The Business of Books: Publish and Don’t be Damned

Jane Cable’s big lessons from self publishing

At the moment I’m juggling. Even more than ever with a house move and Chindi’s talks at the Festival of Chichester both approaching at a frightening pace. And juggling means making the best use of my time, so when I was thinking about the biggest lessons I’ve learnt for Chindi’s self publishing workshop I thought they would make a good article as well.

Put simply, they fall into two categories.

  1. Your book may be self published but it has to be as good as anything brought out by a major house – if not better. You can’t afford for it to look out of place in a bookshop or on people’s shelves at home. Cover design, shape and size are hugely important.The content has to be perfect too – and I mean perfect. You are asking people to pay for your work and this is a total game-changer. How would you feel if you picked up badly stitched shirt – or a book full of typos where the plot didn’t hang together?The best single piece of advice I can give any would-be author is that if you are tempted to publish your book without anyone else looking at it first, then don’t. Even the super-talented have lapses of concentration and mistakes creep in. At least have some sort of edit or proof read. Follow your gut instinct as to which would be the most important for you.

    Basically there are three main sorts of edit: structural (which evaluates the whole manuscript and how well it works as a novel); copy (studies the manuscript line by line for spelling, grammar and consistency); proof read (works on the print or ebook ready version for formatting and a final check on spelling and grammar).

    It’s always best to pay a professional but if you really can’t afford it and/or have a super-careful relative or friend at least get them to proof it. You’ve spent so long nurturing your manuscript you just won’t see all the mistakes yourself.

  2. You will spend at least as much time marketing as writing and you need to do it. You have no-one else to do it for you, unless you can afford professional help.Before your book comes out, cover the basics: think about who your target audience are, how you are going to reach them and how/where they are going to buy your book. You will be in a very crowded market. How is your book different? How can you make it sound unique and enticing?Although I had some background in PR and promotion, when my first novel, The Cheesemaker’s House, came out I was clueless about book publicity. I had arranged for a former colleague to do some PR for me, but that was it. Pretty soon I had to learn about social media, book bloggers, AI sheets, collateral. Because I had chosen an assisted publishing route with Matador it was easier, but I still needed to invest a huge amount of time.

    There are, however, great resources available: books (such as Chindi’s Before You Press Publish), online (ALLi – The Alliance of Independent Authors), blogs and of course groups like Chindi which exist to help you and provide mutual support. When I joined Chindi my marketing came on in leaps and bounds and as the group becomes more online we welcome authors from around the world.Even if you move into the world of traditional publishing these skills are hugely important and it’s always worth remembering that ultimately you are responsible for your book’s success.Find out more about Chindi’s author resources here: http://www.chindi-authors.co.uk/for-writers/

 

 

Askerswell Short Story Workshop by Wendy Breckon

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One of the most pleasant ways to spend an afternoon, is to share ideas with other writers and learn one or two writing tips.  On Saturday 17th January, the car ambled through the country lanes to Askerswell near Bridport, for a short story workshop.  Accompanied by a rather large notebook and a trusty pen, I bumped into other like minded people as we walked up the path.  The flyer for the Dorset Writers’ Network said, ‘let your imagination fly’, and that is exactly what we did.  In the warmth of the cosy surroundings of Grey Cottage, our excellent tutor, Frances Colville guided us towards creating the perfect short story.

Askerswell Short Story Workshop by Wendy Breckon

The twelve writers gathered around the table, listened, scribbled down ideas, exchanged helpful notes and read their work.  There is something magical about listening to other peoples’ writing.  All so different.  Quite fascinating. Wonderful.

Frances is a very accomplished writer.  She gave us a clear understanding into the composition of a good short story.  I found her tips very helpful and thought provoking.  One of the constructive ideas she presented to us, is to hot seat your chosen character. This technique is valuable for gaining further appreciation of characterisation; such as understanding his or her personality; age; relationships with others or individual motives. Either, ask yourself the questions about the person you have created, or ask someone else to ‘hot seat’ you.  Both are effective tools to consider when writing a short story.This was very helpful, for gaining an extra insight into the creation of our own characters.

Askerswell Short Story Workshop by Wendy BreckonOur tutor made a number of further practical suggestions; the important use of dialogue in short stories; the inclusion of dramatic tension and how to achieve it, and the necessity for vigorous editing.  Reading your story out loud is very important for getting the sense of rhythm and pace.

A worthwhile exercise to do at home, (which I immediately applied to my own writing), with great success,  is to explore a written piece and the application of descriptive words.  Are they the best ones to choose?  Are you using cliché and words that are too obvious?  Frances suggested, that as writers we underline each one, and think of them on an individual basis.

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Four o’clock.  It was the end of the session.  Chairs were placed under the table. Notebooks and pens disappeared into bags.  Coffee cups pushed to one side.  Everyone left chatting, heads buzzing.

Frances Colville gave us lots to think about in her invaluable and absorbing session.  I could have stayed for another two hours.

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So now, it’s time to think of an idea!  If you want to take part in the competition, create a story with a maximum of 500 words.  This should be set in Dorset, have a strong sense of place and have equally strong characters.  The winners will be chosen for the e-book anthology and the closing date is the 31st March.

So, let those thoughts slide on to the page  and your imagination fly. Without any further hesitation get writing.

 

 

Playmobil Advent Calendar Santa’s Workshop Review | Christmas Gift Guide

Playmobil Advent Calendar Santa’s Workshop is a great gift for children. The play scene is built up and complete after 24 days. More permanent and healthier than chocolate, it provides a good amount of entertainment for any little ones in your life.

The Playmobil Santa’s Workshop Advent Calendar has 24 boxes for kids to excitedly count down to Christmas. As each box is opened it creates a wonderful scene, with Father Christmas and his elves helping to load the sleigh with toys, pulled by his trusty reindeer. The set also comes complete with a matching pairs card game for your little one to enjoy.

Suitable for ages 4-10 years.

Playmobil Advent Calendar Santa's Workshop Review | Christmas Gift Guide

Available from Boots.com, tesco.com and Amazon.co.uk

 

 

Beautiful Jewellery By Alexis Dove

Touched by the nature of the South Downs, Alexis Dove works tirelessly to produce quintessentially English jewellery collections from her Sussex workshop.

Sarissa and Helios are part of the new ancient and modern-inspired collections by Alexis Dove. The thoughts behind the new pieces are to bring design elements from her fine jewellery pieces into the silver collections, connecting the two areas of her design work more closely.

AlexisDove

Inspired by jewellery from ancient cultures, using natural motifs such as leaves, flowers and other wildlife along with images from nature that were important to everyday ancient life including the sun, hand-hammered textures and granulation bring this beautiful jewellery to life, with the Aphrodite collection being an extension of her 2013 summer Helios collection, gorgeous feminine pieces of cascading olive leaves and twinkling faceted olive stones.

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As with all Alexis Dove collections, each piece is available in a variety of finishes, from silver to yellow and rose gold vermeil and with black rhodium. All Alexis Dove jewellery is handmade in Sussex and includes a signature clasp which is part of the hand-finished look. Prices start at around £40 and are available to purchase online with exclusive and bespoke pieces available at her stand-alone store in Lewes.

Alexis Dove Jewellery


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@AlexisJewellery

Cities At Dawn Workshops: A Photographers Dream

asWe are a huge fan of these Cities At Dawn workshops, they teach you how to capture  LondonParis and Venice at dawn. We have a blog from one half of Cities At Dawn Anthony Epes, (the other half is his wife Diana Bird, both are an incredible, talented team) You can also read about ‘the art of seeing’ which is what Anthony wants to help people develop on the workshops alongside all the technical stuff.

An adventure in Paris By Anthony Epes.

Last week a group of talented, eager and inquisitive amateur photographers joined me in Paris for my first Paris at Dawn workshop. It was a truly incredible, intense and inspiring experience.  After four days they had created a great portfolio of photos, we’d had many conversations about photography and walked miles exploring the beautiful, pretty, epic, gritty and sometimes crazy streets of Paris. There were many bars visited and a good amount of delicious food taken in.

On our first morning we met at 4am when Paris was still heavy in darkness and wandered through the beautiful cobbled streets of Montmartre, past the debris of last night’s fun and the many cafes that line the streets that are usually heaving with people. The winding roads and alleys (and many steps!) took us up to Sacre Coeur. We met people along the way – a group of French revelers intent on continuing the night, a painter I know who was out walking his dog, a few workers on their way home – and as is usual when there is no one else around, people were friendly and chatted to us along the way, curious to find out what we were doing up at such an hour and wanting to see out work.By old Shoreditch Station

The dawn didn’t disappoint. We stood on the hill by Sacre Coeur and watched as Paris was lit up by a red and yellow sun. The group were instantly inspired and a furry of activity, running up and down the steps, trying to capture the amazing dawn light as it changed rapidly. I was there to assist, giving tips and providing guidance.

Dawn gives you a tiny window of opportunity to see some of the most beautiful light of the day, you have to be prepared and you have to be quick. Every dawn is different, sometimes you might have an epic sky for a few hours or you can be waiting for hours and then suddenly for 30 seconds  the sky burst with incredible light, only to vanish in seconds. Be prepared or miss out on the best light of your life. It always gives me a thrill to wait and see what each morning will bring.

The next morning we headed down to Notre Dame on the Seine and Ile St Louis. Sunrise over any river, especially one that has so many beautiful bridges like in Paris, is a good opportunity for great photos . I really enjoyed introducing the group to these iconic places, even though I have been to these spots dozens of times, the beauty of Paris is so incredible that even I manage to get new shots each time I visit. This little stretch of the city is one of my favourite places to shoot, the little lamps by the river, the grand imposing Notre Dame, the pretty little bridges.

cad-6Our Parisian adventure also included lots of technical and composition sessions, and a 1-2-1 with each of  the photographers, for me to look over their portfolios and give them some advice about how they can each develop. I love getting to know each person’s body of work and it helps me when I am out and about to give advice that is specific to them.

We also took an afternoon walk from my apartment in Batignolles along Pigalle and the ‘saucy’ bit of the city (and past the Moulin Rouge, which looks much smaller in real life than one imagines), to Rue Barbes which is a heavily north and West African area with a great French and ethnic market and food shops, through the Sri Lankan area around the gritty Gare du Nord (where the smells of curries and parathas coming from the cafes make your mouth water) across Jardin Villemin, one of those pretty parks the Parisians do so well, and ending up at Canal St Martin a sort of London East-Endish cool area. Design shops, cool bars, a couple of galleries line the canal which is beautiful, especially in the morning with its high green bridges and tall trees. We stopped at Le Comptoir General, a very cool bar/cafe that’s down a little unmarked alley way, and had African street food and some much deserved beer.

The workshop finished up at my apartment on Sunday morning, over an indulgent breakfast of buttery croissants and cad-2chocolaty, custard pasties. We looked over the images the group had got, talked about our experiences and discussed any lingering questions. And then reluctantly, we all left to pack up and go home to our real lives. I found it incredibly inspiring to spend this time with these people who were so curious and interested in discovering Paris, taking photos and building their skills. Being with other people who share your passion is such a pleasure. Talking photos, taking photos, exploring, being together – it’s such a joy. We all came away inspired by each other and of course by Paris, at dawn.

 
Workshop dates for 2014 are:
 

 

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The 12 Pitfalls of Christmas And How To Avoid Them

vivienne_imgWhen a relationship is already struggling , Christmas can intensify that struggle. Instead of being a happy celebratory time, Christmas completely drains the joy. If you are already feeling a little under the strain and under supported, this article is for you.

The 12 pitfalls of Christmas and how to avoid them

 1 Too High An Expectation

We all have the wish for the perfect, romantic moment with the perfect gift when all our Christmas fantasies come true. There is an enormous sense of expectation on the big day and a lot of people aiming for perfection. This quest for perfection and the best Christmas ever can drain us and render both our Christmas and our partner’s efforts a disappointment. We all deserve to be happy and sometimes happiness is best reached when we stop the pressure. High expectations usually only lead to …..

2 Disappointment

The disappointment can be crushing because it feels so symbolic, as though if we are unhappy even at Christmas then we must be fundamentally miserable together. We can feel that “we” as a couple don’t want the same things in life just because “we” don’t want the same things at Christmas.

Perhaps we need to compromise our expectations, agree on how we will spend our time and efforts. “Good enough” can be very happy indeed. Decide to do something lovely for each other, so you both experience your special moment, so that potential disappointments can be curbed this Christmas.

 3 Negative Mindset

If we feel we’ve over-compromised or that we’re taken for granted before we start, then we enter into any conversation with a negative attitude which sets us up to have an argument or to fail in general.

If we look for the negatives and only notice events or things that are less than perfect this can lead to……

4 Over reaction

We all have the ability to massively over react. If we are tense to begin with, then the seemingly small stuff can push us over the edge from calm and composed to tantrum and distress. The number of people that argue over the practicalities of Christmas is probably close to 100%.

One particularly stressful practicality is packing the car. Let’s face it, this is basically an argument in a boot!  Mindset is key when it comes to the arduous errands around Christmas. If you find yourself thinking “what a nightmare all this stuff is” and “no way is it all going to fit into the car” …. Think about this before the day of travel and also turn that around to think “how great that we can give so many presents” and “This is going to be so much fun”.

After all, why spend all this time and energy and money buying the presents if you’re going to complain about packing them and the subsequent journey?

Some people have better spatial awareness than others …. be honest with yourself … how good are you at filling every crevice efficiently?  If the other person insists on doing it, let them get stuck before you wade in with your suggestions.

 5 Who’s rule is it anyway?

Christmas can seem as though it comes with an invisible but very real rule book. This rule book to be based on absolutes about the fundamental questions such as, ‘Who to spend Christmas Day with?’   Often families feel they must spend Christmas together.  Christmas Day seems to be symbolic of family and therefore if you don’t spend it with your family, you feel judged that you aren’t behaving in an accepted way. These emotionally laden rules lead to …..

6 Stress in various relationships

Many couples argue over whose parents’ turn it is to visit, and whose tradition to follow.  It may seem uncharitable and selfish to spend time with people whose company you actually enjoy.
Just because you’ve spent it with one set of people for the past 5 years, doesn’t mean you would be insulting anyone to have a change.  Handling that situation need not be as difficult as you may fear it is.

Family dynamics go into over drive. Various family members can battle over status and following certain traditions can equate to personal victories or be perceived as slights. Siblings can start to regress into squabbles befitting adolescence not middle age!

Everything can feel as though there is a hidden agenda and negative communication; even gift giving can be perceived as point scoring.  Christmas day can be reduced into a competitive battle ground with everyone trying to assert their status, for example, who’s in charge, who carves, whose pudding is better, who wouldn’t have bought the pudding but made it from scratch, whose present is more expensive, better thought out?  Competitiveness creeps in to cause many underlying feelings of guilt and undermining. Christmas is reduced to a series of unpleasant negotiations.

Focusing on how you and your partner really want to spend Christmas in a fashion that will make you truly happy is the key to sidestepping the unpleasantness. Thinking about happiness as the goal of the day and not point proving or following arduous tradition keeps you on the right track.

7  Quest for perfection

Women can often feel that how well they “do” Christmas is symbolic of how much they love and how good a wife and homemaker they are.  Women can end up putting so much pressure on themselves to get it all perfect that they set themselves up to fail, because they become stressed and grumpy therefore less fun to be around. This stress can lead to ….

8  Feeling Overwhelmed

FUN is the point of Christmas for most of us.  So, if the process of preparation drains the joy of the day, then your priorities are misconstrued however well intentioned.

Children and even partners only notice the stress – they don’t know the difference between good enough and perfection. So halve your “to do” list and go without some of the food and events but do what you are doing with a smile and you will enjoy it to and so will they!

9  Feeling Lonely  

Generally, husbands/male partners tend to care and plan somewhat less and the other partner feels “slighted”  or dismissed … that what they want to talk about is irrelevant … and this feeling of being ignored leads to ….

10  A sense of isolation

We can all feel lonely in a crowded room and never more so than at Christmas. This sense of isolation and being on your own with everything can cause stress. You can feel as though you need to take responsibility for Christmas and the emotional wellbeing of everyone and this becomes overwhelming.

Christmas and its scripts can put emotions and relationships into intense mode …. you’re supposed to feel joy and it can work to the contrary by making you feel more lonely, less connected, less valued, more miserable.

Communication is key to avoiding this pitfall. Talk to your partner about what you need to. However, you also need to talk to yourself. Strategize your efforts so that they will pay off and not completely frazzle you. If you don’t get the help you need, do less. Be fair on yourself too so that you don’t feel alone with it all this Christmas.

11  Working too hard

One partner feels taken for granted.  One partner isn’t pulling the same weight in effort as the other.  It feels symbolic that “if my partner doesn’t care as much about Xmas as I do, that means he/she doesn’t love me”. This sense of disproportion within the relationship can lead to….

12  Arguments and Disappointment

Overall, there are high expectations and the whole feeling of pressure to make this the “absolutely perfect family day” … and then add some alcohol to that and emotions quickly rise to the surface causing tension.

So logistic planning is helpful eg who’s going to contribute foodwise/drinkswise/presents …. all of this needs careful discussion beforehand.

Financially, parents tend to spend lots of money on their kids and then that sometimes leaves less for your partner’s present eg combining a Christmas present with a birthday present … it becomes a financial transaction rather than a giving or romantic one.  This is not a positive attitude to present-giving unless fully agreed with the receiver.

It is a very extended time together from eg 10 am – 9pm or even longer when visiting relatives far away which means an overnight stay is included.  So if it’s someone you don’t see regularly because you don’t want to, that too brings huge pressure of interaction to spend 36-48 hours with those people.

If you feel your relationship is coming to an end, then buying presents for the maybe “last Xmas” feels like a death looming.
How to step over these pitfalls

Whatever you decide, make that a positive decision.  Go into the situation with a positive mindset …. set it up to succeed.

Think about it – any time you meet a person who is complaining, down on themselves, or generally miserable, then your heart sinks and you don’t feel so good.

When you are greeted by someone who is smiling, open and interested, you feel their energy and the joy begins.
Prepare as best you can regarding travel logistics, presents without going into huge debt and agreeing who makes the gravy.  Have all the necessary conversations so that everyone’s expectations are met.

If there are still some issues, this is where you have to decide whether you are going to spend time with these people or not.  And if you decide that you are going to be with them, then this is when you decide how you are going to feel and behave.  If you go in with a smile on your face, you will feel happier and your experience will be happier.

We can all survive and even enjoy Christmas 2013!

Mindset is the key to a happy and fun Christmas Day.

Wishing you a happy Christmas Day.

From: Vivienne Goldstein (Relationship Coach) and
Dr Lucy Atcheson (Psychologist)

We hope this article is helpful. If you would like some bespoke therapeutic support for your relationship at one of our workshops supporting women to enhance their relationships please contact us at

Lucy@counsellingpsychologistlondon.com or Viv@viviennegoldstein.com

The Importance of Happiness by Andrew Stead

Angelina Jolie has breasts removed. Our well-being is the most important thing in life but most of us neglect it – we can all do more to live well and make our lives happier. But the overload of knowledge and choice means that keeping up with ourselves, never mind the Joneses, has got a lot harder than it used to be. One step forward, two steps back. And we end up reacting to the world around us rather than designing a life that really matters. But the great news is that the latest scientific evidence is here to help.

 

And Your Daily Bread is a new organisation established to translate this new knowledge into tools and practical experience to help people maximise their life experience and happiness. They design healthy, positive and fulfilling lives, through practical, regular, bite-size chunks, or ‘Slices’.

 

These days most of us are well versed in the tools of our trade, but not in the tools of life. We are well educated at school and university and start our professional lives learning the skills and practices we need for our job. But we educate and develop ourselves in the techniques of our trade, at the expense of the techniques of life.

 

And the consequences of this disparity, this dislocation, this dis-ease, between our technical skills and our life skills are real and serious and heavily supported by scientific evidence.

 

We might start to feel isolated, lose our focus and concentration.  We suffer the irony of information overload while lacking certain knowledge that is truly valuable.  Physically we might feel tired, low-energy or just out of shape. Emotionally we get anxious, upset or even angry. Our relationships start to suffer – we have no time for our family or friends, no time for ourselves. And professionally, we’re working way too hard getting worn out, stressed out or even burned out. And we end up feeling disconnected, disheartened or desperate. Lacking any purpose or meaning, left wandering: “What’s it all about?” Our great hopes for the future, our legacy, our vision beyond our grave are broken dreams.

 

So Your Daily Bread provides people with new knowledge and techniques to get them re-energised, re-ignited, re-balanced. They’re on a mission to improve people’s daily life.

 

They run workshops, events and courses that demonstrate the science, tools and practical help they need to transform their life from imbalance to balance.

 

And people find the workshops and programmes are pretty impactful, talking of being more positive and productive, more energised and healthy, achieving greater balance and serenity, becoming a better communicator and being able to maximise those key life relationships; and of course, improving career prospects and earnings.

 

 

For more information of the June 16th ‘What Price Your Happiness’ event, showcasing 5 Global Experts sharing their best knowledge and techniques, visit www.your-daily-bread.co.uk/S4L

 

Win! The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists Special Screening, Workshop

Frost Magazine has teamed up with Sony Pictures to give some lucky readers and their children (or niece or nephew) a chance to go to a special screening of Pirates! and then attend a special workshop.

Event: The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists Special Screening and Workshop
Date: Tuesday 4th September (Exact times TBC)
Venue: The Pirate Castle in Camden, London
Schedule
– Arrivals and pirate-themed food and refreshments
– Aardman Animation workshop – learning how to make the Polly Dodo character from the film out of clay (1 hour)
– Screening of The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists (1.5 hours)
– Finish

To win just follow @Frostmag on Twitter and tweet “I want to go to Pirate screening with @Frostmag” or subscribe to our newsletter.

Featuring the Voices of Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, David Tenant, Imelda Staunton and Brendan Gleeson

The Pirates! IN AN ADVENTURE WITH SCIENTISTS

On Blu-ray™ 3D, Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital Download on September 10

Special Features Include Games, Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes and More! Blu-ray™ and DVD Include UltraViolet™

It’s going to feel like a ‘plunderful life’ when Sony Pictures Home Entertainment debuts THE PIRATES! IN AN ADVENTURE WITH SCIENTISTS on Blu-ray 3D™, Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital Download on September 10. From the Academy Award®-winning Aardman (Chicken Run) and Sony Pictures Animation (The Smurfs), comes the all-new, swashbuckling stop-motion animated film that’s sure to entertain families from beginning to end. This critically acclaimed action-packed comedy adventure follows the luxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain, voiced by Hugh Grant (About A Boy), and his band of misfits (Martin Freeman, Brendan Gleeson, Russell Tovey and Ashley Jensen) as they frolic on the high seas in a madcap quest to win the coveted “Pirate of the Year” award. Along the way they battle a diabolical queen (Imelda Staunton) and team up with a haplessly smitten young scientist (David Tennant), but never lose sight of what a pirate loves best: adventure! The film also stars Brian Blessed (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) as The Pirate King, Salma Hayek (Puss In Boots) as Cutlass Liz and Jeremy Piven (TV’s “Entourage”) as Black Bellamy.

THE PIRATES! IN AN ADVENTURE WITH SCIENTISTS, Aardman’s most ambitious stop-motion film to date, is directed by Peter Lord, a founding partner of Aardman, director of Chicken Run (with Nick Park), and a two-time Academy Award® nominee for his short films made with the company. The film is co-directed by Jeff Newitt. The screenplay is by Gideon Defoe, based upon his books. Production Designer is Norman Garwood. Producers are Peter Lord, David Sproxton, and Julie Lockhart. Executive Producer is Carla Shelley.

The Blu-ray and DVD boast hours of kid-friendly extras, including Filmmakers’ Commentary and two behind-the-scenes featurettes: “From Stop to Motion,” taking fans on a journey through the making of the film, and “Creating the Bath Chase Sequence,” a look at the various stages involved with shooting the bath tub scene. Exclusive to the Blu-ray is the “Pirate Disguise Dress-Up” game, in which fans can help our swashbuckling pals get past Queen Victoria by disguising them in various silly get-ups. Additionally, two short films with optional commentary from Director Peter Lord are exclusive to the Blu-ray.

Owners of the Blu-ray and DVD will be able to add THE PIRATES! IN AN ADVENTURE WITH SCIENTISTS to their free cloud-based UltraViolet account, enabling them to access their film through any UltraViolet-compatible service or device – from PCs and tablets to TVs and smart phones.