tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51560234623767471092024-03-14T08:37:43.419+00:00 Louise Walters BooksLouisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-54830272792012932372021-05-20T12:30:00.006+01:002021-06-15T10:09:26.831+01:00Twelve books in: the view from here<p style="text-align: justify;">When I approached my fiftieth birthday in 2017, I decided I wanted to be a publisher. I was a published novelist, with my debut novel having done rather well: translated into fifteen languages, and getting a big flashy deal in the USA. A few things did go awry with that first book: my editor in the USA left for a new job, and the enthusiasm for my book left with her. My book was "orphaned" at its publisher. Promotion stateside was minimal, and so were sales; there was never a paperback in the USA. However, these things happen, and none of it was the end of the world, and my book still did OK elsewhere. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0HNANoOqT2w/YKYe6WKXfRI/AAAAAAAACQA/Vz3kZBi8xyYy-fHjOA4mKR4iLoLI0oPegCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/P1000619.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0HNANoOqT2w/YKYe6WKXfRI/AAAAAAAACQA/Vz3kZBi8xyYy-fHjOA4mKR4iLoLI0oPegCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/P1000619.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;">My second novel was turned down by my UK publisher; a huge blow. But also not the end of the world. Another publisher showed interest; then changed their mind. That was a worse blow and at that point I was not feeling too positive about corporate publishing. So I decided to self-publish my second novel. And I loved that process. It sold reasonably well in the UK, and still sells. It won't make me rich. But neither did my debut corporate-published novel, in the end. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m-9skh5P1D8/YKYm-cnYkzI/AAAAAAAACQo/P2maodjehR46q07fgV8h9GHcV8q4kHFBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s448/P1000099.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="448" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m-9skh5P1D8/YKYm-cnYkzI/AAAAAAAACQo/P2maodjehR46q07fgV8h9GHcV8q4kHFBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/P1000099.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I decided to set up Louise Walters Books, and published my third novel, and in 2017 I announced to the world I was now <i>A Publisher</i>, and was looking for novels and novellas. I had quite a lot of submissions. I soon found myself working very long hours, fulfilling my aim of publishing four books per year. I was super-enthusiastic, and confident that sales would pick up, because my books were good: well-written by talented writers, well-edited by both author and me, and professionally produced by my amazing freelance team. I still had the naive idea in my head that publishing was a meritocracy. At the 2019 London Book Fair I met up with and chatted to the American editor who had commissioned my debut novel in the USA, and she gave me two pieces of advice: four books per year was a lot; and I should write another novel. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L9GeL5auH14/YKYf0P9KGFI/AAAAAAAACQc/8k4CBo18hKQ_GNR-MOqggDbmNDsfEJYBACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_4853.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L9GeL5auH14/YKYf0P9KGFI/AAAAAAAACQc/8k4CBo18hKQ_GNR-MOqggDbmNDsfEJYBACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_4853.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">As the months rolled by and I published more books, one per season, I realised I needed to make more money. The books weren't selling anywhere near enough. I was fortunate to get some freelance editorial work with Jericho Writers and Retreat West, both of whom continue to send me projects to work on. But I found myself working even longer hours, and pouring most of my editorial income into my publishing. My family barely saw me. My marriage suffered. We did less and less as a family. I was getting up early, going to bed late, drinking too much, worrying too much, and missing my family too much. </span></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I still believed in the books I was publishing, and I was doing my flat-out best to publish them well. I commissioned my seventh author, then decided to close to submissions for a while. I entered all and any prizes my books were eligible for, but no dice (yet). We did get one long-listing in a new prize (Laura Laakso's marvellous <i>Roots of Corruption</i> was on the inaugural <a href="https://www.thebarbellionprize.com/" target="_blank">Barbellion Prize</a> long list in 2020). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fTyKHUQn_fQ/YKYt6LCEy0I/AAAAAAAACQw/vQqzGr6oZ6AMH0djRtsAu77WJmG0g9zmACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_4857.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fTyKHUQn_fQ/YKYt6LCEy0I/AAAAAAAACQw/vQqzGr6oZ6AMH0djRtsAu77WJmG0g9zmACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_4857.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">I still haven't yet secured any translation deals for any of my books; nor have any of them been taken up in other English-speaking territories. I have had some audio and large print deals for some of my books, which has been very helpful, from the fabulous <a href="https://www.wfhowes.co.uk/" target="_blank">W F Howes</a>. I've had amazing support from readers and book bloggers, and a lovely handful of bookshops. My website sales have been steady, and encouraging; my e-book sales are insufficient, and bookshop sales, other than those wonderfully supportive exceptions, have been extremely disappointing. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TXhIF_r8mfc/YKY3bagLhnI/AAAAAAAACRc/FCOY0oxJCC0FomA_erAEw7DLSKHkNSsqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/51PjhM29OpL._SL500_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TXhIF_r8mfc/YKY3bagLhnI/AAAAAAAACRc/FCOY0oxJCC0FomA_erAEw7DLSKHkNSsqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/51PjhM29OpL._SL500_.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Publishing has been frustrating, exhausting, worrying, and ultimately it has left me skint, disillusioned, and disappointed. The corporate publishers rule the roost and I can't see myself ever breaking through that terrible barrier. I think my class has hampered me too. I'm working-class and I make no bones about that. Why should I? It's who and what I am. My books don't get reviewed <i>possibly</i> because I don't know anybody who works at <i>The Guardian</i> or any other middle-class newspaper; nor working-class newspapers, come to that. I have no contacts. Believe me, I have tried to make them. Publishing is a posh world, no doubt about it. I seriously do wonder if my publishing venture would have fared better had I been to private school, or at least grammar school. Who knows? </div><p style="text-align: justify;">My guilt trip is immense. I've spent all my savings on my publishing and I don't earn enough money to comfortably co-pay the mortgage and bills; then came the first lockdown last year and that was the beginning of the end financially. My family and I are in the process of having to make some pretty tough decisions. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">What's been good about indie publishing? First and foremost, working with seven talented writers. It's been a privilege. I've loved every minute, and to edit such fine writing has been a highlight of my life. The support we have enjoyed from individuals has been such an encouragement and a boost to all of us at LWB. I'm amazed that people spend their hard-earned dosh on books I commissioned, edited, and published. All my writers deserve to sell their books, of course, but every time I receive an order at my website, it's still a huge thrill. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HmaNcNbKe1E/YKYw9JxSnyI/AAAAAAAACRI/WR_0DPiKAIcsjEH89wDK-KOt5o7p_-R1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG-4743.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HmaNcNbKe1E/YKYw9JxSnyI/AAAAAAAACRI/WR_0DPiKAIcsjEH89wDK-KOt5o7p_-R1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG-4743.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Being my own boss is brilliant, and working from home is undeniably convenient, if lonely. It seems as though the entire world has written a novel and wants it critiqued. No complaints here. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm immensely proud of what I've achieved over the last five years; my book-loving ten-year-old self can't believe what her fifty-year-old self has gone on to do in life. In fact my book-loving forty-year-old self can't believe it either. Louise Walters Books may not be a "success" in terms of making money, and maybe only time will tell if it was ultimately worth it, but it has been a source of pride, and it has given me new skills and new confidence. I've met some outstanding people over the last few years too, people I would never have met without the publishing. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm publishing just one book in 2022. I'll remain closed to submissions now until late 2022-ish, if not longer. In the meantime, I'm going to work hard on my forthcoming books (November 2021 and November 2022) and will continue working hard to promote my dozen glorious books. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Have I failed? Yes and No. I've <i>been</i> failed, as my wise husband points out to me regularly. The book industry as a whole is very geared towards the big corporate publishers. There is resistance to indie publishers. I think there exists a vague but pervasive and erroneous notion that an indie publisher is somehow lesser; amateur; picking off the corporate publishers' rejected, therefore inferior, submissions. None of that is true. Is there a tougher industry to set up business in than publishing? The glass ceiling in impenetrable and cares not for how hard you work. Hard work and excellent writing are not enough. The cream does not rise to the top. If it did, at least one of my books would have found its way onto some pretty good prize long lists. That hasn't happened (yet) so if I'm going to continue as a publisher, it will be for love, not money; one book a year, not four. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">That advice from the American editor at the London Book Fair? Spot on, 100%. My half-written fourth novel patiently awaits... and as one of my authors frequently says to me in her encouraging e-mails, ONWARDS. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0qe0IouyMYM/YKYxh1FrYQI/AAAAAAAACRQ/ETn4MnIzcdYG8kvl0rrr4hufYInoNVRoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG-4304.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0qe0IouyMYM/YKYxh1FrYQI/AAAAAAAACRQ/ETn4MnIzcdYG8kvl0rrr4hufYInoNVRoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG-4304.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">I extend my deep and heartfelt thanks to you if you've supported my press in any way: buying, subscribing, reading, reviewing, recommending, tweeting, retweeting, Facebook-sharing, Instagram-liking, <a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/LWB" target="_blank">Buying me a Coffee</a>... whatever it is, I promise it has helped. Thank you x</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LdrkVdSGju4/YKY7jKHAH1I/AAAAAAAACRo/t2vKPcTf8TEFraRCTXCPV3zFk3bjTfBTQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/49C94EB8-B41F-46B0-A6A6-85B8FBC73651%2B%25282%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1858" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LdrkVdSGju4/YKY7jKHAH1I/AAAAAAAACRo/t2vKPcTf8TEFraRCTXCPV3zFk3bjTfBTQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/49C94EB8-B41F-46B0-A6A6-85B8FBC73651%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Louise Walters is a writer, editor, and publisher. She is the author of three novels: <i>Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase</i> (Hodder 2014), <i>A Life Between Us</i> (LWB 2017), and <i>The Road to California</i> (LWB 2018). Please visit the <a href="https://www.louisewaltersbooks.co.uk/" target="_blank">Louise Walters Books</a> website where you'll discover more about her twelve books, seven authors, and her flourishing editorial services. </b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-34700993395596696602021-05-14T11:20:00.002+01:002021-05-14T12:02:44.786+01:00And then there were twelve...<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As I write, it's just two days until S J Norbury's debut novel <i>Mrs Narwhal's Diary</i> is published, on Sunday 16 May. This is the day the diary begins, so we thought it would be a nice day to publish the book. My twelfth at LWB! </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We thought it would also be nice to write a blog post about how I came to publish S J's novel...</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In January 2019, Jericho Writers sent a project to me and asked me to provide an in-depth editorial report. I'd been working with Jericho Writers for a couple of years at that point, and most of the projects I'd worked on were very much beginners' work, needing lots of input, and usually full of rookie errors. Interesting work, and work I needed (and still need) to pay my wages and finance my publishing; but, at times, quite repetitive... the same mistakes do seem to crop up over and over again ;-) </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xsd0_Q5AFkY/YJ16LkJOMUI/AAAAAAAACPI/dyHFG1Wcqto-ko90Q2lRbamK-oFtSmvVACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_4743.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xsd0_Q5AFkY/YJ16LkJOMUI/AAAAAAAACPI/dyHFG1Wcqto-ko90Q2lRbamK-oFtSmvVACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_4743.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">In February 2019 I started work on the project named <i>Mrs Narwhal's Diar</i>y and just a few sentences in I realised I was reading something extraordinary. The characters lifted off the page from the start; it was funny, warm, engaging, charming. This is how I introduced S J's report:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 21.25pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Thank you for
the chance to read and work on your novel <i>Mrs
Narwhal’s Diary. </i>I have to say, it is rare to get the chance to work on
such a professional and accomplished manuscript. I can’t tell you how much I
enjoyed your novel. Funny, fresh, invigorating, surprisingly moving in places.
Pithy, shrewd observations throughout only add to the novel’s great charm. Your
fabulous cast of characters, and great characterisation (generally, with a few
slips, which I will talk about later) are fascinating to follow. I was rooting
for all of them at one point or another. There were many genuine laugh-out-loud
moments, and my family gave me many odd looks, and there were several “What’s
up with Mum?” type comments all over the weekend as I read and laughed my way through
your novel." <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 21.25pt; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 21.25pt; text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yu11Yd7zavY/YJ1lzAICcwI/AAAAAAAACOg/yS3o163USQQkSKBLPFQI2wlQwJUfenG7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s599/S%2BJ%2BNorbury.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="461" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yu11Yd7zavY/YJ1lzAICcwI/AAAAAAAACOg/yS3o163USQQkSKBLPFQI2wlQwJUfenG7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/S%2BJ%2BNorbury.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I gave S J some tips for improving a few aspects of the story, and I encouraged her to try agents. She did... but, astoundingly, she didn't get offered representation. I'm still rather puzzled by that. Of course, at the back of my mind I was longing to publish <i>Diary</i> myself, but I didn't want to offer until S J had tried other, bigger routes to publication. I felt her writing was more than good enough to get representation and it was a huge surprise to me that it didn't. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, we had a chat... we met up in Worcester for coffee and cake... and it was agreed that I would publish <i>Mrs Narwhal's Diary</i>. I know it deserved more, much more - an agent and a big glossy deal with a Big 5 publisher - but those things weren't on offer. And I felt both deeply disappointed and wildly ecstatic. We commenced our editorial work, and I engaged once again the assistance of cover designer Jennie Rawlings, and interior designer Leigh Forbes; and LWB author Helen Kitson who helped us out with copy editing. We had a lot of fun editing the novel. It's a book that's just as delightful to work on as it is to read. I love all the characters, especially Rose, the sassy, beautiful, but deeply vulnerable sister-in-law of the eponymous Mrs Narwhal (we never get to know Mrs N's first name). Rose, like all the characters, has real depth, emotional depth. To my mind the relationship between Mrs N and Rose is the novel's central relationship, and it's unusual to see sisters-in-law placed at the heart of a novel. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rt9KiTVZevE/YJ139eal9II/AAAAAAAACPA/gaZne71KVtwoQIQOkgKpBdNPRYRRW2W6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/FKWE3702.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rt9KiTVZevE/YJ139eal9II/AAAAAAAACPA/gaZne71KVtwoQIQOkgKpBdNPRYRRW2W6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/FKWE3702.JPG" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">Lockdown disrupted things, of course. My carefully planned publishing schedule went up in smoke! But in the end we couldn't resist publishing the book on the day the diary begins, 16 May. May is a perfect time to publish any book, and especially a perfect summer read like this one. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">I always hope all my books find their readers. They all deserve to be widely read; and </span><i style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">Diary</i><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"> is perhaps my most commercial title. It's not really an "indie press book". I'll always know that a Big 5 publisher could have snapped it up, and made it a huge hit. It should be a Richard and Judy pick; it should be in supermarkets; it should be gracing bookshop windows, and be on a table somewhere near the front of your local Waterstones. The BBC should be gagging to option it for a Sunday night series. And all that could still happen, if the book finds readers and gets into bookshops, and word of mouth does its thing. I truly hope that happens. All books are bigger than their publisher, and </span><i style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">Mrs Narwhal's Diary</i><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"> is truly big, or deserves to be. Please help to make that happen by buying the book, borrowing the book, reviewing it, recommending it to others. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">You can read an excerpt of <i>Mrs Narwhal's Diary</i> on S J's author page on my website <a href="https://www.louisewaltersbooks.co.uk/s-j-norbury" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">Mrs Narwhal's Diary</i><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"> is published on 16 May by Louise Walters Books in paperback and e-book, and will be published by W F Howes in large print, and in audio, narrated by actress Helen Keeley. </span></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 21.25pt; text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 21.25pt; text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SO3yPa4Y0ck/YJ1zVlE4dPI/AAAAAAAACO4/-MVPIwlGgSIw_XsJJgpmUptjF98hS1yvACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/9781916112315.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1318" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SO3yPa4Y0ck/YJ1zVlE4dPI/AAAAAAAACO4/-MVPIwlGgSIw_XsJJgpmUptjF98hS1yvACLcBGAsYHQ/w258-h400/9781916112315.jpg" width="258" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 21.25pt; text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 21.25pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 21.25pt; text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-9264481426241930122021-02-28T10:45:00.001+00:002021-02-28T10:47:11.278+00:00What's in a word? <p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I published Helen Kitson's second novel, <i>Old Bones</i>, in January. There hasn't been much fanfare, but then it's hard to generate that for any book in these odd times. It's had some fabulous reviews, and, as I type this, the book is currently on tour, with the book bloggers giving the novel a general thumbs-up. It's an unusual novel in that the three central characters are all women in their early sixties. I loved this aspect of the novel and I thought others would too, and they do. All good. However, the blurb on the back of the cover has caused a mild commotion: </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">Helen takes us back to
the fictional Shropshire village of Morevale in this, her brilliant second
novel which exposes the fragilities and strengths of three remarkably
unremarkable elderly women.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> </span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">"Sixty isn't elderly!" is something Helen and I have heard from several readers. It got us thinking... to the point where we decided to remove the word from the blurb for future editions of the book... and replace it with... with what? With nothing is certainly an option. But I think we need to reiterate that the novel is about women past<i> </i>middle age. It's an important selling point. The blurb has a job to do, which to entice readers by conveying the premise in a succinct, clear way. (And writing a good blurb is one of the hardest jobs in publishing, let me tell you!) </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3h30dlApK_g/YDtfSljffoI/AAAAAAAACNY/0NY_sZ4EBuU9us7uiC0VGFHyEW8ERp5twCLcBGAsYHQ/s650/9781916112339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="403" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3h30dlApK_g/YDtfSljffoI/AAAAAAAACNY/0NY_sZ4EBuU9us7uiC0VGFHyEW8ERp5twCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/9781916112339.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">So, we have changed our minds back, and we've decided to stick to the word "elderly". It might be a little controversial, but there's nothing wrong with that...And I've invited Helen onto my blog to talk about our use of the word. Here she is...</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"My second
novel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Old Bones</i>, focuses on the
lives and regrets of three women all over the age of sixty. Unusual, but hardly
controversial. More problematic, it seems, is the use of the word “elderly” in
the back cover blurb to describe them. The fact that so many people have taken
issue with this suggests to me that we still have a problem with the issue of
ageing: what does getting old, or older, mean? How do we describe people who
fall uncomfortably between “middle age” and “elderly”? What do these words
mean, if they mean anything at all?</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">My
“ladies of a certain age” are described as elderly in the blurb because that’s
how they see themselves. They feel life has passed them by, that the good bits
are over. But is this what elderly means? When we use the word, do we imagine someone
whose past is more significant and more interesting than their present or their
future? Seated in a café, sixty-year-old Antonia “</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">glances around and notices other
women who are perhaps her age or older, yet they seem so much younger. Their
clothes are more modern and their faces have a lightness she can’t quite place.
These women might have their troubles, but they are not trapped in the past
like her and Diana”. She understands that “elderly” is a state of mind rather
than anything to do with her actual age, but this throws up another problem,
namely how we view the inevitable process of ageing.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0E_bt5JwUzk/YDtf2H1LUvI/AAAAAAAACNg/vUqp5ZGm154xBfQS2Q0j0s_y_n4P936hwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG-4351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0E_bt5JwUzk/YDtf2H1LUvI/AAAAAAAACNg/vUqp5ZGm154xBfQS2Q0j0s_y_n4P936hwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG-4351.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Helen signing copies of Old Bones, Oxford, November 2020</span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The fact that readers are annoyed,
even offended, by the use of the word “elderly” does, perhaps, say something
about how we privilege youth over age. Having a young outlook, a youthful
appearance: these are seen as positive things. We know, logically, that being
old is not in itself a bad thing; that Mary Wesley had her first book for
adults published when she was seventy-one; that many people speak of being
“happily retired”, retirement giving them time to do all the things they
couldn’t do when they were working.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m fifty-five and I don’t consider
myself to be elderly, but I don’t consider myself to be middle-aged, either.
I’m not young, and yes, sometimes that bothers me, though largely for reasons
of vanity. There’s a part of me that would like to become poet Jenny Joseph’s
old lady who wears purple with a red hat, though even that suggests a kind of
desperate bravery: the performance of bravado, a middle finger up to everyone
who thinks old people should be neither seen nor heard.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AHCITRDFdjc/YDtgSZrDZcI/AAAAAAAACNo/-E2k7_sDPE8oPwjrt9l8KVF9LhybvmA0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/D0ros-PXQAEktKd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AHCITRDFdjc/YDtgSZrDZcI/AAAAAAAACNo/-E2k7_sDPE8oPwjrt9l8KVF9LhybvmA0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/D0ros-PXQAEktKd.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Helen and Louise, March 2019, celebrating the launch of Helen's debut (also in Oxford)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(photo: Laura Laakso)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The euphemistic “older” seems to
have caught on, at least in America, but is it really a meaningful step
forward? Its great appeal, I suppose, is its vagueness – older than what? It
seems to me a bit of a cop-out; a bit patronising, even. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The fact
that my “elderly” ladies have ruffled a few feathers has forced me to look at
my own tendency to use the words “youth” and “old age” in, respectively,
positive and negative ways.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Turning
forty didn’t bother me, and even my fiftieth birthday didn’t faze me unduly. As
I approach my fifty-sixth birthday, however, I’m becoming much more conscious
of no longer being young, unable even to cling to “middle-aged” as a descriptor
for myself. And yes, I would baulk at being described as elderly, because of
the images that word conjures up; what sixty-three-year-old Diana describes in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Old Bones </i>as “</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">the monotonous grey shuffle towards
the final sunset”. Because isn’t that how we view the elderly? In abstract
terms we know that, generally speaking, the older you are, the closer you are
to that “final sunset”. That is, of course, an uncomfortable thought. A
“youthful” fifty-five, I find myself panicking, working out how many more years
I can reasonably hope to live, and how many books I can reasonably read (and
write) in that time. My world view has changed in the past five years. It’s not
so much that I dwell on the past, more that I have a greater sense of having to
come to terms with the fact that my life is finite. There are many things I
simply no longer have the time to achieve – or not to the extent I would like.
If I’m not elderly, I’m certainly not young, and that’s something I simply have
to suck up and accept. On the plus side, it means I can let go of things that
don’t actually matter that much.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have more past than future, and
there are times when that can feel bleak. On the other hand, I’m far more
content with my life now than when I was in my twenties. Even so, age is not
just a number, it is freighted with all kinds of thoughts and associations, and
expectations. There’s a lot of “50 is the new 40” and so on, but is that
helpful? Isn’t it just another way of trying to cling to youth as the ideal
state? It’s certainly true that my lifestyle and behaviour are very different
from my grandparents’ when they were the age I am now. I don’t think I’m
necessarily more youthful (whatever that may mean), simply that expectations of
how people should behave at particular ages have changed. And I don’t need to
wear purple (with or without a red hat) to prove that I have no intention of
conforming to societal expectations of how a woman of my age, of any age,
should behave. Because that is really the point of Jenny Joseph’s poem, isn’t
it? There is even an actual Red Hat Society inspired by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Warning</i>, for “women approaching fifty and beyond”. The existence of
this society is telling. I think it says a lot about how society views women,
in particular, who are no longer young, and I would suggest this is why readers
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Old Bones</i> have found the word
“elderly” problematic, because it highlights the fact that there is no satisfactory
word (and, in the eyes of many, no real purpose) for women over sixty. That, I
would suggest, is something worth thinking about, and something that I hope
readers take away from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Old Bones</i>."<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">So much to think about. Big thanks to Helen for writing this piece. We would love to hear your thoughts on this. Feel free to comment below or follow us on Twitter to continue the conversation:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Jemima_Mae_7">@Jemima_Mae_7</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a href="https://twitter.com/LouiseWalters12">@LouiseWalters12</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0cm;">#OldBones</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i>Old Bones</i> was published on 18 January 2021, in <a href="https://www.louisewaltersbooks.co.uk/product-page/old-bones-by-helen-kitson">paperback</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Old-Bones-Helen-Kitson-ebook/dp/B08M4F5Y1H/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1RQ1ARMS0TDCD&dchild=1&keywords=old+bones+helen+kitson&qid=1614503676&sprefix=old+bones%2Caps%2C162&sr=8-1">e-book</a> by Louise Walters Books. It will also be published in audio book and large print by W F Howes. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></p>Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-12924780401400497042020-11-20T11:01:00.001+00:002020-11-20T11:15:09.071+00:00Novella November<p>Morecambe Bay, The Lakes, Blackpool, <i>Strictly</i>, the Midland Hotel, Italy, suppressed desires, a long marriage, beautiful decorated vases, working class life, a red boucle coat, AND Eric Morecambe... all in 104 pages...</p><p><br /></p><p>On Monday 23 November I'll be publishing <i>In the Sweep of the Bay</i> by Cath Barton. At 22,000 words it's my shortest title yet. (A novel is usually around 70-100,000 words.) This is my second novella at Louise Walters Books: in September 2019 I published Diana Cambridge's <i>Don't Think a Single Thought</i>... longer than Cath's book, at 42,000 words, but still a novella. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iVSFAHHDmbs/X7bDaTEBpuI/AAAAAAAACLk/C3w4ndDFTtoYY01SGO2MMk6EzbGmUwR6gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/ITSOTB%2B9781999630577.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1336" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iVSFAHHDmbs/X7bDaTEBpuI/AAAAAAAACLk/C3w4ndDFTtoYY01SGO2MMk6EzbGmUwR6gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ITSOTB%2B9781999630577.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>I love short novels - which is what these two stories are, in my opinion. <i>Novella</i> is a slightly troubling term. To me it suggests insubstantiality or frivolity. Neither of these books could be described in those terms. </p><p>There is no room for waffle in a short novel. No room for writerly self-indulgence. You just have to tell the story briskly, efficiently, and neatly. Short novels are refreshing, and in these troubled times, brilliant for readers who are struggling to concentrate. Short novels are light (but not lightweight) and I for one feel a great sense of satisfaction when I've finished reading one.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hJPiyQHe860/X7bEORj-5sI/AAAAAAAACLs/5_OgeiZW-KEVZeCevQBz3uuRA3A3QQEtgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/9781999630508.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1333" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hJPiyQHe860/X7bEORj-5sI/AAAAAAAACLs/5_OgeiZW-KEVZeCevQBz3uuRA3A3QQEtgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/9781999630508.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>It takes great skill to write a big story in a small number of words. Everything has to work so much harder for the writer. It's a bit like a drum kit - my brother who once drummed in a group explained this to me: the smaller the kit, the harder the drummer has to work, and therefore the more skills she has to develop. Writing a novel is the same: I reckon a lot of writers can write a big blowsy scene over a dozen pages, full of overblown description and imagery. But it takes a special writer, a very talented writer, to write that same scene in a sentence or two. Writers love words, we love slinging them down on the page in their thousands. The writers of short novels have a lot of discipline; making the job of editing them a particular joy. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dxGGP9Z-ZFU/X7eVroRxVdI/AAAAAAAACL4/SFMkoF-rdQ0xYDd0nUwnCpLIZwhuFN9lQCLcBGAsYHQ/s6000/Cath%2BBarton.%2BAuthor%2Bpic.%2BFeb%2B2020.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3376" data-original-width="6000" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dxGGP9Z-ZFU/X7eVroRxVdI/AAAAAAAACL4/SFMkoF-rdQ0xYDd0nUwnCpLIZwhuFN9lQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Cath%2BBarton.%2BAuthor%2Bpic.%2BFeb%2B2020.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cath Barton (photo by Toril Brancher)</span></div><p><i>In the Sweep of the Bay</i> was just 7,000 words when Cath approached me about it last year. I loved the writing and I was drawn to the central character, Ted Marshall. I gave Cath some editorial notes and ideas, and she went away and expanded the story, and then sent it over again. I loved it; still loved Ted (and had been thinking about him a lot in the meantime); and I was thrilled to offer Cath a publishing deal. We worked on edits together over several months, changing the order of chapters around (Cath's idea) and generally polishing the story to make it as sharp and clear as we possibly could. The opening chapter, in the first person viewpoint of a street cleaner (who takes great pride in keeping the statue of Eric Morecambe in pristine condition), wasn't at the beginning in earlier drafts. I think it was a fab decision on Cath's part to open the novel with that voice. It sets the tone for the whole story and allows the reader "in". Perfect! </p><p>Why do I like the central character Ted so much? I think it's because he's a good man. No grand gestures, no big heroic moments, no shoddy behaviour; he's just a good, honest bloke. I love Ted, and his wife Rene, also utterly "ordinary". I had a hunch readers would fall for these two and it seems they have. The response to <i>In the Sweep of the Bay</i> has been overwhelmingly positive so far.</p><p><br /></p><p class="TextBodyFirst"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>"Ted had not had choices. Not when he was young. Leaving
school at fifteen and starting work in the family firm had always been a
certainty. He hadn’t questioned it, any more than he’d questioned day following
night. He’d done his apprenticeship like everyone else. It made no difference
that he was a member of the family, he needed to learn the same as others did.
His Aunt Lavinia was the head of the firm in the fifties. She was respected by
the workers as much as any man. They’d started him on sugar-basins. The feel of
the clay slipping under his fingers on the wheel had quickly become second
nature to him. He had, his Aunt Lavinia used to say proudly, the Family Feel.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">
</p><p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Three years’ apprenticeship and Ted moved to the painting
benches. This was long before he designed the first Edward Marshall vase, of
course, but it was clear to his workmates from the start that painting was to
be his m<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">é</span>tier. Ted was
happy. He spent his evenings listening to plays on the radio as he experimented
with new designs for the factory. Except on Fridays. Friday night was music
night on the <i>Light Programme</i> and Ted tapped his feet to the big bands as he
worked." </b></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></p><p>Let's talk dosh! A very real part of the appeal of a short novel to me as a tiny indie publisher is the cost. Short novels are more affordable to edit, typeset, print, and post. I've a real chance of breaking even on my short novels (haven't yet, but I think I will in the end). My future plans as an indie publisher are uncertain but continuing as a publisher is my aim and I will always look favourably (but not exclusively) on the shorter novel. </p><p>The downsides to publishing a short novel? Well, we couldn't get an audio deal (a minimum of 60,000 words is the preference) so we have had to DIY the audio books. These are digital-only and their production creates extra work for both publisher and author. The plus side is we get to choose and work closely with the audio book narrator. (Publishing is always swings and roundabouts...) But really there are no downsides. It's been a delight to work on this story with Cath. We hope you enjoy the finished book!</p><p><i>In the Sweep of the Bay</i> can be ordered from any bookshop (Waterstones in Abergavenny have it in stock!) and it's available in paperback and e-book from all the usual Internet retailers. Signed copies with co-ordinating postcards are available from my website bookshop:</p><p><a href="https://www.louisewaltersbooks.co.uk/shop-1">https://www.louisewaltersbooks.co.uk/shop-1</a></p><p>Enjoy! xx</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_SIAdr9ZW0s/X7ebYbt_WkI/AAAAAAAACMI/YtKtHizZUxwlWyVJFO89ZJWJnQ-_tNOZACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG-3726%2B%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_SIAdr9ZW0s/X7ebYbt_WkI/AAAAAAAACMI/YtKtHizZUxwlWyVJFO89ZJWJnQ-_tNOZACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG-3726%2B%25282%2529.jpg" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p>Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-67168981617468004882020-09-12T12:12:00.050+01:002020-09-13T07:52:41.829+01:00Three years of indie publishing: the view from here<p>Hello! My first blogpost in ages... but I say that every time I blog, so... y'know... I am quite busy! To make up for it, this is a long post. Maybe grab a coffee... </p><p>Three years ago, on 19th September 2017, I announced I was going to be a bona fide indie press: Louise Walters Books. I'd been working towards this for months, behind the scenes, and had self-published my third novel, <i>The Road to California</i>, as a trial run. I was excited, scared, and looking forward to the big adventure. A few months into running my press I signed my first author, Laura Laakso, for her debut novel <i>Fallible Justice,</i> the first book in her paranormal crime series, Wilde Investigations. Other writers followed and my aim to publish four books per year (one per season) was in full swing. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f8LWFbfUoLY/X1x2lZEk0KI/AAAAAAAACH4/B7l4rajM6og_bVQ3ANsoTNxhavvDPbI-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/9781999780937.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1269" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f8LWFbfUoLY/X1x2lZEk0KI/AAAAAAAACH4/B7l4rajM6og_bVQ3ANsoTNxhavvDPbI-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/9781999780937.jpg" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Three years down the line, I'm flat out exhausted; I have made mistakes, faced numerous rejections (it's not only writers who get repeatedly rejected in the crazy world of publishing!) and wept many tears: tears of frustration, disappointment, desperation, and sometimes, joy. First let's talk about the disappointments, shall we? Nobody really does... here goes... all very much in the spirit of my understanding that <b>nobody owes me anything</b>. This is simply my reality... </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RVrm2PW8nvI/X1x25pXzplI/AAAAAAAACIA/GF2OgbjbLQI_D2v7dXYOO47ZfkFPJ3O_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/ITSOTB%2B9781999630577.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1336" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RVrm2PW8nvI/X1x25pXzplI/AAAAAAAACIA/GF2OgbjbLQI_D2v7dXYOO47ZfkFPJ3O_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ITSOTB%2B9781999630577.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><b>Ebook sales</b>. Mine are consistently low. They <i>are</i> increasing as I produce more books (my ninth title is out in November, Cath Barton's <i>In the Sweep of the Bay</i>) and Laura's series has done increasingly well this year off the back of a Bookbub promotion in June... but generally, I've been disappointed not to sell more. I have always kept the price of my ebooks low (currently they are £2.50 on all platforms). Other publishers sell oodles of ebooks (I look at sales figures in <i>The Bookseller</i> and regularly see authors and publishers and agents on Twitter celebrating (rightly) their "nth" sale of ebooks...) but my figures are nowhere near these levels. I've concluded it's commercial fiction which does well in ebook... my aim at LWB has been to publish books at the literary end of the spectrum, regardless of genre. And we are repeatedly told that literary fiction doesn't sell... </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n30_8YmE-L0/X1x8yXwUdEI/AAAAAAAACIY/UjEagxoffKETL5IPt0REcjkT_QZp2UyawCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/9781999630539.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1306" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n30_8YmE-L0/X1x8yXwUdEI/AAAAAAAACIY/UjEagxoffKETL5IPt0REcjkT_QZp2UyawCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/9781999630539.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Another disappointment has been the <b>lack of sales through bookshops.</b> When I started LWB I (rather naively, it turns out) imagined indie bookshops and indie publishers had a mutually supportive, symbiotic relationship. It would make sense, wouldn't it? Indies supporting each other? Waterstones don't carry my books (yet) as core stock, and I do understand that; there are far too many books published and Waterstones can't possibly stock them all any more than indie stores can. So while it's frustrating for me, I do get it. What I would love to see (and actually, need) is more indie bookshops stocking my titles. I am signed up with Gardners, the industry's main (and now only, after the demise of Bertrams) book wholesaler. All my books are available through them; and I clearly state my trading terms on my website, as I can also (and do) deal directly with indie bookshops. I suspect LWB just isn't on enough radars yet, and that's something I can keep working on (gotta put a positive spin on the disappointments, right?) </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F_2fMsMvZG0/X1x4dKNzS7I/AAAAAAAACIM/IaQ3L8P9V2QhyR19vOTrKJeBAI4fMV-gwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG-2214.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F_2fMsMvZG0/X1x4dKNzS7I/AAAAAAAACIM/IaQ3L8P9V2QhyR19vOTrKJeBAI4fMV-gwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG-2214.JPG" /></a></div><br /><p>There are some brilliant supportive indie bookshops who do carry some or all of my titles, and I am immensely grateful to them. But I need more, just like I need more ebook sales. There is no getting away from that. I am planning my first LWB catalogue, so I hope that will make a difference. I'm planning to send it to all UK indie bookshops, probably in early 2021. The trouble with books is the profit margin is tiny, and I've sold books at a loss, which means publishing on my small scale is not a sustainable "business model". But of course that isn't the reason I'm doing all of this. I'm a publisher because I love reading, and I love reading intelligent books, by writers of clear and genuine talent; and I know many other readers do too. So business model be damned. I'm in it for the passion. But I need sales too, or I'm not in it at all. See the problem here?</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zepa3KLRqNk/X1x9Euce6RI/AAAAAAAACIg/dXJ6lv3X-eYYhY1lgGbeQEO5N1MI-2BvACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2665.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zepa3KLRqNk/X1x9Euce6RI/AAAAAAAACIg/dXJ6lv3X-eYYhY1lgGbeQEO5N1MI-2BvACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2665.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>I've yet to secure a translation rights deal for any of my books. That has been quite a blow. I remain hopeful... I know my books would translate well. <b>The frustration is real</b>. (Rejection, you see, I get it all the time!) I <i>have</i> landed some audio and large print deals, and that is very good news for me and my authors. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pdGGqmHzGso/X1x9eZSyEuI/AAAAAAAACIo/lbnU7_9UrIY8nTk-z9EIQUVUH5jM16xbACLcBGAsYHQ/s342/51PKh%252BicSyL._SX342_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="342" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pdGGqmHzGso/X1x9eZSyEuI/AAAAAAAACIo/lbnU7_9UrIY8nTk-z9EIQUVUH5jM16xbACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/51PKh%252BicSyL._SX342_.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>The lack of press reviews is galling, although I do know most books from any publishers, big or small, don't get reviewed. I nevertheless try very hard. I have spent hours tracking down emails, finding reviewers on Twitter, emailing people, offering copies of my books. Mostly I hear nothing back, or I get a polite no thank you (which is much better than being ignored). This is where I think my lack of contacts comes into play. I'm not posh, middle-class, I don't have old school friends to open doors for me. I don't have any feet in any of these middle-class doors and that has been, I've no doubt, detrimental to my authors. So that's where I feel at my worst, really. It's all very well to edit and produce a high quality book but it's to little avail if I can't get them reviewed, stocked in shops, or long-listed in a prize or two.</p><p>OK, that's quite enough of the disappointments. (No need to mention I am skint, is there? I have sunk almost all my savings into my publishing and I'm yet to break even on any of my books... but I think that might be fairly typical in indie publishing... Oh, and the <i>loneliness</i>... nobody talks about the loneliness of indie publishing. I've never been more lonely in my life...) </p><p>But now I want to talk about the good stuff, of which there is plenty. First, <b>my Subscribers</b>!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3HlGD4yPk94/X1yKBJeKYsI/AAAAAAAACJg/UKtK0OO93i8asO4g_aXdPElx3hIaDe_AgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_4133%2B%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3HlGD4yPk94/X1yKBJeKYsI/AAAAAAAACJg/UKtK0OO93i8asO4g_aXdPElx3hIaDe_AgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_4133%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Sixty-seven people have taken out either a physical or digital subscription. I can't thank them enough for their support and belief in my authors and their books. It has made a real difference to my finances and to my morale. And the <b>website orders</b> are brilliant, I'm immensely cheered every time one of these pops into my inbox... thanks to each and every person who has ordered anything from my website bookshop. You are keeping me afloat in a real, measurable way. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-036fFglXIp4/X1yDLBYWKHI/AAAAAAAACJI/7yy7V99eZ6o1yd9RlNYWoARTHWxfILvXACLcBGAsYHQ/s820/Screenshot%2B%252815%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="820" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-036fFglXIp4/X1yDLBYWKHI/AAAAAAAACJI/7yy7V99eZ6o1yd9RlNYWoARTHWxfILvXACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screenshot%2B%252815%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>I regard each and every sale as a mini-victory; a validation that I'm doing something good at LWB and that readers want it. </p><p>And <b>book bloggers</b>, you are amazing in your enthusiasm and you've reviewed my titles so warmly and positively. You have been integral to getting my books on radars and I thank you all sincerely for all that you do for books, and mine in particular! </p><p>Working with my <b>talented team of writers and freelance helpers</b> has been fantastic. I've learned so much about editing and publishing over the last three years. It's been brilliant. All seven of my authors have talent in bucket loads. It's an absolute joy to work on writing of the calibre they produce and I couldn't be a prouder publisher. The thrill of finding each of these writers makes up for a lot of the disappointments. They deserve more sales, of course, they should have got more reviews, of course, they should have been on prize long lists, absolutely <i>of course</i>. But they haven't, yet, and while I frequently feel I've failed my authors, I don't think I have, really. I've done my best for them with limited funds in a very overcrowded marketplace... I'm a meticulous editor, I hope, and I work my authors hard on their books. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bb2isw-bLbE/X1yCu5cIIsI/AAAAAAAACJA/DfexRut2o9AUWiGjd5pkeM1wvnTXx6UOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s545/IMG_3944%2B%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="545" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bb2isw-bLbE/X1yCu5cIIsI/AAAAAAAACJA/DfexRut2o9AUWiGjd5pkeM1wvnTXx6UOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3944%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><b>The mistakes</b>: trying to publish four books a year! It's way too many for one person. The workload is immense even with one book, let alone four. And while my future as a publisher is uncertain, and I am going to be taking a break in 2021-2022, I have made one decision for the future, should I continue to publish: two books per year maximum! That way I may hang on to my sanity... The hours I have put in, and still do, has affected my family, my relationships, my mental health. Two books per year will restore some balance... that's the plan...</p><p>Financially, I live on my savings (now almost all gone) and my editorial work, which I do alongside my publishing. I can, and often do, earn more money from one editorial report than I sometimes make on all sales of my titles in a month. So it's a no-brainer. In reality, my freelance editorial work is my day job, my actual work; publishing is an expensive hobby that I can't sustain forever unless sales pick up. It's that simple, that sad, really. </p><p>I have four more books to publish, the last one in May 2021. All four are brilliant novels, and all quite different... </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EmV1q_QB6ZU/X1yNJUM1hzI/AAAAAAAACJs/DhBWpP-tsK8lKFCtudc76wOLFljio2lQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/9781916112308.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1296" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EmV1q_QB6ZU/X1yNJUM1hzI/AAAAAAAACJs/DhBWpP-tsK8lKFCtudc76wOLFljio2lQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/9781916112308.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>After that, I'm going to take a few months off, probably a year or so, and figure out how to proceed. I have several options, all of which I will consider: going back to my own writing (The only certainty. Got to write again); setting up an ebook-only imprint for commercial fiction (there is money in that, but is it true to LWB? Does that even matter?); give up publishing entirely (and get my life back!); set up as a "hybrid" publisher, where I help writers to publish their books, but the author pays me for my services... and I'm even considering switching to being an agent... all of these are options, and I could do a combination of these. </p><p>Would I have set up LWB in 2017 if I'd been able gaze into a crystal ball? What do you think?* </p><p>I'm jaded. The booktrade is the toughest, strangest, cruellest industry. It's resistant to change, slow to change, and it's resistant to indie authors and indie publishers for no fathomable reason. It's an industry at odds with itself. Writers, agents, publishers, and booksellers, all have different needs and want different things from this industry, and the conflict of interest is tough to navigate. So on Twitter I've been criticised for directing people to my titles on Amazon by an indie bookseller who as far as I know doesn't stock my titles. That's the conflict, right there, the downright ridiculousness of the industry and how it works (or doesn't work). But... Books, innit. We all love books regardless of our place in this crazy book world. </p><p>For now, onwards, and I'll be around for a while yet, promoting the heck out of my seven authors and their remarkable novels. It will be nice to have the time in 2021 and 2022 to promote the books without the pressure of line editing, endless proofreading (my least favourite job!) and without the worry of the expense of bringing out any further books. Next year I will have twelve titles out, and they will be in my catalogue, nice and glossy, with those fantastic covers, for readers, booksellers, librarians, and reviewers to discover them. </p><p>And in case you might like to learn more about my indie press, or buy a book, you can head over to my <b><a href="https://www.louisewaltersbooks.co.uk/shop-1" target="_blank">website</a> </b>where all my published-to-date books are available to buy now in print and digital; and my upcoming books are available for pre-order, in print and digital. All my titles are also available at internet retailers, and can be ordered through any high street bookshop, whether that be Waterstones, Foyles, Blackwells, or your local independent. </p><p>Thank you to all who have supported me and my authors over the last three years. It means so much, you'll never know quite how much... </p><p>Louise x</p><p>*PS, the answer to the crystal ball question? No. I may be passionate, but I'm not stupid! </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vMS8ZV-tEoY/X1yEz6CuwHI/AAAAAAAACJU/2X4XpijxYK816DuJVPAiuU7ujmVq9LqIACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3473.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vMS8ZV-tEoY/X1yEz6CuwHI/AAAAAAAACJU/2X4XpijxYK816DuJVPAiuU7ujmVq9LqIACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/IMG_3473.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span> </span><span> (</span>Good job there is no crystal ball...)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-22756585151675761042020-02-04T21:54:00.000+00:002020-02-04T21:54:40.534+00:00First paragraphs: Before and After - The Last Words of Madeleine Anderson OK, apologies, first of all. I said, in June, that I would do another of these before and after blog posts "soon"... well, February isn't soon, really, is it? Sorry! Blame my crazy workload...<br />
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Without further ado, here is the third of my Before and After posts featuring the novels of my authors at Louise Walters Books. This time we're going to look at Helen Kitson's novel, <i>The Last Words of Madeleine Anderson. </i><br />
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Helen was the second author I signed at my indie press. She sent me this novel via my Submissions inbox and I recognised her name - Helen is an accomplished and acclaimed poet. I was keen to read her novel and after reading, I was keen to publish it. Here are the original opening paragraphs:<br />
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I<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">t’s curious how a fleeting smell,
or a chance association of images or words, can conjure up a particular event
so vividly it almost seems possible to relive it – to reach out and touch a
remembered scene, a beloved face, a special memory. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> The
sender of the letter I held in my hands signed herself Madeleine, and how could
she possibly have known how deeply that name would affect me? My best friend,
Madeleine Anderson; best friends since our first day at school. Dead at
twenty-two; Madeleine – my Madeleine!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Bewildered, I felt the
world around me cease to spin, a jumble of memories tumbling out from a
cupboard stuffed with junk: balding teddy bears, cassette tapes with
handwritten labels, pens with shattered nibs, yellowed birthday cards, dice
from board games long since binned; luggage labels, school ties, smooth
pebbles, broken jewellery, pictures torn from magazines. Reminders of people
loved, admired, lusted over, despised. Names that no longer meant a thing,
others that were invisibly tattooed on the fragile skin of my wrists.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Not
difficult to imagine the grief, the tears, the unctuous if heartfelt outbursts
of feeling Madeleine’s death occasioned, along the ‘taken from us so young’
lines. Unfair, tragic, appalling. Mutely I accepted the commiserations, the
clasping hands, the condolence cards littered with silver crosses and embossed
lilies. Worse for her parents, of course, for like me Madeleine had been an
only child. Unlike me, brilliant, brimming with the vague quality called
potential. Dead, gone, taken from us, her light snuffed out, at peace with the
angels. Et cetera. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Grief
fades, but bombs leave black craters that can never entirely be filled. Weeks,
months went by when I didn’t give Madeleine more than a passing thought, though
she was never entirely absent. But the letter, signed Madeleine, was enough to
bring to mind that well-remembered face, and for too long I remained in my
armchair, unable to summon up the will to move, to switch on a light, to eat.
The letter in itself was not vastly interesting; similar to others I’d
received, in dribs and drabs, over the past twenty-odd years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Maddie</i>'s audio book cover</span></div>
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I loved the voice here: Helen does that world-weary, bleak-ish sense of humour so well. My first suggestion was maybe we should start the novel with the second paragraph. I thought the first paragraph was a bit "throat-clearing", and not necessary. By losing it we also get straight to the letter; straight into the action as the main character has already received and opened up the letter that will change her life.<br />
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I made a few further suggestions, as did Helen and our copy editor, Alison - all suggestions shown here in red:</div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strike><span style="color: red;">It’s curious how a fleeting smell,
or a chance association of images or words, can conjure up a particular event
so vividly it almost seems possible to reach out and touch a remembered scene
or a beloved face. </span></strike><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> The sender of the letter I held in my hands signed herself Madeleine, and how could she possibly have known how deeply that name would affect me? <strike><span style="color: red;">My best friend, Madeleine Anderson; best friends since our first day at school. Dead at twenty-two. Madeleine – my Madeleine! </span></strike></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strike><span style="color: red;">Bewildered, </span></strike>I felt the
world around me cease to spin, a jumble of memories tumbling out from a
cupboard stuffed with junk: balding teddy bears, cassette tapes with
handwritten labels, pens with shattered nibs, yellowed birthday cards, dice
from board games long since binned; luggage labels, school ties, smooth
pebbles, broken jewellery, pictures torn from magazines. Reminders of people
loved, admired, lusted over, despised. Names that no longer meant a thing,
others that were invisibly tattooed on the fragile skin on the insides of my
wrists.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Not
difficult to <strike><span style="color: red;">imagine</span></strike> <span style="color: red;">remember </span>the grief, the tears, the unctuous if heartfelt outbursts
of emotion Madeleine’s death occasioned, along the "taken from us too young" lines <span style="color: red;">Madeleine's death occasioned.</span><strike><span style="color: red;"> Unfair, tragic, appalling.</span></strike> <span style="color: red;">My best friend since our first day at school.</span> <span style="color: red;">Dead at twenty-two</span>. <strike>h</strike><span style="color: red;">H</span>er light snuffed out, at peace
with the angels<strike>. Et cetera.</strike>,<span style="color: red;"> et cetera.</span> Mutely I accepted the commiserations, the clasping
hands, the condolence cards littered with silver crosses and embossed lilies.
Worse for her parents, of course<strike>;</strike><span style="color: red;"><strike>.</strike> L</span>ike me, Madeleine had been an only child<strike>.</strike><span style="color: red;">;</span>
<strike>U</strike><span style="color: red;">u</span>nlike me, brilliant, brimming with that vague quality called potential. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Grief fades, but
bombs leave black craters that can never entirely be filled. Weeks, months went
by when I didn’t give Madeleine more than a passing thought, though she was
never entirely absent from my mind. But the letter, signed Madeleine, was enough to invoke that well-remembered face and for too long I remained in my
armchair, unable to summon up the will to move, to switch on a light, to eat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The letter was
similar to others I’d received in dribs and drabs over the past twenty-odd
years:</span></div>
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Between us we accepted most of these changes; Helen wanted to keep IMAGINE where I had changed it to REMEMBER. She noted: "The sense here is ‘Not difficult for the reader to imagine’ rather than Gabrielle." Point taken! We reinstated IMAGINE. And this is how these opening paragraphs appear in the book:<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The sender
of the letter I held in my hands had signed herself Madeleine, and how could
she possibly have known how deeply that name would affect me? I felt the world
around me cease to spin, a jumble of memories tumbling out from a cupboard stuffed
with junk: balding teddy bears, cassette tapes with handwritten labels, pens
with shattered nibs, yellowed birthday cards, dice from board games long since
binned, luggage labels, school ties, smooth pebbles, broken jewellery, pictures
torn from magazines. Reminders of people loved, admired, lusted over, despised.
Names that no longer meant a thing, others that were invisibly tattooed on the
fragile skin on the insides of my wrists.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Not difficult to imagine the grief, the tears, the unctuous if heartfelt
outbursts of emotion along the “taken from us too young” lines Madeleine’s
death occasioned. My best friend since our first day at school. Dead at
twenty-two. Her light snuffed out, at peace with the angels, <i>et cetera</i>. Mutely I accepted the
commiserations, the clasping hands, the condolence cards littered with silver
crosses and embossed lilies. Worse for her parents, of course. Like me,
Madeleine had been an only child; unlike me, brilliant, brimming with that vague
quality called potential.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Grief fades, but bombs leave black craters that can never entirely be
filled. Weeks, months went by when I didn’t give Madeleine more than a passing
thought, though she was never entirely absent from my mind. But the letter,
signed Madeleine, was enough to invoke that well-remembered face, and for too
long I remained in my armchair, unable to summon up the will to move, to switch
on a light, to eat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The letter was similar to others I’d received in dribs and drabs over
the past twenty-odd years:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy of Laura Laakso - </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small; text-indent: 1cm;">celebrating the launch of Helen's book, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small; text-indent: 1cm;">March 2019</span></div>
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Like Laura, Helen doesn't really need much editing. She writes in a crisp, clear fashion, resulting in work that just needs a bit of spring-cleaning... we did make a few structural changes too, but that's normal in most novels. I'm delighted to say I'll be publishing her second novel, <i>Old Bones</i>, in March 2021. I'm looking forward to editing with her again.<br />
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I promise to do another of these before and after posts SOON... we'll have a look at the opening paragraphs of Diana Cambridge's <i>Don't Think a Single Thought</i>.</div>
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In the meantime, if you are a writer too, good luck with it, and if you are thinking of working with an editor or getting a critique of your work, I do offer those services. More info here on my <a href="https://www.louisewaltersbooks.co.uk/editorial-services">website</a>... </div>
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Louise x<br />
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Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-66930091052470708172019-06-04T08:14:00.001+01:002019-06-04T09:38:02.559+01:00First Paragraphs: Before and After - Fallible Justice<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Welcome to the second of my First Paragraph posts, in which I share the opening paragraphs of my authors' books, before and after they were edited. This time I'm going to talk about my very first LWB title, Laura Laakso's <i>Fallible Justice</i>. There's a bit of a story behind the story, so we'll begin there...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In 2017 I helped "sift" entries to the <a href="https://www.retreatwest.co.uk/">Retreat West</a> First Chapter competition. Amanda Saint invited me to help her, and I agreed. I needed the money, as I had decided to set up my indie publishing outfit, Louise Walters Books. I also thought the experience would be useful and at the back of my mind, I said to myself, "You never know what you might find..."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Cue A LOT of reading. Some chapters were good, some not so good. Then I reached an entry named <i>Fallible Justice</i> and here are the opening paragraphs I read:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am running. The foot that touches the ground is a deer’s hoof, the foot that propels me forward a wolf’s paw. Between strides, the wings of a seagull hold me aloft. Running along the sandy hill, the wide paws of a lynx ensure my passing is silent. The wind is against me, whipping through the horse’s mane that is my hair. With the wind comes the smells of the land and the sea and I sift through them with the borrowed nose of a badger. In the distance, a bird takes flight and the ears of a dormouse pinpoint the source of the sound with ease. My foot lands in a grassy depression but with the balance of a squirrel I change the direction of my movement and keep going.<br /> I am running through the wilderness and the wilderness runs through me.</span><div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The hills follow the curves of the coast and from a sheltered
cove, I catch a whiff of decay. My stomach growls and it is the hunger of a
vixen stalking towards a chicken coop, a pine marten pouncing on a shrew, a
striped dolphin chasing a school of cod. As soon as the thought registers, the
smell is gone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> A hound bays in the distance. It is downwind from me and has
recognised my scent. I bay back. Kin recognises kin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Although I run with the strength of an ant, the speed of a
swift and the grace of a pond skater, there comes a point when I have to stop.
I brace my hands against my knees, breath coming in gulps. In that moment, I am
all human – only human. There is no sorrow in the change; the wilderness hovers
on the edge of my consciousness, ever-present and comforting. I wipe a sheen of
sweat from my forehead, a mixture of beads of dew and salt of the sea.
Everything is connected, myself included. I smile at the thought as I begin the
long walk back to my car.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Well. I was stumped! But there was something... wonderful about the writing. And that line "I am running through the wilderness and the wilderness runs through me" - surely that was a gift of a tag line? But was it too ambitious? Too wild? Too over the top? I asked for Amanda's opinion. "Is this fabulous or is it bollocks?" I asked her. She read it and replied: "It's fabulous. Let's put it through to the long list."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The chapter was also short listed, and eventually picked by the judge as the runner up in the 2017 competition. A few weeks later, my submissions inbox now open, Laura submitted another of her novels to me. I wasn't that taken with it, but I recalled her name, and I asked to read the rest of <i>Fallible Justice</i>. I read it twice, back to back. I was keen to kick start LWB with a wonderful author and I knew I'd found her. OK, fantasy and paranormal are NOT my things, usually, but good writing and good story-telling trumps everything else. <i>I had found her! </i>My first LWB author. I offered Laura a one-book deal which she accepted and away we went. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Editing Laura is relatively easy. We start from a pretty elevated position - Laura writes tidy and clean! Structurally we don't need to do much as her books are meticulously plotted and she is pretty much in charge of that side of things. It's her show and my job is simply to ensure everything makes sense... which it tends to do! Laura has nailed the internal logic of her stories - in other words, she has created a world she knows inside out and she is the boss: she is totally in charge. Nothing random or bizarre or silly happens despite this being a fantasy series... fantasy is just a style. Storytelling is storytelling and internal logic is present in all good novels, no matter the genre. Indeed fantasy is incredibly hard to write well. It takes a great deal of control and it works best when it's character-led. Otherwise it quickly becomes stale. In my opinion, the best fantasy is always, always character-led. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Edits wise, we didn't actually change much. I've marked in red where we made changes and deletions:</span></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am running. The foot that touches the ground is a deer’s hoof, the foot that propels me <span style="color: red;"><strike>forward</strike></span> a wolf’s paw. Between strides, the wings of a seagull hold me aloft. <span style="color: red;"><strike>Running along the sandy hill, the wide paws of a lynx ensure my passing is silent.</strike></span>The wind is against me, whipping through the horse’s mane that is my hair. With the wind comes the smells of the land and the sea and I sift through them with the <span style="color: red;"><strike>borrowed </strike></span>nose of a badger. In the distance, a <span style="color: red;">bird [my note to Laura: This could be more specific. Name the bird? You name all the other animals in this fantastic paragraph, so I think we should name the bird too. (It became a magpie.)] </span>takes flight and the ears of a dormouse pinpoint the source of the sound<span style="color: red;"><strike> with ease</strike></span>. My foot lands in a grassy depression but with the balance of a squirrel I change <span style="color: red;"><strike>the</strike></span> direction <span style="color: red;"><strike>of my movement</strike></span> and keep going.<br /> I am running through the wilderness and the wilderness runs through me.<br /> The hills follow the curves of the coast and from a sheltered cove, I <span style="color: red;"><strike>catch a whiff of</strike> smell</span> decay. My stomach growls and <span style="color: red;"><strike>it is</strike></span> <span style="color: red;">it's</span> the hunger of a vixen stalking <strike><span style="color: red;">towards</span></strike> a chicken coop, a pine marten pouncing on a shrew, a <span style="color: red;"><strike>striped</strike></span> dolphin chasing a school of cod. As soon as the thought registers, the smell <span style="color: red;"><strike>is</strike></span> <span style="color: red;">has</span> gone. <br /> A hound bays in the distance. It is downwind from me and has recognised my scent. I bay back. Kin recognises kin.<br /> Although I run with <span style="color: red;"><strike>the strength of an ant, the speed of a swift and</strike> </span>the grace of a pond skater, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: red;"><span style="color: red;">[my note to Laura:</span> </a><span style="color: red;">I think this may be too much. Could we try just picking one? The best I think is the ‘grace of a pond skater’, as it’s the most surprising of the three]</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"> </a>there comes a point when I have to stop. I brace my hands against my knees, breath coming in gulps. In that moment, I am all human – only human. There is no sorrow in the change; the wilderness hovers on the edge of my consciousness, ever-present and comforting. I wipe a sheen of sweat from my forehead, a mixture of beads of dew and salt <span style="color: red;"><strike>of</strike> from</span> the sea. Everything is connected<span style="color: red;"><strike>, myself included</strike></span>. I smile at the thought as I begin the long walk back to my car.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And here are the opening paragraphs as they appear in the published <i>Fallible Justice</i>:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am running. The foot that touches the ground is a deer’s hoof, the foot that propels me a wolf’s paw. Between strides, the wings of a seagull hold me aloft. The wind is against me, whipping through the horse’s mane that is my hair. With the wind come the smells of the land and the sea, and I sift through them with the nose of a badger. In the distance, a magpie takes flight and the ears of a dormouse pinpoint the source of the sound. My foot lands in a grassy depression, but with the balance of a squirrel I change direction and keep going. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I am running through the wilderness and the wilderness runs through me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> The hills follow the curves of the coast, and from a sheltered cove, I smell decay. My stomach growls and it’s the hunger of a vixen stalking a chicken coop; a pine marten pouncing on a shrew; a striped dolphin chasing a school of cod. As soon as the thought registers, the smell has gone. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> A hound bays in the distance. It is downwind from me and has recognised my scent. I bay back. Kin recognises kin. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Although I run with the grace of a pond skater, there comes a point when I have to stop. I brace my hands against my knees, breath coming in gulps. In that moment, I am all human – only human. There is no sorrow in the change; the wilderness hovers on the edge of my consciousness, ever-present and comforting. I wipe a sheen of sweat from my forehead, a mixture of beads of dew and salt from the sea. Everything is connected. I smile at the thought as I begin the long walk back to my car. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Don't know about you, but I find the ending here on the very mundane "long walk back to my car" is perfect: what is this world? Who is this character? Is she a human - she seems human. She drives a car. But she has just done all these extraordinary things. I want to know more, a lot more, about this character. Don't you?! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fallible-Justice-Wilde-Investigations-Laakso/dp/1999780930/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542632822&sr=8-1&keywords=fallible+justice">Fallible Justice</a></i> was published in November 2018 and its follow up, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Wilde-Investigations-Laura-Laakso/dp/1999780973/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3T15PDR0CB6BS&keywords=echo+murder+laura+laakso&qid=1559636583&s=gateway&sprefix=echo+murder%2Caps%2C138&sr=8-3">Echo Murder</a></i>, is published this week, on Thursday 6th June. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'll do another of these soon, and it will be Helen Kitson's opening to her fabulous novel <i>The Last Words of Madeleine Anderson.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">See you soon! x</span></div>
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Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-68830838628750328742019-05-20T10:00:00.001+01:002020-02-04T22:06:47.570+00:00First Paragraphs: Before and After - The Naseby HorsesTime to get my blog back up and running! My last post was about Laura Laakso's book launch for her debut novel <i>Fallible Justice</i>... and now here we are, six months later, about to publish Laura's second, <i>Echo Murder</i>. Laura's Wilde Investigations series is going from strength to strength, and I should know: I've read and edited the third one, <i>Roots of Corruption</i>. It's an absolute corker. That's out in March and I know her fans are going to love it.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jy3I7_L4w-Q/XOJLU20sz5I/AAAAAAAACDQ/rxg5aLXL37QmPHsk4NOiGVFibQgADaPZACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jy3I7_L4w-Q/XOJLU20sz5I/AAAAAAAACDQ/rxg5aLXL37QmPHsk4NOiGVFibQgADaPZACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_0914.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm planning a series of posts looking at each of my authors' first paragraph(s), sharing here the BEFORE version (how it read when first submitted to me) and the AFTER version - how it appears, or will appear, in the actual finished book. The editorial process can be a bit of a mystery if you haven't yet experienced it, so I hope these posts will be interesting.<br />
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I'm kicking off with Dominic Brownlow's <i>The Naseby Horses</i>. The novel was long listed in the Bath Children's Novel Award in 2016. It appeared in my submissions inbox back in late July 2018. A friend of mine had critiqued the novel and Dominic had tried agents, without success. My friend asked me if I would like to read it. I agreed to have a look... and am I ever glad I did! It's a cracking novel: multi-layered, beautifully written and loaded with atmosphere. However, that first version I read (twice, in succession) was a bit... choked up. Too many words, too much imagery, it was simply too NOISY. I remember mentioning to Dominic (at Laura's book launch party, glass of wine in hand) that we needed to thin the novel out. He looked a tiny bit... worried! I'm pretty sure I said something about less being more...<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4yURitYapgU/XjnqzwClLvI/AAAAAAAACF8/2YIDNPgqrM0P1WRauU0UlHTLhmUY5qD5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/9781999630539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1021" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4yURitYapgU/XjnqzwClLvI/AAAAAAAACF8/2YIDNPgqrM0P1WRauU0UlHTLhmUY5qD5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/9781999630539.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
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It took six months to tame this beast, but we got there, and the resulting novel is something I think both author and editor are very proud of.<br />
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So, here are both versions of the opening paragraphs of <i>The Naseby Horses</i>, followed by the rationale behind the changes we made....<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Original opening:</span></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><u><br /></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It’s
another day and a night before they let me leave the hospital. Uncle Pete picks
me up in his black Rover, driving slowly over the chain of mini roundabouts
that gets us out of Spalding onto the straight, lonely roads of the Fens.
There’s still been no word from Charlotte.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">‘Hobby,’ he says, ducking his head to look
at a small bird of prey hovering by the side of the road. ‘Marsh harriers have
been plentiful over Lakenheath and there’s been a golden oriole spotted Monday.
Maybe we’ll get up there when all this blows over, hey?’ There’s little of the
usual buoyancy in his Norfolk accent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The hobby drops to the ground, bouncing
back into view with a field mouse locked in its talons and disappearing low
across the fields as I press my head against the warm glass, my mind weighed
down with the hazy fug of medication, and watch the earth streaming by in an
endless blur of yellow and green and gold. Above stretches millions of square
miles of unsullied blue sky.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(177 words)</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Edited final version:</span></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It’s
another day and a night before they let me leave the hospital. Uncle Pete picks
me up in his black Rover, driving slowly over the chain of mini roundabouts
that gets us out of Spalding on to the straight lonely roads of the Fens.
There’s still been no word from Charlotte.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">‘Hobby,’ he says, ducking his head to look
at a small bird of prey hovering by the side of the road. The hobby drops to
the ground, bouncing back into view with a field mouse locked in its talons,
before disappearing low across the fields. I press my head against the warm
glass, my mind weighed down with the hazy fug of medication, and watch the
earth stream by in an endless blur of yellow and green and gold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Above stretch millions of square miles of
unsullied blue sky.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(141 words)</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We reduced the word count by about 20%, which more or less continued
throughout the novel. We got it down from almost 90k words to 75k. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After reading just that short opening paragraph, I knew two things:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. This person can write.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. I like this writing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The opening paragraph is pretty much perfect. It sets up the <u>entire novel
in </u></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><u>three
simple sentences.</u> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">Therefore, it remains unchanged. My note to Dominic was: "<o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ideal opening paragraph. Lots to get
the reader wondering from the start. This we do not need to edit!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The second
paragraph needed the cuts. I suggested we get rid of the bird talk, as it wasn't needed. And the comment about Uncle Pete’s
accent, likewise not needed. Not everybody (most readers, probably) will know what a Norfolk accent sounds like, so it was almost meaningless. I told Dominic this second paragraph was too cluttered. He fired back several comments about why it was all included... but he essentially agreed with me, and the cut was made.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We are left with just the one word of dialogue - “Hobby.” - all that’s needed to convey the
importance of birds, both in the novel, and to the protagonist, Simon. The fact that Uncle Pete recognises the bird tells us these people are bird spotters. Nothing else, I felt, at this stage, was needed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
sentence about the unsullied blue sky was interesting. I suggested cutting it; Dominic defended it, and I backed down. He suggested it should be a single line paragraph, which I liked. It just works better, it's more emphatic, and the huge Fenland sky is pretty much a fixture throughout the novel. So a single sentence paragraph was the right decision, and we both agreed. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We changed STREAMING to STREAM to be, I think, slightly more correct grammatically, and of course slightly more economical.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">So there you are, the opening section. It's followed by a double line break before proceeding with the rest of the novel. </span><span style="font-size: 16px;">Hope you can see how less is indeed more; and how good writing is often good because of what isn't on the page rather than what is. I always tell the authors I work with editorially (of all standards) <u>do not be afraid of the delete button!</u> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">One of the most important changes we made was to edit the novel as adult literary fiction, rather than as a YA novel, which is what Dominic originally intended. We debated this quite a lot, in the end deciding the pace was more suited to literary fiction, rather than YA; and we also felt if published as a YA novel, we would risk not reaching some of its potential readers - those who I know are going to enjoy this book. So that was an important decision we had to make quite early on. That in turn informed the entire editorial process. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Editing is a two-way thing: there is much debate and <i>almost</i> arguing, at times! It's also an exhilarating process and a learning curve, for author and editor. A great deal of honesty is required on both sides, and the ability to take criticism is a must. As an editor, I also have to know when to back down and allow the author - who knows the novel better than anybody - to have it their way. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>The Naseby Horses</i> will be published on 5 December 2019 in hardback and ebook. More information can be found on my website </span></span><a href="https://www.louisewaltersbooks.co.uk/">https://www.louisewaltersbooks.co.uk/</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'll do another of these soon, which will be Laura's dazzling opening to <i>Fallible Justice</i>. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Louise x</span></div>
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<br />Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-14867873472853742092018-11-10T08:12:00.000+00:002018-11-10T08:20:10.035+00:00Fallible Justice launched!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On Wednesday 7th November we held the book launch party for <i>Fallible Justice</i> by Laura Laakso. Around 60 people attended and the atmosphere was friendly, relaxed and excited!<br />
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We were hosted by The Inn on the Park in St Albans, who did a great job. No hitches at all, and the staff on duty for the evening were helpful and efficient.<br />
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We had a cake, and what a stunner, created by Laura's friend Julie Green. Guests thought at first that it was a pile of hardbacks!<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j2AWo-Xjczg/W-aPFtKy9iI/AAAAAAAAB-w/2k0Ov6TnezceHR7f5nlaSW-YFmP2tro1gCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="640" height="203" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j2AWo-Xjczg/W-aPFtKy9iI/AAAAAAAAB-w/2k0Ov6TnezceHR7f5nlaSW-YFmP2tro1gCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_0068.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This is a cake, honestly!</span></div>
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We had a pop-up bookstall, and my clever and supportive husband ran that for me. We organised a card reader and a receipt machine and sold a total of 35 copies on the night. Amazing amount when you consider many of the guests had already bought a copy from my website bookshop. I thought if I sold 20 copies I'd be chuffed, so 35 was fab.<br />
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We had wine; and home made sausage rolls and vegetarian rolls, which smelled delicious while cooking. I didn't get one, but I did sneak home some slices of cake to share with my kids.<br />
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There were speeches - not a bad feat for a couple of introverts! The atmosphere was so friendly my nerves melted away as soon as I started talking. Then it was over to Laura who read beautifully from <i>Fallible Justice</i>. A friend of Laura's in Australia asked me to read out a message from him as a surprise for Laura. I practiced at home but it was too emotional and on the night I felt myself welling up, so my husband Ian stepped in and read it for me. (Blame the menopausal hormones!) It was a beautiful message and I don't think it was only Laura and me with damp eyes...<br />
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One of the best things was meeting so many of my "team". <a href="http://www.serifim.com/">Jennie Rawlings</a> who designs LWB covers; <a href="http://www.alisonjack-editor.co.uk/">Alison Jack</a> who is my go-to copy editor; <a href="http://www.blot.co.uk/">Leigh Forbes</a> was designs and typesets the interiors of my books; and another of my authors, <a href="https://twitter.com/DominicBrownlow">Dominic Brownlow</a>. It was so good to meet all these people and we had such a great time nattering that we decided we need another social. Soon! Watch this space...<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">L to R: Jennie Rawlings (covers), Dominic Brownlow (author), Leigh Forbes (interiors), Laura Laakso (author), Louise Walters (publisher), Alison Jack (copy editor)</span></div>
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Laura's mum was there too, all the way from Finland, and I think she was perhaps the proudest person in the room.</div>
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All in all it was a fantastic night. My first LWB book launch, and not my last I'm sure.<br />
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Writing and publishing a book is <i>the</i> best excuse for a knees-up. Can't wait for the next one!<br />
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<br />Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-33593304875944041382018-11-01T21:54:00.000+00:002018-11-01T21:54:45.452+00:00Fear of Flying and Other ThingsOnce again it's been too long since I last blogged! So long in fact I wonder if anybody will read this. No? Good. Then I can write honestly. Write (and dance) like no one is watching...<br />
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This year I've faced two of my biggest fears. I'm a deeply fearful person. It doesn't do any harm to admit that. I admire fearless people and I wish I was one, but I'm not.<br />
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In September I ran a workshop at the Festival of Writing in York, organised by Jericho Writers. It was my second time, as I first did this in 2017. To say I was nervous is an understatement. I've never been a fan of public speaking. School put me off for ever when we were forced to stand in front of a class and do a "presentation". For me that meant mumbling for a few minutes, feeling sick, deeply embarrassed and very hot. Fast forward thirty-five years and the feelings remain. Only this time, I admonished myself, I'm a GROWN UP and grown ups get on with it. So I did. My presentation was OK. Technical hitches beforehand threw me a little, and I didn't know how to turn up the volume on my film clips. (I discovered after the presentation that the volume knob was right in front of me.) One of my clips was the wrong one. But the presentation was OK, mostly, and I had good feedback from some of the people who sat through it! <br />
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Also in September I finally faced a truly lifelong fear. I flew in an aeroplane for the first time. At the age of 50. Yes, FIFTY. Five-Oh. I know. I feel that too.<br />
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Over the years I had convinced myself I would never get on a plane. Then one day, back in the summer, a friend emailed me and asked if I fancied a trip to Lisbon. For free. For eight days, with our kids. Well, it was an amazing offer and too good to refuse. As the holiday grew nearer my head swam with all the dark possibilities. All the shit that could go down (mostly the kids and me, in a plane). But we rocked up at the airport, waved goodbye to my dear husband, and we boarded our flight. They were excited; just a little scared. I was terrified. 100%. I wanted to run away. I couldn't show my fear, so I smiled broadly and acted all like I was totally cool with it, and told the kids it would be fine. We got on the damn thing and then the engines fired up, we were speeding along the runway and then... up. Up in the air. It was incredible.<br />
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Belem, Lisbon, September 2018</div>
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OK, I didn't enjoy flying, much. But I did it, and now it's off my UN-FACED FEARS list. I feel bolder, braver, more confident and like a proper grown up. <br />
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With one week to go until my first author's first novel is officially published, I'm feeling the fear again. The thing is, the fears feel the same as the fear of public speaking and fear of flying: what if I make a fool of myself? What if my wonderful author has put her faith in me as a publisher and I let her down? What if the book crashes and burns? What if I run out of cash (that really is the biggest fear of them all!) What if... what if what??<br />
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My cousin died of cancer a couple of years ago, at the age of forty-four. From that day I've vowed to LIVE what's left of my life. I'm pretty sure the public speaking, and the flying, and of course the publishing are "symptoms" of my new attitude to life. Fear has its place but I can no longer allow it to rule me, stifle me, and stop me from seeing and doing wonderful things.<br />
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LWB books</div>
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So, a week before publication, I wish <a href="https://twitter.com/LLaaksoWriter">Laura Laakso</a> all the success she deserves. and boy does she deserve it. She's ten times the writer I will ever be, and then some.<br />
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Now, I'm off to write my introductory speech for the launch party. No sweat!<br />
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Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-62044303546985047162018-06-07T09:44:00.000+01:002018-06-07T20:50:10.883+01:00"Cor, Louise, you swallowed a dictionary?"I've been hearing a lot about working class writers recently. The term "working class" is broadly situated under the "diversity" banner. And that's fine; working class "voices" should be heard. But I wonder what exactly is meant by "working class"? And what precisely is a "working class" story? I've been pondering all this for some time, following the posts and comments online of writers like Kit de Waal and Kerry Hudson, fabulous writers both.<br />
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I'm working class. I was brought up with few aspirations; very little money; I rarely had new things, even at Christmas and on my birthday. Yet I lived in an old, detached house in a village (in fact, two houses in two villages; we moved when I was ten) in Oxfordshire: generally regarded as a pretty posh part of the world. But our house was damp, had no central heating, it was furnished with second-hand, tatty furniture. It was bought by my parents in the days when one wage could just about buy you a village property. My mum was a SAHM (stay at home mum - most mums were in the 70s, as I recall) and we didn't exactly eat like kings. Mum had about three dishes in her repertoire, and a lot of white bread and marmite. We had no mod cons as they were called then - no dishwasher, no tumble drier, no washing machine. My clothes were bought in village jumble sales and I will never forget the humiliation when a fellow pupil at my village school recognised "her" pink dungarees. I denied they were hers, of course. But she knew and she gave me a hard time. She was working class too.<br />
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The one thing we did have, either from jumble sales or the library, was BOOKS. These were the saving grace of my childhood. I read a lot, and I read about characters who were nothing like me - I devoured stories about boarding schools; posh kids' school hols adventures; stuck-up orphans; middle class American families; upper class Victorian ghosts; I dreamed I was IN these stories. I wanted to be Katy Carr's sister; Joey Bettany's best friend; Anne's fellow girly friend, because George was too hopelessly boyish. I think it's often, but not always, a myth that people want to see "themselves" "represented" in books. I didn't. I wanted to escape, and imagine a different life for myself.<br />
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As a child, my reading made me a bit precocious, at least by my family's standards. I was asked by wider family members, more than once, "You swallowed a dictionary?" and I think, in many ways, that's precisely what I did. I lost myself in books, in the worlds created by authors. From a young age I wanted to be an author, but it would take me many years to admit that even to myself, let alone get on and become one (my first novel was published when I was forty-six).<br />
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My characters rarely live the impoverished life I once had. I've written about lonely middle class women; a reluctant aristocrat; a wealthy American play boy; I do tend to go for hard working women who "make something of themselves". But I think I write, always, through my working class filter. It's much, much easier for a poor person to imagine what it's like to be rich than for a rich person to imagine what it's like to be poor.<br />
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To be a working class writer is in many ways to feel like a fish out of water. A trip down to London to meet up with my publisher cost me a fortune; the publisher's offices were stuffed full of (very nice) people who I guessed didn't attend their local comprehensive, but who instead went to the kind of schools I once upon a time read and dreamed about. I often felt guarded in these meetings; unreasonably shy; even embarrassed by myself. What would have been useful is to find somebody else in the room noticing me; recognising and acknowledging <i>me</i>; understanding my background. Even better, it would have been great for me to recognise them. I pretended to be middle class, to fit in, because I felt like the only working class person in the room. Possibly I wasn't, but it felt like it.<br />
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It's great that some publishers are now accepting new recruits without degrees (I finally got mine via the Open University when I was forty-two). But I think other changes could make publishing a less alien, even threatening, environment for working class people: more older staff, more BAME staff, more accents, and perhaps controversially, more male editors and agents. How about offices based in other cities - Manchester? Newcastle? Birmingham? Glasgow? Such changes can't happen overnight, of course. And I hope agents and publishers don't attempt to ghetto-ize working class writers, insisting on stories only about council estates; drug abuse; single mums; all the cliched "working class" trappings. To do that would be to pay lip service, to reduce working class writers and their stories to token gestures. Box ticking.<br />
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I don't try to act posh anymore, because I'm not. You can take the girl out of the working class but you can't take the working class out of the girl. I'm not loaded (I'm a writer for heaven's sake!) but I'm proud of what I've achieved and I think my background eventually served me well and helped me to grow into the reader, writer, editor, publisher and business woman I've become. In common with other working class folks I can spot pretentious bullshit at fifty paces. That really is a useful skill! And of course, some habits never die: I still frequent libraries and I still buy second hand clothes. Just not pink dungarees...<br />
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<br />Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-54237738568464290412018-02-22T19:41:00.000+00:002018-02-23T12:48:44.345+00:00What's it really like to be a new publisher? Six months and counting...This is my first post of 2018, which is rather remiss! My aim was to publish a post every couple of weeks... but like everybody else, I'm busy. So this is a bit of a catch up, and a chance for me to relate some of my recent publishing adventures.<br />
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Well, so far, so good. Louise Walters Books (LWB) has been officially up and running now since September, almost six months, and in that time I've signed two authors. They are <a href="https://twitter.com/LLaaksoWriter">Laura Laakso</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Jemima_Mae_7">Helen Kitson</a>, and I couldn't be happier with my choices. They are both talented writers with something to say, and I am thoroughly enjoying working with them. Both Laura and Helen submitted their work to me via my submissions e-mail, so they are "slush pile" authors, although both have a track record - Helen has written poetry and Laura has had success in short story competitions. I'm a little in awe of their talent to tell you the truth; and it's a little scary being their publisher. I want to get it right. Mixed in with the pride and excitement is the fear of getting it wrong, and letting them down. That's one of the reasons I've given their books a long lead in time: I want to edit carefully! And do all the other tasks to the best of my ability, without rushing.<br />
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So, what's it really like being a publisher? Firstly, it's fun. I love it! I love being my own boss, running my own business, and deciding which projects to take on. Secondly, it's hard work. I must spend an hour (at least) a day on admin, banking, paperwork, record-keeping... all the "boring" bits. But it's OK, it's literally what I've signed up to, and to be honest, I quite enjoy doing the mundane stuff. I have to learn every single aspect of being a publisher (and business owner), and that includes all the dull tasks as well as the more glamorous ones.<br />
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So, what's exciting? Well, having Netflix's appointed literary scout contact me on the day I announced I was publishing Laura's <i>Fallible Justice</i> set me all aflutter! It's a thrill when a scout gets in touch and I've now had a few contact me about Laura and Helen. Fingers are duly crossed...!<br />
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The "quieter" things are also fun: inputting my books' details onto Nielsen so they "exist" in the book trade; allocating ISBN numbers; briefing my cover designer (I work with the wonderful Jennie Rawlings at <a href="http://www.serifim.com/">Serifim</a>). Preparing Advanced Information sheets and Press Releases allows me to use my creativity in a slightly different way. And with my project management head on, I've worked out quite detailed publishing schedules so my authors have an idea of what will happen, and when. I intend keeping my authors informed every step of the way.<br />
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One of my early decisions was not to bother with hardbacks. They're expensive to produce and they don't exactly sell like hot cakes. If any of my books do very well, I will think about bringing out limited edition hardbacks, for the keen beans. Other than that, no hardbacks for LWB. Let's be honest, hardbacks can be irritating, and the wait for the paperback release can be months. Authors want and need sales. Paperbacks and e-books sell.<br />
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I'm self-distributing for now (no real choice in this as I'm too small for a distributor to be interested yet) and this is an eye opener. It also means I can keep tabs, to a degree, on every book I sell. I printed 200 copies of <i>The Road to California</i> and I know where every single one of them has gone so far. None of those cheap offers are popping up on my Amazon listing, which is A Good Thing. In due course there will be second hand offers, and that's fine, I've no problem with second hand sales. But I hope to avoid the cheap "New" offers which undermine legitimate sales. I get my trade orders (from wholesalers Gardners, and Bertrams) and although I don't know which retailers the books get sent on to, I do know they are likely to be bookshops or libraries. I accept Amazon orders directly from Amazon, so again I can account for those copies. Learning how distribution works is invaluable and I'm happy to keep doing it until it begins to take up my whole day (and house). Then I'll try to persuade a distributor to take me on! <br />
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My mini warehouse in the corner of my office!</div>
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I love contacting bookshops and libraries, and I've had some wonderful responses from some of them. I love arranging promos such as those offered by Bookbub and Gransnet; and organising my own giveaways. Promo is fun, but also serious work, as it's of the utmost importance to make potential readers aware that a book exists. For me it's all about visibility, and simple things such as car stickers can be very effective.<br />
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I've recently published <i>The Road to California</i>, and I've loved being in complete control of this project and seeing it through from beginning to end. It's been a practice run really, as I decided last year I needed to make all my rookie errors on my own book to avoid making them on my authors' books. Now that <i>The Road to</i> <i>California</i> is out, I feel I've learned an awful lot and I've surprised myself with the new skills I've gained. I still have oodles to learn, but I reckon I've made a good start. I even enjoy working with the behemoth that is Amazon! Their discount is harsh (60%, no negotiation) and that hits a smaller publisher hard, as I have to pay carriage costs too, to get my books to their depots. My print runs are small, so I don't make a profit on any print books I sell through Amazon. But I do fare better with e-books, which are my lifeline. Without e-books I wouldn't be able to function as a publisher. And, despite everything, Amazon are stocking and selling my books on a level playing field with everybody else's books, and there's a lot to be said for that. So there'll be no Amazon-bashing here! (Not today anyway!)<br />
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So what's next? I'm venturing into audiobooks, and currently organising those for my two self-published titles <i>A Life Between Us</i> and <i>The Road to California</i>. I'm doing this via ACX (Audible) and currently accepting auditions, which is fascinating. Again, this is a dry run before I organise Laura and Helen's audiobooks. With the added bonus that all three of my published novels will be available in audio. Result!<br />
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I'm looking hard for a third author to kick off LWB. I like trios! I have a submission on my Kindle right now which I'm giving a great deal of time and consideration to. I have in my head a "vision" of LWB's brand, and the kind of book I want to publish. But, just as with writing, the "vision" mutates somewhat! Right now I'm building my list, and looking for well written novels and novellas. Genre is less important. A year ago if somebody had told me I would be publishing a paranormal detective novel as my first book, I simply wouldn't have believed them. But here I am doing just that, and I couldn't be more delighted. I've also learned something about the kind of publisher I want to be: I'm not going to look for a novel to "fit" into a mould of my own making. I want to publish good books for their own sake, even if they don't particularly fit into any mould. I like a misfit. That's the kind of story I want to read, and publish. I think there is an appetite for this kind of book and I know people are writing them.<br />
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Do send me your stuff. I may be new, I may be tiny, but I'm enthusiastic, I don't give a fig about what's currently "hot" in publishing (it will probably be cold by the time I bring it out!) and I am looking to forge trusting, long term partnerships with my authors. And not to mention readers, without whom there is no publishing. I'd love readers to get on board to read, enjoy and spread the word about my books. That's at the heart of everything I'm doing.<br />
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PS, I am still squeezing in a little time for my own writing: I recently entered a short story into the BBC National Short Story Award. Well, why not?!<br />
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<br />Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-20574899734989776492017-12-16T16:43:00.000+00:002017-12-16T16:57:41.695+00:002017 round upCan't believe it's this time of year already! I try to do a round up every December, it's interesting to look back on my reading year and I know I love having a nose at other people's reading lists... Here's mine!<br />
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I read forty books this year (10 December 2016 to date). Not a very impressive total, but I did also read my own forthcoming novel about four times (edits, not being big-headed!); two complete novels that were submitted to Louise Walters Books; and a dozen novels I critiqued this year via The Writers' Workshop. So fifty-four novels (excluding my own) in total. I won't list them all but my favourite was this one (I read it twice):<br />
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Of the forty books I read as books or ebooks, 32 were by women and 8 by men. Thirty-three were novels; six were non-fiction; and one was a short story collection. Three were self-published, and to the authors' credit, all were of a high standard in all regards and you wouldn't have "known" they were self-published. That shouldn't really surprise anybody... but I'm afraid it still does. This one was great: </div>
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I discovered a new writer this year (new to me!): Vita Sackville-West. I read <i>All Passion Spent</i> and thought it brilliant. I think I'll read it again, so it's a keeper. </div>
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I read quite a few on Netgalley, and I have to say, none of them really, truly excited me. I enjoyed some of them, and I had positive things to say about them. But I do believe mainstream publishing is becoming more homogenised; more risk averse. A lot of writing styles seemed very "samey". Competent writing... but not really taking flight, like the best writing does. Nothing I read via Netgalley startled me, or thrilled me, or made me want to read it again. I'll keep searching in 2018. </div>
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I did try to read more books from small presses this year. This one was excellent, and deserves so much more attention than it has received. Published by Sandstone Press (and currently only a quid in Kindle. Just saying!):</div>
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I did have a couple of DNFs, but I won't list them here. Both were high-profile novels, but neither did it for me. I hate not finishing a book, but turning 50 this year has really made me take stock of how short life is. There are many fantastic books I will never get to; so I am letting go of DNF guilt from now on out... </div>
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That's pretty much it! I loved the Bruce Springsteen autobiography, <i>Born to Run</i> (it was very long, although well written, as you would expect). Other highlights were a re-read, after many years, of <i>The Remains of the Day</i> by Kazuo Ishiguro; and I loved <i>Sealskin</i> by Su Bristow (Orenda Books), which was beautiful.</div>
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Looking forward to 2018 and reading lots of great books.<br />
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PS, I received this beautiful homemade reading lamp from my daughter and her boyfriend for my 50th birthday. I love it so much. They should go into business, don't you think?<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">Merry Christmas! X</span></div>
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Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-71005280171205885142017-12-11T12:10:00.000+00:002017-12-11T12:10:11.906+00:00Objectivity, objectivity, objectivity - how (not) to react to a critiqueEarlier this year I started critiquing novels with <a href="http://www.writersworkshop.co.uk/">The Writers' Workshop</a>. I was looking for work to help fund my publishing venture; I have a bit of experience, having written three novels of my own, and I enjoy volunteering with The Womentoring Project, where I have so far mentored four female writers. Two of them have gone on to find agents and book deals and I'm proud of them and proud I was able to help, even in a small way.<br />
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I love editing, critiquing and mentoring. I believe it has all helped me to become a better writer. When you see the same issues cropping up novel after novel - often (but not limited to) structure, plot, pacing and characterisation - I know to look out for these same issues in my own stories and make sure I work doubly hard on these aspects. It is, unfortunately, easy to write badly; and incredibly hard to write well.<br />
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Editorial reports are tough and constructive. The Writers' Workshop makes that clear on their website. There is no point in having our work critiqued if honesty isn't applied. If we want to be told how wonderful our work is, we can show it to our mum, our other half, our best friend, our kids. No. Maybe not our kids. They really do tell it like it is don't they?!<br />
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I've had great responses so far from the dozen or so writers whose work I've critiqued. Yes, there has been disappointment, and that's understandable. I've had all three of my own novels critiqued and it does take a dash of courage to go through that process. It isn't the best feeling in the world to be told that the story you spent weeks, months or even years working on isn't yet up to scratch. This is where the whole process can go horribly wrong, as I recently found out. So here are my top tips for seeking and receiving a critique. Hope they help...<br />
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1. First of all, a critique is not an ego massage. It may sound harsh, but when I'm working on your novel, I don't give a damn about your ego. I don't know you. All I am doing is assessing the project before me. It's an entirely objective process. Very few writers receive a glowing editorial report. There WILL be issues in your work; and those issues WILL be pointed out. Expect this. It's what you are paying for. If I'm mindful of your ego, the risk is I won't be as frank and honest as I need to be when assessing your manuscript. Which, in the end, is detrimental, and will not help you as a writer.<br />
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2. Don't respond to your critique immediately. Even if you feel stung, angry, hurt. Especially if you feel stung, angry, hurt. Put the report away. Simmer down. Look at it again in a few days, or weeks. Look at what has <u>actually been advised:</u> which often isn't what you initially think has been advised. It can take time for the report to sink in, to percolate and eventually make sense.<br />
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3. Be objective about your own work. Impossible, I hear you cry. No, it's not. It's difficult, but we must apply objectivity to our own work if we are to improve it. Fall out of love with your story. Stop being so damned proud of yourself (temporarily). Plenty of people write, plenty of people write badly. The first draft or even second draft head-rush MUST give way to cool, calm, calculated objectivity. It's one of the few things that separates a professional from an amateur.<br />
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4. Not every editor will "get" exactly what you are trying to do with your story. Sometimes it's not easy to see what the writer is trying to achieve, I'm afraid. Often I think the writer herself doesn't know. But if an editor tells you your novel suffers from lack of pace, it suffers from lack of pace. That's an objective assessment and you would be wise to heed it. Lack of pace is an issue I have seen in almost all the novels I have critiqued. Let that sink in. Pace is <u>hard</u>. It has nothing whatsoever to do with genre. The editor isn't suggesting you should be writing a thriller (but if you are writing a thriller, lack of pace is definitely a problem). The editor is merely suggesting you need to create readability, that great gift a talented author gives to readers: the urge to keep turning pages. That's all. That is pace. It's one of the most helpful pieces of advice you will receive.<br />
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3. Develop a thick skin. It's the best thing you can do for your work once that first draft is down. My ability to be objective about my own work, to "let it go", has stood me, I believe, in good stead. One star reviews no longer upset me. I can't afford to let them, so I've learned to shrug them off. Sometimes I even manage to laugh them off. (One or two of them are particularly memorable.) And let me tell you, a one star review is worse than a tough critique. A one star review is almost never constructive, thoughtful or sincere.<br />
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5. Finally, don't immediately send a rude email back to the person who spent hours working on your novel. That's definitely not professional. And whatever you do, don't email a second time with a string of insults and accusations. It's unlikely to make you feel better; it certainly won't make your story any better. But the report <i>might</i>. As writers we must develop the ability to take lots of things on the chin: rejection, bad reviews, poor sales. Most writers deal with this stuff throughout their careers. Receiving a thoughtful, detailed editorial report is actually one of the more positive writing experiences around. I promise!<br />
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I love helping people improve their writing, and I can't wait for the day when one of my critiquees becomes a published author. In the meantime, I will continue to provide honest, tough, constructive and (of course) objective criticism and feedback. It's what I'm paid to give, and it's what the writer pays to receive. Writing and publishing is tough, and we need all the help we can get.<br />
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Onwards!<br />
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<br />Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-91484512844026281742017-11-28T11:57:00.001+00:002017-11-28T12:00:36.208+00:00How I found my first author (hint: enter writing competitions!)It's been so long since I posted but I have an excuse: I've signed my first author for Louise Walters Books. She is Laura Laakso and we have signed a one book deal for her debut novel, <i>Fallible Justice</i>; which is the first story in Laura's paranormal detective series <i>Wilde Investigations</i>.<br />
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I first became of Laura's work while reading for the 2017 Retreat West First Chapter Competition. Amanda Saint, who runs <a href="https://www.retreatwest.co.uk/">Retreat West</a> asked me if I would help her read, and I jumped at the chance. She duly sent the stories through to me, and I started to read through them (I wrote a blog post about it <a href="http://louisewalterswriter.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/reading-for-writing-competition-my.html">here</a>). </div>
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I was bowled over by one of the chapters in particular (well, actually two of them were spectacular) but I was also confused by it. Was it brilliant or was it bo****ks? I just couldn't tell. So I asked Amanda this very question and she said it was brilliant. So we put it through to the long list. Then we put it through to the short list. Then it was picked as one of two runners up in the competition. By this time identities of the authors were revealed and two things struck me: I rather wistfully thought how great it would be to get a submission like <i>Fallible Justice</i> for the imprint I was then forming; and what a brilliant writer's name: Laura Laakso. It's a writerly name if ever I heard one. </div>
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Fast forward a few months: My imprint was up and running, my boiler-plate contract drafted (that took hours of my life, I can tell you) and I was receiving submissions. One day a submission from Laura appeared in my inbox. I was thrilled but didn't want to get too excited. I read the submission and decided it wasn't right for me. So I turned it down, while asking to see the whole of <i>Fallible Justice </i>instead. Laura sent that through to me, I got it onto my Kindle before you could say #amwriting and I read it. Then I read it again, just to be sure. When I offered to publish it, I did point out to Laura that she could (should!) consider trying the agent-bigger publisher route. I feel her work is more than good enough to warrant attention from bigger players. Laura surprised and thrilled me by saying she preferred to work with a smaller outfit. </div>
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The Society of Authors vetted our author agreement, and then Laura and I signed it early in November. I still can't believe I'm working with such a talented author from the very beginning of my publishing adventure. And I really can't wait to publish Laura's work. She deserves to garner an army of loyal fans and I will work my socks off to make that happen. It's going to be an exciting year. </div>
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<i>Fallible Justice</i> by Laura Laakso will be published by Louise Walters Books on 8th November 2018, in paperback and e-book. </div>
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Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-85684623766346630412017-10-18T11:25:00.001+01:002017-10-18T11:25:41.846+01:00The Road to California extract I'm kicking off my promo of my third novel today! It's up on my website for pre-order <a href="https://www.louisewaltersbooks.co.uk/product-page/the-road-to-california">here</a> and the manuscript is currently being converted into an e-book. Once that has been completed I will put the e-book up for pre-order on Amazon and elsewhere.<br />
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All copies sold via my website bookshop will be postage-free; they will be signed and be sent with a handmade fabric bookmark.<br />
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So, I am delighted to share with you today an extract from <i>The Road to California</i>. This passage is our first introduction to my character Joanna, and her work... my fabric bookmarks are a homage to Joanna really, and I think she would heartily approve! Joanna is a single parent to her troubled teenage son, Ryan. She's principled, dynamic, caring and creative. She can be a little too "earnest" in sharing her principles, at times. But I love her! Hope you do too...<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 140%; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 140%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">‘How much for this?’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 140%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> She
breathed in the familiar scents of history and age and storage. She crumpled
the fabric and buried her nose in it, as she always did with fabric new to her.
It was rarely brand new, of course. She only used new fabric as a last resort. This
was one of the tenets of her business. She took great pride in using the used,
a characteristic of almost all her work. <i>Road
to California</i>: her business, her life, her living. Reusing, reclaiming, recycling,
upcycling: whatever you wanted to call it — it was what she did. She looked
carefully at this latest find, enjoying the funky clash of orange, purple, and
green, in dreamy psychedelic swirls, pseudo-flowers, clouds, a strange repeated
pattern with a fluid figure that might be a fairy, a girl, a woman. And was it
silk? Nylon? She wasn’t sure. The fabric smelled of tobacco, but that only
added to its charm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 140%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> ‘It’s
a nice big bolt,’ said the beer-gutted stall holder. Bob, she thought. He was a
softie behind the gruff exterior. And the most unlikely person she could
conceive of to be running a vintage fabric stall. ‘A good five yards, I reckon.
Genuine seventies, that is. Twenty quid?’ Bob took a long, thoughtful drag on
his cigarette. Joanna effected not to notice. But it smelled good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 140%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> She
tried to get to the market most weeks, to pick up interesting finds. She had
wanted to get out this morning, for an hour or two, just to get away from the
sewing machines (she had two, plus an ancient Singer). She loved her work, but
it was important to be healthy about it; and besides, new-to-her fabrics always
inspired fresh ideas, exciting new projects. Her business thrived on it, and so
did she. So these jaunts to the market were not a waste of time. They were
essential.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 140%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> ‘It
certainly looks to be genuine seventies, doesn’t it?’ said Joanna, in her husky
voice. She narrowed her eyes. ‘I’ll give you ten quid. How’s that?’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 140%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Bob
looked at her. She knew he remembered her, although they had never engaged in
chit-chat. People did tend to remember her. She knew her bright green eyes and wild
blond curls were striking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 140%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> ‘Fifteen?’
he said. ‘But I’m giving it to you.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 140%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> ‘You
can’t find your way to ten? I do come here practically every week.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 140%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Bob
raised his eyes to the sky and gave a little nod. He took another drag on his
cigarette. The smoke drifted towards her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 140%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> She
smiled and flourished a crisp note. Bob took it. He didn’t offer her a bag, but
she didn’t need one. She had enough bags of her own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 140%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> ‘Thanks
so much,’ she said. ‘I’ll see you next week.’ She checked her watch. There was
enough time for a quick pit stop. She’d go to her favourite coffee shop, a
small, independent outfit that sold no-nonsense coffee and tea in pretty
vintage teacups with pot luck saucers, accompanied by a vast array of homemade
cakes and biscuits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 140%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
she turned from taciturn Bob and his wonderful stall, her mobile phone rang. She
rummaged around for it in her handbag. She saw the caller ID and her heart
didn’t know whether to leap into her mouth or sink down into her toes. So it
did both, in rapid succession, and she felt sick. There would be no coffee, no
homemade cake today. Oh, no, no, no, not again. What now? <i>What now?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 140%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thanks for reading!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Constantia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 140%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>The Road to California</i> will be published by Louise Walters books in paperback and e-book in 2018</span></div>
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<br />Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-33504388600997677692017-08-19T10:45:00.000+01:002017-08-20T12:09:41.432+01:00Not at all secret self-publisherI stumbled upon yet another "Let's all laugh at self-publishers" blog post this week on Twitter. It purported to be an advice post about how to, and how to not, approach book sellers if you have written a book and are publishing it yourself. I clicked on it as it looked useful.<br />
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But there is no advice. There is just a string of arrogant insults and inaccurate statements. And assumptions that are so wrong it's mind-boggling. I won't list them here, but if you do stumble upon the blog post, they should be apparent. It's the same old, tired old bullshit that snooty types like to trot out for the benefit of their own egos and to delight their acolytes. It's meant to be "funny". You get the picture.<br />
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This "bookseller" above all implies that if a book has been self-published, it means the book is bad. Fact is, there are many bad self-published books, and many awkward self-published writers who do approach bookshops in the wrong way. Of course, it's disingenuous to tar all of us with that brush, but more important than that, it's mean spirited to ridicule <u>any</u> self-published author in this way.<br />
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Why? Because it takes guts to walk into a bookshop and ask if they would consider stocking your work, knowing in your heart you are probably going to make a hash of it and, crime of crimes, annoy the manager. But do you know what? Simply by TRYING, the self-published author is a better person than this (anonymous, of course) bookseller will ever be, because it takes a lot of time, dedication, and hard work to write, publish and attempt to sell your book, no matter how bad (or good) it is. You are trying to be the best a human can be: creative, brave, enterprising, passionate, vulnerable.<br />
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By all means, (anonymous, of course) bookseller, please do give advice. By all means do tell the rude (or just plain inexperienced) self-publishers where to get off. By all means refuse to stock any book you want to refuse. I've no issue with any of that. But don't take the piss out of people who attempt something truly admirable. Something that, by your own admission, you can not do.<br />
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Louise Walters (reader, writer, trade published author, self published author, and former bookseller. Not anonymous.)<br />
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<br />Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-20467677938303708642017-07-14T13:33:00.000+01:002017-07-14T13:40:02.338+01:00Reading for a writing competition. My observations!I recently had the great pleasure to read for <a href="http://www.retreatwest.co.uk/">Retreat West</a>'s First Chapter competition. <a href="https://twitter.com/saintlywriter">Amanda Saint </a>emailed me in April and asked if I was available to help her. I jumped at the chance, as I've recently started critiquing novels (writing editorial reports) and reading for a comp seemed like a great opportunity. And was it ever! I loved reading all the chapters, even those that weren't working too well. I firmly believe that as writers we learn and improve all the time, and reading something that doesn't work can be just as instructive as reading something that works well.<br />
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The long list was arrived at reasonably easily. We had 29 chapters (out of the original 133) that we both felt merited a place on the long list. Whittling those 29 down to the final 10 this week was a little harder... but we did reach a consensus quite easily.<br />
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I scribbled down a few observations as I read, and I thought I'd share them with you. Things that worked, things that didn't. No specific examples and no names, of course.<br />
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Some of the chapters that didn't make the longlist were, quite simply, badly written. Not all of them, of course. "Competent" was a word I found myself ascribing to many of these chapters. But to go further in the competition, the chapters needed to be <i>more than competent</i>. I had the feeling that some of the writers don't read much; or don't read attentively; or haven't studied at all, at any level, how to construct a story. There is an art to it, a craft. It takes time, effort, huge attention to detail. It's not a case of just pouring words onto the page. It was easy to spot the no-hopers. And there weren't that many.<br />
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So, the next level. Why didn't some of the competent stories get onto the long list?<br />
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Some of the chapters, many of them in fact, suffered from <b>over-writing.</b> My pet peeve is a list of adjectives that all more or less mean the same, separated by commas. Like this: <i>She was tired, fatigued, exhausted. </i>Just pick the best one and stick to that. It's more concise, and has more impact: <i>She was exhausted. </i>Pace suffered when over-cooked description took over.<br />
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<b>Typos</b><i>. </i><u>There were typos in all but a handful of the submitted chapters.</u><i> </i>I was flabbergasted by this. Why would you do that? Check, edit, re-check, re-edit. A typo-free chapter was refreshing and I was more inclined to put those on the long list even if the writing wasn't amazing. OK, amazing writing will always trump a handful of typos. <u>But if the writing is borderline, typos could tip it in the wrong direction.</u> Do everything in your power to remove all typos from your chapters. Seriously. There is no excuse.<br />
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<b>Cliches</b>. A surprising number of stories mentioned characters' <u>breathing</u>. It happened a lot. Don't. It's one of the biggest cliches going. Let your reader imagine how a character is breathing in the circumstances you have described. We all know how we are likely to breathe in certain circumstances. Don't ram it home. Also, <u>Rolex watches</u><b>. </b>Almost without exception the rich characters wore a Rolex. Try another brand. Patek Philippe?<br />
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OK, I have to tell you now, <b>clip art</b> was in evidence. I kid you not. DON'T. It's the height of unprofessionalism. You each paid £15 per chapter to enter. That's a lot of money. If your entry is decorated with clip art, it screeches, "This writer is not trying to be professional." It is not getting onto the long list. You wasted £15. I say again, DON'T.<br />
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<b>Titles</b>. There were very few good titles. A good title is gold dust, a great opportunity to get readers interested. In some ways it's more important than a good cover. People love a good title. They want to repeat it, talk about it, READ it. BUY it. Always, always do your best to come up with an amazing title, if you can. There were a handful of honourable exceptions, and more than one of them is on the short list. Good titles tell the reader A LOT about the story. They are part of the story. A good title intrigues. Titles should evoke, if possible. There were many bland, meaningless titles. Work on this aspect.<br />
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<b>File names</b>. <br />
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Umm.. Say no more? <u>Please use the chapter name in your file name</u>. Now, this didn't make any difference regarding getting onto the long and short lists. But it was a pain in the arse and made me lose patience a little quicker than I would have done if the name was obvious. It was hard to find a particular chapter. Remember, as an author a huge part of the job is to consider the readers' experience. You have to strive for clarity from the top down, and that starts with clearly naming your work.<br />
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<b>Rules</b>. It clearly states in the rules that prologues can not be entered. There were prologues. OBEY THE RULES. Again... <u>you paid £15</u>. OBEY THE RULES. The rules ask for double spacing. There was single spacing. OBEY THE... you get the picture!<br />
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So, I need to talk about the <b>positive stuff</b> too. Why did the final ten chapters make it to the final ten? Well, to begin with, all ten are very well written. (Yes, there are typos here and there!) The writers know how to open a story well, they know how to include enough info to whet the readers' appetite, without over loading the chapter with too much info (another frequent fault). The ten chapters are fun to read! They have a certain confidence... you have to believe in your work and believe in your ability to write. It's that quiet confidence thing. It's how you carry readers along with you. Gotta have it. Believe me, it really shows. You also have to be self-critical. I got the feeling these ten chapters had been well edited, looked at, re-written, re-visited. I felt the writers had been a little hard on themselves, which is essential.<br />
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I hope these tips help! It was a great experience to read the entries, and I'm already looking forward to doing it all over again next year.<br />
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Good luck to the writers of the ten short listed chapters. They are all worthy winners of the competition and I can't wait to see which one is finally chosen by <a href="https://twitter.com/laurabirdland">Laura Williams.</a><br />
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<br />Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-50682544002075443812017-07-10T16:05:00.000+01:002017-07-10T16:05:22.354+01:00Third novel title reveal and blurb!Today I'm thrilled to announce the title of the novel I will be publishing on 1st March 2018.<br />
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Drum roll please.... my third novel is called... <i style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">The Road to California</i><br />
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Here's the blurb:<br />
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Proud single parent Joanna is accustomed to school phoning to tell her that Ryan, her 14 year old son, is in trouble. But when Ryan hits a girl and is excluded from school, Joanna knows she must take drastic action to help him.<br />
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Ryan hasn’t seen his dad Lex since he left home when Ryan was two years old. Ryan doesn’t remember Lex, but more than anything he wants a dad in his life. Isolated, a loner, and angry, Ryan finds solace in books and wildlife. <br />
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Joanna, against her instincts and better judgement, invites Lex to return and help their son. Lex is a drifter who runs from commitment, and both Joanna and Ryan find their mutual trust and love is put to the test when Lex returns, and vows to be part of the family again...<br />
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I hope you like the sound of it! Last week I posted this photo on Twitter as a clue to the title:<br />
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This is a patchwork pattern called Road to California. In the book, Joanna is a talented textiles entrepreneur (think wannabe Cath Kidston!) who specialises in recycling and upcycling. She calls her company Road to California, which is her favourite patchwork pattern. It seemed only natural that I should name the book accordingly.<br />
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<i>The Road to California</i> is not an easy story to categorize. It's women's fiction; literary(ish) fiction; book club fiction; a romance; definitely a weepie!! And it could be read as YA, as there are really two protagonists, Joanna and her teenage son Ryan. I quite like the fact it doesn't slot neatly into a genre. Somehow that seems right for this novel.<br />
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There will be more news to follow in the coming months, including a cover reveal, character profiles, a look at the opening few pages, and news of a giveaway - which will include the piece of patchwork pictured above, made into an upcycled book bag (oh my, how Joanna would approve!)<br />
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More anon!<br />
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Louise x<br />
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<br />Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-1643671435166304082017-06-30T09:29:00.000+01:002017-07-02T15:25:15.984+01:00Louise Walters BooksThis week I was thrilled to announce news of my latest venture. I've set up my own imprint in order to publish my third novel. It's a scheme I've been cooking for quite a while, held back of course by a myriad of doubts.<br />
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I love my logo! Designed by the wonderful <a href="http://www.serifim.com/">Jennie Rawlings</a></div>
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I self-published my second novel, <i>A Life Between Us</i>, in March via assisted publishing company Matador (Troubador Publishing). That was an exciting time, and consumed most of 2016! My sales have not been wildly exciting... but of course they were never going to be. Sales are steady, and regular. I've sold 27 copies through my <a href="https://www.louisewaltersbooks.co.uk/">website</a> (admittedly, at a loss. I'm not charging for postage which is £2.90 per book, 2nd class) and through hand selling. I've given away about 50 copies. My book was left in the wild on Indie Author Day via <a href="http://booksontheunderground.co.uk/">Books on the Underground</a>. I've heard from libraries and indie bookshops that they are going to stock <i>A Life Between Us</i>. I've also heard from Waterstones, who are not going to stock it. I've been awarded a Chill With a Book Readers' Award (recognising excellence in indie books). I've had lovely support from book bloggers and fellow authors.<br />
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There are a couple of other positive things coming up which I can't yet reveal, but I'm chuffed.<br />
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I check my Amazon ranking <strike>daily</strike> hourly, and it fluctuates, but it's OK. More important than ranking, I've been fortunate to receive positive reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and Netgalley. Readers seem to be responding to <i>A Life Between Us</i> in a positive way. Some of the reviews are overwhelming. That keeps me going, it really does. There was a dark time just before the book went up on Netgalley where I feared it was a huge pile of tosh and I was about to make the biggest fool of myself, ever.<br />
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In the great scheme of things, my second novel is doing OK. Literally, OK. I'll take that!<br />
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The idea of bringing out my third novel is just as daunting. It's going to be hard work. It may do "OK", it may not. But if I don't bring this book out it won't do anything at all. I'm 50 this year and I've realised, finally, that life <i>is</i> short, so precious and fleeting, and it's not a failure to try something, even if you fail. The failure is to give in to fears and doubts and not try things. (Paraphrasing Bruce Lee here!)<br />
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So here I am, running my own company, setting up my own imprint, and bringing out my third novel.<br />
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Life is sweet</div>
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Wear the hat! </div>
<br />Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-9798171546757802812017-06-12T10:56:00.000+01:002017-06-12T10:56:15.259+01:00Indie author Kathleen Jowitt<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Today I'm delighted to welcome indie author Kathleen Jowitt to my blog. Kathleen is the first indie author to be short listed for the Society of Author's Betty Trask Prize, with her debut novel, <i>Speak its Name. </i>The Betty Trask Prize is awarded<i> </i>each year to a first time novelist under the age of 35, writing in a traditional or romantic style. This is an exciting development for all indie authors, and I was keen to hear more about this exciting news. Here's Kathleen...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Could you tell us about your decision to self–publish your novel <i>Speak its Name</i>? I wonder if you tried the agent/publisher
route first; or if you always intended for this to be an indie book? </span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I did try the agent/publisher route, but I didn't get
very far with it. I think everybody – myself included – was a little confused
by the genre, and didn't know how to go about selling it. I tend to blame
Section 28 for killing the emerging genre of LGBT teen fiction. If I'd been
trying to sell to American publishers then things might have been difficult.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When it came to it, the decision to self-publish wasn't
particularly difficult. Or, rather, it was absolutely unthinkable until the
moment that it was the obvious next step. I found that the confidence, to take
responsibility for everything that went out under my name, landed just after I
turned thirty. By then I'd already put in a lot of work into making the text as
good as it possibly could be, and I was free to concentrate on all the
practical considerations that I'd blithely assumed somebody else would be
dealing with, and when I dealt with those one at a time they turned out to be
much less hassle than I'd feared.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Kathleen</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Could you tell us a little about Speak Its
Name?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's part Barchester, part coming-of-age, part coming out.
It's the story of an evangelical Christian, and closeted lesbian, trying to
navigate the troubled waters of university politics; it's about identity, and faith,
and integrity.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What are the advantages of self-publishing?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You can write absolutely anything you like. There's no
need to self-censor, to keep half an eye on what somebody else thinks is going
to sell. You can go at your own pace, too, setting your own deadlines.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And the disadvantages?</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You have to do everything yourself, or, if you don't do
it yourself, you have to arrange for someone else to do it. I've had to be my
own typesetter, cover designer, secretary and publicist. Fortunately, those are
all skills that I've developed in the course of my day job – but there are
still only so many hours in the day.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yours is the first self-published
book to be short listed for the Betty Trask Prize. How does that feel? </span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It's amazing. I've talked about having to develop the
confidence to take ownership of my own work, but I must also admit that having
had such a prestigious judging panel say such complimentary things about that
work has been massively reassuring.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I can't overstate what a surprise it was. I was on
holiday in northern Spain when I got the news; I checked into a hotel after a
very long day on the narrow gauge railway, connected to the wi-fi, and, among
the dozen emails that had accumulated while I was out of range, there was the
notification. Reading the header out of context, I didn't immediately remember
who or what Betty Trask was. I'd better not repeat what I actually said when I
read the email itself! I spent the next week worrying that they'd made a
mistake, that they hadn't noticed that I was self-published and that they'd
change their minds when they did. That lasted until the press release came out,
making it clear that the fact that I was the first self-published author to be
shortlisted for the Betty Trask Prize was a feature, not a bug!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Did any aspects of self-publishing surprise
you? (For instance, I found the
marketing to be more work and more time consuming than I’d imagined…!)</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I was surprised by how much it's changed in the past
couple of decades. My parents have both self-published and my childhood
memories are cluttered with stacks of books and rolls of bubble wrap.
Print-on-demand technology and online ordering mean that somebody else deals
with all that – which is a great relief.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Self-publishers talk about the “freedoms” of
being an indie. They undoubtedly exist, but what about the limitations? Are
there any? Or is the publishing world really our oyster? </span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I think our reach is always going to be more limited than
that of those authors who are represented by publishers with multi-million
pound budgets. We have to fight harder for our credibility, too, though I'm
hopeful that things will change there. Whatever happens, though, I think that
the thick skin I've developed in the course of self-publishing can't help but
be an asset.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Alliance of Independent Authors runs a
campaign, Open Up to Indie Authors, encouraging bookshops, book prizes and
reviewers to include and embrace self-published books. What do you feel we as
self-publishing authors can do to seek inclusion? </span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I think we just need to keep plugging away, to keep
knocking at the doors until they open up for us. There seems to be a new
openness, a new willingness to accept the idea that self-published authors can
be producing good work. My own experience is evidence of that. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What’s next for you? </span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'm working on a novel called <i>A Spoke in the Wheel</i>.
The narrator is a professional cyclist who's been banned for doping. He's
trying to re-establish his life in a place where nobody knows him and he never
has to look at another bike. But of course the first person he sees is a
cycling fan...</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At the moment I've got some knowledgeable friends reading
it for me, checking that I've got things right. Apart from all the bike stuff,
I'm very keen to make sure that I haven't messed up anything around disability
and the way the benefits system works, which is a major theme.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And finally, what are you reading at the
moment?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've nearly finished Patrick Leigh Fermor's <i>A Time of
Gifts</i> – the first volume of an account of his epic hike from the Hook of
Holland to Constantinople. In this one he gets as far as Hungary. It's a
fascinating portrait of Europe as it was between the wars, with a flamboyantly
rich descriptive style, and it makes me want to be out on the road to
somewhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<img alt="A Time of Gifts: On Foot to Constantinople: from the Hook of Holland to the Middle Danube by [Fermor, Patrick Leigh]" height="320" src="https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51ypyUfWMDL.jpg" width="206" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks to Kathleen for joining me today, it's been fascinating to hear from her. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Kathleen's blog can be found <a href="https://kathleenjowitt.com/">here</a>, and she tweets <a href="https://twitter.com/KathleenJowitt">@KathleenJowitt</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Betty Trask Prize winner will be announced on Tuesday 20th June 2017. Good luck Kathleen!</span> </div>
Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-51071451125166674002017-05-30T14:13:00.000+01:002017-05-30T14:13:13.021+01:00From The Other Side: Margaret Bonass Madden<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "constantia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I'm delighted to be returning to my From The Other Side series this week, after a brief interlude during which I interviewed two of my favourite fellow authors, Isabel Costello and Rebecca Mascull. I then invited the hard working <a href="http://www.bleachhouselibrary.ie/">Bleach House Library</a> blogger Margaret Bonass Madden to appear next on my blog, and she agreed! Margaret is a student, mother of five (like me!) and a foster carer. She also manages to find the time to read and review lots of books. Awesome. Here's what she had to say...</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All
book bloggers are surely book lovers. How and when did your love of reading
begin? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I have always been an avid reader. My father used to take
me to the library in our coastal village. Then children’s section was upstairs
and I still remember the wide, wooden staircase and the big heavy doors. There
was a large stuffed ladybird on top of the bookshelves and I wanted her SO
badly. There were Beatrix Potter prints dotted around the room and the silence
was deafening. The counter was really high and I loved the thud of the rubber
date stamp and the little cardboard tickets that were inside each book. I
thought I would never be old enough for the ‘grown-up’ library, which was
downstairs. When the day finally arrived, I was so proud to have a blue library
card instead of the child’s green one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Margaret</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When
did you start your blog?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I wrote my first blog post back in July 2013. I cannot
believe how time has flown!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Is
there a particular genre you enjoy reading and reviewing?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Obviously, I have a love of Irish Fiction. For such a
small island, we have a reputation of producing some of the worlds most
talented writers. In general, I love everything except sci-fi and fantasy. I
appear to be missing the gene.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Do
you have a “day job” (work, children, and/or caring responsibilities) - and if
so, how do you fit in all your reading, reviewing and blogging? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am a full-time BA student and a foster carer. I am
studying English and History, after returning to education after more than
twenty years. I also review books for both The Irish Times and The Sunday
Independent. It can be hard to fit everything in but, when it comes to books, I
find the time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If I
don’t like a book, I usually don’t review it on Goodreads, Amazon, Netgalley or
on my blog. For me, that’s the kindest thing to do. As a writer, I know how
disheartening negative reviews can be. I also appreciate not every reader
enjoys every book. How do you stand on this issue? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am different to you. I review for the readers, not the
writers, so I review everything on Goodreads, Amazon etc. I try to find
something positive to say, but will be honest. I won’t always put every review
on my blog, as they may have been used in a newspaper. It is rare that I read
books that I don’t like, these days. I think publishers now know what kind of
books I enjoy and the ones I have bought myself were chosen for obvious reasons.
I did read a title recently that was so badly written that I ended up chucking it
at the wall. I chose not to review on my blog, as I had not finished it, but I
did leave feedback on Goodreads and Amazon. I would NEVER tag an author in a
negative review. That is just cruel and unnecessary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Have
you ever had a negative response from an author after reviewing their work, and
if so, how did you handle it? (No names needed!)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yes. The author responded to a review link on Facebook. I
did not engage. It is not a wise move. My advice is to NOT respond.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How
do you feel about indie authors? Do you consider self-published books? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I do review self-published books, but they must be
well-packaged and be edited by a professional. I have read some that have been
published without either of these being done and it is very obvious. Asking a
few friends and family to read your novel before you press publish is not
enough. [I quite agree! - LW]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On
the other hand, how do you feel about those over-hyped books from the Big 5
publishers?!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am usually sent very early copies of books from the Big
5 and can see how a big social media campaign can make a huge difference. I can
receive up to thirty books per week, so getting a particular title noticed,
very early on, needs some clever marketing. However, not all of these books
deserve the hype. Again, this is where honesty comes into play. If you don’t
post negative reviews, how will people know not to buy certain books?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There
has recently been some negative stuff on social media about book bloggers. I
know how this feels, as I am self-publishing my second novel, and lord knows
how indie authors get looked down upon in some quarters! So - how do you
respond to that negativity? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I don’t engage with individual angry/ranty/trolling
social media posts. It is pointless. I did write a piece for the </span><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/book-bloggers-are-real-readers-1.2965194">IrishTimes</a> </span><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">about this very subject, as there was an implication
that bloggers are not real readers. This could not be farther from the truth.
We are doing this for our love of books. We are not paid. We may be the most
qualified to have opinions on books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Have
you made “real life” friends as a result of your book blog? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Have I ever! Since I began <a href="http://bleachhouselibrary.ie/">bleachhouselibrary.ie</a>, I have
met the most wonderful, like-minded people. From authors, bloggers, publishers,
booksellers, librarians….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There is always someone I can call on if I am travelling
to an event, home or away, that will be more than delighted to meet up. I get
to launches/festivals/readings in both the UK and Ireland so I have been
fortunate to meet many, many wonderful people. I wish I could attend more
events in the UK, but it's financially impossible. Flights are not expensive, but
hotels are!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tell
us about the art of writing a review. How do you avoid spoilers but manage to
convey the sense or feel of a book? I find it difficult, so any tips will be
gratefully received! I’ve seen some fantastic reviews, which I suspect were
pretty tricky to write…<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It can be SO hard. The short newspaper reviews are the
hardest! Trying to get the story across enough to pique interest can be
harrowing work. Seriously. Spoilers are an absolute nightmare and are a
pet-hate of mine. I read a review last year, which gave the whole story away. I
have not bothered to read that book since. What is the point? The only tip I
have is to concentrate on the bigger picture; the characters; the location; the
feel of the book. Some reviews can take me a long, long time to get right.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Big
question: Have you ever been tempted to write, or have you written, a novel (or
any kind of book) yourself? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I love short stories. Both reading them, and writing
them. I love how you can get straight into the characters heads and compress an
idea into 2000 or 3000 words, yet still have an impact. Often the endings are
ambiguous, so this is a genre that not many choose to read. Maybe readers fear
that short-stories are ‘arsey’ (my favourite word) but this is not the case. If
done correctly, they can be both enjoyable and extremely memorable. I have no
interest in writing a novel in the foreseeable future. I completely adore
writing reviews and still get massively excited to see them online or in print.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Quick
fire: E-reader or print?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Print.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Finally,
what are you reading at the moment? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>Letters from the Suitcase</i> by Rosheen and Cal Finnegan. It
is non-fiction, which I aim to read as much as possible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p>Big thanks to Margaret! Fascinating stuff, and a refreshingly uncompromising attitude to book reviews. As Margaret says, they are for readers, not the authors or publishers. I also like the sage advice for us self-published authors about the importance of decent editing and covers. </o:p></div>
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<o:p>Margaret blogs at <a href="http://www.bleachhouselibrary.ie/">Bleach House Library</a></o:p></div>
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... and tweets <a href="https://twitter.com/margaretbmadden">@margaretbmadden</a> (bleachhouselibrary)</div>
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Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-80913485120194515492017-05-18T16:14:00.000+01:002017-05-18T16:14:28.378+01:00Paris Mon Amour by Isabel CostelloToday I'm thrilled to welcome author Isabel Costello to my blog. Isabel cuts quite a dash in the book world with her wonderful blog, <a href="https://literarysofa.com/">The Literary Sofa</a>. I've twice been a guest on the sofa, and felt it was about time I returned the hospitality!<br />
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Isabel</div>
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Isabel is now also an author, with her debut novel <i>Paris Mon Amour</i>, published in ebook and audio in June 2016 with <a href="http://www.canelo.co/">Canelo</a>. Isabel made the decision to self-publish the print version of <i>Paris Mon Amour</i>, and that's what we're talking about on my blog today. Here she is...<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Could
you tell us about your decision to self–publish your novel <i>Paris Mon Amour</i> in print?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There are two sides to this. Firstly, from the very start (even at the
launch!) there was something about this novel that made people want a print
version. That’s largely due to the
stunning cover by Dan Mogford, which we kept for the paperback. And like most
authors, my dream was always to hold a book I’d written in my hand!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What actually made it happen was one of those random
strokes of luck. The Fiction Buyer from
WH Smith Travel read the novel, loved it and wanted to stock it. For that,
there obviously needed to be a print edition and when my and my agent’s
attempts to find a print publisher didn’t succeed (the tight timescale didn’t
help), I couldn’t let the opportunity pass and decided to do it myself. It was a daunting prospect, but I really
believe in this book and it would have felt like unfinished business not to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What
are the advantages of self-publishing?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s fantastic to be in control – you hear so many
stories about authors being less than happy with their covers, blurbs,
marketing efforts, etc. and I got to make those decisions and have everything
just the way I wanted it, right down to the font size. I was lucky to have the
support of everyone I needed to make it work: my agent, my digital publishers
Canelo and the very impressive indie publishing team at Clays printers, who specialise
in guiding the uninitiated through every stage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And
the disadvantages?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I suppose it’s the flipside of the above. When you’re in charge, the buck stops with
you. It was a massive learning curve and I worried about making some terrible
mistake that wouldn’t come to light in time because nobody was looking over my
shoulder. (It wasn’t until I’d read the finished paperback that I was fully
convinced I’d sent the right version to print, despite checking a hundred
times!) There’s so much to stay on top of and it’s hard work, but fortunately
I’ve always enjoyed project management and collaboration and am fairly
organised by nature. Finally, although the printing costs per unit are
surprisingly low, overall it’s an expensive and risky venture. Let’s just say I am not on the waiting list
for any yachts!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As a
self-published author, did you feel that any doors were closed to you? For
instance, press coverage?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">No, I have been pleasantly surprised - it was far more of
an issue when my book was digital only. However, I’m not sure how
representative my experience as a self-published author actually is. This is a very unusual situation with the
novel having first been commercially published in digital and audio a year ago.
Wearing my marketing hat – I used to work in that field – I was able to make a
virtue of the novel’s track record and the response from readers. Over half of
the independent bookshops I approached individually with my Advance Information
Sheet got back to me showing an interest – I was delighted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Did
any aspects of self-publishing surprise you?
(I found the marketing to be more work and more time consuming than I’d
imagined…!)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The thing that surprised me most was how tricky
typesetting still is. Like many people,
I naïvely assumed that in the digital age you just run the text through a
programme and it comes out looking lovely. In reality it’s an art requiring
patience and painstaking attention to detail; solving one issue (such as crazy
hyphenation) often causes another (‘widows and orphans’, anyone?). I am so grateful
to Simon Collinson of Canelo for bringing his talents and sense of humour to
the task. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You
set up your own Literary Sofa imprint to release the paperback. Do you think
readers care who a book is published by?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In a word, no. I think readers mostly care about two
things: whether a book appeals and whether it is any good, both in terms of
content and presentation. One of the
biggest challenges self-publishers face is ‘discoverability’ – getting it onto
readers’ radar in the first place. Once
that’s achieved, it’s down to us to prove we can compete. One thing that seems to have surprised a lot
of people is that the quality of my self-published book matches traditionally
published ones, and I’m really proud of that.
Self-publishing has come a long way and is now an important part of the
industry; disparaging it is an easy way to look out of touch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What’s
next for you?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When things calm down, I am really looking forward to
making a start on my next novel, also set in Paris. I have a detailed outline but bringing <i>Paris Mon Amour</i> out in print has taken
over my life these last four months; it’s certainly true that self-publishing
has a major impact on writing time. Otherwise, I am busy preparing for my new
Perseverance and Motivation for Writers workshops with psychologist Voula
Grand. Without those ‘resilient
thinking’ skills, I might not have had the nerve to tackle my paperback
project, but I’m already very glad I did!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Many thanks to Isabel for joining me today. Her route to publication is a fascinating story in itself! <i>Paris Mon Amour</i> is a fabulous novel, which totally deserves to be available in print as well as in ebook and audio. I wish her every success and can not wait to get my hands on a copy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Published on Monday 22nd May, you can buy it on <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Paris-Mon-Amour-Isabel-Costello/dp/0995724202/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1494577628&sr=1-2">Amazon</a>, and of course in all good WHSmiths Travel bookstores. It is a perfect holiday read!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Next time I'm returning to my <i>From the Other Side</i> series of posts, in which I interview book bloggers. See you then! </span></div>
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<br />Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-46480479521428495372017-05-03T13:35:00.001+01:002017-05-04T08:03:17.290+01:00The Wild Air by Rebecca Mascull<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "constantia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I'm taking a short break from my "From The Other Side" feature to chat instead this week to fellow author, Rebecca Mascull. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I got to know Rebecca back in 2013 when we had both been signed to Hodder with our debut novels (Rebecca's <i>The Visitors</i> and my <i>Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase</i>). We became online friends, and soon met in real life. I was thrilled to go to Rebecca's launch party for her second novel, <i>Song of the Seamaid</i>, where we found a few moments to hug and say "Hi"! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Rebecca's third novel, <i>The Wild Air</i>, is out this Thursday, 4th May. (May the force be with her!) Let's hear from her now...</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
Wild Air</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> is
your third published novel. Tell us how that feels please!? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I
feel like a proper author now. </span><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One could be a fluke, two a
coincidence, but three? Well, it’s a magic number, innit!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How
did you come by the idea for <i>The Wild Air</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I
saw a documentary on the Wright Brothers and loved the idea of it. Once I
started researching it, I discovered about all these Edwardian female pilots
I’d never heard of. I fell for all of them! I wanted to tell their story,
especially since it was so unknown.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Your
level of research is legendary! How much did you do for this novel? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Bless
you! I did the usual obsessive amount. Dozens of books, documentaries, films,
unpublished letters and diaries at the Imperial War Museum and even a flight in
a light aircraft! That was the best bit and really made the novel. It became
real at that moment, up in the air.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Wow, that is research extreme! How did the flight go? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I
was really nervous before, then frightened to death in the first 5 minutes,
which then dissolved into absolute, unalloyed joy. To see the earth like that,
to be at one with the air…It was utterly magical and it changed my life. I’ll
never forget it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All
your novels have been historical. Are you considering writing anything
contemporary? Do you think that would lessen the research workload?!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I
do, I do! I’m thinking about it now, actually. Watch this space…<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now
that you have written several novels, do you have a favourite among them?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I
don’t actually. I love them all in different ways, for their beautiful bits and
even their faults. A bit like children! The three heroines are all very dear to
me, though very different women from each other. I’m so fond of all of them and
each time I’ve finished the drafting, it’s been a terrible wrench and I’ve
missed them awfully. L</span><span style="font-family: "constantia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">ately I
really miss spending time with Dudley Willow, who’s in The Wild Air, and based
on my grandfather.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You’re having a third launch party. Will you be as excited and/or nervous at this one as you were for the
first? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I
was sick with nerves at the first one and only very slightly less at the second
one. So I hope this time to actually try to enjoy it a bit more and remember
that everyone’s there because they are interested in the book or because
they’re supporting me, so why be nervous? I’ll tell myself that on the day,
anyway!<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What’s
next from you?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I
really don’t know, is the honest answer. I feel like The Visitors, Song of the
Sea Maid & The Wild Air are a kind of historical trilogy about the hidden
histories of determined women. So I’d like to do something completely
different, I think…<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Finally,
what are you reading at the moment? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m
a teacher presently, so I’m reading very little except mock exams and homework!
I haven’t read a novel for months. </span><span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I do miss reading terribly, but I can’t find time for it in my head. I’m sure
it’ll come back some day, maybe in the summer holidays, when I have a bit more
space in my mind. And then it’ll be all my author friends’ books, with yours at
the top of the list! Can’t wait. I’ve heard such great reviews! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">***</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rebecca blogs at <a href="http://rebeccamascull.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a></span></div>
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And she tweets <a href="https://twitter.com/rebeccamascull">@rebeccamascull</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Big thanks to Rebecca for joining me today. I've now read all three of her novels, and they are splendid reads. The heroines are all fighting in a man's world to live the life they want to live, and do the things they want to do. Adeliza, Dawnay, and Della are a trio of inspiring heroines, and I'm sure you will enjoy spending time with them. <i>The Wild Air</i> can be bought <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wild-Air-Rebecca-Mascull/dp/1473604435/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1493389351&sr=1-1">here</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Next time on my blog I'll be chatting to another fellow author, Isabel Costello. After that all will be resumed with From the Other Side...! </span></div>
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Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5156023462376747109.post-80388272698384605962017-04-21T07:29:00.000+01:002017-04-21T07:29:14.392+01:00From The Other Side: Book Blogger Anne Williams<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "constantia" , serif;">Welcome to the fourth in my series From The Other Side, in which I turn the tables and interview book bloggers on my author's blog. I'm really enjoying hearing from the bloggers and finding out more about them. One thing that's struck me so far is the time and commitment it takes to be a serious book blogger. So much reading... and then the writing and organising of reviews and blog posts. It's quite mind-boggling! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , serif;">This week it's a great pleasure to be chatting to the one and only Anne Williams, whose blog <a href="http://beinganne.com/">Being Anne</a> is pretty famous in the publishing world, and for good reason. I know I was thrilled when Being Anne recently featured my book! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "constantia" , serif;">OK, no further introductions necessary...let's have our minds boggled by Anne...</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All book bloggers are surely book lovers. How
and when did your love of reading begin? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I can remember starting primary school and wondering why the other
children found it all so difficult. My mum introduced me to books at a very
young age, and from that point on I was always the one found in the corner at
parties, nose in a book, oblivious of everything. My love did falter a bit -
taking a degree in English Literature (had to be, really!) nearly killed it
forever, and there were years when I was working that it was easier to collapse
in front of the TV. Thank goodness, I got over that!<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Anne</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When did you start your blog?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Just over four years ago, but at first only in a small way, to
capture my thoughts on the books I read - it’s only taken over my life since I
retired…! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Is there a particular genre you enjoy reading
and reviewing?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m never sure how to define what I enjoy. Probably “women’s
literature” sums it up best. I’ve developed a bit of an instinct in choosing
books that I know I’ll enjoy, and when I agree to review I’ve usually spotted
something that makes me think the book has “me” written on it. Above all, I
like a book that makes me <i>feel</i> something - engaging my heart is the best
guarantee for an enthusiastic review.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Do you have a “day job” (work, children,
and/or caring responsibilities) - and if so, how do you fit in all your
reading, reviewing and blogging? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I don’t work any more - I took early retirement just over three
years ago, and never regretted it for an instant. Family issues have been
something of a feature over the last couple of years - more difficult because I
was in Yorkshire, the family in North Wales - and I have had to take occasional
breaks. Now my 91 year old mum is living near me, things are very much easier.
I spend a few hours a day putting the blog together, writing interview
questions and reviews, dealing with emails, catching up with social media - and
the reading fits into my every spare moment. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If I don’t like a book, I usually don’t review
it on Goodreads, Amazon, Netgalley or on my blog. For me, that’s the kindest
thing to do. As a writer, I know how disheartening negative reviews can be. I
also appreciate not every reader enjoys every book. How do you stand on this
issue? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I never review a book I haven’t enjoyed - my reviews are my
personal reaction, and I only want to share the positive. I sometimes think -
in my self-critical moments - that
people must think I love everything I read. I choose well most of the
time, but if my negative feelings outweigh the positive, the book will quietly
disappear. While I haven’t enjoyed a book, others might love it - I’ll leave
the reviewing to them. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Have you ever had a negative response from an
author after reviewing their work, and if so, how did you handle it? (No names
needed!)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I don’t think I ever have. If I’ve included criticism amid the
positive - something about the book that maybe didn’t work as well for me -
people have always reacted well, and we’ve sometimes discussed it further (in a
friendly, supportive way!).</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If you are a member of the Amazon Vine
programme, can you tell us a bit about that? Is it a big commitment? Do you
have certain obligations to fulfill as a Vine member? </span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am an Amazon Vine reviewer, but very rarely review books through
the programme - I prefer to stick with other things, and the stringent
timescales for book reviews don’t really work for me. If you exceed the
deadline, it blocks your list - nothing else to review - until you do it. And I
really dislike the culture of “book bashing” that seems to have evolved within
the group. I’d rather stick with my stationery and household equipment…<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How do you feel about indie authors? Do you
consider self-published books? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I choose to read and feature indie and self-published authors above
any others. I’ve discovered some absolute gems that way, and made some lovely
friends. Let’s face it, those big blockbusters are going to sell whatever I
choose to say about them - but if I can help a small indie publisher or a
self-published little star sell a few more books by reviewing or running a
feature, I think that’s far better use of my time. I just wish I could support
everyone who asks, but I do need to sleep occasionally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On the other hand, how do you feel about those
over-hyped books from the Big 5 publishers?!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I do review and join blog tours for the Big 5 - and I’m lucky
enough that they ask me to do so. There
are good and not-so-good books from big publishers and indies/self-published alike
- I review the ones I enjoy. And I do rather prefer reviewing books that
everyone else might not have read and enjoyed yet - hype and over-exposure does
put me off a little.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There has recently been some negative stuff on
social media about book bloggers. I know how this feels, as I am
self-publishing my second novel, and lord knows how indie authors get looked
down upon in some quarters! So - how do you respond to that negativity? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I haven’t really engaged with it, but it made me both sad and
angry. It’s so insulting when it’s said that book bloggers aren’t “real
readers” - I certainly am, and so are all my blogging friends. If I promote
books without reading, I do so because I know I would enjoy them, and because I
want to bring them to people’s attention. I do it for love, and have never made
a penny from my blog - I work very hard for no financial return, as do all
bloggers, and when misguided people imply we have some other agenda, it hurts.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Have you made “real life” friends as a result
of your book blog? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So many! Nothing gives me more pleasure than getting together with
blogging and author friends - and I’m really lucky to be invited to so many
launches and get togethers to meet up with friends old and new. The only little
problem is that most meet-ups are in London, and I live in Yorkshire - but I do
get to as many as I can (and I’m very grateful for my Senior Rail Card!). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tell us about the art of writing a review. How
do you avoid spoilers but manage to convey the sense or feel of a book? I find
it difficult, so any tips will be gratefully received! I’ve seen some fantastic
reviews, which I suspect were pretty tricky to write… <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Goodness, I can’t give advice on reviewing - and when I read “how
to” articles, I think I probably do it all wrong. But - other than the cardinal
sin of spoilers - there really is no right or wrong. I rarely repeat much of
the story, only a flavour - and always focus on the impression the book made on
me. Did it move me, make me cry/laugh/angry/happy? Did the dialogue work well?
How about the characters? The setting - did it come to life? Did I look forward
to picking it up? What feelings did it leave me with? I don’t know about you,
but I’d always prefer to read a review where a reader clearly loved every
moment of their experience (those are the books I buy) than those where I’m
told the story.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Big question: Have you ever been tempted to
write, or have you written, a novel (or any kind of book) yourself? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When I retired, I had great plans. I’ve always been comfortable in
the world of words, I signed up for an OU writing course, and a couple of
writing groups, looked at the RNA New Writers’ scheme, and really wanted to
make a serious attempt - until life and those family problems made me take my
eye off the ball. At the moment, I’m happy to be blogging - but never say
never…<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Quick fire: E-reader or print?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ebooks (almost) all the way. I still love the smell, feel and look
of print books, but have started to struggle with reading them, mainly because
of my age and deteriorating eyesight - the back-light of my Kindle Paperwhite
and the ability to increase print size makes life so much easier. And my
handbag and holiday suitcases are far lighter…<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Finally, what are you reading at the moment? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m just finishing (and thoroughly enjoying) <i>The American Girl </i>by
Rachael English - then I’ll be starting <i>The Wild Air </i>by Rebecca Mascull
(and really looking forward to it!)<i>.</i><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: constantia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Anne blogs at </span><a href="http://beinganne.com/" style="font-family: constantia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Being Anne</a></div>
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Anne tweets <a href="https://twitter.com/Williams13Anne">@Williams13Anne</a><br />
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Many thanks to Anne. It's been lovely, and enlightening, to hear from her. My mind is truly "bloggled"!!<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "constantia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On Thursday 4th May I'll be talking to The Wild Air author herself, Rebecca Mascull! </span></div>
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Louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00456086542084627953noreply@blogger.com6