Tag Archives: Publishing

WRITING IN THE NEW

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Jane Cable sets out her plans for Frost for 2019…

Much as I’ve loved hosting Business of Books over the last couple of years, it’s definitely time for a change. Two changes in fact, but more of the second one later.

Readers with very good memories may recall that in the autumn I went on a mini retreat with four writer friends. It was a comment from Kitty that started it – just as we were leaving – she said we’d become sister scribes. So I began to ponder what that could mean.

The world over women are particularly good at giving other women support. We excel at cooperation, collaboration, sharing the champagne and handing out the tissues (or the gin). We celebrate, we commiserate, we coax, we cajole – in short, we are there for each other.

So this year I’m sharing my Frost columns with my Sister Scribes. Over the next few weeks everyone will introduce themselves, and in the coming months we will all introduce other sisters from the world of words; women whose contributions to our writing lives are important to us. Women who want to share their passion for writing for, by, and about women.

So, the Sister Scribes are:
Cassandra Grafton has her roots in Austen-inspired fiction and is a Jane Austen Literacy Foundation ambassador. Published by Canelo from this year.
Jane Cable is a long term contributor to Frost. Indie author published by Sapere from this year.
Kirsten Hesketh’s first novel landed her an agent. Hopefully a deal will follow soon.
Kitty Wilson walked straight out of the RNA New Writers’ Scheme into multiple offers. Writes hilarious romcoms for Canelo.
Susanna Bavin writes elegant, well-researched sagas. Published by Allison & Busby.

We met because we are all members of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, but that doesn’t mean the columns will all be about romance as our network of contacts spreads far and wide. Within the genre we cover a broad church, from sagas to romcoms and a great deal in between. There will be plenty of interest for readers and writers alike, with our first guests including my own long time buddy Carol Thomas on marketing collaboration and Cassandra’s co-author Ada Bright on what it’s really like writing together.

So that’s the first change. The second is an additional column on the last Wednesday of every month to replace the popular Take Four Writers. I will miss Angela, Claire, Jackie and Lucy but it’s time to offer a different perspective and I’m delighted that Sapere Books has offered to provide it.

Every month one of the Sapere team will give an insight into their publishing year. Editorial Director Amy Durant is as delighted about it as I am: “I am very excited to be offered this chance to give readers and writers a unique perspective into what life is like at Sapere Books. We are still a very new publisher and we have lots of exciting projects and developments launching this year – including publishing two of Jane’s books – so there will be plenty of news to share. As a small team we have the flexibility to change strategies at the drop of a hat, if something interesting pops up, so even I don’t know yet what I’ll be writing about in six months’ time, but I hope you will enjoy reading about Sapere Books’ journey in our second year of trading.”

So what will I be doing with all this extra time? I’m hoping I’ll be able to review more books for Frost and even branch out into travel and history related articles. Plus, as Amy has reminded me, I have two books out this year…

 

BUSINESS OF BOOKS: FIRST, LAST, EVERYTHING – JAMES FAKTOR, PUBLISHER AT ENDEAVOUR MEDIA

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What was the first publishing advice you were ever given

I think the first piece of publishing advice I received came from an agent who came to lecture at my creative writing course (I forget her name!). She made a big impression on me, and said that the hardest thing about publishing is knowing what to turn down, and that there is no room to indulge. It was great advice because it kept forcing me to think with a commercial hat on rather than just what my personal preference was. As head of our sci-fi and fantasy imprint, I am by no means the biggest fan of the genre, but having a little distance from the books helps keep me impartial to their quality.

What was the most recent publishing advice you were given or gave

Our CEO Matthew Lynn suggested that we should be keeping our eyes open to other industries outside of publishing. You never know where the next big idea will come from, but with technology changing things so quickly now, it’s likely that other industries like advertising, marketing, tech and design will offer solutions to the next jump in publishing, and will rethink how we distribute and digest stories. The recent movement by Spotify to allow some audio books onto their platform is an example of how such cross-breeding could work.

What’s the piece of advice you’d most like to pass on

Put a name to a face quickly and always have a smile. Publishing is still quite a small world and conducting yourself in the right way will really keep your options open. You never know when you may need somebody’s help in the future!

 

James graduated from the University of York with a BA (Hons) in English Literature, before studying for an MA in Creative Writing at the University of Oxford. He joined Endeavour Media in 2018, and currently heads up our sci-fi imprint, as well as managing contracts.

Endeavour Media is an independent digital and print publisher based in London who work with over 800 authors, from talented debuts to top estates, to put both new and unfairly forgotten titles into the spotlight.

They specialise in championing out-of-print books by bringing them to the digital market under several different imprints, including their main list which is dedicated to thrillers, romance, historical fiction, biographies and history; a science-fiction, horror and fantasy imprint; a Western imprint; a German-language division; and a dedicated print arm.

Their mission is to publish enjoyable and important works of both fiction and nonfiction, as well as introduce new generations of readers to older classics. Find out more information at  www.endeavourmedia.co.uk

 

BUSINESS OF BOOKS: TAKE FOUR WRITERS – INTRODUCING LUCY COLEMAN

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New year – new opportunities and a new name! Life doesn’t get much better, does it?

My first book – The French Adventure with Aria Fiction (Head of Zeus) – is due for release on 1 February 2018 and I’m elated! The launch of a new book is usually the culmination of more than a year’s work from penning the manuscript, going through the editing and proofing processes and preparations for the marketing to begin.

Now, this isn’t my first book – it’s my twelfth, full-length novel – throw in a couple of non-fiction titles and three novellas and that’s my writing career in a nutshell. But Christmas 2016 was a turning point for me. I remember going to a Romantic Novelists’ Association chapter meeting in Hereford a few months beforehand and someone raised the subject of submitting to agents. Had it crossed my mind before that? Well, yes, but I didn’t feel ready. I had successfully submitted and signed contracts with Endeavour Press, Harper Impulse and Choc Lit at that stage. The turning point for me was triggered by two things. The first one is that contracts aren’t easy to read and secondly, I was beginning to feel more and more like a team of one doing the best I can to steer my career. But secretly I was longing for a little professional guidance.

Now, I have a fantastic relationship with my editors and their support, nurturing and constant pushing to get me to up the bar has been a blessing. But I felt it was time to find that elusive someone who could help me look at my career on a longer-term basis. Up until that point I’d only considered it one manuscript at a time.

So, literally a couple of days before Christmas 2016 I submitted to three agents and by early March 2017 I had signed with the awesome Sara Keane, from the Keane Kataria Literary Agency. It wasn’t long before I was signing my first, four-book deal with Aria Fiction. As I’m still writing for Harper Impulse as Linn B. Halton, my books for Aria Fiction will go out under my new pen name of Lucy Coleman.

Having Sara in my corner, helping me to work on my finished manuscripts to make them the best they can be and introducing my work to Aria Fiction, has sharpened my focus. I’m no longer thinking one book at a time, but forward planning. As each day passes I’m feeling more and more like a Lucy, as well as a Linn … and 2018 promises to be frenetic, fun and fabulous!

It just took a little over a year in the planning, but it was a year well-spent and I can’t wait to begin promoting ‘The French Adventure‘.

Oh, and throw in the added little flurry of activity as my husband and I moved to a new house, in a new area, on 19th December 2017. A paint brush is never far from my hand these days, so it’s handy that I’m good at multi-tasking. The next stage of the journey is about to begin.

Happy New 2018, all!

BUSINESS OF BOOKS: TAKE FOUR WRITERS – INTRODUCING JACKIE BALDWIN

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Hello everyone! I’m so excited to be sharing with you all the steps towards publication of my second crime novel, Perfect Dead. I’m a Scottish crime writer and live in Dumfries, SW Scotland which is where my series is set. For most of my working life I was a solicitor practicing in family and criminal law but for the last five years I’ve been working as a hypnotherapist which I really enjoy. I’m married and have two grown up kids and two golden retrievers. This is a great area to walk dogs as it has an abundance of forests, rivers and coastline to let them run free. Consequently, I spend a fair bit of time spattered in mud and with twigs tangled in my hair. Don’t be fooled by my author photo!

Writing my second book was very different to writing my first one. Writing a first book you can take all the time in the world. And I did! About 12 years to be precise, including three years when I didn’t write a single word. Friends and family viewed the whole tortured process as a harmless eccentricity. After a final rewrite I sent it to Killer Reads, a digital imprint of Harper Collins. Two weeks later I was holding an acceptance. I didn’t stop shaking until the next day. It was such a shock!

So, to go from that timescale to writing the second book in less than a year took some doing! It didn’t help that last February I developed angina culminating in a blocked coronary artery which required 3 stents in August. I have to say that my editor at Killer Reads was fantastic, no pressure whatsoever. The pressure came from within. Readers were asking for the next book in the series and I didn’t want to let them or my publisher down.

My first novel, Dead Man’s Prayer, I had plotted in advance of writing but, just to make life harder, I started the second novel deliberately with no idea of who had committed the crimes. This resulted in a bad case of ‘saggy middle’ where I had a complete crisis as my plot strands threatened to spiral out of control. It was time to commit and knit it all together. ‘It can’t be done,’ I wailed, adding my echo of despair to all the writers before me. I swear there have been times when I felt the words of this novel were bleeding onto the page a drop at a time, progress seemed so slow. But, to my surprise, and to the relief of my long suffering husband, it all came together in the end.

Perfect Dead will be published in ebook on 15th June and the POD paperback will be available on 23rd August. The action mainly takes place in the ‘Artists’ Town’ of Kirkcudbright, (Kircoobray). DI Farrell is faced with the apparent suicide of a promising young artist shortlisted for a major art prize. Human remains are then discovered on a MoD firing range. Both victims are connected to a shadowy Art Collective. The local police are further stretched investigating a forgery ring. Both investigations are hampered at every turn by secrets people will do anything to keep hidden. DI Farrell and his team are pushed to breaking point as they strive to catch a callous killer before he strikes again, this time much closer to home.

As you read this, I am waiting for my editor’s Notes to arrive so that I can start editing. A rather scary prospect! See you next month!

 

BUSINESS OF BOOKS: TAKE FOUR WRITERS

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Sometimes when writing a regular column you get sick of the sound of your own voice. Well I do, anyway. However much you dress it up I am just one author on one career path and although other writers contribute wonderful guest columns to the Business of Books there is no sense of continuity to their experiences and I wanted to remedy that.

So a few months ago I put out feelers in the author groups I belong to on Facebook to see if there were writers with books being published in 2018 who would be prepared to write monthly updates. I wanted to cast the net wide; across genres, across routes to publication and with the new books coming out at different times during the year.

The first volunteer and first to be inked into the schedule was writer of literary women’s fiction, Claire Dyer. Claire has featured in this column before and is a good friend – but she also has an interesting story to tell. Her first two novels were published by Quercus but sadly the second one fell between the cracks when they were taken over and it seemed as though her career had stuttered to a halt. Now with a new agent and a new deal with The Dome Press for The Last Day she is set for an interesting year. And if early indications are anything to go by, a very successful one too.

Given that I’m a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association many of my contacts are in this genre so my next task was choosing a single representative for romance. I have to say that I struggled initially but then one story piqued my curiosity. Linn B Halton, already a successful author with Harper Impulse, was about to embark on a parallel career as her alter ego Lucy Coleman, signed to Aria Fiction. Linn has two feelgood novels out next year but will be concentrating on her July launch for Frost.

Having come through the indie publishing route myself I was determined that this option should be represented, but again the issue was choosing between the impeccable credentials of the volunteers. I had two particularly strong candidates but in the end it came down to genre and as one was another romance writer, the humourist won out and I selected Angela Petch. It was particularly interesting because Angela is better known as an historical novelist (first indie and now with Endeavour Press) and this is her first foray in a new direction. That she was willing to share this potentially perilous journey spoke volumes about her courage and I can’t wait to find out how 2018 pans out for her.

I knew my final author should be writing thrillers or crime, and in an ideal world I’d have liked a debut novelist but none came forward. Whether they felt they’d be too busy trying to navigate uncharted territory or weren’t sufficiently ahead with their social media when I put out the call I don’t know. But in the end it’s worked really well because I’m able to feature Scottish crime writer Jackie Baldwin whose second novel for Harper Collins’ Killer Reads, Perfect Dead, is due out in June.

Over the next few weeks each writer will introduce themselves but in the meantime if you can’t wait to find out more, here are the links to their websites:

https://clairedyer.com/

http://linnbhalton.co.uk/

https://angelapetchsblogsite.wordpress.com/

http://jackiebaldwin.co.uk/

 

THE BUSINESS OF BOOKS: TELLING THE WORLD – Jane Cable meets Bookouture publicist Kim Nash

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What is your book related job?

I work as Publicity and Social Media Manager at Bookouture (www.bookouture.com). It’s my job to let the world know about our books and authors whether this be through traditional media such as magazines and newspapers or in the online arena so in online magazines or via our social media channels.   I spend tons of time on social media too, sharing all our fabulous news and books and reviews.

When I was a little girl my dream was to work at a book publisher because I thought you got to sit and read books all day long and that’s what a book publisher did. Now most of my friends and family think that I actually do that, but I can assure everyone that any reading I do is in my own time as my job is packed all day long with promotional work. I’m very lucky to be working in my dream job though, which I absolutely adore. I thank my lucky stars every single day!

 

What is the most rewarding part of it?

There are SO many rewarding parts of my job. To see a book get a high profile ranking in the charts and the excitement that causes. Seeing authors give up their jobs to write full time, and knowing that we’ve been an integral part of them achieving their dreams. Helping an author to release their stories into the world and get readers reading them. Knowing that we’ve produced books that our readers love and introducing new authors to our readers.

What do you consider to be your major successes?

My personal success was to win Media Star of the Year at last year’s RNA awards.   It was an absolute honour to be even nominated for such a prestigious award let alone win it. And made even more special that Bookouture won Publisher of the Year on the same evening! A double whammy!

 

Have you always loved books, and what are you reading at the moment?

Yes, I’ve absolutely always loved books from reading Enid Blyton books as a child and wanting to be part of the Famous Five and wanting to fly away on that Wishing Chair and travel to the Magic Faraway Tree, to growing up and reading (and crying) to many Danielle Steele novels and being reprimanded by my mom for reading well into the night.

Last night I finished a novella by Miranda Dickinson called Christmas in St Ives which was wonderful and the prequel to Miranda’s book which is out next summer which I now cannot wait to get my hands on. Before that I read a Bookouture book called Last Cry by Anna-lou Weatherley, which was phenomenal. It’s a new crime series featuring Detective Dan Riley (who I think I fell a tiny bit in love with) and is a diversion for Anna-lou with this new series, but she’s done it so brilliantly. I’m so lucky to work for a company who publish the most talented authors and I love to read as many of the Bookouture books as I can, and certainly the ones that I’m working on, so that I can genuinely share the book love.

Being a book blogger in my spare time (of which there’s not an awful lot) and also being part of a book podcast, and running a book club too, I do try to alternate between Bookouture books and also other novels that are written published by other incredible authors and publishers.

 

Mom to ten year old Ollie, publicity and social media manager at Bookouture, Kim Nash lives in Staffordshire. Kim also co-runs a local book club, co-hosts a book podcast and also

THE BUSINESS OF BOOKS: GUILDING THE LILY – Jane Cable meets Book Guild author Sally Jenkins

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How much of your working life does the business of books take up?

Around 40% of my working life is spent on writing and writing-related activities. I work for a multinational IT consultancy three days a week which, in theory, leaves two days for the business of books. In reality, domestic trivia eats into those two days but I try to make up that time on a Saturday morning when I can, plus if I’m aiming at a deadline I will squeeze in an hour’s writing before or after the day job.

What’s your business model to earn a living from writing?

Like most writers, I can’t earn a living solely from writing, hence the three days working in IT. The money I earn from writing comes from several sources, some passive, such as royalties (which I’d like to increase!), and some from sources that require active input. My best-selling ebook is Kindle Direct Publishing for Absolute Beginners, which is a guiding hand for writers brand new to e-publishing. Earlier this year I updated the book to include some of Amazon’s latest offerings, such as publishing a paperback through Amazon KDP. I sell the occasional story or filler to women’s magazines (Tip: Take a Break are one of the best payers if you have an anecdote that fits their Letters Page). I give talks about my writing to groups such as the Women’s Institute and to libraries. Sometimes I’m paid for the talks (and if I’m really lucky I get a free dinner as well!) but they all give me an opportunity to sell paperback copies of my first grip-lit thriller Bedsit Three and my bumper Coffee Break Story Collection and also to collect email addresses of readers interested in hearing when my next book is out. I’d like to grow this side of the business in order to get a better return on the amount of preparation required to devise a talk. Recently I’ve also been asked to do Kindle and paperback formatting for writers self-publishing on Amazon for the first time. Currently I restrict this to straightforward text-only books but it might be something I choose to grow in the future if giving up the day job becomes a reality.


What do you write and what do you consider to be your major successes?

Over the last few years I’ve gradually moved from short stories to novels. I write grip-lit (psychological thriller meets commercial women’s fiction) and straight commercial women’s fiction. I was elated when Bedsit Three won the Ian Govan Award and, as a result, the novel was published in e-book and paperback format. Another highpoint was The Book Guild recognising the commercial potential of my second grip-lit novel, The Promise, and offering me a place on their partnership publishing program. The partnership means we both invest in the publication costs and The Book Guild’s marketing arm is behind me, selling into bookshops, generating media publicity etc. We share the royalties. The Promise will be published on 28th January 2018 and I’m very excited!

Tell me about your latest project.

I’m working on my third grip-lit novel. I’m fascinated by how past events can impact our current lives. For example, in Bedsit Three the upbringing of one of the characters drives his destructive behaviour. In The Promise there are serious repercussions for something the heroine did three decades earlier. In my current work-in-progress, the protagonist wants revenge against someone who stole his girlfriend when they were teenagers.

 

Sally Jenkins writes grip-lit and commercial women’s fiction. She lives with her husband in Sutton Coldfield and has two grown-up daughters. Find out more about Sally and follow her blog at https://sally-jenkins.com/ or follow her on Twitter @sallyjenkinsuk or on Amazon.

 

THE BUSINESS OF BOOKS: PRINTING PLUS – Jane Cable meets Nigel Mitchell of Biddles

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For a number of reasons I won’t go into here I have a personal dislike of Createspace paperbacks, so when I wanted a short print run of Another You, another author recommended Biddles. Not only do they print and design books, but they do all the ISBN legwork, including taking orders from wholesalers. So I delighted to introduce Nigel Mitchell who worked in book manufacturing with Biddles for 41 years and now runs the company as Biddles Books a book print management company.

WHAT IS YOUR BOOK RELATED JOB OR BUSINESS?

I left school at 16 and after spending two weeks at an accountants which I didn¹t enjoy, I found another job working at Biddles Limited in Guildford who had just started the transition from commercial printers to book printers. I worked in the office at Guildford for nine years and then transferred to the Kings Lynn factory in 1982. Biddles continued to be successful and expanded over the years and eventually employed nearly 200 people. In 2011 I was made redundant and at 54 wondered who might employ me at that age and started my own business Shore Books and Design and received design work from the company that I used to work for. In 2013 Biddles, who were then owned by the MPG Printgroup went into liquidation and myself and a colleague bought the Biddles name from the administrator.

Since October 2013 I have run Biddles Books as a book print management company using my experience gained from the book manufacturing environment to help self publishers, design consultants and professional companies who want to produce anything from 10 mono paperbacks to 4,000 colour hardbacks.

WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING PART OF IT?

The rewarding elements of the job are giving advice and help to customers from the inception of their idea for a book they would like to produce so that they can have a book produced for a price that they can afford. Then receiving some compliments after they have received the completed book which they can hold in their hands.

Meeting so many people from so many different ways of life including Greek Orthodox nuns, Vice-president of British Aerospace, Boycie from Only Fools and Horses, men who fought in the Korean War and pop music promoters. After meeting all these people you realise that people have so many different reasons for producing a printed book.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR MAJOR SUCCESSES?

I think it must be in becoming self employed and running your own business for over six years. When I was being made redundant, it was one of the scariest times in my life because when I was employed I wouldn¹t have thought of running my own business whatsoever. I was in the comfort of being employed and getting a reasonable wage each month. There are so many things to learn and at the end it must be a profitable business to survive. You cannot do it all on your own and you have to rely on a good team to help make the business work. Biddles Books has continued to grow each year that it has been trading and at the end of 2017 we would have helped produce over 650 different titles, a 30% increase from 2016.

HAVE YOU ALWAYS LOVED BOOKS, AND WHAT ARE YOU READING AT THE MOMENT?

I think I enjoy books more now than when I was growing up. Certainly in my formative years I read a lot of children’s books with Enid Blyton and A A Milne being favourites and in my youth I remember reading all of Tom Sharpe’s books which I found hilarious and remember on many occasions laughing out loud at some of his bizarre descriptions. These days I love reading novels as I find them so relaxing after a busy day at work. I have read quite a few of the novels that we have arranged to print and enjoyed the many different but at the moment I am reading The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly.