Tag Archives: The Business of Books

The Business of Books: Jane Cable meets Sunday Times bestseller, Elaine Everest

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THE BUSINESS OF BOOKS: SPREADSHEETS & SAGAS

Jane Cable meets Sunday Times bestseller, Elaine Everest

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

 

I can honestly say that books take up all my life. When I’m not writing I’m teaching novel writing to my talented students at The Mick Jagger Centre in Dartford, Kent. I’m also a committee member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association so you’ll find me organising social media and blogging for the Association. I would say that over 50% of my working day I’d be working on writing although I’m not creating words. Authors also need to be aware of Public Lending Rights, ALCS and other organisations where we need to keep our book details up to date as this will generate much needed funds,

 

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

 

I’ve been a freelance writer for the past twenty years so from the days when I was selling short stories, pitching features to magazines and organizing workshops for writers I’ve been conscious that I have to earn a certain number of pounds each month. Working in accountancy since leaving college, until moving into the writing world, I am addicted to number crunching so spreadsheets and cash flow predictions were part of my daily life. I could always tell at the push of a button if there were lean months ahead and would know to pitch more – and to write more fiction! This has changed slightly since moving onto writing novels as these days I’m aware when royalties and other payments are due and can plan accordingly. Those spreadsheets still come in handy!

 

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

 

These days I write historical fiction set in the 1930s and 1940s. It is a fascinating period to cover and when not writing I will have my nose in a non-fiction book researching social history, looking for fresh plot settings and generally fleshing out the world where my characters live.

 

My major successes are my novels with Pan Macmillan. Readers have taken my Woolworths Girls to their hearts making the first book a Sunday Times bestseller.

 

Tell me about your latest project.

 

The Butlins Girls was published in May so I’m still busy promoting and blogging about my girls at the end of World War Two. As I write this I’m looking at the final book edits for Christmas At Woolworths, which will be published in November, and these have to be completed by – tomorrow! I know there’s an email notifying me that first edits will be with me in two days for Carols at Christmas, a novella that will be published a few weeks before CAW. Writing wise I’m working on Wartime at Woolworths, which will take my girls through to the end of 1944. This will be published in May 2018. I’ve found the trick is to stay focused on the current work in progress while trying to fit all other aspects of my writing around it – and remembering to stop and eat occasionally. I can recommend writing retreats where I find working whilst gazing out to sea from my desk can be a welcome rest from my desk at home!

 

 

 

Elaine Everest has written widely for women’s magazines, with both short stories and features. When she isn’t writing, Elaine runs The Write Place creative writing school in Dartford, Kent, and runs social media for the Romantic Novelists’ Association. Follow Elaine on Twitter @ElaineEverest.

 

 

The Business of Books or Not: Jane Cable talks to Abby Endler about book blogging for love

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Jane Cable talks to Abby Endler about book blogging for love

 

1) What is your book-related job or business?

I run Crime by the Book, a crime fiction review website and its associated social media accounts. My largest platform is on Instagram (@crimebythebook), where I take photos of the books I’m reading and provide my audience with updates as I read them. I also use Instagram to link to my website, where readers can find reviews, author interviews, and more. Crime by the Book can also be found on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads, and has a weekly newsletter as well. Crime by the Book is a passion project – while I would never write off the possibility of turning it into a business down the road, the goal is purely to share a love of books, and as of this moment I don’t make money from it.

2) What is the most rewarding part of it?

I would be hard-pressed to find an element of CBTB that is not rewarding, but if I had to narrow it down, the most rewarding part is the knowledge that I’ve connected readers with books they love. Whether that feedback comes from readers who have bought a book on my recommendation and loved it, or from authors who have seen the enthusiasm of my audience for their book, nothing could be more exciting to me than knowing I’m helping those books find great homes! There’s such an appetite for crime fiction out there, even on a platform like Instagram which is dominated by a younger audience, and I am thrilled and humbled every time I hear from my audience that I’ve helped spark their interest in crime fiction. Likewise, it’s extremely rewarding to hear from authors who are excited by the ways I’ve helped connect their book to those readers!

 

3) What do you consider to be your major successes?

The growth of my platform on Instagram has been a huge success. Crime by the Book just turned two years old, and also just passed 40,000 Instagram followers. As previously mentioned, Instagram does have the reputation of being dominated by a younger audience, so I consider it a huge success that I’ve found footing with a younger demographic! It’s very exciting to me, as a younger crime reader myself, to see my peers connecting with crime books. I also consider every single chance I have to interview an author a major success, whether that author is a big name (authors like Jo Nesbo, Sara Blaedel, and Clare Mackintosh have all appeared on Crime by the Book), or a debut author. No matter the author’s name-recognition, I’m honored to speak with and learn from every single author I interview. It’s a huge privilege!

 

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

I’ve loved reading for as long as I can remember. I started reading mysteries when I was very young – I started with Nancy Drew! And then as I grew up, I transitioned into Agatha Christie, James Patterson, Patricia Cornwell… and my love of reading crime books has just evolved and grown from there. At the moment, I’m reading ORDEAL by Jorn Lier Horst. This Norwegian crime book is part of his William Wisting series, and is the newest installment to be released in the US. I love this series for its detailed portrayal of police work, and its endearing characters.

 

Bio: Abby Endler is the creator and reviewer behind Crime by the Book, a crime fiction review website and its associated social media accounts. www.crimebythebook.com

 

 

The Business of Books: Fresh Endeavours

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The Business of Books: Fresh Endeavours 

Jane Cable talks to former publishing director of Endeavour Press, Amy Durant, at the start of her freelance career

1) What is your book related job or business?

Until earlier this month I was Publishing Director of Endeavour Press, but I have just left to move into freelance work, specifically in editorial and consultancy. I have worked in digital publishing for four years, and manage everything from commissioning new titles to overseeing marketing campaigns.
2) What is the most rewarding part of it?

The most rewarding part of my job is finding and falling in love with a book, and then getting to meet the author and sharing my enthusiasm. Seeing a book grow from a submission to a published book; and working with the author on everything from edits to cover ideas to a new title is so much fun! We also worked with a lot of estates at Endeavour Press, and it was great
when you get in contact with the family of an author whose books have gone out of print, and you get them selling again – it is really rewarding to keep an author’s legacy going strong.
3) What do you consider to be your major successes?

I recently got shortlisted for the Kim Scott Walwyn Award for exceptional women in publishing, which was a great honour and personal success, and I feel privileged to have been on the same shortlist as so many inspirational women (including the wonderful publisher and editor Alice Curry of Lantana who won!). My major successes at work have been mainly around tracking down obscure literary estates (I have spent many an afternoon stalking unsuspecting relatives of authors on the internet!); signing them up; and injecting new life into the books – transforming them from hard-to-find second-hand copies, to shiny new ebooks, which are reaching a whole new generation of readers.


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

My father is a writer and he worked in children’s publishing when I was growing up, so I was lucky enough to always have a house full of books! I have a few books on the go at the moment: I have just finished working my way through nearly 100 submissions for the HWA Endeavour Ink Best Historical Novel Award, and at the moment I am reading (and thoroughly enjoying!) The Girl in the Glass Tower by Elizabeth Fremantle; I am also reading The Queen’s Mary by Sarah Gristwood, which will be published as an Endeavour Ink book this summer; and The Power by Naomi Alderman, of which I have heard great things!

BIO
Amy Durant is a freelance editor and digital publishing consultant. She is also working part-time on a PhD on the works of Aphra Behn.

Contact Amy on Twitter @SavingBooks

 

 

The Business of Books: Passion For Publishing

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the-business-of-books-interviewswithjanecableThis week I’m genuinely excited to welcome Karen Sullivan, the powerhouse behind the most talked-about independent publisher in the UK
 

1)   What is your book related job or business?

I am publisher and owner of Orenda Books, an independent publisher that specializes in literary fiction, with a heavy emphasis on crime thrillers and about half in translation. We turned ‘two’ last November.

 

2)   What is the most rewarding part of it?

In all honesty, all of it is rewarding. It is a genuine privilege to be in a position to work with talented authors from around the world, and to bring them and their brilliant books to readers. The Orenda list is very much my own taste, and I account to no one, so while I can often feel quite exposed when a new book comes out, it makes the positive response all the more exciting. With each little success, there is more attention paid to the list as a whole, and everyone benefits. 

 

I love the thrill of finding a new book, and working with authors from the moment a book is signed, right through the editing process and then onto marketing and PR and even sales … none of the original excitement is diluted en route. One of the most moving and satisfying parts of my job is publishing debuts, making some often very long-held dreams a reality. I work incredibly long hours, but as we inch towards increasingly strong book sales across all formats, shortlists for awards, mainstream press, invitations to prestigious festivals, and fantastic endorsements from highly regarded authors, every challenging moment is worthwhile and I am in a constant state of wonder that this is mine!

 

karen sullivan, writing, publishing, Jane cable

Credit: Ian Patrick

 

3)   What do you consider to be your major successes?

There have been many! It was fabulous to be shortlisted (twice) for the Nick Robinson Newcomer Award at the Independent Publishing Awards. Watching Ragnar Jonasson’s debut novel Snowblind knock The Girl on the Train off the number-one kindle spot for the first time was unbelievable (sorry, Paula!), as were the exceptional sales of the Dark Iceland series. We’ve had three books selected for the excellent WHSmith Fresh Talent promotion (Amanda Jennings’ In Her Wake, Agnes Ravatn’s The Bird Tribunal ­[translated by Rosie Hedger] and Matt Wesolowski’s Six Stories), and The Bird Tribunal was a Radio 4 Book at Bedtime. Ragnar’s Nightblind won Most Captivating Crime in Translation at the Dead Good Reads Awards at Harrogate, and In Her Wake was shortlisted for Most Recommended Read. Louise Beech’s How To Be Brave was a Guardian Readers’ Pick, as was Ragnar’s Blackout. David F. Ross’s The Last Days of Disco was sold for stage to the Scottish National Theatre, and to Random House in Germany. It was the first-ever book that I published, and a massive boost! 

 

There are more of these ‘individual successes’, but I suppose the most exciting thing is to see the company grow. We quadrupled turnover in less than two years, and Orenda Books is definitely becoming a recognizable name both with readers and in the trade. Every positive review (and there are thousands), every bit of support from the ‘community’, every opportunity to bring my brilliant authors to festivals and events and bookshops, has added to the thrill of it all.  

 

 

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

I have always been a reader. My dad was transferred a lot when I was young, and books were my solace and my friends. I would take a dozen books out of the library every week and be transported! When I was about eleven, I read a novel where the protagonist got a job in a publishing house, reading the slush pile. I couldn’t believe it! That was a job? And here I am! I always have a few books on the go. I’m reading Stav Sherez’s The Intrusions and Sarah Perry’s The Essex Serpent at the moment, plus first drafts by Orenda authors, including Louise Beech’s Maria in the Moon and Michael J. Malone’s House of Spines. All are AMAZING!

 

Karen Sullivan is founder and publisher of independent publisher Orenda Books, and a Bookseller Rising Star for 2016.

The Business of Books: Ready, Steady – Write!

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the-business-of-books-interviewswithjanecableJane Cable on writing competitively

Writing is not generally a competitive pastime; in fact, as I was saying in my last column, it’s a mutually supportive one. Yet writing competitions are forever popular and it’s probably the one time that pencils are sharpened into threatening points as we pit our wonderful words against those of our peers.

Doing well in competitions has shaped my writing life. Being a finalist in the Alan Titchmarsh Show’s search for a People’s Novelist gave me the confidence I needed to pursue my career as an author. Winning Words for the Wounded’s Independent Novel of the Year in 2015 led to representation by an agent and my first publishing deal.

There is no doubt that having a competition win on your CV helps get you noticed in all sorts of ways. Not only by agents and readers, but by sites like Bookbub and Ereader News who are impressively picky about the books they take for promotion. And as with everything else, practice makes perfect.

The Business of Books- Ready, steady – write!

Many competitions have an entry fee which funds not only the prizes but the running costs. Some, like the Words for the Wounded prize, exist to raise money for charity. Others help to fund literary festivals, but there is no doubt that entering enough of them to become really good at it can cost a small fortune.

This is one of the reasons that Frost editor Catherine Balavage and I are delighted to support a new free to enter competition, The Cornish Writing Challenge. Organised by short story writer Vikki Patis, the competition is open to writers everywhere but the entries must be either set in Cornwall or have a Cornish main character. There are four photographs for inspiration and full details can be found on Vikki’s The Bandwagon blog here: https://dracarya.wordpress.com/2017/04/04/cornish-reading-challenge-cornish-writing-challenge/

The judges are Vikki, Cornish author Angela Britnell, Catherine and me. The winning entry will be published in Frost and the writer interviewed on The Bandwagon. Highly commended entries will be published on The Bandwagon too.

So, how should you go about winning such great prizes and adding an impressive line to your writing CV? First and foremost, follow the rules. Don’t send 1,600 words when the maximum is 1,500. Make sure your entry is submitted before 27th May. The basics, really.

Choose your photographic prompt and use it – either literally or figuratively, but don’t half forget about it and slip it in at the end. It will show. But you are allowed to think outside the box and use the image as creatively as you wish.

Think your story through before you start to write. With a novel you can afford to ramble on a bit in a first draft, but a short story needs to move swiftly and smoothly from beginning to middle to end. It’s so much easier to do this when you know where you’re going from the outset.

Once your draft is down, edit it so that every single word counts. They don’t have to be long, difficult or showy words – in fact it’s often better if they’re not. But each one needs to have its place and contribute to the story. And don’t forget spelling and grammar because nothing grates on a judge more than sloppy writing.

Most of all, enjoy the journey and when you have a story you’d be proud to see in print, upload it to The Bandwagon website. Vikki, Angela, Catherine and I can’t wait to read it.

 

 

 

The Business of Books: #AMREADING

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the-business-of-books-interviewswithjanecableJane Cable starts working through her ‘to be read’ pile

Two weeks ago I wrote, with some trepidation, about my slightly difficult relationship with reading now that I’m a writer. I have to say I was really pleased by the positive comments I received from other authors feel the same – I certainly don’t feel so much of a freak. But nevertheless I made a decision: this month I’m not going to write – I’m going to read.

I have, however, imposed a basic rule: the books I choose have to be in my genre – contemporary romance. Of course this exercise is for pleasure but it’s also research into how other writers and their publishers achieve excellence. So, what have I been reading? And what have I learnt?

The Girl on the Beach by Morton S Gray (Choclit)

You simply can’t be a romance author and ignore Choclit. They have such a huge presence in the market it felt irresponsible not to have read anything they’ve published. I decided to start putting that right with The Girl on the Beach because it was a mystery as well as a love story so right up my street.

It was completely different to my own books in that much of the intrigue was fairly obvious and initially I wondered how it was going to hold my attention. But it did – largely because of the wonderful characters; I cared about Ellie and as with every great romance, even fell for Harry just a little bit myself. The writing was crisp and unpretentious and I found it hard to put this book down. It re-enforced my belief that well written mainstream romance will never die.

The Business of Books- #AMREADING

Last Dance in Havana by Rosanna Ley (Quercus)

I have been a big fan of Ley’s for some years and was delighted when she provided me with some lovely cover quotes for Another You. Last Dance in Havana flips between Bristol (which I know) and Havana (which I don’t) and tells the story of a step-daughter’s and step-mother’s searches for love. Ley’s descriptions brought both places to life to the point I could feel the Cuban sun on my back but it was her superb characterisation that made the book for me. In particular Rosa, the older woman, will remain in my head and heart for a very long time.

Writing as well as Rosanna Ley takes years of experience but thinking about this book (and her others) they show me that with a good story, great characters and an amazing sense of place you don’t need gimmicks to write a first class commercial romance.

Sealskin by Su Bristow (Orenda Press)

Sealskin is the book everyone is talking about at the moment. It’s a re-telling of a Scottish legend about the selkies, seals which can turn into people, and is a fairly short but thought-provoking read. I was completely transported to a remote Scottish fishing village and one of the really clever things about the book is its timelessness – there isn’t a clue about when the story takes place and it actually doesn’t matter. It’s a multi-layered romance which sits equally well in the realms of literary fiction which is where its publisher’s interests lie.

It’s also been marketed incredibly well by Orenda and I’m delighted that the dynamo behind this amazing independent publishing house, Karen Sullivan, will guest on this column in April. In the meantime I’m trying to work out what I would need to do before I’d even consider sending a manuscript to them. Although I can recognise literary fiction when I see it, how to create it is another matter entirely. Definitely something to aim for, though.

 

 

The Business of Books – 18.1.17

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the-business-of-books-interviewswithjanecableSince Another You saw the light of day almost a month ago much of my writing life has been taken over by marketing, interspersed with periods of panic that I’m not marketing enough, or that I’m doing the wrong things. It’s actually very hard to tell what works, however empirical you try to be, so one of my first priorities has been to start the reviews ticking over. That really matters.

Reviews are not all about an ego trip for the author – although I have to say with some of the initial comments about Another You my head could swell more than one hat size. In the cold light of day – rather than the warm glow of knowing someone really loved your book – reviews are about Amazon algorithms. Once you pass a certain number (said to be 50, but for The Faerie Tree it was somewhere in the low 60s) your book will be featured more and more in Amazon customer mailings and suggestions. It’s certainly worth it – I went from selling a few copies of The Faerie Tree each day to selling a thousand or so over a three week period. It just takes a little while – and a lot of work – to get there.

Some lovely reviewers will post on Amazon on the UK, in the US and on Goodreads – as well as their own blogs if they have them. There’s an extra dimension to the Amazon reviews for Another You because for each one in the UK and the US I’m donating £1 to Frost’s favourite charity, Words for the Wounded.

Over the last few years I’ve met some lovely book bloggers online. Most of them have full time jobs and/or are busy mums as well as reading, reviewing and writing and I have a huge admiration for their work rate. I try to be as helpful to them as I can by sharing and tweeting things which I think will be of interest to my followers too and taking part in their special events, so over time relationships build. That means I don’t feel bad about asking if they’ll review Another You or take part in the blog tour but it also means it’s a pleasure to work with them.

The Business of Books – 18.1.17topbookboggersinDorset

Some really go the extra mile, putting together graphics for the book to go with their reviews. Making these graphics – especially useful for saying more in Twitter posts – is something I’ve started to do myself, using a website called Canva. I have no design skills at all but even I can manage to knock up something which looks quite professional. Here’s one I prepared earlier to showcase some review quotes.

Something I haven’t been able to do before is offer a free ebook on Amazon to generate downloads and reviews. On Friday I had an email from Endeavour saying that Another You will be on free promotion from 16th – 20thJanuary. I was really excited by the possibilities but a little phased by the lack of notice. Having canvassed a few writer friends they advised me to get everyone possible to share the news – and the download link – and to look at a few well-chosen free book promotion sites. Sadly most of them need a lead time of at least five days but I have picked three and I’ll let you know well they work in due course.

To end my post with something completely different… I am absolutely made up that my first novel, The Cheesemaker’s House, has been selected by Books on the Underground for 1st February. I really believe in sharing books and this is an amazing way to do it. I’m hugely grateful to the book fairies for allowing me to join the fun.

To download your free copy of Another You before Friday please visit:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Another-You-Jane-Cable-ebook/dp/B01N9HINKI/
https://www.amazon.com/Another-You-Jane-Cable-ebook/dp/B01N9HINKI/

 

 

The Business of Books

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the-business-of-books-interviewswithjanecableThroughout 2017 I’ll be alternating my own blog posts with interviews with other authors and book business insiders. I have a background in business myself, having trained as a chartered accountant and run my own company for the last sixteen years and when I embarked on my career as an author it was comforting to know how the commercial world works.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt in my business life is never to ask anyone to do anything you wouldn’t do yourself. So in that spirit I’m going to kick off the series by answering the questions I’m going to be asking other authors.

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

Up until now I’ve planned my working life so that a day a week is devoted to writing and the rest to the accountancy business I run with my husband. In practice I rarely take a whole day off so I’d say the split of my week as a whole is more like 25:75.

In 2017 all that will change as we’re going to move to Cornwall so that I can write more or less full time. Enough of our accountancy business can be done online or in distinct jobs which can completed with visits back to Hampshire when we’ll catch up with friends as well. We felt it was a bit of a risk but we have good relationships with our clients and most have been really supportive.

Now we just have to sell our house!

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

Unlike most authors, at the moment my only income stream from writing is book sales.

Being an accountant I set up my writing in a separate limited company from the start. The company owns the copyright to all my work and is owned by our accountancy business because I knew I would make losses initially so it was a more tax efficient structure.

2016 will be the first year the company makes a profit and I’m really proud it’s come so soon. This is purely from sales of The Cheesemaker’s House and The Faerie Tree – mainly ebooks and mainly from Amazon, although paperback sales from local outlets and events have also played a part.

At the moment I plan to re-invest any profit I make in marketing in the hope that the accountancy business can continue to generate enough money for us both to live off.

the-business-of-booksjanecable

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

I write romantic novels with a twist of suspense. Undoubtedly the things which have made the most difference to my writing career were winning prizes. Way back in 2011 an early draft of The Cheesemaker’s House was a finalist when the Alan Titchmarsh Show won a competition sponsored by Harper Collins to find a new novelist. It gave me the confidence to press ahead and publish the book independently when I couldn’t find an agent or a publisher for it and it’s still my biggest commercial success, ending 2016 in the top 100 romantic ghost stories in the Kindle UK chart.

But it was the second competition the book actually won – the Words for the Wounded Independent Novel Award in 2015 – which moved my career on a stage when as a direct result I was signed by my agent, Felicity Trew. Within a year I had my first publishing contract with Endeavour Press.

Tell me about your latest project

My Endeavour ebook, Another You, was published just before Christmas. As Frost readers who regularly follow my blogs will know, the timing was something of a surprise and my latest project is getting together some serious marketing.

But the new writing cannot stand still and I am on the verge of completing an initial draft of what I hope will be my next novel, a romantic mystery set under the endless skies of Lincolnshire.

Jane Cable
www.janecable.com
@JaneCable