather more successful than my straight author channel. It seems in these troubled times that people are hunting for answers wherever they can find them, and astrology does provide an interesting alternative view on our current situation, so fair play to them. </p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="313" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YiZrBp7Xq10" width="502" youtube-src-id="YiZrBp7Xq10"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p><p>My set-up is fairly simple. I use the webcam from my computer - because I can't afford a 'proper' vlogging camera, frankly - and a Blue Yeti mic. (I experimented with a wireless clip-on mic, but it kept cutting out and distorting my voice. Others may find them more useful.) </p><p>For most of my videos, I have a prepared script and run it via a Teleprompter app on my iPad, which plays behind the camera on a tripod while I record, as I found reading it from the actual computer screen made me look shifty!</p><p>It's early days yet, but I expected that. It can take several years to grow an audience on YouTube, even with regular concerted effort. But I have committed to posting at least 12-14 videos every month for my astrology channel, and 2-3 for my regular author channel. It's fun at the moment, though hard work, but it's one way of keeping my name in the public eye during a time when few of us are able to get out and about. And it also keeps my brain active - never a bad thing!</p><p>Here's one of my specific book promo videos - this one for my spooky thriller THE HIVE. Look at the expression on my face! Gulp ... <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="329" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OAARfkHpUAA" width="489" youtube-src-id="OAARfkHpUAA"></iframe></div><br /><p>The big thing with Youtube is getting more likes, views of videos and new subscribers. THOSE are the things that drive traffic to a channel. The more you get, the more likely YouTube is to show your content to new people browsing the site or searching for keywords. And that means the more people see your name or your content, and are more likely to ... yes, you've guessed it ... to buy your books!<br /></p><p>So please visit one or both of my channels above, 'Like' some of my videos and Subscribe to my channels - you'll need a Google or YouTube account to do this - and hit the bell for notifications of new videos as they arrive. </p><p>Thank you!</p><p>Do YOU have a YouTube channel, maybe to help you sell your books or for some other purpose? Let me know in the comments below, feel free to link to it, and let me know how it's been going for you. <br /></p>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-68503213717618829532020-10-03T11:14:00.010+01:002020-10-03T13:51:07.484+01:00Week Forty-Eight: Breathing New Life Into Old Projects<p>Back in the early noughties, I had a sudden flash of apocalyptic vision and wrote a Young Adult adventure fantasy called <i>The Book of Tongues</i>. It ran to about 50,000 words, which was about right for the time, and involved a princess, magic, a quest, and the eponymous Book, of course.</p><p>But it was the first in a series, and I wasn't sure where it would go after Book One, or even if I'd taken it far enough in Book One for the first instalment to make a satisfactory read. I ummed and ahhed over it, did some rewriting, but ultimately had no idea what to do with it ... <br /></p><p>In those days, I no longer had an agent. And easy self-publishing on Amazon did not yet exist. Only so-called 'vanity' outlets which would have embarrassed me - not to mention cost me more money than I had, still an impoverished poet with barely a penny to my name!<br /></p><p>I was also busy churning out babies at the time, so my novel-writing career consisted merely of writing the occasional saucy novel under a dubious pen-name in order to a.) survive and b.) keep my hand in the fiction game while bringing up a parcel of tiny infants.</p><p>So <i>The Book of Tongues</i> went into the proverbial bottom drawer, as I really had no idea what to do with it.<br /></p><p>Fast-forward about ten years to 2013, and my career as a commercial novelist had been kickstarted. I now had a new agent and was actively writing and selling novels, including a YA paranormal romance Trilogy. One of those books - <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007OWCAGO" target="_blank"><i>Witchstruck</i></a> - even won the Romantic Novelists Association YA Novel of the Year Award in 2013.</p><p>Now more aware of the YA market, I picked up <i>Book of Tongues</i> and re-read it. Having developed greater skill as a novelist, various issues leapt out at me immediately, and I saw at once how to fix them. But the long-term trajectory of the series still escaped me. I had a great set-up, but something was 'off' about the overall world of this fantasy.</p><p>So I sat down and worked on a range of possibilities for where the series would go next, and in doing so, I stumbled across the reason why my first book felt wrong in some way. I had been basing everything on a certain well-worn trope in fantasy ... and now I realised how to escape that trope by introducing a different story strand altogether, and so bring something wholly unexpected to the story!</p><p>I rewrote the book with this new plot idea in the mix, and enlarged the book at the same time, as during those intervening ten years, YA Fantasy had become much larger and longer, almost unwieldy in length. So the 50K book grew to 75K.</p><p>I sent it to my agent, with high hopes of finding a publisher ... and had those hopes dashed.</p><p>The idea was exciting, my agent said kindly, and the writing excellent, but the characters were under-developed and some of the confrontations between my main characters and the antagonist were too complex and therefore confusing. </p><p>In other words, the idea was sound but the manuscript still needed work. </p><p>At the time, I was snowed under with other projects. I'd just come out of two 3-book contracts with Random House, and was embarking on a third 3-book contract with Hodder. I was also working on some side projects for self-publishing, as Amazon KDP had come along and I'd started self-publishing shorter and unsold fiction manuscripts. </p><p>So I put Book of Tongues back in the drawer.</p><p>Fast-forward another seven years to early 2020. (Do you see how long this book has been in development?)</p><p>The pandemic of Covid-19 strikes. We are in lockdown. Everyone has decided they have a novel in them, so I'm not alone in spending my days slaving over a hot keyboard.</p><p>I have about three projects on the go, under contract. But I finish all those during the lockdown, and look about restlessly for something 'different' to work on before I need to start my next contracted thriller. (I get bored writing in the same genre all the time, and need to blow off steam periodically with different genres and styles of writing.)</p><p><i>The Book of Tongues</i> calls to me.</p><p>I re-read it yet again, while studying my agent's notes from 2013. Suddenly, I can see what needs to be done, which was not easy while I was still so close to the project. I find a new thread between my main characters that allows them to bond in a richer, more provocative way.</p><p>And I rewrite the book for the third time!</p><p>Here's what I think the problem was. When you're fresh from writing a book, especially if that book has been developed over a long period, you can suffer from 'brain fatigue' and feel exhausted at the thought of rewriting it yet again! So although you may get great notes on a manuscript, your brain can't get to grips with what they mean in real terms, and unless you're up against a contractual deadline - which introduces adrenalin and fear into the mix, so allowing your brain to function again! - you are likely to throw the messed-up manuscript away from you and start something else, something less taxing to consider.</p><p>This time, I had no brain fatigue but was eager to work on something different.</p><p>So I saw the editorial notes clearly and was able to act on them, also drawing on my increased skill and experience as a novelist since back in 2013 to improve other elements of the story and create a smoother read overall.</p><p>I also changed the title to <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08JB84QWW" target="_blank">THE SPELLWORKER</a>, as I felt the original title, <i>The Book of Tongues</i>, might struggle in today's market. But I retained that concept in my series title.</p><p>The book is now nearly 90,000 words long!<br /></p><p>So, off it went to my agent again.</p><p>Reader, she declined it.</p><p>The YA market is tough right now, my agent told me, and the book has elements which might make it less appealing to publishers in 2020 than would have been the case back in the early noughties. There may also be other similar or clashing projects out there right now. Better not to send it out to publishers when I can write something more apposite to the times and find a buyer more easily.<br /></p>Back to square one, it seems.<br /><p>Happily though, I still believe in the book, and in 2020 I have options that were not readily available to me in earlier iterations.</p><p>I ask my agent's blessing to self-publish and generously she gives it.</p><p>As with everything I've self-published, I believe in this book, even if others might not, and I want it to find readers out there, and I also want to be able to write Book Two knowing there are people waiting for it. <br /></p><p>The YA market is incredibly tough, I agree. And finding YA readers without going through the usual channels of a traditional publisher is going to be extremely tricky - perhaps even impossible.</p><p>But unless I want this book to languish forever unread in a dusty bottom drawer or - these days - in a forgotten computer file, then I must take the plunge and self-publish. Life is short.<br /></p><p>Finding value in abandoned manuscripts involves seeing what worked when it was first written that won't work now, because times and the market place have changed, but also what was good about the project and should be preserved. </p><p>It also allows you to see the whole thing with more clarity than was possible when you were still too close to it, perhaps even bringing a little indifference to its fate, so making edits easier to implement.</p><p>But you must have full confidence in the project and in yourself as a writer. </p><p>Just because others have said NO to what you've written, and even if it never sells more than a few dozen copies, almost seeming to justify that negative opinion, you must retain confidence in your ability and judgement as a writer. </p><p>Because THAT is all we have, deep down. </p><p><i><b>Confidence. </b></i></p><p>That's what it's all about for writers. So embrace your confidence, and enjoy what comes with it. And don't let anyone tell you no. If you believe in the work, then let's see it.<br /></p><p>And here is <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spellworker-gripping-epic-fantasy-Tongues-ebook/dp/B08JB84QWW" target="_blank">The Spellworker</a>, a YA Fantasy which I have just indie published under my YA writing name, Victoria Lamb ...</p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvGbjeuiBOwGOWyayq8dfbrLahzLzjXIm6n06PliKD4hBjIVEXGQe3ILpeXjesaXIF7LQbNm3Ojy7Oer4DfclmWD15u7kCTGgFPJuD0fqzcQa1E05Mb19dT3-jCLoaFRSs0DMrHFZU-MU/s2485/2ND+SPELLWORKER+NEW+COVER+WITH+GIRL.jpg+copy+2.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2485" data-original-width="1577" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvGbjeuiBOwGOWyayq8dfbrLahzLzjXIm6n06PliKD4hBjIVEXGQe3ILpeXjesaXIF7LQbNm3Ojy7Oer4DfclmWD15u7kCTGgFPJuD0fqzcQa1E05Mb19dT3-jCLoaFRSs0DMrHFZU-MU/w254-h400/2ND+SPELLWORKER+NEW+COVER+WITH+GIRL.jpg+copy+2.jpeg" width="254" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spellworker-gripping-epic-fantasy-Tongues-ebook/dp/B08JB84QWW" target="_blank">THE SPELLWORKER</a>: out now (UK)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><b> </b></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Available NOW in ebook, paperback, and via Kindle Unlimited: support indie authors!<br /></b></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spellworker-gripping-epic-fantasy-Tongues-ebook/dp/B08JB84QWW" target="_blank">THE SPELLWORKER: Amazon UK</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Spellworker-gripping-epic-fantasy-Tongues-ebook/dp/B08JB84QWW" target="_blank">THE SPELLWORKER: Amazon US</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Spellworker-gripping-epic-fantasy-Tongues-ebook/dp/B08JB84QWW" target="_blank">THE SPELLWORKER: Amazon AU</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Spellworker-gripping-epic-fantasy-Tongues-ebook/dp/B08JB84QWW" target="_blank">THE SPELLWORKER: Amazon CA</a><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-37317870400175105622020-07-29T13:24:00.003+01:002020-07-29T15:19:22.291+01:00Week Forty-Seven: Experimenting with Unusual Story Ideas<div>
Sometimes you get an idea for a story set-up that doesn't fit what's selling out there, or you know most publishers would pull a face if presented with the idea. Yet you can't get it out of your head.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9Wv94wplrFmMs2j3t3KygMZZ_2XnxTFNg5gu9BqdDYBozcnVZQcE4iqVlPoZG5fpGKXR62n3yAQPMUIV3vnjoGNKoUQ9t95lOAwSYsGtG0y7AbiRxPphft8EFgx-KD6iGfVcKef2k0fP/s1600/NEW+10th+tenth+house+lato+font+mixed+author+name+hive+house+cover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9Wv94wplrFmMs2j3t3KygMZZ_2XnxTFNg5gu9BqdDYBozcnVZQcE4iqVlPoZG5fpGKXR62n3yAQPMUIV3vnjoGNKoUQ9t95lOAwSYsGtG0y7AbiRxPphft8EFgx-KD6iGfVcKef2k0fP/w300-h241/NEW+10th+tenth+house+lato+font+mixed+author+name+hive+house+cover.jpg" width="294" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B081S28J4R" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a></td></tr>
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That's what happened to me when I came up with my idea for the Stella Penhaligon mysteries.</div>
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Stella Penhaligon is an astrologer who helps the police with their enquiries.</div>
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As someone with a background in astrology, this was a fun idea for me. I could use all my knowledge and skill with astrology (basically my hobby for the past few decades!) and merge it with my knowledge and skill as a novelist (my job, in other words). </div>
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The merger was a dream come true for me. </div>
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The only fly in the ointment was that my idea didn't fit with the kind of books I'd already been writing under my Jane Holland - very straight, hard-edged contemporary psychological thrillers. And I suspected that most publishers would have a hard time with an astrologer as a main character helping the police. </div>
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To add to this, I'd never before written a story with a police officer as a main character! </div>
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Yet I knew I wanted two main characters in this series - Stella, the astrologer, and DS Jack Church, the local officer with whom she has most contact.</div>
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Finally, I was aware of a need to make money as a novelist, which means not wasting time on books that might never get published. But also that self-published books provide a small amount of money to keep me ticking over from month to month, while book contracts can take anything up to six months to produce any income from the point of acceptance by a publisher, sometimes longer.</div>
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I approached my agent and we discussed this. I suggested that I self-publish a short series of novellas about these characters, and see how readers took to them. Thankfully, she agreed. (Coz she's amazing!!)</div>
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And so I sat down and wrote the first novella. It's called <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B081PS4FFB" target="_blank">UNDER AN EVIL STAR</a>. (See below for US link.)</div>
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The series is set in Cornwall, where I live, which feels like a suitably spooky, gothic region for a crime novella involving astrology. </div>
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<i>A severed head is found by the police. Stella's father, a local vicar, is missing. She casts a chart to find him and falls under suspicion when the severed head turns out to be his ... But who would kill a vicar and why? </i></div>
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I put the novella on pre-order, and had a few sales come in at once. Not so shabby! So I made a space in my writing schedule and wrote a second and third novella, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B081S28J4R" target="_blank">THE TENTH HOUSE MURDERS</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B081S3HNLT" target="_blank">THE PART OF DEATH</a>. I then put all three on sale at Amazon.</div>
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All are now out on sale. Early days yet, but after a sluggish start, I changed the covers and sales have become more promising. I will need to leave it a while to get an overall sales picture, but if it seems worth doing, I may write a full-length Stella Penhaligon mystery in the next year or so, and see if any publishers would like to acquire it for a series. </div>
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Sometimes, you need to take a punt on an unusual idea, and hope it works out. Some ideas flop. Others need some massaging to succeed. What you need for them as a writer is CONFIDENCE and TIME. Be bold and write it, regardless of your fears that it won't succeed. Stay true to your vision and see it through to the end, never abandon the project partway through. </div>
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You can't tell if an idea is 'bad' until you've finished it, and that's a simple truth most newer writers don't get. Most writers have a tendency to panic, jump off too soon, and start afresh with a different idea. A "better" idea, or so they tell themselves. But they are likely to get scared again with this new idea and repeat the cycle. </div>
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Until you've gone the distance with a story and reached the end, you can't be sure if it was working or not. Because you can't see the pattern clearly when you're too close to the loom. Keep weaving, steadily and confidently, and not listening to internal or external voices, and when it's done, step back for a better look. </div>
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Only time will tell whether it was worth my while making these three novellas. Meanwhile, new readers are finding them every day. Will you be one?</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B081PS4FFB" target="_blank">UNDER AN EVIL STAR: AMAZON UK</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081PS4FFB" target="_blank">UNDER AN EVIL STAR: AMAZON US</a></div>
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Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-5528995423007311862020-03-19T09:13:00.001+00:002020-05-20T15:03:48.107+01:00Week Forty-Six: Fiction in the Age of CoronavirusWe live in unprecedented, rather than interesting, times. In a few short weeks, ordinary life has become, well, extraordinary. Not to mention frightening. We have no idea what will happen next. Worst of all, some of us may die, or have loved ones who will die, a grim new reality made clear to us by politicians and news bulletins alike.<br />
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As writers, and especially perhaps as genre writers, we are accustomed to presenting the everyday and mundane in our novels, as an anchor for the otherwise outlandish world of our plots. As part of our skill set, we construct an accepted - and acceptable - fictional version of 'reality' as our characters know it and as our particular genres demand.<br />
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But what should we do when that 'everyday reality' has shifted sideways - almost overnight - and is now far from anything we have ever known in our lifetimes? When our realistic characters are now more likely to be in lockdown for anything up to half a year, and therefore unable to commit or investigate murders during that time frame, to meet friends or loiter in cafes, go to concert halls and theatres, travel anywhere beyond the end of their garden path - if they're lucky enough to have one - have sex, or fall in love? When apocalypse has actually become a thing? <br />
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We are at least used to the solitary life as writers. Self-isolating holds fewer terrors and issues for us than most other people working from home, I should imagine.<br />
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But as writers we are faced with a choice, it seems to me.<br />
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We stick our literary fingers in our ears - 'la la la' - and pretend we still live in that Other World, the one we inhabited roughly three weeks ago, and write characters who fit that lifestyle, despite the fact that it's becoming harder to envisage going out for a latte or booking a flight to Greece or dropping a book off at the library or sticking a knife between the vicar's shoulder blades ...<br />
<br />
Or we accept that the world has changed, and therefore set our books in a speculative future world, when (hopefully) the coronavirus crisis has passed but is definitely still a thing. A world where characters may well be happy to murder each other - perhaps more so than ever! - but police are less well-equipped to investigate because of reduced numbers or shaky infrastructure, when sleek, Armani-clad executive heroes are few and far between because even the biggest companies have lost billions, and friends are less ready to shake hands or air-kiss on meeting, or new lovers to fall into bed together (just in case the infection is still around), and the world is financially on its knees.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqvtXU55CqRTeWguUXByTdJpmffGsl4K2REkI9U15a_BnM8ZY56xRTT1voeebUO6-jwyVctqILFWR-pmxDJhgdSAbzDIpwVhgtKvZmMqlmSsNYMSskTnXlVMiPXT1JSfAE9KVSI0Ylu_y/s1600/small+cropped+dreamstime_epicentre-writer-image-photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="468" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqvtXU55CqRTeWguUXByTdJpmffGsl4K2REkI9U15a_BnM8ZY56xRTT1voeebUO6-jwyVctqILFWR-pmxDJhgdSAbzDIpwVhgtKvZmMqlmSsNYMSskTnXlVMiPXT1JSfAE9KVSI0Ylu_y/s200/small+cropped+dreamstime_epicentre-writer-image-photo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
One of my writer friends said recently that it was becoming harder and harder, as she wrote her current novel, to remember what used to be normal everyday behaviour in a normal everyday world. Because that life and that world are both rapidly slipping away from our memories ... We are already adjusting to our new reality. Soon, even the most insistent coronavirus denier will find it hard to depict our world before the plague with any confidence, nor will readers believe in their now unrealistic reality.<br />
<br />
And yes, what about reading fiction?<br />
<br />
It seemed at first that people were eager to reach for plague fiction, for disaster and apocalypse novels, out of a ghoulish desire to mock this new reality with previous fictional versions of it.<br />
<br />
But actually, it seems to me that people want to read about apocalypse because they are experiencing it first-hand, and instinctively need a fiction that reflects their strange and uncertain new reality.<br />
<br />
Of course, as the horror continues, that urge may change. People may grow weary of finding reality in their fiction, and will turn to fantasy instead. Even though that 'fantasy' may simply be a contemporary book set before the virus, in the comforting pre-2020 world they remember ...<br />
<br />
I think we ignore coronavirus at our peril as writers. (Though agents and publishers may well ask us to, fearing the saleability of any genre fiction that flirts too closely with reality.) Even historical writers may find themselves instinctively choosing plague periods for their next novels. Of course, we may all have pre-corona novels in hand, and can't suddenly introduce global death and disaster partway through a light-hearted romance or a chilling murder mystery, even though that is exactly what has happened to all of us, out here in Corona Land.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWdi5Bo8mGKeH_lyArG_UA6WiEU6OZBnHblQ4V9a16LrHGovYpXm-HV3RMY7g-BFF8znuRnxEanhyphenhyphenFcCx0hggSGoRJLnifufwD2oLivEUE0p4XeaRoUdGNS5fvBt-RpsVNIYViBrlcFJw/s1600/male+writer+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="862" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWdi5Bo8mGKeH_lyArG_UA6WiEU6OZBnHblQ4V9a16LrHGovYpXm-HV3RMY7g-BFF8znuRnxEanhyphenhyphenFcCx0hggSGoRJLnifufwD2oLivEUE0p4XeaRoUdGNS5fvBt-RpsVNIYViBrlcFJw/s200/male+writer+photo.jpg" width="159" /></a></div>
All of our lives have been INTERRUPTED by the virus and nothing will ever be the same again. How could it be?<br />
<br />
We won't all come out from self-isolation or lockdown in four to six months and find life continues as usual. The virus may slow, but it won't disappear completely. And by then, many things we once took for granted - food chains, coffee shops, street vendors, household names, even global transport infrastructure - may have been irreparably damaged by a long income freeze or simply gone bust in the meantime. And some publishers and bookstores may even be on that list ...<br />
<br />
I don't have any answers, I'm afraid. I only have questions.<br />
<br />
But when we've finished writing our current books, do we continue in the same vein, as virus 'deniers' in fiction terms at least, on the grounds that most people, terrified by what is happening around them, must inevitably want to read about a world BEFORE the virus, because they find that lost reality easier and more comforting to experience?<br />
<br />
Or do we start to write books set in the real world, in the post-virus world, where our characters and their choices reflect our own uncertainties in the age of coronavirus?<br />
<br />
P.S. My latest publication is <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B081PS4FFB" target="_blank">UNDER AN EVIL STAR</a> (oh, a prediction!!) out last month, first in a new crime thriller series.<br />
<br />
Only 99p/99c for the ebook.<br />
<br />
Please consider buying if you'd like to support my writing. Thank you. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8gnwS02zEiRQpXtXL53O5ZOaN2aY4mFzlqWvfkN15tAb2DRiXaA2AWNkC40WOEsuWii9OuoA1hmODjzlB6XA3N3nZFCseP6iMbdX1yix5DSKibBiKNumz5ZhxqtUNt290NHk77XzxItt/s1600/PREORDER+EVIL+STAR+PROMO+_1_1_1_1+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="1600" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8gnwS02zEiRQpXtXL53O5ZOaN2aY4mFzlqWvfkN15tAb2DRiXaA2AWNkC40WOEsuWii9OuoA1hmODjzlB6XA3N3nZFCseP6iMbdX1yix5DSKibBiKNumz5ZhxqtUNt290NHk77XzxItt/s400/PREORDER+EVIL+STAR+PROMO+_1_1_1_1+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B081PS4FFB" target="_blank">Under An Evil Star on Amazon UK</a></h2>
<h3>
</h3>
<h2>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081PS4FFB" target="_blank">Under An Evil Star on Amazon com (USA) </a></h2>
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Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-82050328717400630372020-03-10T14:05:00.003+00:002020-03-10T14:05:35.789+00:00Week Forty-Five: Making Use of Fabulous HOW TO WRITE Resources! Sometimes, even experienced writers need to take an overview of their writing, research how to move between genres, or just take a breather and look at how other writers build their careers.<br />
<br />
For new writers, learning how to do things professionally, or getting hints and tips that prompt fresh writing or help them shift up a gear career-wise, can make the difference between finishing and giving up, or getting a book ready for publication. (See below for a list of fab 'how-to-write' research books, all ON PROMO right now!)<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIs1dEEevP4AJW0BPI0r3m5RPgtZtHdL4sh5mz8tVt1YmIudZi9bJAABmCuIOo9fIk8676a9HIZCb22ToAkBGRQnH2aKLYs2g18KT14sP7bpwysf5Y08QRxv8V0Bk6jW_dATCNkNB1sxCC/s1600/etsy+cover+romance+prompts+Screenshot+2019-10-18+at+14.16.24.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1529" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIs1dEEevP4AJW0BPI0r3m5RPgtZtHdL4sh5mz8tVt1YmIudZi9bJAABmCuIOo9fIk8676a9HIZCb22ToAkBGRQnH2aKLYs2g18KT14sP7bpwysf5Y08QRxv8V0Bk6jW_dATCNkNB1sxCC/s200/etsy+cover+romance+prompts+Screenshot+2019-10-18+at+14.16.24.png" width="117" /></a></div>
I am a bestselling author who writes in several different genres and publishes with some of our so-called 'Big 5' UK publishers. Yet I frequently consult 'how to' books, and in some cases would never sit down to plan a new book without checking some of my favourite 'how to' manuals.<br />
<br />
My mother, Charlotte Lamb, published over 170 novels during her 30-year writing career and was a global million bestseller. She absolutely adored 'how-to-write' books and bought every one that she found on sale. She had a whole bookcase devoted to those books near her desk in her study.<br />
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My mother was adamant that good writers never stop learning. She loved sitting down in her spare time to study such manuals and make notes, even for genres she didn't write in. And she passed that obsession on to me ... :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyNpS2dGIfrmzNQ4tYNdEXwkAe42_3dkFOpUc8eHYHb4kJACV_nmQ-nwBiAxImV436zgHt1cvMlA0IgniYpDmltoJ59Kk6LcqroQVyfqgqezPmkscwBjZmk6nA9eODLp-uYPFrNR-N5Pov/s1600/IMPROVED+FINAL+new+cover+image+write+a+novel+in+a+month+writers+shack+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyNpS2dGIfrmzNQ4tYNdEXwkAe42_3dkFOpUc8eHYHb4kJACV_nmQ-nwBiAxImV436zgHt1cvMlA0IgniYpDmltoJ59Kk6LcqroQVyfqgqezPmkscwBjZmk6nA9eODLp-uYPFrNR-N5Pov/s200/IMPROVED+FINAL+new+cover+image+write+a+novel+in+a+month+writers+shack+collage.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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<br />
As for me, I not only write bestselling fiction, but also 'how-to-write' books!<br />
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In fact, I have several Writing Prompt books available for Thrillers, Romances, Poetry, and How To Write A Novel In A Month.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFWxNrbIT4nR7LV5w_MVxTTaXzIL3DYNms_Q89kFHoJERreQ_2F2SNe81LusyzEBeHPS7CfQVLhWunwR8ZB8BucTXfZBX7MzFS3FvSHrvzt-3v9e7qLvoHUiXUMjwMAarinRMva5Zvx2e/s1600/twitter+-+rhoda%2527s+how+to+write+book+promo+poster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFWxNrbIT4nR7LV5w_MVxTTaXzIL3DYNms_Q89kFHoJERreQ_2F2SNe81LusyzEBeHPS7CfQVLhWunwR8ZB8BucTXfZBX7MzFS3FvSHrvzt-3v9e7qLvoHUiXUMjwMAarinRMva5Zvx2e/s400/twitter+-+rhoda%2527s+how+to+write+book+promo+poster.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look, my <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00TRPN8I0" target="_blank">'how-to-write' book is only 99p</a> this week!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Best of all, one of my top-selling 'how-to-write' books is on a 99p promo right now, along with some fellow writers with their own writing books, all at reduced prices!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnrtAglpNJC9uWmFla9UjvnRxJyfOc71BI-1UcedAUr85nfoBixsnoidmHTjLHNYIYgMPNuMVxZVGUQ2LJhlve-eI-keqe01x3HHgjhIzJD9MsNEqls3K3GOwppRKZWb8mRLJAdPZwy6_a/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-03-10+at+13.53.59.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="477" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnrtAglpNJC9uWmFla9UjvnRxJyfOc71BI-1UcedAUr85nfoBixsnoidmHTjLHNYIYgMPNuMVxZVGUQ2LJhlve-eI-keqe01x3HHgjhIzJD9MsNEqls3K3GOwppRKZWb8mRLJAdPZwy6_a/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-03-10+at+13.53.59.png" width="223" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>My 99p book is <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00TRPN8I0" target="_blank">'21 Ways To Write A Commercial Novel' </a>and is based on this very blog, containing huge amounts of writing tips, plus various industry anecdotes about being a professional writer - not just from me, but also from a range of other novelists. </i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Bursting with up-to-date information and entertaining anecdotes from the
world of writing and publishing, this guide also features helpful
comments on writing from both new and established writers, including
Rowan Coleman, Katie Fforde, Judy Astley, Lesley Cookman, Nuala Ni
Chonchuir, Alison Morton, Elizabeth Moss and many, many others. <br /><br /><strong>A
goldmine of advice for writers from an author of over thirty commercial
novels under various pen-names, including an award-winning novel,
WITCHSTRUCK, and a UK number one Kindle bestseller, GIRL NUMBER ONE.</strong> </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1aqjPIRS3vkWSHiz8NQCN4XWBleW32cDxvfB7h8c-4-jPXsL_KE_n2G_t2yz7bcgoyX5PZf4dxu0GL2QJJQsb7mRGJmOpfG8LTdOx2YLzrrMfJ1Hsltv4pfr97cV35RGXdSGjdhk9U61/s1600/facebook+how+to+write+book+promo+poster+2+march+2020.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="940" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1aqjPIRS3vkWSHiz8NQCN4XWBleW32cDxvfB7h8c-4-jPXsL_KE_n2G_t2yz7bcgoyX5PZf4dxu0GL2QJJQsb7mRGJmOpfG8LTdOx2YLzrrMfJ1Hsltv4pfr97cV35RGXdSGjdhk9U61/s320/facebook+how+to+write+book+promo+poster+2+march+2020.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b>Why not check out some of these fab 'how-to-write' or publishing industry books below, all on promotion this week?</b></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b>Or see <a href="https://rhodabaxter.com/manuscript-critiques/romance-writers-toolkit/" target="_blank">this wonderful 'how-to-write' page from Rhoda Baxter</a>, displaying all these titles with covers and Buy Now buttons. </b></h3>
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<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr"><tbody>
<tr style="min-height: 21px;"><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Nina Harrington - How to Write Short Romance</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #1155cc; padding: 2px 3px; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: bottom;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Write-Short-Romance-Kindle-Books-ebook/dp/B00UDP3XBU" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Write-Short-Romance-Kindle-Books-ebook/dp/B00UDP3XBU</a></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #38761d; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">B00UDP3XBU</td></tr>
<tr style="min-height: 21px;"><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Liz Fielding - Little Book of Writing Romance</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #1155cc; padding: 2px 3px; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: bottom;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fieldings-Little-Book-Writing-Romance-ebook/dp/B006YQCE5I/" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fieldings-Little-Book-Writing-Romance-ebook/dp/B006YQCE5I/</a></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #38761d; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">B006YQCE5I</td></tr>
<tr style="min-height: 21px;"><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Kate Harrison - Pitch Power</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #1155cc; padding: 2px 3px; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: bottom;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pitch-Power-discover-makes-irresistible-ebook/dp/B081HDC6F3/" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pitch-Power-discover-makes-irresistible-ebook/dp/B081HDC6F3/</a></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #38761d; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">B081HDC6F3</td></tr>
<tr style="min-height: 21px;"><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Liam Livings - Marketing the Romance</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #1155cc; padding: 2px 3px; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: bottom;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07DW9R6GJ/" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07DW9R6GJ/</a></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #38761d; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">B07DW9R6GJ</td></tr>
<tr style="min-height: 21px;"><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Jane Holland - 21 ways to write a novel</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #1155cc; padding: 2px 3px; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: bottom;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/21-Ways-Write-Commercial-Novel-ebook/dp/B00TRPN8I0/" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk/21-Ways-Write-Commercial-Novel-ebook/dp/B00TRPN8I0/</a></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">B00TRPN8I0</td></tr>
<tr style="min-height: 21px;"><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">R Baxter and J Lovering - How to write Rom Com</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #1155cc; padding: 2px 3px; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: bottom;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Write-Romantic-Comedy-Rhoda-Baxter-ebook/dp/B07RL6YR7W/" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Write-Romantic-Comedy-Rhoda-Baxter-ebook/dp/B07RL6YR7W/</a></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #38761d; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">B07RL6YR7W</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-70224734622555712252019-07-03T11:35:00.003+01:002019-08-27T12:10:56.478+01:00Week Forty-Four: THE HIVE: when books get rejectedAs part of an eleven-book contract with my publisher, I have written a new dark thriller.<br />
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It's called THE HIVE.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Jp1MhbkTZVQorELZk3t-aOqjDPq3uHrX3D5NyyhwRNtePy1sCq-8mxC15iBazd20uo38rsCalql4lds7xc270JhxppS9EiLOI_g6cyrOS1ACwHF2GIta6TOUHDFIrHNMGsXPKWpN9w_1/s1600/jane+holland+the+hive+cover.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Jp1MhbkTZVQorELZk3t-aOqjDPq3uHrX3D5NyyhwRNtePy1sCq-8mxC15iBazd20uo38rsCalql4lds7xc270JhxppS9EiLOI_g6cyrOS1ACwHF2GIta6TOUHDFIrHNMGsXPKWpN9w_1/s320/jane+holland+the+hive+cover.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07TTD5L91" target="_blank"><b>The Hive on Amazon UK: 99p</b></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TTD5L91" target="_blank">THE HIVE on Amazon US</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07TTD5L91" target="_blank">THE HIVE on Amazon AU</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07TTD5L91" target="_blank">THE HIVE on Amazon CA</a></span></div>
<br />
If visiting <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hive-spine-chilling-thriller-turning-pages-ebook/dp/B07TTD5L91/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=the+hive&qid=1562148974&s=digital-text&sr=1-3" target="_blank">that link</a> though, you will see this book is self-published, not traditionally published.<br />
<br />
On
sending my finished thriller to my publishers a few months back, I noted it was
rather darker than previous psychological thrillers I had written as
Jane Holland, leaning toward horror in places, and suggested we might
want to use another pen-name instead.<br />
<br />
They didn't
reply for two weeks. Then they wrote back, declining THE HIVE and
terminating my contract with them, except for the final romance <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Summer-You-Beth-Good-ebook/dp/B07H8HQ42Q" target="_blank">in a series</a> due later this year. <br />
<br />
Just like that!<br />
<br />
I
was devastated. I talked the situation over with my very supportive
agent. I explained how much I'd been depending on that contract to keep
me afloat financially. Everyone knows it can take anything up to a year
from acceptance for a new publishing contract to be signed and the
initial advance paid. Assuming there even is an advance in these
digital-first days.<br />
<br />
Only I don't have a year to pay my
bills. They need to be paid every month, or things start to fall apart. A
full-time writer's life is precarious like that. Which is why I first
turned to self-publishing back in 2011 and still regularly publish short
fiction online under an array of names. But I rely on my traditional
contracts to add cash advances to that income.<br />
<br />
So
we both agreed that self-publishing this rejected book was the best way
for me to keep solvent, while I work on a completely new book to be
submitted to other publishers later this year. And I thank my agent
profusely for being so understanding.<br />
<br />
But that
plan, of course, depends on THE HIVE actually selling more than a few
copies. So I've decided to publish it as a Jane Holland thriller, as
that is my best-selling name. <br />
<br />
Worried about the
future, with three dependent children still in school, I've now started
several online shops as well as my self-publishing sidelines. More on
that anon. Jobs are hard to come by in rural Cornwall, and in my fifties
with no work experience to speak of, online hustles are probably my
best bet. So I'm learning new skills in that area, and working hard to
get by.<br />
<br />
Curiously, this is not the first time a
book of mine has been rejected by publishers (though not while under
contract!) and then self-published. Last time, it was <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01ELCZO0S" target="_blank">GIRL NUMBER ONE</a>.
I self-published that in 2015 after multiple rejections, and it reached
#1 in the UK Kindle store within a few months of publication. It has
since sold over 100,000 downloads.<br />
<br />
If THE HIVE
manages similar success, I'll be ecstatic. But times have changed since
2015. All I'm hoping for is that this book helps me stay afloat as a
struggling writer. (Buy it <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07TTD5L91" target="_blank">here</a>!)<br />
<br />
I'm not well-off. I didn't marry a wealthy person. I
rent my house, I drive an old banger, I have no capital or investments
or savings. But I am a hard worker. I write several 'big' books a year,
and also self-publish multiple novellas and short stories under other
names to supplement that. I am constantly working on something new. Yet
still I struggle to pay my bills.<br />
<br />
The book market is
saturated. Only top names seem to do well these days. Writers get the
tiniest slice of the publishing pie, often only a few pennies per sale.
Publishers do not support writers by growing them and investing in their
careers, as was once the norm, but discard them at the first sign of
low sales. Nobody is safe, not even established writers.<br />
<br />
Readers who
want to keep their favourite writers in the game need to help them
compete in this dog-eat-dog marketplace, via word-of-mouth and retweets
etc. Because what publishers want most is the next shiny new thing ...
and while I may be shiny on occasion, I'm not new!<br />
<br />
So
it's PUBLICATION DAY! 👏💪😍👍<br />
<br />
Please, if you like thrillers - or me! - help me get THE HIVE out to new
readers. Especially in the US market, which is yet to discover me en
masse.<br />
<br />
Share, retweet, mention, read, discuss ... Amazon, social media, Goodreads. It all helps. And I've initially priced THE HIVE at 99p/99c to encourage impulse buys!<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b>THANK YOU!! </b></h3>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hive-spine-chilling-thriller-turning-pages-ebook/dp/B07TTD5L91/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=the+hive&qid=1562148974&s=digital-text&sr=1-3" target="_blank"><i>The Hive: a brand-new thriller for 2019 from Kindle #1 bestseller Jane Holland</i></a><br />
<i><br />Scarred
by fire from infancy, with a persistent stammer, Charlotte has always
been in the shadow of her glamorous theatrical parents. So it's a shock
when her mother commits suicide.<br /><br />Left to care for her sick father
in the dark maze of her childhood home, Charlotte begins to unravel.
First, there's the mysterious arrival of a box of dead bees. Then
buzzing noises in the attic. People are watching her. Listening to her.<br /><br />Everyone thinks she's losing her mind. But an old photo suggests another, more sinister possibility ...</i><br />
<br />
<b>Jane
Holland's bestselling thrillers have sold more than 220,000 paid
downloads across several continents, and she loves finding brave new
readers! </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTLO66ABj-_EZ4_zks_ZUS6Jnebe88YjIVcofE5v2HcUac251p1nbxaAtv-LFuSO6HKHFQok0vh_5GGxd6qPaBjZoolH6OryYxsjctVxfntGhMaHzjmn6chTwiSdeprMn8p7LcSwB9L_F/s1600/jane+holland+the+hive+cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTLO66ABj-_EZ4_zks_ZUS6Jnebe88YjIVcofE5v2HcUac251p1nbxaAtv-LFuSO6HKHFQok0vh_5GGxd6qPaBjZoolH6OryYxsjctVxfntGhMaHzjmn6chTwiSdeprMn8p7LcSwB9L_F/s320/jane+holland+the+hive+cover.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<h3>
<b> <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07TTD5L91" target="_blank">The Hive on Amazon UK: 99p</a></b></h3>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
Also<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TTD5L91" target="_blank">THE HIVE on Amazon US</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07TTD5L91" target="_blank">THE HIVE on Amazon AU</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07TTD5L91" target="_blank">THE HIVE on Amazon CA</a></div>
Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-35149583708603953352018-02-27T01:17:00.001+00:002018-02-27T01:27:33.207+00:00Week Forty-Three: To Blog Tour or Not to Blog Tour?A book blog tour is when a writer promotes a book at a different blog every day for a set number of days, often during a crucial time in the life of their book, typically publication week or month.<br />
<br />
I've had various book blog tours in the past, always organised by my publishers around publication week, and though I'm sure they helped get my name out there a bit more, I don't recall any massive sales boost during the tours or in the immediate aftermath. They are lovely for the ego, but can take a great deal of energy to prepare for - all those blessed blog posts and endless Q&A's that steal time away from actual writing - and it can become very repetitive, going on Twitter or Facebook each day to point people towards the latest blog stop.<br />
<br />
Blog stops can involve some fun and interesting posts, it's true. But also they may result in some same-old, same-old posts, or a few less than exciting questions, like 'What is your favourite colour?' or even, 'Where do you get your ideas from?' (See <a href="http://52waystowrite.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/week-three-impossible-idea.html" target="_blank">this post</a> for more about that old chestnut!) <br />
<br />
So if, a few months ago, you had asked me if a book blog tour was worth the expense and hassle, I would probably have murmured, 'Unlikely, no.' But very quietly, as I know many people - publishers, in particular, and book bloggers, in general - put great store by such promotional tools, and rejecting that opinion can make you look like a Difficult Author.<br />
<br />
However, something happened last month that has drastically changed my attitude to blog tours. Possibly forever.<br />
<br />
My latest psychological thriller, FORGET HER NAME, came out with Thomas & Mercer.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQM3TuEBlgCapXY06RKOVP64UHwxjO14qn94QSQd-vhhEdGFFDWbC47245cThPX_FndE6fu-f5aeuwBsO3d_KKsviLDuASPmygwCgRSZowsTE0tC91i_a_GFeAIpu-4bGVmfiKDwEMUJuQ/s1600/FORGET+HER+NAME+COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="334" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQM3TuEBlgCapXY06RKOVP64UHwxjO14qn94QSQd-vhhEdGFFDWbC47245cThPX_FndE6fu-f5aeuwBsO3d_KKsviLDuASPmygwCgRSZowsTE0tC91i_a_GFeAIpu-4bGVmfiKDwEMUJuQ/s320/FORGET+HER+NAME+COVER.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Forget-Her-Name-gripping-thriller-ebook/dp/B073TTLYQV" target="_blank">FORGET HER NAME, UK AMAZON</a></h3>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
To celebrate this event, and in the hope of reaching a wider US readership than I've enjoyed so far with my psychological thrillers, I decided late last year to pay for a blog tour.<br />
<br />
It felt like a gamble. A real shot in the dark. But for several years I had been online friends with a lovely blogger called <a href="https://twitter.com/gilbster1000" target="_blank">Rachel Gilbey</a>, whose enduring love for my romcoms (<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beth-Good/e/B00N53FZ4U" target="_blank">written as Beth Good</a>) had made me love her in return and got me to the sweet spot where I was pretty much inclined to trust her with anything. So when she <a href="https://www.rachelsrandomresources.com/" target="_blank">started running blog tours</a>, under the fun name Rachel's Random Resources, I became interested in the idea of asking her to run a tour for me. But being a busy person, I kept putting it off. Until FORGET HER NAME was nearly due out, and I thought, what the hell, and sent Rachel an email ...<br />
<br />
Rachel is a total star. And a hard-working star at that. She asked me for a few basic details about the book, and some jpgs of me and the cover etc, and charged me an extremely reasonable fee. She did everything else at that stage. She asked around her blogger friend contacts, and got together a group of bloggers interested in my book and willing to take part. She sorted out dates for each blog stop, and made a poster for the blog tour. She also sent me a list of blog posts I would need to write - about nine in total - sorted out review copies for everyone, and which blogs would carry reviews or just straight promo for the title.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35m2OPUcMba50OKb882XOa-dMEo4g2D0eUgU7wI-_PiPu89YdaCA5f459BTuQx1YXE3zmPdAqQnLsX8V0cF03wHLhxLhEXcEtRflcO7xz6U6IXmeSUbackaJQ67PI6JGRxrBvI_s77krp/s1600/Forget+Her+Name++-+Dash+Fan+Book+Reviews.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35m2OPUcMba50OKb882XOa-dMEo4g2D0eUgU7wI-_PiPu89YdaCA5f459BTuQx1YXE3zmPdAqQnLsX8V0cF03wHLhxLhEXcEtRflcO7xz6U6IXmeSUbackaJQ67PI6JGRxrBvI_s77krp/s320/Forget+Her+Name++-+Dash+Fan+Book+Reviews.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
And for some weeks, that was it. I forgot about it. No sweat, no worries. I just cracked on with writing my next book. Until the deadline for my blog posts approached, and I had to sit down and write them.<br />
<br />
That was quite hard work. But nothing comes of nothing, so I did my best to make all the blog posts lively and informative and strongly differentiated from each other. I sent the posts to Rachel, and she liaised with the bloggers on my behalf, and again, that was it. I just sat back and waited for publication day. No hassle!<br />
<br />
Publication Day dawned. There were three blog stops on that day, all promoting FORGET HER NAME, and it was the same every day for the next fortnight. (Rachel very kindly allowed me a longer tour than most, as so many bloggers were keen to be involved, which was nice.) All I had to do was retweet bloggers' tweets and occasionally mention the tour myself ... Though I'm sure I could have got away with not even doing that. Except I was enjoying the process too much to take a back seat.<br />
<br />
Rachel's Random Resources blog tour was the only promotion I had for the book. But it worked. Boy, did it work!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6Foifco9tn2zhnsBFedK2tUUM6zkkGQd_GGyUgtA6NV5lIsyBaePQdkmPMLfmzxPl9WFatEtylSyeQm7M3XDaj4iUhM_Fy_AOvS1T5BAcw5L4O5V2HAvn8DNM6RT0fe5-RheOAYWNAUd/s1600/Forget+Her+Name++-+WaggyTalesBookBlog.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6Foifco9tn2zhnsBFedK2tUUM6zkkGQd_GGyUgtA6NV5lIsyBaePQdkmPMLfmzxPl9WFatEtylSyeQm7M3XDaj4iUhM_Fy_AOvS1T5BAcw5L4O5V2HAvn8DNM6RT0fe5-RheOAYWNAUd/s320/Forget+Her+Name++-+WaggyTalesBookBlog.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
FORGET HER NAME rose steeply into the UK Kindle Top 100 almost immediately. Later it reached the Top 40. It rose into the top 2000 on Kindle US, higher than any other of my books previously, except for a couple of one-day Bookbub promotion spikes organised by my publisher. The first month sales figures blew me away. And my publisher was pretty pleased too.<br />
<br />
But it didn't stop there. Although FORGET HER NAME has since settled into a nice position just above the UK Top 100, its stablemate LOCK THE DOOR, my previous thriller from 2017, has shot past it into the Top 100. In fact, at the time of writing this post, LOCK THE DOOR is at number 14 in the UK.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqcmW7vWyOqbB60rsiD2UdTfPcmacISn6TZrnxYenHTz63C9TTQUmAUCEkv_vSPDZUJcTkQhr0M_uHLng5BE03fw7oqq7GvqzVhQiJ1fXEu0njCNQUw-rcV88qxzFjlvZ2qzbq6mPAcvX/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-02-26+at+23.37.09.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="1600" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqcmW7vWyOqbB60rsiD2UdTfPcmacISn6TZrnxYenHTz63C9TTQUmAUCEkv_vSPDZUJcTkQhr0M_uHLng5BE03fw7oqq7GvqzVhQiJ1fXEu0njCNQUw-rcV88qxzFjlvZ2qzbq6mPAcvX/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-02-26+at+23.37.09.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lock-Door-psychological-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B01HEKF8NM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519693841&sr=1-1&keywords=lock+the+door&dpID=51fao1pbnsL&preST=_SY445_QL70_&dpSrc=srch" target="_blank">LOCK THE DOOR</a> at #14 overall, and #2 in Women's Fiction, 26th Feb 2018</h3>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Although other factors may be at play here, including a price reduction to £1 by my publisher, I also attribute that massive success to Rachel's blog tour. Especially since I've been able to promote my books using some of the lovely quotes from bloggers that you can see in this post! (Which Rachel also organised for me, another of the useful services she offers to save busy writers time during promotions.)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6K0q1C7PqLSwb41NN53zSfzOXRtxFH20P28GFN8J7EmMPqShAa0XPZCmA_YautjzMoCTaACovr2k8pdzQDJLKh-J3sGMsHibWq3SrxbVa5Vz_KiBzXyIRRZq54j7l3pErU2glIhfDWYGX/s1600/Forget+Her+Name++-+Rae+Reads.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6K0q1C7PqLSwb41NN53zSfzOXRtxFH20P28GFN8J7EmMPqShAa0XPZCmA_YautjzMoCTaACovr2k8pdzQDJLKh-J3sGMsHibWq3SrxbVa5Vz_KiBzXyIRRZq54j7l3pErU2glIhfDWYGX/s320/Forget+Her+Name++-+Rae+Reads.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
So the blog tour was a catalyst for the success of my backlist thrillers, which are now all selling strongly after a few lacklustre months. And I don't think any of that would have happened if I had not reached out to Rachel and booked a blog tour with her excellent service. Running a launch tour with Rachel's Random Resources is the best thing I could have done for my book, and has made the publication of FORGET HER NAME a resounding, spectacular success.<br />
<br />
Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Rachel, and ... I'll be back!!<br />
<br />
And if you are a writer considering the expense and hassle of a blog tour, I would certainly recommend taking the plunge if you have a book which might respond to that kind of promotion.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYA22nBOqyT2QRtB5ukNj9UIHMwxgYDYPeINg4eNBWrmpK2lMcEXj8ArPjaTfejn7NheIbE9wAIhLY4klbXOfE65aINYxX1WR0M_qM4H3d5YeB7XeNHPwi9fNI5tRfhKQTc-xIT3kK2lkf/s1600/Forget+Her+Name++-+Caroles+Book+Corner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYA22nBOqyT2QRtB5ukNj9UIHMwxgYDYPeINg4eNBWrmpK2lMcEXj8ArPjaTfejn7NheIbE9wAIhLY4klbXOfE65aINYxX1WR0M_qM4H3d5YeB7XeNHPwi9fNI5tRfhKQTc-xIT3kK2lkf/s320/Forget+Her+Name++-+Caroles+Book+Corner.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Yes, it costs. But not a massive amount. Not given the possible success you could have. (Unless you have to pay for review copies or a Netgalley presence.) And yes, it's hard work when you have to write blog posts for the tour. But you can ask for a tour without author-contributed posts, or just write a few and request reviews or promo for the rest. And I can testify to the fact that it is wonderful to see bloggers' reviews going up on Amazon, Goodreads and Netgalley within days of your book's publication ... There is no guarantee that bloggers will give you the thumbs-up, of course. That's the risk you take when giving out free copies in large numbers. But I was lucky and most seemed to enjoy my book!<br />
<br />
Getting the word out on your new book, or a backlist of books, is always difficult. But when you can hand over some of that work - if not the bulk of it! - to another person, especially someone as friendly and efficient and gifted at working with others as Rachel Gilbey, then you should find launch week a little less tiring than usual.<br />
<br />
Not to mention the chance of it being mind-blowingly successful!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>You can find<a href="https://www.rachelsrandomresources.com/" target="_blank"> Rachel's blog tour website here: Rachel's Random Resources.</a></i> </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKOIOoQGcAjCkI0Va3iyUH0l6dW72eie4NTLtbLH4lpVpffoiMK0r3GMFn3YtuQ5IzQcYE1gV4K3fx803K4hb7gp3cqVPglvQoBGopRbnBfFBciHAvtAiQ8JpXcr1g3a72aY8q2ZuevFN/s1600/Forget+Her+Name++-+Books+and+Me.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKOIOoQGcAjCkI0Va3iyUH0l6dW72eie4NTLtbLH4lpVpffoiMK0r3GMFn3YtuQ5IzQcYE1gV4K3fx803K4hb7gp3cqVPglvQoBGopRbnBfFBciHAvtAiQ8JpXcr1g3a72aY8q2ZuevFN/s320/Forget+Her+Name++-+Books+and+Me.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Forget-Her-Name-gripping-thriller-ebook/dp/B073TTLYQV" target="_blank">FORGET HER NAME UK</a></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Forget-Her-Name-gripping-thriller-ebook/dp/B073TTLYQV" target="_blank">FORGET HER NAME US</a></h3>
Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-59219449407760695862017-11-07T07:30:00.000+00:002017-11-07T08:44:06.178+00:00Week Forty-Two: The Art of Collaboration, plus a Q&A with Viki Meadows<style>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I recently published a romcom novella under the name Beth Good, written collaboratively with a writer I know personally from Romantic Novelists Association events, Viki Meadows. It was the first book I've written with another author, and Viki herself is quite a new author, so neither of us knew what to expect when we started. By the end though, I think we were both pleased with the result, and would happily recommend collaborative writing to others.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">The idea came to me while watching a television interview with the hugely successful thriller writer, James Patterson. He has a great franchise with his novels, but found he simply couldn't keep up with demand. So he began working with other writers on stories he had originated, editing and shaping them into Patterson-style novels, with those writers getting credit on the cover - and no doubt having a fantastic experience working alongside Patterson himself.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I was in a similar position with my Beth Good romcoms. I have a good readership for them, a (largely UK) fanbase who buy all my romcoms under that name. But with contracts underway to write thrillers as well, and several other projects in hand, I simply couldn't manage to write as many Beth Good stories as I wanted. So I rather cheekily decided to try the James Patterson approach myself, and enlist the help of another writer to work on a novella I had already plotted out in detail from beginning to end. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">That story became the delightful <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Lucky-Parrot-Garden-Centre-ebook/dp/B075MG1D2G" target="_blank"><i>CHRISTMAS AT THE LUCKY PARROT GARDEN CENTRE</i></a>, and I hope that it will be the first in a series of romcoms with this Yorkshire garden centre setting. </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorDWByobW2kXgYXeMiHGBwzxkQZR0Zg1toQ6RIIfwPFaNidqQNkbDDdxOsOEiHZyPKmWF4mAoklFor-Ru1kOiusHamPos2skHAAqAZnh1ro9-Vk8J2L8BlL_yVeEP-JllM7M-TIFANYSa/s1600/Beth+Good+red+name+final+cover+lucky+parrot+christmas+viki+meadows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1274" data-original-width="1019" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorDWByobW2kXgYXeMiHGBwzxkQZR0Zg1toQ6RIIfwPFaNidqQNkbDDdxOsOEiHZyPKmWF4mAoklFor-Ru1kOiusHamPos2skHAAqAZnh1ro9-Vk8J2L8BlL_yVeEP-JllM7M-TIFANYSa/s320/Beth+Good+red+name+final+cover+lucky+parrot+christmas+viki+meadows.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I had known Viki for some time through the RNA, and always thought her prose marvellously smooth and well-written. I'd edited her manuscripts before too, and we had communicated well. So she was a natural first choice for this project, and I was thrilled when she agreed to give it a try.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I started out by talking to Viki about the plot and the characters I'd devised. After all, she might have hated those elements, and that would have made writing our story even more of a challenge.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Luckily though, she loved them, and indeed ended up infusing them with a wonderfully natural colour and vivacity, not to mention striking verisimilitude, being Yorkshire-based like the heroine of the story. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">After the success of her first chapter, we continued on like that, with me talking her through the plot in close detail - mainly to get the pace right - as she had never written such a long piece of fiction before, and then editing and consolidating at every stage. As the book grew, so did Viki's confidence, and it became a very enjoyable and easy-going process. After she had finished her part, I then shaped the novella, concentrating on pacing and tone initially, and then added my own contribution. It was vital that the book was recognisably a Beth Good romcom, that readers would sense that and enjoy it as much as any other Beth Good story. So that was my focus. But of course Viki's voice is very distinctive too, and that comes through in the writing.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Overall, I thought this kind of collaborative effort was not only a wonderful way to mentor a new writer, but a learning process for me too. I learned a great deal about structure from having to explain it, and I was pleased that my reputation in certain quarters for being a prickly pain-in-the-butt did not seem to impinge on my working relationship with Viki! </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Looking back, I consider our partnership to have been a brilliant success, and I certainly hope it won't be the last book I write collaboratively. Together we have ended up producing an exciting, fast-paced, and thoroughly entertaining romantic comedy that feels as much like a Viki Meadows story as a Beth Good!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Despite being busy with her own new writing, Viki Meadows has very kindly agreed to answer a few questions about the collaborative process too, and this is what she has to say ... (Viki's responses are in italics)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;">Can
you describe how the collaboration process started for you, and your first
steps when you began writing? </span></span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">My collaboration with Beth Good/Jane Holland began when I was on a writing high. I'd just got a mark of 81 for
an MA assignment when I was contacted by Beth asking if I'd be interested in
working with her. </span></i></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">After the first excitement had worn off, I started thinking
of what it would really mean. The plan
was for me to work off her plot / outline and of course this raised all sorts
of considerations and potential problems, but it was simply too good an
opportunity to pass up, especially based on nebulous fears.</span></i></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I said yes, and
knuckled down (sort of) to try and do it. Because of my concerns, which
included things like, would I be able to write to someone else's plot, could I
write humour, would the author like my work, I asked if I could do a one-chapter
trial, after which, if there were problems, we could both pull out with no hard
feelings.</span></i></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Once I started writing
I quickly engaged with the story. At times it was a bit like a puzzle. Working
out how to make something happen when it needed to required ingenuity and mental
agility, and I particularly enjoyed it. Beth seemed pleased with my work, and
that approval motivated me and kept me going. Working with such an easy-going
person was great. I felt supported without having someone breathing down my
neck. I think it was helpful that we are both quite laid back. If one of us had
been more uptight it might have been more challenging to collaborate like this.</span></i></span></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
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</span></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">What was the
most difficult part of collaborating for you, and why?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I had all sorts
of preconceived ideas and fears about my ability to complete the project, and so
my biggest challenge was squishing those doubting voices. I also needed to be
disciplined. It’s all too easy as a writer to slip into writing when you’re in
the mood or feeling inspired. Even though I knew that wasn’t a good way to
approach a writing career I’d never really developed a regular writing habit and
for too long I’d been hit and miss. When Beth approached me about this collaboration, she took a risk on me, and I really
didn’t want to let her or myself down. So I had to be professional and
disciplined, and this was also a major challenge.</span></i></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">What do you
think you've learnt from this that will be most useful to you in future?</span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">That I CAN
finish a project to an acceptable standard, that I can write MUCH faster than I
thought, and therefore I now have NO excuse not to produce a lot more work. </span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I also learnt a
lot from the way Beth took the raw material and turned it into a polished end
product. The way she knew what to exploit and how to exploit it to make the
story funnier and more focussed was fascinating and the mechanics of how she
did that provided a real learning curve. I’ll certainly be trying to apply some
of her techniques during rewrites on my own work.</span></i></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Would you
recommend collaboration to other writers?</span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Yes, for sure. I’ve
mentioned some of the many benefits above but writing can be such a solitary
thing to do and collaborating with another author made it more social and much
more fun. There was a great feeling of satisfaction in creating something
together rather than on my own, and a sense of companionship as well. I loved
seeing the project take shape and how another author’s input could transform it
in ways I hadn’t considered.</span></i></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">What are your
writing plans for the future? Do you have a new story of your own lined up, for
instance?</span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I’m feeling
quite fired up and excited. I’m writing the first draft of a new novella and
also trying to finish rewrites of a romantic suspense novella. Beth’s output
and professional, disciplined approach to her writing is keeping me motivated
and giving me something to aspire to. I’m also working on an MA in Creative
Writing which takes up a fair bit of time but also helps keep me writing
regularly. </span></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: large;">*** </span></span></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Now, why not read the free sample on Amazon of </span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Lucky-Parrot-Garden-Centre-ebook/dp/B075MG1D2G" target="_blank">CHRISTMAS AT THE LUCKY PARROT GARDEN CENTRE</a>?</span></span></i></span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><b>Christmas is coming to the Lucky Parrot Garden Centre near
Whitby. And along with those first flakes of snow comes a tall, dark,
and highly tempting stranger ... </b><br /><br />Hannah is a sensible,
hard-working Yorkshire lass, and her heart is set on a career in
landscape gardening. Not on falling in love, not even with a man as
drop-dead gorgeous as Daniel Elliott. He's a film producer, for goodness
sake, more used to Hollywood parties than stomping about in muddy
wellies.<br /><br />But as the evenings draw in and the snow thickens, can
Hannah resist the warmth and sparkle of this very unusual man? And if
she can't, what's to say Daniel won't disappear every bit as
mysteriously as he arrived?<br /><br /><i><i>The first in a brand-new
series, this cosy, festive romcom is the fruit of a collaboration
between popular author Beth Good and romance newbie Viki Meadows.
Perfect for fans of Jane Linfoot, Jenny Colgan, and Milly Johnson.</i></i></span></span></span><br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBx3lfHdDu7BsvhNbwZaDI7kyxIcLGw60FhMWECXQ-g74wbyvIHvrT9w3Mdi_ORWXcQjd6jHFju9CfkErurmsswawY1zCswvZlJjfrVVy0OGwQvvbP6DAd2NW7kwbUsAGJAwkoZsLjH3K/s1600/Beth+Good+red+name+final+cover+lucky+parrot+christmas+viki+meadows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1274" data-original-width="1019" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBx3lfHdDu7BsvhNbwZaDI7kyxIcLGw60FhMWECXQ-g74wbyvIHvrT9w3Mdi_ORWXcQjd6jHFju9CfkErurmsswawY1zCswvZlJjfrVVy0OGwQvvbP6DAd2NW7kwbUsAGJAwkoZsLjH3K/s320/Beth+Good+red+name+final+cover+lucky+parrot+christmas+viki+meadows.jpg" width="255" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><i> </i></i></span> </span></span></div>
Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-50694234617820361572017-07-22T16:14:00.000+01:002017-07-22T16:16:03.020+01:00Week Forty-One: When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Self-PublishI have a new book out.<br />
<br />
It's a thriller: <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071WQ9JNP" target="_blank">ALL YOUR SECRETS</a>.<br />
<br />
Much like my other thrillers, this is a full-length psychological thriller, with a twisty page-turning plot and a strong local atmosphere.<br />
<br />
But unlike my other thrillers, this novel is self-published.<br />
<br />
Why?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjZHPZkIh2G9LiabA3KkoF7jw08Lc5NpzLxsCte3ldAjqpHbtTj8iyoGC-Ufp7DCrSRSONqc18YR4CtLY1BLQ2ac0Cj3D21faCih_uju4vEGxt_bISDu6WUVu8V6SUOMajRGSXUyogdWN/s1600/ABSOLUTE+final+cover+all+your+secrets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="949" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjZHPZkIh2G9LiabA3KkoF7jw08Lc5NpzLxsCte3ldAjqpHbtTj8iyoGC-Ufp7DCrSRSONqc18YR4CtLY1BLQ2ac0Cj3D21faCih_uju4vEGxt_bISDu6WUVu8V6SUOMajRGSXUyogdWN/s400/ABSOLUTE+final+cover+all+your+secrets.jpg" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071WQ9JNP" target="_blank">ALL YOUR SECRETS (UK Amazon)</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Apparently the setting wasn't what my publisher wanted. My other two thrillers were set in Cornwall. They wanted a thriller set in London. This new book is set in the gorgeous South of France, a place I have visited many times and with which I have a natural affinity. <br />
<br />
Last summer, I submitted two synopses and a 25,000 word sample of my South of France thriller to my publisher. Following a miscommunication of some kind, I mistakenly thought my editor was excited by the sample I'd sent and was planning to acquire the book.<br />
<br />
Some months passed while I knuckled down and finished the book before my contract arrived. (Which is something many full-time writers end up doing, working on a book before the contract arrives.) I loved every minute of it though; it was a delightfully tactile, sensual book to write, and deeply sinister too.<br />
<br />
In December, a few thousand words shy of finishing ALL YOUR SECRETS, I asked again about the contract. It was only at this point that I discovered my publisher did not want the book. <br />
<br />
However, I received a contract for the other synopsis. The book I had not written. With only 8 weeks in which to write it, apparently.<br />
<br />
I did the only thing I could.<br />
<br />
I wrote the new book. And I did it within the required 8 weeks. It's currently at copyedit stage and will be published in January 2018.<br />
<br />
Bizarrely, this is not unusual in publishing. It's the kind of thing that happens to writers all the time. Talented writers. Hard-working writers. Established writers. Full-time writers with bills to pay and no other way to pay them but through their own skill with a keyboard.<br />
<br />
Most established writers can tell publishing stories to make your toes curl. Trilogies that flop and are abandoned as a lost cause, leaving one or even two books unpublished. Novels that are commissioned in conversation - like my own bestselling thriller, GIRL NUMBER ONE - and then rejected later, leaving a writer stuck with a book written to a very specific brief that they now need to sell elsewhere. Not always easy.<br />
<br />
In the same vein, I was once tipped the wink at an editor-author coffee meeting that my latest outline wouldn't be acquired unless I converted the setting to Faeryland, because 'we're desperate for those'. I wrote 50K of the blasted thing before the editor was made redundant. Needless to say, the remaining editors were politely baffled by the Faeryland setting, and my agent was less than impressed too. I never did finish that one. Though maybe one day ...<br />
<br />
So two years after I was forced to self-publish GIRL NUMBER ONE (a book rejected by over a dozen publishers, mind you, which subsequently sold 50,000 copies in a few months as a self-published title, hitting #1 in the UK Kindle Chart), I found myself with yet another unwanted novel on my hands.<br />
<br />
You'd think I'd have learned my lesson by now. But hope springs eternal!<br />
<br />
This time, I was not contractually permitted to offer it to another publisher - not under the name Jane Holland, at any rate, which has become my 'thriller' name. <br />
<br />
However, I was given permission to <b>self-publish</b> ALL YOUR SECRETS.<br />
<br />
When the going gets tough in this industry, the tough often end up having to self-publish. Not the most ideal situation, especially when a book has been written with a rather different arena in mind. But I have three children to feed and clothe, and this book took about 4-5 months to write and edit - an expensive time investment for me - so heigh-ho, self-publishing it was.<br />
<br />
I proofed the book, made a cover, wrote a blurb, and started telling the poor, long-suffering souls on Twitter that my book was about to go live.<br />
<br />
I had a pleasing number of pre-order sales. Those are my fans, and I thank them wholeheartedly for sticking with me!<br />
<br />
Then it came out.<br />
<br />
A self-published novel that isn't priced at 99p - instead, it's a modest £1.99 - is not the easiest thing in the world to persuade random punters to buy. Nor do I have the surprise of writing in a new genre to help me, as I did with GIRL NUMBER ONE.<br />
<br />
So any sales you can waft my way will be hugely appreciated. This book has been written with all my skill and knowledge behind it, the experience of writing several dozen novels, and I feel certain many thriller-reading people will find pleasure in it.<br />
<br />
I thank you all in advance for any retweets or Facebook shares or reviews or other promotional help you can offer this new and highly atmospheric book-baby of mine ... The blurb follows.<br />
<br />
Thank you!<br />
<br />
Jane x <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjZHPZkIh2G9LiabA3KkoF7jw08Lc5NpzLxsCte3ldAjqpHbtTj8iyoGC-Ufp7DCrSRSONqc18YR4CtLY1BLQ2ac0Cj3D21faCih_uju4vEGxt_bISDu6WUVu8V6SUOMajRGSXUyogdWN/s1600/ABSOLUTE+final+cover+all+your+secrets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="949" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjZHPZkIh2G9LiabA3KkoF7jw08Lc5NpzLxsCte3ldAjqpHbtTj8iyoGC-Ufp7DCrSRSONqc18YR4CtLY1BLQ2ac0Cj3D21faCih_uju4vEGxt_bISDu6WUVu8V6SUOMajRGSXUyogdWN/s400/ABSOLUTE+final+cover+all+your+secrets.jpg" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071WQ9JNP" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-size: small;">ALL YOUR SECRETS (Amazon UK)</span></b></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div id="iframeContent">
<b><i>What happens when love is perfect? Too perfect?</i></b><br />
<br />
When
her glamorous cousin Emily drowns, Caitlin flies to the South of France
for her funeral, full of bitter-sweet nostalgia for the summer they
spent there as wild teenagers. Her aunt Tamsin, once a film star, now
suffering from dementia, invites Caitlin to stay at her chateau high
above the beach at Cap d'Antibes.<br />
<br />
Suddenly the gorgeous, charming
Robin is back in touch, son of a Hollywood film producer. </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div id="iframeContent">
Tamsin warns
her to stay away from him, but Caitlin can't resist her teenage crush.
Soon the pair are falling madly, deeply in love ... all over again.<br />
<br />
But
something doesn’t feel right. What was Robin’s relationship with her
beautiful cousin? And what is her aunt trying so desperately to conceal?
The chateau on the Cap may be beautiful, but it hides dark secrets.<br />
<br />
Was Emily's death an accident? Or could it have been murder? <br />
<br />
-- <i>ALL
YOUR SECRETS is an atmospheric psychological thriller that simmers with
tension and will keep you guessing, from the bestselling author of GIRL
NUMBER ONE and LOCK THE DOOR. </i></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-86508814094214756872017-06-18T11:29:00.000+01:002017-06-18T14:06:28.947+01:00Week Forty: Building Your Author Brand I've noticed an odd phenomenon recently. On Amazon, new books have begun to crop up. But not like any books we've seen before. These are pre-orders on books not due out yet.<br />
<br />
Nothing strange about that, of course. Books have always been promoted before publication day. What is strange here is that some of these pre-orders, on books from big-name authors, are for books not published for almost another year. Most are going on Amazon with no proper covers, only a glossy publicity shot of the author. A few haven't even got a title yet, they are so early in the process that turns an idea into a published novel.<br />
<br />
In the past - and indeed still today - these early books would go live with only a 'placeholder' cover. A grey space with 'cover not yet available' across it.<br />
<br />
Now we get these ... <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEV7Nlv6aS2CIt9WVuKhQzIMOWaZmXCoexy6NiaIj3eVCXibgtLukVjl06acEZOYj5AmHZr9Qg00Leq6hd7IDnTDfIwXb9hA6geG5ArX5bj1ktBgDdoz9mKMX7HHT6RgmUtdli_ixts7J8/s1600/51aFFOqfQAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEV7Nlv6aS2CIt9WVuKhQzIMOWaZmXCoexy6NiaIj3eVCXibgtLukVjl06acEZOYj5AmHZr9Qg00Leq6hd7IDnTDfIwXb9hA6geG5ArX5bj1ktBgDdoz9mKMX7HHT6RgmUtdli_ixts7J8/s400/51aFFOqfQAL.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Untitled-Jojo-Moyes-ebook/dp/B06XH6FZQS" target="_blank">UNTITLED: Jojo Moyes</a> (out Feb 2018)</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
This says to me that publishers are focused on a new way of selling books. And that new way is based on the idea of the author brand.<br />
<br />
Nothing new there either, of course. The idea of the author brand is as old as, well, authors. In the Regency era, polite society eagerly purchased new volumes from Romantic poets like Byron or Shelley because they bought into their 'brand' or personality. It wasn't only about the tortured poet, the romantic soul, but the real person behind that trope, with reports of outrageous behaviour and naughty goings-on to thrill readers and feed the salacious gossip machine ...<br />
<br />
But in these days of social media, once again we are talking about authors, rather than books. Books are the product, but authors are the draw for readers, the brand.<br />
<br />
That's why we have these covers with the author mug-shot, reminding browsers whose book it is they are buying, putting the manufacturer front and centre, before the product, the book itself.<br />
<br />
On social media, we see profile pictures. Pictures of authors. We hear about their day, their cats and dogs, their kids, their cookery disasters and triumphs, their struggle with writing or editing ... We identify with them and turn to their books with an increasing sense of familiarity. <i>Ah yes, there's Jill's new sequel. There's Jojo's new novel. I must get them.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqG8qxkhBGRxIayeM1Cl55cQDpq0xh5ON8IViqaHGIJTqj3D1GMkosqvOExthahEx1rK6XjpsYcaxZCmDg1tP-LI5SglPSCXBl80VOV1ErvuX8gvF0_OXEgDXRT8w4OtSOjNbp1twTow8z/s1600/51TVGaSdR8L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqG8qxkhBGRxIayeM1Cl55cQDpq0xh5ON8IViqaHGIJTqj3D1GMkosqvOExthahEx1rK6XjpsYcaxZCmDg1tP-LI5SglPSCXBl80VOV1ErvuX8gvF0_OXEgDXRT8w4OtSOjNbp1twTow8z/s400/51TVGaSdR8L.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Could-Change-Everything-Mansell/dp/1472208951" target="_blank">This Could Change Everything:</a> Jill Mansell (25 January 2018)</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Putting out books on pre-order as many as nine or ten months before publication is about sales, yes. Let's not be naive. But it's more about increasing long-term sales' potential than any short-term, 'make a quick buck' mentality. It's about the long tail, the backlist, the whole show, not just the headliner act.<br />
<br />
And we as authors, particularly as indie authors perhaps, need to emulate that thinking if we want to build a brand around our author name like these publishers are doing. Not just by making all our covers look similar, or writing a series, though these tricks also help to build an author brand. But by building o<i>urselves</i> as the force behind the fiction, by selling the author, not just the book.<br />
<br />
Selling an author rather than a title means greater sales overall, because readers will then come for the author regardless of the book on offer.<br />
<br />
That's the theory, anyway. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFO71q2CuyvzXEtqGwvVUFigVukMgjM9rDye7181xastN241yS9o9E0SjhQDPYEZZuCK6kni8cLKv99ZSaR-39udTB0CqvNhxSgRdJCuTyUPr0nc2wTnFW8X7rOEif7OLNpyHOXnhhG0F/s1600/51cGniGorNL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFO71q2CuyvzXEtqGwvVUFigVukMgjM9rDye7181xastN241yS9o9E0SjhQDPYEZZuCK6kni8cLKv99ZSaR-39udTB0CqvNhxSgRdJCuTyUPr0nc2wTnFW8X7rOEif7OLNpyHOXnhhG0F/s320/51cGniGorNL.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XXNNJTG" target="_blank">The Image Of You: Adele Parks</a></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But how to achieve this in real terms?<br />
<br />
Not being a publisher or a marketing expert, that's not so easy to answer. One way I would suggest is to increase visibilty on social media and elsewhere online, and to be consistent with it. I know this is old hat to most writers now, but I would suggest there's a new emphasis here that we can adopt. To propel readers towards us as people, and as authors, rather than towards one individual title we happen to have released. To adopt an overall author promotion strategy rather than single 'book' campaigns. <br />
<br />
I don't always follow that advice very well myself. Although I've published about forty books traditionally - I lost count some time ago - and maybe ninety titles self-published on Amazon now, mostly shorts and novellas, my own career has been very scattered, across various names and brands and genres, none of which have been particularly well-developed in promo terms. (With the exception of my romcom persona, perhaps, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beth-Good/e/B00N53FZ4U/" target="_blank">Beth Good</a>.)<br />
<br />
But some authors do manage very well in building a brand. And I am gradually beginning to see how it could be done better ...<br />
<br />
One way, highlighted here with these pre-orders, is to keep your author brand ever-present by putting out pre-orders on books not yet written, or written to a certain extent. This is hard for indie authors, who need a file to upload on Amazon for a pre-order. Not only that, but Amazon don't allow pre-orders to go live more than three months before publication date. Which means we can't put up books for sale a year in advance like one of the big five publishers, for instance. It's not a level playing field in that regard. But it can be done with an unfinished file, three months in advance, which is then replaced nearer publication time with the finished book.<br />
<br />
And perhaps you could experiment with one of these author 'New Book Coming Soon! covers, if you're particularly photogenic and have a good, well-lit professional shot to put up there. To heighten awareness of you as the author, as a real person, as a saleable brand. <br />
<br />
If you have other ideas to share about how to increase awareness of an author brand, do let us know in the comments below ...<br />
<br />
My new thriller, ALL YOUR SECRETS, on pre-order now!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSAjyd6oFq9N8gedKTLkK1VMLkRrIUFAQ9rqexKo7QbSj2V3gaorHR6lIymhk2fPQl_ahfoNxJKo5ye4PTi5JLqynzcpcpgJMpBv7ZNf68RnHXtzJd1glWVJ6Zc3CCAxPQxCOdmDcnvTP/s1600/ABSOLUTE+final+cover+all+your+secrets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="949" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSAjyd6oFq9N8gedKTLkK1VMLkRrIUFAQ9rqexKo7QbSj2V3gaorHR6lIymhk2fPQl_ahfoNxJKo5ye4PTi5JLqynzcpcpgJMpBv7ZNf68RnHXtzJd1glWVJ6Zc3CCAxPQxCOdmDcnvTP/s400/ABSOLUTE+final+cover+all+your+secrets.jpg" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Your-Secrets-psychological-NAILBITING-ebook/dp/B071WQ9JNP" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-size: small;">By me: out 2017</span></b></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-62202623666060256272017-05-10T09:00:00.000+01:002017-05-10T09:00:07.715+01:00Guest Post: Chris Hill sings the Song of the Sea God<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27216">
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27274">
<i>Today we have another guest writer on 52 Ways To Write A Novel - Chris Hill, author of <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Song-Sea-God-Chris-Hill/dp/1908011556" target="_blank">SONG OF THE SEA GOD</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pick-Up-Artist-about-Dating-Digital/dp/1910094161" target="_blank">THE PICK-UP ARTIST</a>.</i></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27274">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27274">
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27274">
<i>Lovely to have you here, Chris. </i><br />
<br />
<i>First off, could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?</i></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27272">
Thanks
for having me along today, Jane, it’s a real pleasure to be here! I live
in Gloucestershire and I’m married with two towering teenage sons and a
Cockerpoo called Murphy. I spent a lot of years as a journalist working
on regional newspapers in the UK - I started as a reporter and finished
as an editor. Now I work in PR for a children’s charity called
WellChild who provide nurses for seriously ill children so they can be
cared for in the family home rather than hospital. I’ve
always written fiction, I started with short stories and improved over
time, winning a few awards including the Bridport Prize. Later, I
progressed to writing novels.<br />
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27272">
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRrXu3eM10ZlbjqK4IDTXKCBcN6MNwP61rn2Xv5mmwyuc5w0fztnFBKuMQh5t0blZQ2FzBo7I44dDlNIw9qxWJsfXWI7gbTQjEiSlN63UaZEzISYWPFIWApZx67-CDdjj2RloUCND_21p8/s1600/chris+hill.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRrXu3eM10ZlbjqK4IDTXKCBcN6MNwP61rn2Xv5mmwyuc5w0fztnFBKuMQh5t0blZQ2FzBo7I44dDlNIw9qxWJsfXWI7gbTQjEiSlN63UaZEzISYWPFIWApZx67-CDdjj2RloUCND_21p8/s320/chris+hill.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27270">
<i>What are your ambitions for your writing career and which writers inspire you? </i></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27270">
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27215">
I’d
like to write a book I feel entirely proud of, something I think is the
best thing I could possibly write. I doubt it will ever happen. Most
things I write I just try to make the least bad they can be. My books
are all different from each other, which I know makes no sense
commercially but it pleases me. All authors inspire me - all of them,
good ones, bad ones, self-published, small press, big publisher. I think
writing books and stories is a tremendous thing for people to be doing,
we hold a mirror up to society, we are its conscience and its soul.
That’s no small thing to be involved in.</div>
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<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27269">
<i>What have you written and/or are writing at the moment?</i></div>
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</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27264">
I’ve
had two books published so far. <i>Song of the Sea God </i>(Skylight Press
2012) which is literary fiction, a kind of creepy fairytale about a man
who comes to a small island off the coast of Northern England and
convinces the locals he is a god. And <i>The Pick-Up Artist </i>(Magic Oxygen
Publishing 2015) which is an off-beat rom com about a young man’s
hopeless attempts to find love with the help of PUA movement who claim
to be able to use psychological techniques to attract the opposite sex.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27278">
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27278">
I
have another one done, a crime novel based on my years as a reporter.
It’s sitting in a drawer waiting for me to dust it off and find a
publisher. There’s also a short story collection I’d like to find a home
for. And I’m currently working on a new novel which feels like it’s
going to be a sort of thriller. Most of what I write can be appended
with the word ‘quirky’ for which I feel equally cursed and blessed.</div>
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<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27280">
<i>How much research do you do?</i></div>
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</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27281">
It
depends on the book I think. For Song of the Sea God I had to do all
sorts of reading around ancient myths and religions, for The Pick-Up
Artist I learned about the rather murky world of the PUA movement. For
the crime book I’d lived it as a crime reporter over a number of years
but I did a fair bit of fact checking on technical details.</div>
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<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27283">
<i>When did you decide to become a writer, and why do you write? </i></div>
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<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27284">
I’ve
been writing fiction pretty much since I learned to write I suppose.
Scraps at first in notebooks, then proper stories and later novels. I
don’t know why I write except I feel compelled to. I don’t necessarily
enjoy it that much, it can be a chore, though I do feel better during
periods when I am doing it. Less fidgety, more at peace with myself.</div>
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<i>Do you write full-time or part-time?</i></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcEC9ztKkWpzhHB2R3EeoSWGTGmZZCNy4yFimplpXQyYj8y1R_bHtSPrz4AVXGciJKtzFbIQZq06O5CwPttniRxEASVr4kgoyKbx0jxbkoSGeCYpY_CI9lITZG4fDnMuzICRUsKBhgEbQC/s1600/Song+of+the+Sea+God+visual.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcEC9ztKkWpzhHB2R3EeoSWGTGmZZCNy4yFimplpXQyYj8y1R_bHtSPrz4AVXGciJKtzFbIQZq06O5CwPttniRxEASVr4kgoyKbx0jxbkoSGeCYpY_CI9lITZG4fDnMuzICRUsKBhgEbQC/s400/Song+of+the+Sea+God+visual.jpg" width="258" /></a> I’ve
always worked full time and I have a family so I’m one of those people
who write around the day. That’s probably one reason why it takes me so
long to finish anything. I quite like it this way though, I don’t think
I’d change it even if I could. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27286">
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<div>
<i>Do you have a special time of day when you like to write or a special place where you feel most creative or hard-working?</i></div>
<div>
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27287">
I
carry a notebook around in my man-bag and scribble in it in all sorts
of places - on the bus often. But I also need to sit down in front of
the laptop in the evening a few times a week and work in that more
organised and focussed manner.</div>
<div>
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<i>Are
you a plotter? Do you tend to work to an outline or synopsis, or are
you a 'pantser', someone you prefers to see where an idea takes you?</i></div>
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</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27289">
I
have a kind of middle way. I do some planning at the outset and more as
I go along. I like to know where I am going to end up from the start
but I don’t have a complete roadmap of the entire journey. We all find
our own way of working of course but for me this feels like having my
cake and eating it.</div>
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<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27290">
<i>How long on average does it take you to write a book?</i></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27290">
</div>
<div>
It
takes me about two years in all, one for the first draft, one for
rewrites, and I procrastinate a lot before I even get started. I don’t
suppose I will ever be particularly prolific!</div>
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<div>
<i>Do you ever get writer’s block?</i></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Not
as such, though I do take a long time to get started and then a long
time to write anything to the level where I am satisfied with it. I do
envy writers who talk about having crashed out a book in just a few
months. </div>
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<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27291">
<i>Ha, I'd better not rub it in then that I wrote my last 100,000 word novel in 9 weeks. Do
you read much - I know I find it hard to make time for reading these
days - and if so who are your favourite authors? Is your drug of choice
fiction or non-fiction? Any particular kind?</i></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
I’m always
reading, I don’t think I could trust a writer who didn’t read. It’s
mostly fiction though I go through non-fiction periods too. I read
literary fiction mostly but I have read books in most genres too I
suppose, over time. My first love was the work of the American novelists
of the last half of the 20th century - now recently deceased. People
like Updike, Heller, Vonnegut, Bellow. They combined fabulous writing,
great narrative voices and amazing plots and characters. But since then
I’ve spread my interests fairly widely.</div>
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<div>
<i>For your own reading, do you prefer ebooks or 'proper' books? (Personally, I love an improper book.)</i></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVY22BAUT2aAAeIPMXvRJ7zntKlW4KMTmPe7DNPt7BNI8W1Nck749Ith393u7YAhIVcjQLgCbnuv0XVffy6vJcCzo613IMsPSdJZFQsWYUi1UqKpxCfxRzYytlqg1UUmod4sNL81GE3LU/s1600/The+Pick-Up+Artist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVY22BAUT2aAAeIPMXvRJ7zntKlW4KMTmPe7DNPt7BNI8W1Nck749Ith393u7YAhIVcjQLgCbnuv0XVffy6vJcCzo613IMsPSdJZFQsWYUi1UqKpxCfxRzYytlqg1UUmod4sNL81GE3LU/s400/The+Pick-Up+Artist.jpg" width="281" /></a>It’s
dead trees all the way for me. I do have a Kindle and have read books
on it but for all kinds of reasons: emotional, physical, nostalgic,
sensory, I prefer a book made of paper. There was a report recently in
the media about the decline in ebooks and the resurgence of print ones.
I’m sure there’s room for both but I don’t see print disappearing when
it comes to books. Newspapers are a different matter. </div>
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<div>
<i>What are you reading at present?</i></div>
<div>
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27292">
The
last three books I’ve read have been <i>A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering
Genius</i> by Dave Eggers, <i>The Bell Jar</i> by Sylvia Plath and I’m half way
through <i>American Gods</i> by Neil Gaiman. All wonderful books in their own
way and an eclectic selection as always.</div>
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<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27294">
<i>Tell
us about your book covers and how they came about, and do you think
that the cover plays an important part in the buying process? </i></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27294">
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27293">
I
suppose it must be important though personally I don’t think I have
ever bought a book because of the cover. I work with my publishers on
them. Small press publishers tend to be quite collaborative so I’ve
enjoyed the process. We’ve discussed ideas, I’ve shown them covers I
like and so on. With Song of the Sea God I even gave them photos I liked
which were taken by a friend of mine on Walney Island where the book is
set, and one of those ended up on the cover.</div>
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<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27298">
<i>How do you market your books, and do you have any advice for other authors on how to market their books?</i></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27298">
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27299">
I
do PR and marketing for my day job so it’s a bit of a busman’s holiday
for me, that side of things. I enjoy social media and blogging. I don’t
think there’s a magic bullet; awareness grows over time. At my last book
launch, my eldest son was with me. After about the fifth person had come
up to me like an old friend because they knew me online, my lad said:
“Wow dad, you might not be famous, but you are Twitter famous.”</div>
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<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27302">
<i>What
part of your writing time do you devote to marketing your book, and is
there any marketing technique you've personally used that had a strong
impact on your sales figures? (We all want to know this!)</i></div>
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</div>
<div>
I’m
doing less at the moment as I’m between books - I get on it a lot more
when I have a new one out but I always try to be classy and not bang
people over the head with my ‘product’. That’s a big turnoff for all of
us, isn’t it? I don’t think you can beat physically standing in front of
people at events and talking to readers. I do that when I can.</div>
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<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27306">
<i>I quite enjoy clouting people over the head with my books. Thanks for coming along to chat to us today, Chris. How can readers discover more about you and your work?</i></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27311">
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27307">
My website</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27309">
<a href="https://www.chrishillauthor.co.uk/" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27308" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">https://www.chrishillauthor. co.uk/</a></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27309">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27310">
Facebook</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27313">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/chris.hill.3726" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27312" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/ chris.hill.3726</a></div>
<div>
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27314">
Twitter</div>
<div>
<a href="https://twitter.com/ChilledCH">https://twitter.com/ChilledCH</a></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27315">
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div>
Song of the Sea God</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27317">
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Song-Sea-God-Chris-Hill/dp/1908011556/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348771443&sr=1-1" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27316" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Song- Sea-God-Chris-Hill/dp/ 1908011556</a></div>
<div>
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27327">
The Pick-Up Artist</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27326">
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pick-Up-Artist-about-Dating-Digital/dp/1910094161/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1423855805&sr=1-1" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494169740147_27325" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pick-
Up-Artist-about-Dating- Digital/dp/1910094161</a></div>
</div>
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Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-62088607103420558202017-05-04T13:44:00.002+01:002017-05-04T13:47:56.804+01:00Guest Post: Su Bristow on the writing of SEALSKIN<style>
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This week, novelist Su Bristow shares with us the mechanics and mystery behind the writing of her debut novel, SEALSKIN. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyv0j-GFxX09XUf3nRHfXwOAUX1EzR9ti_pUrMUBb794onU_p5INVna9wPltPciszUWyjNRC6SNQ04nQ09FTcZiY6hvBuMCgKf3gaI6jx-3gO-K39ktU8S33eZrbs_GOQv8mIZlu_VMpFV/s1600/SealSkin+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyv0j-GFxX09XUf3nRHfXwOAUX1EzR9ti_pUrMUBb794onU_p5INVna9wPltPciszUWyjNRC6SNQ04nQ09FTcZiY6hvBuMCgKf3gaI6jx-3gO-K39ktU8S33eZrbs_GOQv8mIZlu_VMpFV/s400/SealSkin+Cover.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sealskin-Su-Bristow-ebook/dp/B01MSUB9W6" target="_blank">SEALSKIN: Amazon UK</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>SEALSKIN</i></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
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<blockquote>
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<i>What happens when magic collides with reality?</i> </div>
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<i>Donald is a young
fisherman, eking out a lonely living on the west coast of Scotland. One
night he witnesses something miraculous ... and makes a terrible mistake.
His action changes lives - not only his own, but those of his family
and the entire tightly knit community in which they live. Can he ever
atone for the wrong he has done, and can love grow when its foundation
is violence?</i></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
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<i>Based on the legend of the selkies - seals who can transform
into people - Sealskin is a magical story, evoking the harsh beauty of
the landscape, the resilience of its people, both human and animal, and
the triumph of hope over fear and prejudice. Rich with myth and
magic, Sealskin is, nonetheless, a very human story, as relevant to our
world as to the timeless place in which it is set. And it is, quite
simply, unforgettable. </i></div>
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<i><b>Su Bristow: </b></i>Hi Jane, and thank you for the invitation to write a guest
post for 52 Ways To Write A Novel.<br />
<br />
My debut novel, Sealskin, came out in February this year,
published by Orenda Books.<i> </i>Does that qualify me to talk about how to write a novel? Of
course not! All I can do is tell you how I wrote this one. The process will
certainly be different next time; for a start, Sealskin took years to write. I
don’t think I’ll ever match your speed, but it won’t take quite so long the
second time around. I’ve learned – I hope! – a thing or two along the way.</div>
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<br />
But I do have a day job, so writing happens when other
things don’t. And a lot of the process, for me at least, happens when I’m not
sitting at the computer. Bits of plot fall into place, characters develop, and
whole passages of dialogue unroll themselves while I’m walking, or gardening,
or driving; anything that doesn’t need full concentration. The actual word
count doesn’t tell anything like the whole story.</div>
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<br />
That’s true for most people who write, of course, but I
gather it’s quite unusual not to have blizzards of post-it notes around your
desk, or time-line diagrams, lists of characters and so forth. All of that was
inside my head until I actually came to write it down. Is it more or less
efficient that way? Well, I did try writing notes now and then, but I never
looked at them again, so they were pretty much redundant.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTy40VlHjvDuei-XaWPYqjFYZnqGneNW5-Tz6c95PupQT0PivOEFgLNtH965WJeFtsOrreGerDn1kd-Dwsa25JeVyASr_QvEeSI0Ht4xK7hMeBY1uUi0RNYDf2nhsfE3RgpepynsahtCh/s1600/Su+Bristow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTy40VlHjvDuei-XaWPYqjFYZnqGneNW5-Tz6c95PupQT0PivOEFgLNtH965WJeFtsOrreGerDn1kd-Dwsa25JeVyASr_QvEeSI0Ht4xK7hMeBY1uUi0RNYDf2nhsfE3RgpepynsahtCh/s400/Su+Bristow.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Author of SEALSKIN: Su Bristow</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
However, Sealskin is a retelling of a legend, so the basic
structure of the story was already there. I knew how it started and how it
ended; my job was to colour in the picture, add some twists and turns, and make
sense of the huge moral anomaly at the heart of the story. For those who
haven’t come across it before, the story comes from the west coast of Scotland,
and it tells how a young fisherman witnessed a marvel one moonlit night: nine
seals came ashore, took off their skins and became young women, dancing naked
on the beach. He hid one of the skins, so that one of the selkies – as they are
called – could not go back to the sea, and he ‘took her home to be his wife’.</div>
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And there’s the problem. Is this really a sweet, sad,
romantic tale? It’s usually told that way, but the selkie woman has no choice,
and certainly does not consent. She mourns for her lost life, and when the
chance comes to return to the sea, she does not hesitate, even though, by then,
she has human children whom she has to leave behind. As a younger woman, I
might have told it as another example of how women can be used by men, tricked
into servitude for sex, domestic labour and childbearing. But these days I’m
more interested in how people find their way through the traumas that life
deals out, and how getting it wrong at first can teach us, if we’re willing,
how to get it right for ourselves and for others. After all, I’ve spent most of
my working life helping people to do just that.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj147RKrF2FDkASXkB7hyoX7mG-MpMyqm5vs3tfvjZjAzh1CvZuLxkTbM_KypVlHdjvqNmDhRg-Y5rLBRu_RpI4Red73p9sfRZ1N8Q0mcBBj-qXg0oTDYKfOiz_eYDQg6whuWxveAwMs8ZA/s1600/SealSkin+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj147RKrF2FDkASXkB7hyoX7mG-MpMyqm5vs3tfvjZjAzh1CvZuLxkTbM_KypVlHdjvqNmDhRg-Y5rLBRu_RpI4Red73p9sfRZ1N8Q0mcBBj-qXg0oTDYKfOiz_eYDQg6whuWxveAwMs8ZA/s200/SealSkin+Cover.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
So I decided to tell the story from the point of view of
Donald, the young fisherman. How did he come to do this dreadful thing? And if
he came to regret it and tried to make amends, how would that work? I told it
in deep third, so that we are always inside his head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was partly because Donald himself – at
least at first – has trouble seeing things from other people’s point of view, but
also because I wanted to follow his emotional and spiritual journey as he
slowly, painfully, begins to grow up through his love for Mairhi and his desire
to atone for his crime. There is no omniscient narrator: we see the way people
change through Donald’s own eyes, and through what they say and what they do.
And as Mairhi herself never speaks – or at least not in words – we have only
her actions to give us clues to her inner life. Like Donald, we have to learn
to interpret what we see and experience. Showing, not telling, was definitely
the name of the game.</div>
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<br />
I won’t say too much about the twists and sub-plots in the
novel, for those who haven’t read it yet. But as I arranged it into the short
chapters that some people have commented on, I had in mind the action of waves
on the shore: most of them small, only changing things a little, and from time
to time a bigger, more dramatic one, that leaves the landscape different and
sometimes almost unrecognisable. Each wave brings something, and takes
something away. Land and sea are joined in an eternal dance. They can’t be
united, but there is mutual dependence. That’s one of the major themes of
Sealskin, played out through all of the characters in the book.</div>
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<i><br /></i>
<i>Thanks for those insights, Su! </i><br />
<br />
<i>I very much enjoyed reading Sealskin, and can see why it has capitvated so many readers. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Don't get concerned about your way of working though. Some novels I've written have required complex timelines on whiteboards - mostly multiple point-of-view historicals - while other novels, like the psychological thriller I finished writing today, had nothing down on paper except a 2-page synopsis from which I strayed quite far at times. The notes happened in my head. </i><br />
<br />
<i>So it may be down to the book in hand. Not necessarily a process we choose, or one which is good or bad, or more problematic than any other, for instance, but a response to the task we set ourselves when we write the first line of a new novel.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Best of luck with your next project! - <b>Jane</b></i><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>SELECTED PRAISE FOR SEALSKIN </b></i></div>
<br />
<i><b>
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<i><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "avenir book"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Avenir Book"; mso-fareast-language: JA;">‘An extraordinary book: original, vivid, tender and atmospheric. Su
Bristow’s writing is fluid and flawless, and this is a story so deeply
immersive that you emerge at the end, gasping for air’</span> <span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "avenir book"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Avenir Book"; mso-fareast-language: JA;">- Iona Grey</span></b></i></div>
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<i><b>
</b></i></blockquote>
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<i><b></b></i><br />
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<i><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "avenir book"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">‘An evocative story,
told with skill and beauty, that held me spellbound until the very last page’ </span><span style="font-family: "avenir book";">- Amanda Jennings</span><i><b> </b></i></b></i></div>
</blockquote>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "avenir book"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sealskin</i>
is the most exquisite tale of love, forgiveness and magic. Inspired by the
legends of the selkies, this gorgeous novel is a dark fairy tale, an ode to
traditional storytelling, a tribute to the stories we loved hearing as
children. But be warned – this is no happy-ever-after tale. The language is
just glorious, poetic and rich but precise. And her characters – oh, they will
remain in your heart long after you’ve closed the last page. Mairhi – especially
since she never really “speaks” – is a beautiful mystery, but one who haunted
me when I was between chapters. If this is her first, then I can’t wait to read
whatever Su Bristow bestows upon the literary world next’ - Louise Beech</span></b></i></div>
<i><b>
</b></i></blockquote>
<i><b></b></i><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<i><b><span style="font-family: "avenir book"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Buy Sealsin on Amazon here: <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sealskin-Su-Bristow-ebook/dp/B01MSUB9W6">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sealskin-Su-Bristow-ebook/dp/B01MSUB9W6</a></span><span style="font-family: "avenir book"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
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<i><b>
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Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-21839674939133131222017-03-18T13:45:00.001+00:002017-03-19T13:54:49.692+00:00Week Thirty-Nine: Pitching Novels at the London Book FairSo this week was the London Book Fair at Olympia, Kensington. I went along, as I usually do these days, met my agent, talked to my editors, went to several parties, chatted with fellow authors and a few publishers I may work with in future. And now my feet are throbbing and I'm laid up in bed with post-Fair flu.<br />
<br />
But it was all worth it. Honest.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwuu9mMFs-8ATnv8ZyAfffcRmbRk-JsiPxhaK1bbLTN6Rn_qPrq437HfruK14QaroHa8P8IJ2dBeJTiWFW1walqNxqNFD99MaeOpgf1x3IEwWv9aLL2S0JLwLXFP958ptIFtmkAJOiJxj/s1600/C7DUqe9WsAAw6Yf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwuu9mMFs-8ATnv8ZyAfffcRmbRk-JsiPxhaK1bbLTN6Rn_qPrq437HfruK14QaroHa8P8IJ2dBeJTiWFW1walqNxqNFD99MaeOpgf1x3IEwWv9aLL2S0JLwLXFP958ptIFtmkAJOiJxj/s400/C7DUqe9WsAAw6Yf.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>London Book Fair 2017</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
At the LBF, you will find thousands of publishers, editors, agents, and yes, even authors, from all over the world, and all under one roof for three days of buzz and excitement about books. Plus associated book-trade businesses and bodies, including bigger names like the Society of Authors, the Bookseller, etc. Then there's the Ivy Club, which hosts a special pop-up for the fair, with individual booths boasting luxurious leather sofas and armchairs, where all the top London agents do their deals. (Including my own agent, of course, <i>dahling</i>!)<br />
<br />
All the fun of the fair, in other words, in one massive exhibition hall with free books and handouts on almost every corner!<br />
<br />
Never traditionally an author-friendly event, the LBF has become increasingly more open to authors in recent years. There is the large Author HQ hub, for starters, an entire corner of the fair devoted to all things author. Amazon's KDP self-publishing company seems to sponsor much of this activity, and their team will happily talk to anyone who strolls up and asks about self or indie publishing. At Author HQ, you can hear writers talking to a large audience about their self-publishing successes, or even editors and agents disclosing what they're currently looking for ('A great story with strong characters,' is invariably the unhelpful answer). There's another area at the fair dedicated to children's publishing too, with talks that go on all day, also featuring writers and editors etc.<br />
<br />
As an unpublished author, or if you're looking for representation, you can pitch to individual agents - possibly editors too - in the Author Hub if you book up a pitch slot well in advance. There's more about this on the London Book Fair website.<br />
<br />
There are frequent launches and even publisher parties that sometimes allow you to drift in univited, especially if it's a smaller indie publisher. See what's on at the LBF website or look out for 'party here 6pm' notices. You can also hook up with fellow authors for a chat about trends and, ahem, any new gossip. Some of them may even stand you a coffee ... Thanks, Alison!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQn7yCjQhT3_4wnpSJ11gGgM0uMAEilNWh53kyGp-klzf9vWZcRknTpHgAcoXicl2jo-DyAvSS4nat6E8rtbyLpzzpybSAL76gNoTTge5JPX59D2qjZiOwJ_wIKMB-Xr5w934mgEbqEeVa/s1600/jane+and+alison+morton+at+London+Book+Fair+2017+photo+by+anita+chapman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQn7yCjQhT3_4wnpSJ11gGgM0uMAEilNWh53kyGp-klzf9vWZcRknTpHgAcoXicl2jo-DyAvSS4nat6E8rtbyLpzzpybSAL76gNoTTge5JPX59D2qjZiOwJ_wIKMB-Xr5w934mgEbqEeVa/s400/jane+and+alison+morton+at+London+Book+Fair+2017+photo+by+anita+chapman.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I often meet up with fabulous author <a href="https://twitter.com/alison_morton" target="_blank">Alison Morton</a> at LBF for a good old book natter. This year we shared a table and a chat with <a href="https://twitter.com/jjackson42" target="_blank">John Jackson </a>too, who's just landed a contract with Crooked Cat Books. Thanks to <a href="http://neetsmarketing.com/" target="_blank">Anita Chapman</a> for the pic!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
If you're already published, and/or represented, the fair is a great place to meet your editor(s) and agent, and discuss the year before and the year ahead. You should ask them for a meeting slot a couple of months before the fair - which is an early spring event, usually April, though it was in March this year, which everyone agreed gave it a very different, slightly under-prepared feel.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>NB</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Everything I am about to say is my individual opinion, based on my own experience, which is fairly considerable but limited to certain areas of publishing. It's not gospel. Caveat lector.</i></div>
<br />
Prepare well for this meeting. You may only get ten minutes, or up to half an hour if you're lucky, to pitch possibly several projects in a convincing manner. Wednesday is a good day for an appointment. Tuesday, everyone is getting settled in. Thursday, everyone is tired, especially by the afternoon, and may already be thinking about heading home, rather than listening to your pitch.<br />
<br />
Don't over-dress for the occasion. You're not going for a modelling job or to seduce (not physically, anyway). But do wear something clean and smart-casual.<br />
<br />
Writers can get away with a scruffy look as 'creatives' but generally only if they're men. Sexist, I know, but you could reduce your chances of a sale if you turn up looking like a bag lady. I rarely wear make-up but always slap some on for the LBF. I also dye my hair to remove a few grey hairs - only a few though, honest. I'm still practically a teenager. This year I wore black leggings and a black top on the first day - pretty low-key - but coupled it with a new suede jacket and a glitzy necklace. To meet my agent and editors at the Ivy Club, I wore black boots and a bright, slightly kookie, knee-length skirt with again, a plain black top.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJ5dieQbKxh3yqAtMa7Cw1cPURQ6zhTgpEi9bnlITiiXfvhfXlC3lssBsbvUzWG8F-rGVquyY3aAUddEAXp0CCML_13TNL6OpDwtWxXpBz5gTKe8Lv_wufEw9xZffFm0Pj8JazU8opN-V/s1600/C68tM-dWgAEyN_Y.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJ5dieQbKxh3yqAtMa7Cw1cPURQ6zhTgpEi9bnlITiiXfvhfXlC3lssBsbvUzWG8F-rGVquyY3aAUddEAXp0CCML_13TNL6OpDwtWxXpBz5gTKe8Lv_wufEw9xZffFm0Pj8JazU8opN-V/s320/C68tM-dWgAEyN_Y.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Slightly crazed, but not actively terrifying. One hopes.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Dressing like you belong in an industry is the first step to getting into it. So while it may feel a bit superficial, do consider your look and what it says about you. And never drench yourself in perfume or body spray beforehand. It can make people uncomfortable and they'll soon want you to go away!<br />
<br />
For the pitch itself, much will depend on your relationship with the person you're pitching to, and also your track record. Old hands in a longterm relationship with an agent/editor may be able to get away with very little by way of a pitch ('It's a Christmas romcom,' was one of my briefest pitches this year, which got a nod) while if you're newer to the business, or transitioning from one genre/publisher to another, you will almost certainly need to go into greater detail.<br />
<br />
In some cases, the discussion may even become thorny and require delicate navigation to avoid looking like a total noob. Be prepared to answer difficult (often unanswerable, in my opinion) questions like, 'Who do you see as the readership for that book?' or 'What's its USP?' (Unique Selling Point).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JEW-ttMm8SCxDx_WFdrJadQTcISn1KgDp73-7UrXMrcKUtPXwYV9XlayzmE2CWItEnksYJw1r34uPyo6ufQOVBnBAJxsy2r4nAAnroITn_Fq103Kmy6PsummrwaW6FgT_ptG0k7j_Lzy/s1600/51fao1pbnsL-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JEW-ttMm8SCxDx_WFdrJadQTcISn1KgDp73-7UrXMrcKUtPXwYV9XlayzmE2CWItEnksYJw1r34uPyo6ufQOVBnBAJxsy2r4nAAnroITn_Fq103Kmy6PsummrwaW6FgT_ptG0k7j_Lzy/s320/51fao1pbnsL-1.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">This is my <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01HEKF8NM" target="_blank">latest book</a>: a domestic noir psychological thriller, in a nutshell. (Not literally in a nutshell. That would be weird.) </span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Avoid answering, 'Blimey, I dunno,' to the first (even though it's probably an honest response) as you need to at least <i>pretend </i>to have considered such a question. 'Young professionals' would be better, or even something tighter like 'college-educated women between 18 and 60.' For the USP, if you're at a total loss, you could always try something equally buzzwordy, like 'Oh, it's a high concept premise.' Naturally, this won't wash well if it's, for instance, a gentle romantic novel where nothing unexpected happens.<br />
<br />
So think about USP and readerships and longterm strategies and market placement (where your book might fit alongside other similar books) and also author branding. But don't get fixated on them. The story is still everything.<br />
<br />
Author branding is where the publisher puts you in a box, composed neatly of whatever novels you normally write, and heaven help you if you decide you want to make a hole in that box later, escape and write something different. Branding will suit some writers better than others. But publishers do love branding their authors - ouch! - and if you can approach a hungry-for-series editor with a new series/brand idea that fits the current market, especially if it has a high concept USP, you're almost certain to get a yes.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTirLD5LAGVepYRGepBLdVlVglAw2psVVRcUnDN9P1oEGv68eFXok7tZDE3HMH1tqZvUUBDehRwswlnL1ArCck52cmdCU2cIVZ-26V0Mis2y8gfX0Z603beph6NqUjmMXzJtH8XxpObYFr/s1600/Alison+Morton_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTirLD5LAGVepYRGepBLdVlVglAw2psVVRcUnDN9P1oEGv68eFXok7tZDE3HMH1tqZvUUBDehRwswlnL1ArCck52cmdCU2cIVZ-26V0Mis2y8gfX0Z603beph6NqUjmMXzJtH8XxpObYFr/s320/Alison+Morton_sm.jpg" width="273" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">For an example of a brilliantly constructed author brand, look at Alison Morton's 6-book Roma Nova series, starting with <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/INCEPTIO-Roma-Nova-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00K5OO4QW" target="_blank">INCEPTIO</a>.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Almost certain. Not a guarantee. Because there are no guarantees anymore. Not even with so-called 'safe' books that seem to fit the market perfectly.<br />
<br />
In these troubled economic times, with the book trade shifting constantly under our feet, book people have become nervous types who want to hang onto their jobs. If your great new idea makes a loss, they're the first ones to suffer. So they're always looking for sure ground, for safe choices, for reasons to say no. Not reasons to say yes. Go into every pitch meeting with that caveat in mind.<br />
<br />
Prepare, but don't look over-prepared. Don't clutch a synopsis sheet in your sweaty fist - or worse, a laminated sheet or something in a protective plastic wallet - and stare down at it while stammering out the printed words. Be relaxed, be natural, take a breath. Smile.<br />
<br />
In film and television, pitching is a thirty-second art at entry level: fast, slick and honed. Bang, bang, bang ... and out. Things are gradually moving in that direction in fiction land too, but we're not there yet, thank goodness. Old habits die hard. Novelists pitching to agents and editors may not bother with much small talk anymore, under sheer pressure of time, but 'Hello, how are you?' for instance, is still incorporated into most pitching strategies.<br />
<br />
For your actual pitch, first know the market as well as any author possibly can. As above, 'It's a Christmas romcom,' pins an idea down to a niche genre and even a seasonal market. Perfect. Details come only after you've laid that groundwork in the listener's head. If you've done good research, you might even suggest a publisher. 'It's a dwarves and sorcerers epic; Tor might be interested.'<br />
<br />
If it's literary fiction, look confident and pitch that as a genre. 'It's commercial lit fic' won't necessarily turn them off (even if it's not likely to be commercial, pretend that it is and hope they accept that at face value; honesty is not always the best policy when pitching!). Some big lit fic books can make massive sales these days, especially if they are issue-based. Everyone loves a big issue they can get weepy over. (Not me personally. But then, I'm 'ard as nails.) All the same, your chances of a yes to lit fic will improve if you can throw some <i>recent</i> bestselling buzz-names in there: 'It's on similar ground to Jessie Burton/Joanna Cannon/Emma Healey' should make their ears prick up. Note the recent bit. Everything has to be new, new, new in publishing. Don't tell them it's like a Catherine Cookson novel, or they'll already be looking over your shoulder at the next person in the queue.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDH1SKHFgpk_1_dCF4BJ7FAuDBvUnUm41CC2k44cF0FFyRNIpuf64Gt75TX51tB4cM9jTwSxBNtbJcaEeZQhNHMxx9c8SRLr7k1HDG5a2yIF4zd6OLThuSpH-LquR9MMwreShlAhu2iuVT/s1600/IMG_3843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDH1SKHFgpk_1_dCF4BJ7FAuDBvUnUm41CC2k44cF0FFyRNIpuf64Gt75TX51tB4cM9jTwSxBNtbJcaEeZQhNHMxx9c8SRLr7k1HDG5a2yIF4zd6OLThuSpH-LquR9MMwreShlAhu2iuVT/s320/IMG_3843.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Be as specific as possible. 'It's a <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Berties-Gift-perfect-feel-good-read-ebook/dp/B01F6K1UYI" target="_blank">Christmas animal fiction feel-good novel</a> for adults ...'</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Once you have their attention with some firm market placement, pitch the story itself, starting with character. Character is vital to a pitch. Total lack of a plot will get you a no almost every time, of course. But if your character sounds intriguing, an interested agent/editor may try to help you improve the plot rather than give a flat no to a character description that's hooked them.<br />
<br />
Beware of too much detail though. Details will bog you down and you'll lose sight of that USP.<br />
<br />
'It's about this mother who ...' (Try to be emotive with your nouns: 'mother' or 'wife' will work better than 'It's about this woman.' I know, I know, what can I say?) Work in two or three key characters, quick as possible, and then tell the listener why they should care about them. Jobs can be useful shortcuts to building a character if all else fails. 'It's about this mother/wife/zoo keeper's assistant who's dying of [incurable disease/condition] and she wants someone to [look after her elephants etc.] when she's gone.'<br />
<br />
Pressure is always a good way to make a pitch sound saleable. Unity of time, as Aristotle knew, gives even a mediocre plot that extra edge. 'There's this astronaut stranded on Jupiter and he only has fifteen hours to save all of mankind.' Make sure you turn the screw hard though. 'Unfortunately, he has to sacrifice his wife and baby son in order to save the world.' Who could resist that?<br />
<br />
Which brings me to my next caveat.<br />
<br />
Make sure you're pitching the right story to the right person. The editor who wants the Christmas romcom is unlikely to want the Jupiter astronaut story. An easy-going agent might take both, but most agents will be looking to steer you down a branded path if possible. One or two related genres only. Be aware of that when going in with five different book pitches all in different genres. You could look like a no-hoper without realising it.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlpLoR56Xp26njVrr1xO38z6SCQwUn_sR04XaI6jl0xEIYR9S-INDwqerwNkPcM-DaHGRgazAtvWvmsS9vdXfDPQIzNSo7lOWc3huyALbGhbaS-aqm7LS59rt1ucbYHnOnmeEZ-l8cYZZ/s1600/male+writer+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlpLoR56Xp26njVrr1xO38z6SCQwUn_sR04XaI6jl0xEIYR9S-INDwqerwNkPcM-DaHGRgazAtvWvmsS9vdXfDPQIzNSo7lOWc3huyALbGhbaS-aqm7LS59rt1ucbYHnOnmeEZ-l8cYZZ/s320/male+writer+photo.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">'If this Western pitch doesn't work out, maybe they'll like my idea for a sci fi 7-book series set inside a black hole. Or my paranormal trilogy set in Basingstoke.'</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Especially when approaching an agent for the first time, try to look like you work in one discrete area by only preparing pitches that fit that genre. Romance OR historicals OR crime, or subsets of these. Not all of them. At least for now. You can bamboozle them with something different once you've hooked them. Alternatively, if an agent says at the end, 'Is there anything else you'd like to write/you're working on?' that could be a signal they like you as a person/writer, but not the genre or ideas you've been pitching. Then you could say, 'Actually, yes, I'm also interested in giant alien bug attacks.'<br />
<br />
Despite all these games and ploys, the best book pitches are natural and fit organically into the flow of the discussion. They should come across as more a conversation than a pitch, an easy give-and-take. Tell the story of the book, if you like, but keep it short and animated. If they interrupt a pitch to ask questions, so much the better. Don't answer briefly, with impatience, and then go doggedly back to your pitch. Let the pitch develop into an organic conversation. If their eyes glaze over at any point, move on quickly to your next idea.<br />
<br />
And make sure you have a second idea. And a third, and even a fourth, if necessary. You may only need - or have time - to pitch one. So make it your best idea, the one you've prepared most for. But don't be surprised if they prefer the final, slightly desperate pitch you pull out of thin air at the last second, maybe something you thought up on the way to the meeting or that fell out of your mouth unexpectedly when you started talking.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGd295L7DzDpphAJgBfDCrh6gQzLz4QY78U1mUpUWvz9SvMQRkMZcBx1FkZwnJKJKa86xco8nfwGHUCUALf0GPIgJhigAjKIpguF5mZ7Yhvx-OZeHHgUi8zFxgz2HbiSQxJnrQ69dn2QO/s1600/C7EFNhvWoAAm2ya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGd295L7DzDpphAJgBfDCrh6gQzLz4QY78U1mUpUWvz9SvMQRkMZcBx1FkZwnJKJKa86xco8nfwGHUCUALf0GPIgJhigAjKIpguF5mZ7Yhvx-OZeHHgUi8zFxgz2HbiSQxJnrQ69dn2QO/s400/C7EFNhvWoAAm2ya.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Borough Book Bash, held every month, is a London pub-based event open to anyone interested in publishing. Great place to network after LBF with up-and-coming editors and book folk, and also to get new Twitter followers, ahem! </i></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Book people like pitching authors to be prepared and in control of their material. But they <i>love</i> raw. They love passion and edge and sheer buzz. They're always looking for that new thing, that big thing, that shimmering book just out of sight ...<br />
<br />
So make sure you keep at least one back-up, half-formed, slightly crazy idea in your noddle. Not on paper, never on paper. And whizz that idea out if you think it's gone badly, and the agent is politely opening their mouth to say, 'Well, it was lovely to meet you ...'<br />
<br />
If things go well, you may not need that crazy back-up idea. But it's there, just in case.<br />
<br />
Most importantly, if pitching to someone you may work with over a number of years, make sure you can get on with that person. Hard to judge in a ten minute meeting, I know. But trust your gut. They'll be trusting their guts on the other side of the table. So if they say no, they may be doing both of you a favour. You need to find the person who clicks with you and your writing, so you can both make it a longterm working relationship, not a one or two-book deal.<br />
<br />
Get an email address and hand over a card if you like, but the important thing is to make a real connection. That other stuff can come later.<br />
<br />
Good luck!<br />
<br />
Oh, and bring water and snacks. There are places to eat and drink at the book fair, but they're often very busy, and are also very expensive. And if you're female, watch out for those long queues for the loo, especially around lunchtime. Take something to read while you wait!Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-91147726382582858732017-03-01T09:00:00.000+00:002017-03-05T16:48:58.526+00:00Week Thirty-Eight: On Staying Energised as a WriterSometimes being a writer feels like the hardest thing in the world.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHwNQlOx7wCzEcrRsXU3VaSOklGERbY2rZUFN4vkGwFgOsU6LGw5AjnKvWXb56IsofElWe1s6quLdqQe1nw2ePuWtl7MQ6w_rhipKCmvzxTn_Yt3iav4uAvVGO4Om6J1S1ySOwXQXVRpP/s1600/dreamstime_xs_29859378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHwNQlOx7wCzEcrRsXU3VaSOklGERbY2rZUFN4vkGwFgOsU6LGw5AjnKvWXb56IsofElWe1s6quLdqQe1nw2ePuWtl7MQ6w_rhipKCmvzxTn_Yt3iav4uAvVGO4Om6J1S1ySOwXQXVRpP/s320/dreamstime_xs_29859378.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: small;">'What chance have I got among all these?'</span></i></b></td></tr>
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<br />
It isn't, of course.<br />
<br />
But that doesn't mean we don't become tired, getting up in the morning and seeing either that nothing has changed or life just got a little harder than the day before.<br />
<br />
This isn't <a href="http://52waystowrite.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/week-six-novel-avoidance-syndrome.html" target="_blank">Novel Avoidance Syndrome</a>, though it shares symptoms with that condition.<br />
<br />
This isn't fear of success, though others may dismiss it as such. <br />
<br />
This isn't even fear of failure. It can strike long-established writers as much as newbies. Perhaps more so, as we no longer have that starry-eyed 'anything could happen' vision to fuel our dreams.<br />
<br />
It's about feeling swamped in an overcrowded marketplace teeming with other talented writers. Thrown in with your heavy books to sink or swim, while publishers mostly keep their dainty toes out of the water and direct from the poolside instead.<br />
<br />
'Backstroke now. That's the spirit. No resting!'<br />
<br />
It's about having great ideas and not being able to act on them. Like we're all on some vast synchronised swimming team. <br />
<br />
'I said, backstroke! Not butterfly. Same as everyone else, please.'<br />
<br />
It's about not having the publisher that's right for you, or not having a publisher at all and having to carve out your own path as an independent. How to rise above the crowd as an indie? How to successfully promote a book on your own while not spamming people with links and alongside so many hundreds of thousands of other, possibly similar books?<br />
<br />
It's about not being able to get reviews without crawling through mud and barbed wire for them. Or increasingly getting clusters of one star reviews, often for reasons that hurt the soul. 'Didn't download properly.' 'I hate romcoms but this one was free.' 'Haven't read it yet.'<br />
<br />
It's about things that ought to be simple going wrong, often insanely wrong, and not feeling able to complain or say anything about it in public, in case we lose our jobs.<br />
<br />
'Another thirty lengths, please!'<br />
<br />
It's about approaching other writers covertly for advice, and getting the door slammed in our faces for the same reasons as above.<br />
<br />
'Stay at the correct distance! No whispering in the ranks!'<br />
<br />
Sometimes it seems as though all the joy and excitement and the sheer drama of writing and publishing a novel is being sucked out of the process, to be replaced by emptiness and the steady creaking of some invisible conveyor-belt.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmeMU8Rie2JUldykB0Q4NAeWih9vFtZ37qWD542VtU1IVzpfe5VurNmqIS1Htu5aMm7IQaCSdsNQGdpY2meI2T5tqJul0URdWMlmRzwJvaY13vNFWo-094JwQehfbEnQH0pAbj8TDsBwhE/s1600/cartoon+man+typing+Robert+Florian+writer+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmeMU8Rie2JUldykB0Q4NAeWih9vFtZ37qWD542VtU1IVzpfe5VurNmqIS1Htu5aMm7IQaCSdsNQGdpY2meI2T5tqJul0URdWMlmRzwJvaY13vNFWo-094JwQehfbEnQH0pAbj8TDsBwhE/s320/cartoon+man+typing+Robert+Florian+writer+photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: small;">Factory Hen Novelists</span></i></b></td></tr>
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<br />
So how do we get past this feeling of being jaded or washed-up, as professional novelists? How do we recapture our enthusiasm not only powerfully enough to finish our novels, but to write bestsellers, and to keep on writing bestsellers?<br />
<br />
Here are a few thoughts:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
1. SHUT YOURSELF OFF FROM THE INTERNET</div>
<br />
If the world out there is getting you down, if your reviews are crap or non-existent, or your ranking is in the toilet, or that wet-behind-the-ears new MA course writer gets asked for her 'expert' opinion on how-to-pen-a-novel while nobody gives a flying crap what you, veteran of dozens of bloody published novels, think about writing, if you're beginning to hate everything about this process ... try not to look up quite so often from your keyboard.<br />
<br />
In days of yore, before the internet made us all so paranoid, novelists wrote books and had very little feedback - except for scattered reviews at publication and the occasional letter. They didn't have to worry about rankings outside the top few writers on the Sunday Times bestseller list. Publishers took much longer to dump new writers, so that fear too was less extreme.<br />
<br />
Nowadays, you can get dumped almost as soon as your first book is out, if initial sales aren't strong enough. (They just won't tell you until you start innocently asking about your next title.) Meanwhile you still have to write. Because you're a writer and that's what you do. Because however shit things are for writers, everything else is shittier. Or words to that effect.<br />
<br />
So if the noise and the trumpeting and the sheer BLAH of the publishing world is driving you crazy, pretend like you've been spirited back to the 1950s. Shut off from the internet and trade magazines as far as possible and do nothing but write, write, write.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoIBgzFej74N4WwsPiGrzoyCESBXQOn94yd9rQJ2ukx3NhSm5Ou1Og8WThlDT0H1KFPYry6RGYJRrnKQ_LrNZ0VA67HP0V4e5CUNWCoC2a6BZ0Nbrcwkn7sT70c1k6THNDOzqBUinKB_m0/s1600/young+writer+picture+photo+epicentre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoIBgzFej74N4WwsPiGrzoyCESBXQOn94yd9rQJ2ukx3NhSm5Ou1Og8WThlDT0H1KFPYry6RGYJRrnKQ_LrNZ0VA67HP0V4e5CUNWCoC2a6BZ0Nbrcwkn7sT70c1k6THNDOzqBUinKB_m0/s320/young+writer+picture+photo+epicentre.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Put your fingers in your ears and just write ...</i></b></span></td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
2. STAY FLEXIBLE AND OPEN TO CHANGE </div>
<br />
As writers, we need to stop making career assumptions based on what used to work in publishing or what used to be the norm for authors in our position, whatever that happens to be. The world is moving so rapidly, what is the case now may already have changed in six months, and many situations we took for granted, say, five or ten years ago, may soon look like something from the Dark Ages.<br />
<br />
Why is this? Well, much of the current instability seems to date back to the demise of the Net Book Agreement in the mid-late 90s. It was trumpeted as a time of free marketeering, but the lack of protection over retail prices means books have gradually become cheaper while midlist authors have earned less and less every year. Add to that the rise of the ebook market, where many traditionally published bestsellers are only 99p and some indie authors can't even give away their books for free, and you have a very volatile, uncertain industry.<br />
<br />
So there's no point trying to second guess where we're heading or to control that trajectory in any meaningful way. This means developing a flexible approach to writing. Perhaps accepting that some books will need to be self-published, perhaps under a new name, or that you may need to move from one publisher to another with little warning. Only the biggest brand names are insulated from such shifts these days, it seems to me.<br />
<br />
Though such challenges can feel like the end of the world, they can also be liberating for writers. They can provide opportunities to learn new skills as a self-publisher or experiment with new genres in a way that might not have been possible on a traditional writing path. This freedom to experiment can reinvigorate a tired or depressed author, demonstrating that her writing career is only limited by her own ambition. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGc4uT3Cu38LVj4RpUDg5E2I_hUTvzFgmTOfuLH96lScZf9awyaSOgItPXtzL4uhWl1VQLW7uFz7LI34q9yBevUIo-T2B_1AsCtx4ZZiWg_pq3mVcwXtPEcZuR1RrD94EW6coLMx9_t7_e/s1600/dreamstime_s_18024698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGc4uT3Cu38LVj4RpUDg5E2I_hUTvzFgmTOfuLH96lScZf9awyaSOgItPXtzL4uhWl1VQLW7uFz7LI34q9yBevUIo-T2B_1AsCtx4ZZiWg_pq3mVcwXtPEcZuR1RrD94EW6coLMx9_t7_e/s320/dreamstime_s_18024698.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Old writer, new tricks</i></b></span></td></tr>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
3. SEEK REINITIATION AS A WRITER</div>
<br />
If all else fails, reconnect with your primary impulse to write. The excitement that drove you to become a writer in the first place, that had you rushing to your book every morning. Sounds great, huh? Reinitiation as a writer, especially when you're older and have been round the block so many times you're dizzy, is what every true creative seeks.<br />
<br />
But how to achieve it?<br />
<br />
Well, in my opinion, there are two key paths to reinitiation. To recapturing your original drive, inspiration and creative vision as a writer before reality painted your world grey.<br />
<br />
For the first way, you need a muse or mentor who will act as a guide back to your creative impulse. A <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_Comedy" target="_blank">Virgil to your Dante</a>, in other words. (Best to seek that muse in artistic terms though, not run off with the milkman/woman, though many great writers have restarted their creative engines through sex!) For this way, look for another writer whose work you always read with the greatest possible excitement - living or dead, either should work fine - and study them, emulate them, be inspired by them, and write with them in mind until you've regained enough momentum to trundle off on your own again. Like bump-starting a car with a dead battery!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlpLoR56Xp26njVrr1xO38z6SCQwUn_sR04XaI6jl0xEIYR9S-INDwqerwNkPcM-DaHGRgazAtvWvmsS9vdXfDPQIzNSo7lOWc3huyALbGhbaS-aqm7LS59rt1ucbYHnOnmeEZ-l8cYZZ/s1600/male+writer+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlpLoR56Xp26njVrr1xO38z6SCQwUn_sR04XaI6jl0xEIYR9S-INDwqerwNkPcM-DaHGRgazAtvWvmsS9vdXfDPQIzNSo7lOWc3huyALbGhbaS-aqm7LS59rt1ucbYHnOnmeEZ-l8cYZZ/s320/male+writer+photo.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>What would Hemingway have written here?</i></b></span></td></tr>
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<br />
The second way to achieve reinitiation is to do something hugely dangerous as a writer, for instance by scaring yourself into a new dynamic approach. Hugely dangerous things for a novelist include suddenly starting to write a book in a style or genre or on a topic you know nothing about and/or have never attempted before. Or changing your pseudonym and writing as that person, i.e. in a completely new way. Like being a method actor, you do everything in that new idiom until every cell of your creative being has been renewed and is stamped with this fresh style.<br />
<br />
But don't do any of this reinitiation process secretly. Do it openly so that you burn your bridges. Tell people what you're attempting. Even boast about it. This will be so frightening, especially if you're already established in one particular genre or style, that you will hopefully end up feeling - and writing - like an entirely new author, with increased vigour and commitment.<br />
<br />
That's the theory anyway. Good luck!<br />
<br />
Oh, and if doing something reckless with your career, be sure not to spend your last advance too quickly. You'll need it soon enough to pay your tax bill.Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-27170480280073046102017-01-12T09:00:00.000+00:002017-10-01T12:10:32.369+01:00Week Thirty-Seven: Six Steps To Writing A Page-TurnerThis week sees the publication of my second psychological thriller, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01HEKF8NM" target="_blank">LOCK THE DOOR</a>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Lu9DXIsi7RHUjJ9j27Yr9CCl3u3z-lTFfT6hvlQQB4o0Jo7qwwNbzztO4ZPpD7H1eTAaUDJXTK8WEdTqb8r8_jpF8l8mm40FfRGRTD4YEdCIbuugLcOoiVSfdy0PtnlolqUVpQyHOZVp/s1600/51fao1pbnsL-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Lu9DXIsi7RHUjJ9j27Yr9CCl3u3z-lTFfT6hvlQQB4o0Jo7qwwNbzztO4ZPpD7H1eTAaUDJXTK8WEdTqb8r8_jpF8l8mm40FfRGRTD4YEdCIbuugLcOoiVSfdy0PtnlolqUVpQyHOZVp/s320/51fao1pbnsL-1.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazon UK: <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01HEKF8NM" target="_blank">LOCK THE DOOR (only 99p) </a></td></tr>
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<br />
Early readers have very kindly described this new novel as 'Simply compelling' (Andy Martin, crime writing expert and critic) and 'Exhilarating ... heart-pounding' (Rachel's Random Reads) as well as variously complimenting its 'pacing', 'momentum' and 'urgency'. <br />
<br />
So I thought I'd write a 'how to' post on creating that all-important quality in a thriller, that of being unputdownable or a page-turner. And to keep it simple, as I could waffle on forever on this topic, I'm restricting it to six steps.<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Step One - Write action/reaction-only at the planning stage</i></b></h4>
<br />
If you're not a planner, you might as well stop reading now. My advice will be lost on you, and that's fine. But for planners, the outline or synopsis is where you will make your first errors in terms in creating a page-turner. So don't plot a story that starts before the main action.<br />
<br />
For instance, young mum Jane is sitting in her house one day when her grandmotherly neighbour knocks and asks her round for tea and fresh-baked scones. They discuss knitting, and then Jane leaves to pick up her kids from school. Later, her husband bursts in and discloses that he has just inadvertently killed their neighbour's husband and hidden him in a wheelie bin. STOP. Go back and start the story with the husband bursting in ...<br />
<br />
Readers are sophisticated. They can join up even invisible dots! So a couple of sentences about the delicious whiff of her neighbour's excellent scones - perhaps the unfortunate woman is seen baking them as Jane and her careless husband hurry past her house with a curiously overladen wheelie bin - would be sufficient backstory/character revelation here.<br />
<br />
When planning, think hard about pace and impact. Don't draft in backstory. Write in blocks of action and reaction instead. Start running and keep running, in other words. Otherwise your reader may put down the book at a quiet moment and go off for a scone, and perhaps never come back.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWV3gj2vLXzqQWE2uvjfMs7EJbFNkrRHLIrvW_GPK6vXOun-7zX4Z-dN7-GPMkMjM3Y0_7RvnaIvJHBjXOSpW5BaT9xuI3uYXqELKsZLPMR3jXIXv1DIsLwK0cwTdUAPIfIjtQW7qLt7l/s1600/small+cropped+dreamstime_epicentre-writer-image-photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWV3gj2vLXzqQWE2uvjfMs7EJbFNkrRHLIrvW_GPK6vXOun-7zX4Z-dN7-GPMkMjM3Y0_7RvnaIvJHBjXOSpW5BaT9xuI3uYXqELKsZLPMR3jXIXv1DIsLwK0cwTdUAPIfIjtQW7qLt7l/s320/small+cropped+dreamstime_epicentre-writer-image-photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Her husband stuffed the old man's lifeless body back inside the wheelie bin and slammed the lid shut just as the patrol car rounded the corner ... </i></td></tr>
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<br />
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>Step Two - Use dialogue to leapfrog or break up prose description, and impart info</b></i></h4>
<br />
Prose description can be very important for setting a scene. But you need far less of it than you perhaps realise, at least if you want to write a page-turner. A whole paragraph - or three - on how lovely the sparkling sea looks in summer, and you may have just lost your place on the bestseller list. Snip it down to a sentence here, then another later on. The same applies to character description or identifying and describing a new location. Yes, you need these. But make it a few bold pencil strokes, not a leisurely watercolour.<br />
<br />
Maybe the book is all about atmosphere and local colour though. You need those descriptions to augment the sinister feel of the physical backdrop. One way to deal with that is to interleave descriptions with bursts of dialogue. This breaks them up for the rapidly moving eye of the reader, and increases reading pace without stinting on local colour. Most writers end up doing this naturally. But sometimes you get weary and can't see how to avoid the weight of description.<br />
<br />
If your character is alone, maybe exploring an environment or locked in a room, you can bring in a line or more of dialogue from earlier and repeat it in italics, with some reaction perhaps. That's your narrative character 'remembering' a previous conversation. A bit cheesy, maybe. But again, it can break up the paragraphs and make the pages turn faster. Or have a phone ring. 'Hello?' etc. Or a text message arrive. Anything to increase interaction.<br />
<br />
Whatever you do, don't TELL the reader plot information in a prose paragraph. Always use dialogue to impart new plot information or discuss events if you possibly can - even if this means making them WAIT until the next chapter. (Tip: another way to keep the pages turning is to sneakily withhold vital information, or dripfeed it over a number of chapters.) <br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>Step Three - Use short sentences in your prose. No, even shorter than that.</b></i></h4>
<br />
Verbose sentences stuffed with meandering clauses and pretentious semi-colons are strictly for literary fiction and those who feel a prize nomination coming on. You want to write popular, page-turning, mass market fiction, you have to use short, eyecatching sentences. Especially if they feel highly informal and don't involve verbs. You may even need to resort to italics (or even capital letters) on very special occasions, but I wouldn't recommend going too far down the ornate route, as that can rapidly become tiring for the reader.<br />
<br />
Like this?<br />
<br />
NO.<br />
<br />
<i>This</i>.<br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>Step Four - On a similar note, avoid being too formal in your phrasing</b></i></h4>
<br />
To help people turn the pages in large numbers, you need to get their confidence <i>en masse</i> that you can tell a story that will please, intrigue, excite and engage them. See above.<br />
<br />
But this isn't just about the mechanics of writing shorter sentences. It's about using verbs to catapult an action off the page. It's about not being afraid to be casual in your references and phrasing. It's about using abbreviations like 'I'm' and 'can't' as the norm, not simply in dialogue but within prose paragraphs too.<br />
<br />
The majority of your readers are also television watchers and film-goers. They tweet and share on Facebook. They text each other in informal ways. They communicate via email, both at home and work. You need to sound like you're one of them. Or they'll reject you.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlpLoR56Xp26njVrr1xO38z6SCQwUn_sR04XaI6jl0xEIYR9S-INDwqerwNkPcM-DaHGRgazAtvWvmsS9vdXfDPQIzNSo7lOWc3huyALbGhbaS-aqm7LS59rt1ucbYHnOnmeEZ-l8cYZZ/s1600/male+writer+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlpLoR56Xp26njVrr1xO38z6SCQwUn_sR04XaI6jl0xEIYR9S-INDwqerwNkPcM-DaHGRgazAtvWvmsS9vdXfDPQIzNSo7lOWc3huyALbGhbaS-aqm7LS59rt1ucbYHnOnmeEZ-l8cYZZ/s320/male+writer+photo.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'Cup of tea, love?' Mrs Crumbles asked the intruder as he lumbered towards her tea trolley, swinging a blood-stained axe ... She always had been a little shortsighted.</i></td></tr>
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<br />
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>Step Five - Keep Your Main Characters In Crisis</b></i></h4>
<br />
Characters that are not in a state of crisis can be lovely. But they're not always terribly engaging for readers, especially if you're aiming for suspense. In real terms, this means making sure there are no scenes in your novel that do not need to be there in order to advance the story in some quantifiable way. No aimless, character development chats over tea. See step one above.<br />
<br />
Or incorporate the chats, if you must, but squeeze them in alongside plot developments. Have the chat in a car screaming at top speed toward a developing crime scene. Have the chat with one character dangling another character out of a window.<br />
<br />
Okay, I'm pushing the envelope here. But seriously, check that scene is required. Otherwise you run the risk of boring the reader.<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>Step Six - Keep Asking Questions</b></i></h4>
<br />
A book needs to ask a question that will intrigue the reader enough to keep reading. This can - and probably should! - happen from as early as the first sentence, or at least paragraph. I don't mean it has to be a literal question. Sometimes an intriguing first line will ask a question simply by virtue of an intriguing premise or implied backstory. 'I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.' (<i>I Capture The Castle</i>, Dodie Smith) Why on earth the kitchen sink? Wouldn't a desk or chair be more comfortable? So immediately you're asking questions about what kind of narrator would kick off their story in such an informal way, and yet in a curiously formal, almost stylised manner. Themes or ideas can ask questions too, not just quirky narrators. 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.' (<i>A Tale of Two Cities</i>, Charles Dickens.) How can these two apparently contradictory statements be true simultaneously, we ask? And so we read on, curious to find out ...<br />
<br />
The best page-turners often start with a huge, impenetrable question, and don't answer it with any degree of truth or accuracy until the final chapter. That takes massive skill, as the reader still needs a series of smaller questions along the way, or semi-answers, to keep them reading through to the big reveal. Good luck!<br />
<br />
But maybe you have to answer that first question on the first page, or at the end of Chapter One. What then? Well, then, you ask another question. Preferably at the very end of the chapter. The reader frowns, and turns over. What the hell, they think?<br />
<br />
Then they reach the end of Chapter Two, and blimey, there's another question. The heroine is clinging by her perfectly manicured nails to the edge of a cliff, with the waves washing to and fro hundreds of feet below. The reader pauses, glances at the clock, then reads on, sure there's no way the character can survive this time ...<br />
<br />
The main thing with a page-turner is to stop the reader feeling able to stop reading and put down the book. It's cruel sometimes, but they'll thank you for it. Everyone loves a page-turner!<br />
<br />
So ask a big question at the start, and try not to answer it until the end of the book. Until the very last page, if you can get away with it. And keep asking smaller questions all the way through. Even ending a chapter with something ostensibly tiny and insignificant like, 'The telephone began to ring ...' will make a reader turn over. Why would they do that? To find out who is calling, of course. Then you just have to make sure it's an interesting, plot-moving call, and lo, they are hooked again!<br />
<br />
So there you are, friends. Six simple steps to writing a page-turner. Go to it!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">My latest page-turner is LOCK THE DOOR: <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01HEKF8NM" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HEKF8NM" target="_blank">Amazon US</a></span></div>
Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-63555144872915990492016-12-07T10:54:00.000+00:002016-12-07T10:54:34.402+00:00Week Thirty-Six: Blogging A Novel LiveSo Nanowrimo has finished for another year, and some people will have novels to edit, others will still be finishing, some may even have published their Nano novels already and be promoting them.<br />
<br />
I am still finishing my Nanowrimo project, which is an ongoing thriller. Now about 10K words shy of the finishing line, plus edits and checks.<br />
<br />
Hopefully that means it will be all ready for my agent to see in another week or so, since I'm the sort who sweeps assiduously behind me as I go along, making post-novel edits a fairly short and painless process. (Until editorial suggestions come in, that is!)<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, I have also been doing something very new and a little scary.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsXw2srBbpHPWEdZWJhUiYWeETWDCwzqyBA-uqhVNNkoUH2uGiOM0ekswCZ1wFZkc-tlXMMfx2YceD8fk2d_vD3-8OVMKgjH719bX55fJ6AkA_6GLyR5n0SGarC_k6M-aWdrubp8TJaqrM/s1600/117899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsXw2srBbpHPWEdZWJhUiYWeETWDCwzqyBA-uqhVNNkoUH2uGiOM0ekswCZ1wFZkc-tlXMMfx2YceD8fk2d_vD3-8OVMKgjH719bX55fJ6AkA_6GLyR5n0SGarC_k6M-aWdrubp8TJaqrM/s320/117899.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>DUNE, by Frank Herbert. A superb science fiction novel that was deeply influential on me as a young writer ... and also happens to feature tons of sand. </i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Just like, ahem, <a href="https://janeblogsanovel.wordpress.com/2016/10/29/chapter-one/" target="_blank">Chapter One</a> of my own first sci fi novel, THE CELL.</i></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For the past six weeks, I have been 'blogging a novel'.<br />
<br />
Basically, this means publishing one segment per week at roughly the same time. And because I only had just over two thousand words written when I started, it also means I've been writing it on the hoof and publishing straightaway.<br />
<br />
An alarming prospect for a perfectionist like me!<br />
<br />
You can find the blog <a href="https://janeblogsanovel.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. The working title for this novel is, <a href="https://janeblogsanovel.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">THE CELL</a>. And it is clearly now a science fiction novel.<br />
<br />
I wasn't sure at the outset if it would be science fiction. I knew it would be experimental in some way. But it's now clearly sci fi.<br />
<br />
The first few thousand words of THE CELL are based on an uber-short story of the same name that I wrote for a 2012 Salt Publishing anthology called <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Overheard-Jonathan-Taylor/dp/1907773266" target="_blank">Stories To Read Aloud</a>.<br />
<br />
It's basically a character piece that I massively enjoyed writing, and I wanted to give that very rich character her own novel-length story. But I couldn't continue in the same vein for a whole novel, or didn't want to, as it was set in the world of a third century female Christian hermit living alone for years in the Egyptian desert!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://thesabotage.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/overheard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://thesabotage.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/overheard.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
The only way I could think of to turn her story into a likely commercial novel was to have a present-day character narrating alongside her with some link to the past. Slipstream, in other words. Maybe a researcher or a modern-day hermit of some kind. Which was an interesting idea, but not a story I felt compelled to tell. Hence not moving forward with that.<br />
<br />
So five years down the line of turning this issue over in my head, I went to a talk by Catherine Fox at the RNA Conference, who discussed blogging her novels online, and how the whole process worked.<br />
<br />
So I decided to do it myself the same way, and have started to blog the novel in weekly instalments, hoping this would force me to make a decision. And of course it did. By the third instalment, I knew what I wanted to do, and that was to write a science fiction novel. Which was, of course, startlingly different from my opening with a desert hermit ...<br />
<br />
But I hope I've managed to make this shift in a convincing and gripping way. You decide!<br />
<br />
Read <a href="https://janeblogsanovel.wordpress.com/2016/10/29/chapter-one/" target="_blank">Chapter One here</a>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZasyeQSRx8BxZkEFLFnX7rFmEPyqy7uzU3ZnsIr-0mYogQOPgNcrs3Rn-hbIHbAcnbXTDJwVGk8B5KbfNMbPVvCX9iXr781KUMWZzaeZ0z4xvFIVbZYLgFe65VY9M44gYO0mzC3m2G49O/s1600/cartoon+man+typing+Robert+Florian+writer+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZasyeQSRx8BxZkEFLFnX7rFmEPyqy7uzU3ZnsIr-0mYogQOPgNcrs3Rn-hbIHbAcnbXTDJwVGk8B5KbfNMbPVvCX9iXr781KUMWZzaeZ0z4xvFIVbZYLgFe65VY9M44gYO0mzC3m2G49O/s320/cartoon+man+typing+Robert+Florian+writer+photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">What is it they say ... ? When in doubt, have someone walk through the door with a gun. In this case (hurriedly checks genre of novel), a ray-gun.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As far as blogging a novel goes, it's an odd situation. I am trying to publish each new 1-2 thousand word segment, which I'm loosely calling a chapter, at the weekend. So far on a Saturday morning, but that's likely to change as the weeks go on, and I get more stressed or stuck etc.<br />
<br />
Catherine Fox said she felt two thousand words was a good length for a post, but I wasn't sure I could commit to two thousand words a week, every week, for over a year, when I have so many other books on the go. So I have opted for one thousand minimum. (Though one chapter so far has been over twice that amount, so it's pretty variable.)<br />
<br />
Late in the week, I start thinking about what I'm going to write, and usually sit down to write the 'chapter' on a Thursday or Friday. I have to check back first, and again during the writing, to ensure good continuity in terms of tone as well as action. I try to begin and end each 'chapter' in a suitably gripping manner, to compel readers to continue reading or - if they're new to the story - to want to glance back at earlier chapters and find out what else has happened. At the moment I have two very different narrators, but may include other voices, I'm not sure.<br />
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And not being sure what's ahead is part of the fun, and the experience, of blogging a novel once a week, from scratch. When you publish a novel, it's usually been written, edited, checked, thought about almost to death, before the reader even sees the cover. When you blog a novel live, while it's still being written, everything about the usually hidden and mysterious process of constructing a novel becomes transparent and makeshift, even a little rough around the edges.<br />
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There may be changes made further down the line. Mistakes, perhaps! Wrong turns and glaring errors. I don't know.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlpLoR56Xp26njVrr1xO38z6SCQwUn_sR04XaI6jl0xEIYR9S-INDwqerwNkPcM-DaHGRgazAtvWvmsS9vdXfDPQIzNSo7lOWc3huyALbGhbaS-aqm7LS59rt1ucbYHnOnmeEZ-l8cYZZ/s1600/male+writer+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlpLoR56Xp26njVrr1xO38z6SCQwUn_sR04XaI6jl0xEIYR9S-INDwqerwNkPcM-DaHGRgazAtvWvmsS9vdXfDPQIzNSo7lOWc3huyALbGhbaS-aqm7LS59rt1ucbYHnOnmeEZ-l8cYZZ/s320/male+writer+photo.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Good grief, I have NO IDEA what happens next ... and this instalment is due out in two hours!</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Of course, you could blog a novel that's already completed. But I'm not sure what the point would be. For me, this is a relatively painless way of getting a novel written that might otherwise never be given the time. And making it public like this also ensures I'm more likely to continue, as it could prove embarrassing if I give up and stop halfway.<br />
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To recap, blogging a novel as you write it is an interesting thing to do if you can spare a few hours a week, and have a project that's unlikely to be commercial. Because, let's face it, you should probably save commercial projects for selling to a publishing house or self-publishing when complete. <i> </i><br />
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<i>The Cell </i>is non-commercial at the moment, and an added bonus is that it may save me from the weight of current workloads by providing an escape once a week into this other, slightly crazy fictional world. And although I anticipate taking a good year, maybe a year and a half, to complete the full novel, it's worth the attempt, if only to see how long I can stick at it.<br />
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So far, the biggest problems of blogging a novel are twofold.<br />
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One, getting back into the main novel I'm working on - a thriller, currently - after spending maybe half a day fiddling with a sci fi chapter.<br />
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And two, getting people to read it. I think last week's instalment has only been read by two people. Whoever you are, thank you. <br />
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So please, do read it, make me feel better ... Here's <a href="https://janeblogsanovel.wordpress.com/2016/10/29/chapter-one/" target="_blank">Chapter One</a> again.<br />
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Early days yet, granted, but I'm open to comments under the blog, and even suggestions on the story or the process. Not saying I'll incorporate suggestions, but I might do! And it's part of the nature of blogging a novel that there's a faint whiff of collaboration with the unseen reader. You are making public what is still being written, and on the hoof too, in a journalistic manner, and so are open to influence, even if only subliminal.<br />
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Which is a fun concept! <br />
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<a href="https://janeblogsanovel.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Cell</a>: coming weekly to a blog near you over the next 12 months or so.<br />
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Please, read, comment, share ... join in!<br />
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<br />Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-2939859722132339272016-10-19T11:09:00.002+01:002016-10-19T11:09:38.103+01:00Week Thirty-Five: Narrative POV and Tense ChoicesI've talked about narrative point-of-view (POV) on this blog before, and brushed against the use of tenses in narrative, but never looked at either of those in any depth.<br />
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I have two new novels out this week.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNQ6LL2GfxH2JhIm8bDcWtiRkK4PpXV-rhQOpR9NpmEb7oBvo0aAC9v1mvTCijp6UGxcqL4p5rtIejehHoPxN9o2RkIM5TGnRs8tJJjDM4rFaYbjbb9qCcJ2_sSzzrSjX2BFSmTHfeE2WE/s1600/colouring+book+createspace+attempt+front+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNQ6LL2GfxH2JhIm8bDcWtiRkK4PpXV-rhQOpR9NpmEb7oBvo0aAC9v1mvTCijp6UGxcqL4p5rtIejehHoPxN9o2RkIM5TGnRs8tJJjDM4rFaYbjbb9qCcJ2_sSzzrSjX2BFSmTHfeE2WE/s200/colouring+book+createspace+attempt+front+cover.jpg" width="149" /></a></div>
One is an indie (self-published) short romantic novel written under my quirky romcom persona of Beth Good: <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Colouring-Book-Club-perfect-romantic-ebook/dp/B01LXYEWFB" target="_blank">THE COLOURING BOOK CLUB</a>.<br />
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The other is published by Hodder & Stoughton under a new name, Hannah Coates, and is a feel-good Christmas tale for the whole family entitled <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Berties-Gift-inspirational-heart-warming-little-ebook/dp/B01F6K1UYI" target="_blank">BERTIE'S GIFT</a>.<br />
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I'd like to explore the widely-differing techniques I used for these books, as they come at POV and tense from totally opposite ends of the narrative spectrum.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Berties-Gift-inspirational-heart-warming-little-ebook/dp/B01F6K1UYI" target="_blank">BERTIE'S GIFT</a> is a first person, present tense narrative in the voice of the eponymous Bertie, a young and highly inquisitive beagle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8zUNbEri8iuHUWNiKIXiMM99-utAZBEiRhRIAsnJfzIVYgiBmXuCHFBn3EC-dtRjl9by_qfFmohK71P9brR61FJ7oeqJcWh87PGnFiAaA4dNGMBPtyFZVmJKc5mmpGtPXUO0DJ7Vj-4pT/s1600/IMG_3843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8zUNbEri8iuHUWNiKIXiMM99-utAZBEiRhRIAsnJfzIVYgiBmXuCHFBn3EC-dtRjl9by_qfFmohK71P9brR61FJ7oeqJcWh87PGnFiAaA4dNGMBPtyFZVmJKc5mmpGtPXUO0DJ7Vj-4pT/s200/IMG_3843.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Yes, that's right. It's written in the voice of a dog. And in the present tense, which means the reader is right there from the first sentence, living the story as Bertie. It's a fast, snappy and exciting choice for a feel-good action story, so perfect for BERTIE'S GIFT.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Colouring-Book-Club-perfect-romantic-ebook/dp/B01LXYEWFB" target="_blank">THE COLOURING BOOK CLUB</a>, on the other hand, uses third-person narration and the past tense. This choice came about largely because the events in the book are seen through the eyes of two narrators, Crystal and Emma, and using first person would have been too confusing (for me, let alone the reader) when switching between narratives. Plus, third-person POV more naturally lends itself to the past tense, I personally feel, so the latter choice came along with the former.<br />
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This may be because '<i>She walks across the room</i>,' has a
more sinister and 'knowing' feel than the more traditional, '<i>She walked
across the room</i>.'<br />
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We're accustomed to the past tense in storytelling, and indeed it makes more logical sense. The past tense is an author or narrator looking back on events with some degree of hindsight, just like the oral storytellers of ancient, pre-lettered cultures. 'Once upon a time' is still a magical invocation. It allows us to settle down for a gripping yarn, secure in the knowledge that we are to some extent passengers and not in any danger from this story. However scared we may get, it was all over long ago!<br />
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Present tense narration, on the other hand, puts us right in the picture - with no escape. We open a book and find ourselves in the position of an unseen observer, an inadvertent eavesdropper, hiding behind the sofa or the arras. An uncomfortable - and potentially dangerous - position to be in. (Remember what happened to poor Polonius in Hamlet.) It can make us feel complicit in events, like a bystander who fails to step in and help at some crucial moment. Thus the present tense lends itself to narratives that deliberately push our boundaries as readers: horror or spy stories, thrillers, chillers, psychological fiction, and so on.<br />
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I was also aware that THE COLOURING BOOK CLUB is a romantic novel. I had no desire to stand out as unusual in narrative
terms - and so put off romance readers looking for a quick comfort
read - and while things are rapidly changing in women's fiction, past tense is still the most common choice for traditional romance and its sister genres.<br />
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I could easily have chosen present tense for both books, however. I've written a string of books in the present tense over the past couple of years, and it's becoming a far more natural mode of expression for me than when I first tried it. Present tense is also trendy right now, great for engendering a sense of urgency and immediacy, and can feel quite strong as a narrative technique. Perhaps a little too strong. Like an onion.<br />
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So while it's useful for writers hoping to make an impact straight out of the gate, and draw readers deep into the heads of their characters, present tense can also overpower your narrative if it's not right for the story. <br />
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I've often been asked, 'Should I write my new novel in past or present tense?' My answer is always, sit down and start writing your story without considering that question.<br />
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Whatever comes most naturally in your first few lines is probably the correct choice.<br />
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To force a story to be told in a particular tense over some technical or external consideration (because it's fashionable, for instance) may lead to later changes of heart, massive and painstaking rewriting, and then misery, followed by flip-flopping and more massive rewriting to 'fix' it. This is often because the chosen tense can inform the way you tell a story, and just changing the tense can lead to narrative issues you didn't intend.<br />
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I've done this myself, fretting over technique instead of devoting my energies to the storytelling. So don't worry too much about such choices before beginning your novel. Just start to write in an instinctive way, and the right person and tense should come naturally in your very first line ...<br />
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To combine present tense with first-person POV is the most in-your-face way of telling a story, as I do in BERTIE'S GIFT, and is hugely trendy at the moment.<br />
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The immediacy and emotional impact of that combination makes it an absolute winner for people raised on film and television, where they can follow lovers into the bedroom, and murderers or victims right up to the moment of death - and even beyond. They're not so keen on 'Once upon a time' anymore - though there's still a perfectly valid place for that technique, and indeed it may become fashionable again in a swings-and-roundabouts way.<br />
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At <a href="http://www.killerwomen.org/" target="_blank">Killer Women Fest</a> last weekend in London, I went to a workshop run by Tammy Cohen and Amanda Jennings, where the use of second-person narration in psychological fiction was briefly discussed. We all agreed that, while it's quite powerful to read a 'You walked across the room' narrative - and second-person can feel very creepy indeed in a psychological thriller - it should be used sparingly. More like garlic than onion, to continue the metaphor.<br />
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But I then went home and made use of that insight, as a dab of second-person POV might help solve a dilemma in a current work-in-progress. It may not make the final manuscript but it's worth trying. Everything is worth trying.<br />
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So don't be afraid to experiment with POV and tenses, but remember: if it feels right, it probably is right. And vice versa. Just like cooking up a sauce, always go with your gut. <br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Berties-Gift-inspirational-heart-warming-little-ebook/dp/B01F6K1UYI" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Berties-Gift-inspirational-heart-warming-little-ebook/dp/B01F6K1UYI" target="_blank">BERTIE'S GIFT</a> is out Thursday 20th October.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Colouring-Book-Club-perfect-romantic-ebook/dp/B01LXYEWFB" target="_blank">THE COLOURING BOOK CLUB</a> was out yesterday, only 99p the ebook. Ppb coming soon!<br />
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Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-24100112101387315582016-08-09T08:30:00.000+01:002016-08-09T08:30:00.161+01:00Week Thirty-Four: The Ups and Downs of A Writing CareerThis time last year, I was in a bad spot, career-wise.<br />
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I was out of contract with all the publishers with whom I had previously worked, my debut thriller had been rejected by multiple publishers, and I was only surviving by self-publishing romcom novellas under the name <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beth-Good/e/B00N53FZ4U" target="_blank">Beth Good</a>.<br />
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We were forced to leave our lovely rented farm on the edge of Bodmin Moor and rent a very small terraced house in a Devon town instead, jettisoning over half our possessions and having to part with some of our beloved pets in the process. It was a traumatic time. I started editing other people's manuscripts freelance, but the workload was heavy and the money not quite good enough to get us through. I decided that if I couldn't make money from writing or editing, I would have to get a 'proper' job again. But as I was home educating my kids, it would have to be an evening or night job. Which would mean no time left at all for writing. Or sleeping, in fact!<br />
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In the run-up to my job search, I self-published my debut thriller GIRL NUMBER ONE. I hoped for the best, but planned for the worst, in other words.<br />
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GIRL NUMBER ONE came out in late September 2015.<br />
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After a sluggish start, it began to climb the charts.<br />
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In mid-December, it hit the Number 1 spot in the UK Kindle chart, and stayed there nearly a week, selling many thousands of copies.<br />
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By then, it had already excited huge amounts of interest and comment, and had come to the attention of an editor at Thomas & Mercer, an Amazon Publishing imprint. I contacted my agent and signed with AP for a life-saving two-book deal. My second psychological thriller, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lock-Door-Jane-Holland-ebook/dp/B01HEKF8NM" target="_blank">LOCK THE DOOR</a>, is already finished and on pre-order: it will be published January 2017. <br />
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Today, August 9th 2016, a new, revised edition of <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Number-One-Jane-Holland-ebook/dp/B01ELCZO0S" target="_blank">GIRL NUMBER ONE</a> has been published in digital form. A gorgeous paperback edition will follow in September.<br />
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Following on from that two-book deal, possibly because GIRL NUMBER ONE's meteoric rise had come to the attention of the team I had worked with previously at Hodder & Stoughton, I was approached by that publisher to write a Christmas book for them. That story is BERTIE'S GIFT, a whimsical, feel-good adult read about a Beagle on a mission to save both his sister and his adopted family.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Berties-Gift-Hannah-Coates-ebook/dp/B01F6K1UYI" target="_blank">BERTIE'S GIFT </a>was a delightful change from my thriller writing - I had to write it almost in tandem with LOCK THE DOOR, sometimes morning for one book, afternoon for the other. It will be published in hardback and ebook on October 20th 2016. It is coming out under yet another pen-name, this time Hannah Coates, in order to differentiate it from my other writing.<br />
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I am now working on a third thriller, with a side venture into a brand-new romcom for my Beth Good persona, as I know many readers have been waiting for a new one from me. We are back on our feet financially, and I have been able to abandon the idea of getting a 'proper' job in order to pay the bills. Thanks to the fantastic success of GIRL NUMBER ONE, which came utterly out of the blue, I already have a 'proper' job as a full-time professional writer again - and am very, very happy indeed.<br />
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So this post is not only an indication of the often terrifying vicissitudes of a writer's life - even a relatively successful writer - but also a massive thank you to everyone who bought, read and/or supported GIRL NUMBER ONE.<br />
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However hard a writer works, they can't get anywhere without readers, and I have been incredibly lucky to have such loyal readers, many of whom have followed me from historicals to contemporary romcoms to thrillers. And hopefully will now follow me to feel-good adult doggy fiction as Hannah Coates!<br />
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Thank you, and <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Number-One-Jane-Holland-ebook/dp/B01ELCZO0S" target="_blank">happy reading</a>! Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359488738647542307.post-47536417302560354972016-03-26T18:59:00.004+00:002016-08-17T23:18:32.877+01:00Week Thirty-Three: On Self-Publishing, Bad Advice, and Being A Hybrid AuthorI was so incensed by <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2016/mar/21/for-me-traditional-publishing-means-poverty-but-self-publish-no-way" target="_blank">Ros Barber's recent piece in the Guardian</a>, where she called self-publishers 'fools' and told us why she would never self-publish - but actually already does, she just somehow failed to mention that in her article - that I tweeted my disagreement to her. Nothing rude or clever, just this initial tweet, which more or less summed up my feelings at the time:<br />
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Unfortunately I can't represent her reply, as I have now blocked her account. Basically, she tried the back-pedalling approach, saying it was just a personal opinion. (Despite the general tone of the article not being that of an opinion piece.)<br />
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By this time, writer Jane Davis had joined in the conversation, asking about her strange use of pronouns for an opinion piece. Ros then claimed she had tried to avoid using 'one' and used 'you' instead, because 'one was stupidly posh', to which I replied, 'If the cap fits.' Heh.<br />
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To which Ros then replied, with all the cool professionalism and linguistic skill expected of a Creative Writing university lecturer:<br />
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It was at this point that I fell silent on Twitter, and began to seek out other opinions, to see how others had reacted to her piece. I found a few supportive murmurs of approval, almost overwhelmingly from literary writers in a similar position to Ros, and a large number of very angry responses from successful and happy self-publishers, who not unnaturally were aggrieved at having been referred to as fools in a major Guardian article, simply for having chosen a different career path. <br />
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Here is a good selection (warning: some of these contain strong language):<br />
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<a href="http://jane-davis.co.uk/2016/03/22/dear-ros/" target="_blank">Dear Ros (an open letter from Jane Davis)</a><br />
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<a href="https://rozmorris.wordpress.com/why-i-self-publish/" target="_blank">Roz Morris (Why I Self-Publish) </a><br />
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<a href="http://authorreneemiller.com/2016/03/23/on-dismissive-snobs-and-whatever-be-careful-what-you-write/" target="_blank">On Dismissive Snobs</a><br />
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<a href="http://jennytrout.com/?p=10207" target="_blank">Don't Do This Ever</a><br />
<a href="https://medium.com/@edrenehan/the-elites-vs-self-publishing-85e093b1ae65#.6ergzbofu" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="https://medium.com/@edrenehan/the-elites-vs-self-publishing-85e093b1ae65#.6ergzbofu" target="_blank">The Elites versus Self-Publishing</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.teleread.com/open-letter-ros-barber-self-publishing/" target="_blank">An Open Letter To Ros Barber (TeleRead)</a><br />
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<a href="http://pastandpresentprogressive.com/2016/03/" target="_blank">Past and Present Progressive</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/RachelVanDyken/posts/1088332461188238?hc_location=ufi" target="_blank">Rachel Van Dyken</a><br />
<a href="http://www.thepassivevoice.com/2016/03/for-me-traditional-publishing-means-poverty-but-self-publish-no-way/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.thepassivevoice.com/2016/03/for-me-traditional-publishing-means-poverty-but-self-publish-no-way/" target="_blank">The Passive Voice</a><br />
<a href="http://the-digital-reader.com/2016/03/23/ros-barber-self-pub-is-for-non-fiction-not-fiction/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://the-digital-reader.com/2016/03/23/ros-barber-self-pub-is-for-non-fiction-not-fiction/" target="_blank">The Digital Reader</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.poptartmanifesto.com/2016/03/traditional-publishing-equals-poverty.html" target="_blank">The Poptart Manifesto</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.caverns-and-creatures.com/blog/2016/3/24/for-me-self-publishing-means-professional-satisfaction-and-financial-success-trade-places-with-ros-barber-fuck-no" target="_blank">Caverns and Creatures (over 18s only)</a><br />
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If interested in the other articles and comments on Facebook and forums, you may wish to do some Googling yourself.<br />
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Suffice it to say, I discovered that I was not alone in my powerful reaction, and that some people felt even more strongly than I did about her 'sneering tone' as one writer put it.<br />
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But what happened next was even more amazing. For Ros Barber came out swinging, a day or so later, and happily told the world via her own blog that 'fool' had not been her first choice of descriptor for self-publishers. No, for the word she had originally wanted to use was<b> 'twat'</b>, as Ros Barber openly admits under the heading: <a href="http://rosbarber.com/you-one-me/" target="_blank">"You" = "One" = "Me"</a>. This between describing a champagne lunch in Paris and how she opened a Patreon account so she can be supported as a writer - presumably by people who do other work for a living - without having to descend to the grubby depths of self-publishing.<br />
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I have a screenshot of that section of her post, but feel it isn't appropriate to use it here without her permission. So do please read it for yourself.<br />
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Now for my own long history as a writer. Regular readers of this blog will know that I have had <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jane-Holland/e/B001K8BO1K" target="_blank">five books of poetry out</a>, including one with Bloodaxe Books, received an Eric Gregory Award from the Society of Authors back in 1996, been Warwick Poetry Laureate, tutored for the Arvon Foundation and the Poetry School, and have been published multiple times as a novelist by so-called 'Big 5' publishers - Hachette and Penguin Random House, to be precise - since 1999, with nine full-length novels out (mostly historicals) over the past five years alone.<br />
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Not exactly inexpert, in other words. <br />
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I also turned to self-publishing in 2011 to put out books I felt were worth reading but had not found a home. In fact, I have currently over sixty novels, novellas and short stories self-published under various names on Amazon. I am easily bored, a fast and flexible writer, and like to turn my hand to different genres, often between bigger projects. Self-publishing means I can get a few quid back for my literary efforts rather than waste time trying to foist them onto a publishing world that is only interested in the next big thing.<br />
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Have they made serious money though?<br />
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Well, I have had some pleasing success in the UK with romcoms as <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00N53FZ4U" target="_blank">Beth Good</a>, getting most of my novellas in that genre into the Kindle charts at one time or another. Those books have kept us afloat as a family when my traditional contracts have dried up.<br />
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But my big breakthrough as a self-publisher came last autumn with <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Number-One-Jane-Holland-ebook/dp/B01ELCZO0S" target="_blank">Girl Number One</a>. This is a debut thriller I had written on the suggestion of a traditional house editor with whom I had previously worked, who subsequently passed on it. My agent sent it out to multiple houses: all declined, for no worrying reasons, just vague refusals. Not right for us or the market, that kind of thing.<br />
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My agent eventually suggested I self-publish it.<br />
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I rewrote it, using the few suggestions given by some of those editors - thanks, guys! - and put it out with a self-designed cover in September 2015. A very well-known crime writer friend of mine emailed me soon after, generously suggesting I send it to a trad editor she knew who might like to take it on. The money on offer wasn't great, but it was surely better than self-publishing. I thanked her, but stuck to my guns.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2li2HbzitnZTtd9MpBUEcE47m8zIkNZzymLtNUCwAR7XsncoKcG8xvVTV-zZ0bwa7cqACsPglZLSawt5-yXpPF_EKg5AsJHqDTZHWli4e73FivmV-ForqVBYyVxYSIi2xOusa6CjBR1P/s1600/girl+number+one+-+small+0qL._SX331_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2li2HbzitnZTtd9MpBUEcE47m8zIkNZzymLtNUCwAR7XsncoKcG8xvVTV-zZ0bwa7cqACsPglZLSawt5-yXpPF_EKg5AsJHqDTZHWli4e73FivmV-ForqVBYyVxYSIi2xOusa6CjBR1P/s320/girl+number+one+-+small+0qL._SX331_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_+copy.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Number-One-Jane-Holland-ebook/dp/B01ELCZO0S" target="_blank">BUY MY BOOK, etc.</a></td></tr>
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Seven months on, it has sold almost 50,000 copies, hit No. 1 in the UK Kindle chart, and been picked up by Amazon Publishing's Thomas & Mercer crime and thriller imprint as part of a two book contract. A new edition will be published later this year. Given that the book is still selling well, currently priced £1.99 with a 70% royalty, I will leave you to do the maths on how much better it was for me to self-publish than go with a traditional publisher. I even published two bottom-drawer books alongside it at the same price, both of which have been well-received by Amazon reviewers and are also selling nicely, if not quite so meteorically.<br />
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To get the book selling, yes, I tweeted about it, though not to the exclusion of everything else. I ran a Thunderclap campaign. I chatted about it on Facebook, and I blogged etc. <br />
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All of which makes me a 'twat', according to Ros Barber's view of self-publishers. A twat who, if she had been foolish enough to listen to that kind of naysaying attitude, would still have her novel gathering dust in the fabled bottom drawer, marked <b><span style="color: red;">'REJECT</span></b>'.<br />
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I very much want to make two things plain: one, that I love being traditionally published and do not prefer self-publishing, and two, that I strongly believe all writers must make their own choices without being swayed by someone else's opinion.<br />
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But, and this is a vital caveat, self-publishing is not a poor second choice for a writer. Sometimes it is a choice made boldly and for profit, and executed moreover with great skill and flair. And sometimes it is the only choice possible, and we must make of it what we can. Maybe a writer who can afford to be picky and hang on for that elusive contract, or who enjoys having to live on the streets or not being able to feed and clothe their children, or who believes someone else should do that for them while they labour over their priceless <i>chef d'oeuvre</i>, will prefer not to self-publish. But that will be their choice, and nothing to do with me, or you, or one, or Ros Barber.<br />
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Personally I love self-publishing. I love its freedom, its left-wing libertarianism, its inclusiveness, its fairness in levelling all authors to the same starting point of zero. But despite all that, given a straight choice, I would rather be traditionally published, if only because it means I will not have to put up with the knowing sneer on the faces of the literati when I say, yes, I put that book out myself.<br />
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The arguments Barber puts forward for traditional publishing in her Guardian article betray a lack of experience. As a successful hybrid author since 2011, I can tell you now that traditional publishers do not, as Ms Barber seems to believe, do all the marketing for you while you put your feet up and polish your sentences until they shine. Though perhaps literary authors are given carte blanche not to join in the promotional circus. I can't say for sure, because the only book I've published traditionally which might have been considered vaguely literary was with Sceptre back before the days of social media - back when you still got launch parties! (Yes, I'm a dinosaur.)<br />
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And if you don't believe me, believe this: I once had a Big 5 publicist who was greatly offended when I asked - finding myself alone on publication day, touting my book in a lonely chorus of one - why she did not have a Twitter account. She made it clear that budgets for marketing have vanished for all but the lead titles, and authors themselves are now the ones who are expected to promote their books, day and night, unless your second name happens to be King or Rowling - in which case you don't really need all those vast posters on the Underground, but will get them anyway.<br />
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And woe betide those who don't get on their keyboards and start clacking, 'buy my book,' to the universe, because their publishers will be quietly shoving their next manuscript in the bin. It may feel embarrassing to tell people you've just published a new book, especially if you have to keep repeating it for a few weeks, but it's part of the job of being a professional writer. <br />
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And this thing about traditional publishers getting your novel onto High Street book shelves? No, it doesn't work like that, or not for the vast majority of midlist titles. Very, very sadly. It may have worked like that once, but not anymore. Some books get ordered in good numbers. Others - most others, it seems to me - don't. Though you may be lucky and find one copy in the bigger stores. I am not privy to the way these things work, but I have failed to get bookstores to stock even my award-winning YA fiction in the past, which you would imagine must tick all those sales-criteria boxes.<br />
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In short, I'm sorry to say Ros Barber's article was muddle-headed, contradictory, insulting, and just plain wrong on a number of very important points. Yes, it's amazing to be in with a chance of a major prize listing. But how many books get that every year? Are you really hanging on because you think you're in with a shout of winning the Booker? (If so, go for it, my friend, and good luck to you.) Yes, it's lovely to have an editor and a design team. But self-publishers can buy in those services if they need them. Yes, it's nice to see your book in the shops. But that is no longer a given with traditional houses, if it ever was. <br />
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And finally, yes, it's fabulous to be taken care of by a team of publishing experts and to feel part of a large, well-respected company. But sometimes people don't enjoy that corporate experience, perhaps because the price of that security is adhering to rules and methods laid down from on high, and some writers don't function well in that kind of environment. And when your book doesn't sell well, nearly always for reasons beyond your control, and you get dumped, or your hardback is cancelled, or you are left off the guest list for that select Christmas party, it feels awful. Like you are a talentless hobo who will never again get past front-desk security in those shiny, intimidating, central London offices ...<br />
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In other words, traditional publishing is fantastic. It can make you a star, if that's what you are after. But it's not for everyone, and it's not the answer to every problem in an author's life. Neither is self-publishing. But going indie does open up new paths if others have been closed to you, or your temperament is not right for traditional publishing houses. Choose what you want, and what is within your grasp, and don't judge others for the route they have chosen.<br />
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So, a word to the wise. Before making any decision about whether to hold out for a traditional publishing deal or self-publish, make sure you check the credentials of the person giving you advice. Sadly, it's not always the ones in the know who write the articles that are supposed to steer your nascent writing career in the right direction.<br />
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As for my credentials, I write as <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Victoria-Lamb/e/B007ACERR8" target="_blank">Victoria Lamb</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elizabeth-Moss/e/B0059F2UP4" target="_blank">Elizabeth Moss</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beth-Good/e/B00N53FZ4U" target="_blank">Beth Good</a>, and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jane-Holland/e/B001K8BO1K" target="_blank">Jane Holland</a> among other names. Plus, in rather more fun news, a new name - and book, and genre - that will be coming soon! (With a traditional publisher, ahem.)<br />
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My latest self-published book is <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oddest-Little-Bookshop-charming-Cornish-ebook/dp/B01C0MRQAW" target="_blank">here</a>. Feel free to tear it apart - but please, at least buy it first. It's only 99p.<br />
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And an author friend of mine, and creative writing tutor, Cathie Hartigan, has her own story to tell about self-publishing her debut novel SECRET OF THE SONG, and why it turned out to be right for her, <a href="http://www.creativewritingmatters.co.uk/cathies-blog/what-is-success" target="_blank">here</a>. Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.com15