The Not-So-Secret Seven. Writers and bloggers passionate about creativity - spilling the beans on writing, narrative, reading and more … Do join us and enjoy.
My last post I spoke about the upcoming week of North East Open Studios(NEOS). The usual nerves and self doubt reared there ugly heads prior to first weekend of the event. However, once the room was set up those nerves and doubt faded as I looked at the collections of work offered by myself and fellow exhibitors. Between the four of us we managed to fill the whole space.
The first weekend was fantastic as the number of people that came specifically to see my work was amazing. It was also a wonderful opportunity to meet some of the supportive people who take time to follow and comment on my Facebook page. By the end of the weekend I was hoarse with talking, although I wouldn't change that. Due to work commitments my time was limited, luckily Audrey was able to step into the breach.
Loch Assynt
The week flew past with a staggering amount of visitors which for a newbie NEOS member was simply fantastic, so much so that before the week was out we'd booked the location again (The White Horse Inn, Balmedie) for 2018. So now I know what is required I am already planning ahead for next year. Preparing prints and frames as I go rather than leaving it to the last minute. SaveSave
My husband is not a man for a blind date, of any kind, but even he was tempted but the latest book marketing ploy. It’s a blind date with a book.
I don’t know whose idea it was, but it’s a cracker. A book sitting on a supermarket shelf, wrapped in brown paper and tied with string, tempting you with just five phrases. And he bought into it. ‘Shall I?’ he asked, turning the top one over in his hands and dropping it in the basket without waiting for the reply.
Sold, in just seven words. Inheritance. Romanovs. Secret diary. Revolution. Love lost.
I won’t say the excitement was mounting as we drove home. That would be a little bit of an overstatement. But when we’d unpacked the shopping and he’d picked up his little treasure and untied the string, I was hovering at his shoulder to see what he’d brought home.
If it had been a real blind date, it would have been an unmitigated disaster. He’d have hung on out of politeness and endured a terrible evening, leaving the restaurant vowing never to date again . He’s a reader of suspense and history. He loves Nordic noir and Robert Harris, historical detective stories set in Berlin and in the alternative history of Western Europe. What he got was touted itself as perfect for readers of Kate Morton when he’d have preferred something for readers of Philip Kerr.
The book in question is Gill Paul’s The Secret Wife. Neither of us had heard of it before and it looks, in fairness, a very good book. It has rave reviews. But it isn’t the book for him, nor even for me.
What went wrong? I think if you’re going to sell a book in a poke, you really have to get the description right — and the missing thing is the genre. Okay, you can say that ‘love lost’ suggests a romance, but does it? He didn’t think so and neither do I, and in fact I don’t know that the description really helps very much.
The concept might work a little better if the genre is clear, and it might not matter if you’re someone who enjoys reading outside your comfort zone or whose comfort zone is admirably broad. But for me there’s no substitute for browsing before you buy. The Silent Wife is sitting on a side table in the living room, waiting for me to get fed up and read it so that the money wasn’t wasted. maybe I’ll enjoy it, maybe not.
I'd try this kind of blind-dating myself, I think, and I'd recommend it to an adventurous reader. But I'd pay more attention to the five key phrases.
Writing can be a solitary business and so when offered the
opportunity to meet like-minded souls at
the inaugural Society of Authors
Scottish conference – #ScotsWrite17 – it was a ‘yes’ from me.
Each speaker – a selection of experienced authors, agents,
publishers and more –generously offered precious nuggets of useful, encouraging
advice which I've shared and hope you find inspiring and helpful too.
EMPOWERING WRITERS
Joanne's modern day fairy tale, inspired by a visit to Skye
Joanne Harris – author of an impressive
canon of fourteen novels and two cookery books including Chocolat (the bestselling novel turned into an Oscar –nominated
movie) opened as a keynote speaker, reminding the audience that playing with words is the closest thing to magic a
writer can do. Setting the tone for a magical conference weekend.
GAMEKEEPER TURNED POACHER, PUBLISHER TURNED NOVELIST,
A LIFE IN BOOKS
Jane Johnson making time for everyone at her busy book signing
Jane Johnson – historical novelist (her
latest release - Court of Lions is
out now), children’s author and Fiction Publishing Director for Harper Collins,
encouraged everyone to follow your passions in life. Explaining
That writing is largely an engineering process. Work can
always be taken apart and put together again.
Flexibility is crucial for a writer. An editor is there to
make the writer think again and to explore their work.
That finding an agent, someone who will fight your corner,
is important. Learn as much as you can about the industry and read, read, read…
Reading encourages us to dream bigger.
90% of what happens to your book is luck – Does it land on
the editor’s desk at the right time? Does it fit their list? Have they just
signed someone who’s written something very similar?
I also attend Jane’s fantastic breakout session where she
donned her editor’s hat sharing what an
Latest historical fiction by Jane Johnson
editor looks for in a submission.
Here’s some of what I learned -
Look to surprise your readers
Trust your imagination
Don’t tell the reader everything that’s going on – know
there are things you’re not going to tell
Include unexpected imagery, which doesn’t get in the way of
the story. She quoted from Stuart MacBride – describing a character’s hair looking
as if they’d sellotaped a cairn terrier to their head. (Who doesn’t love a cairn
terrier?)
Characters are what makes your work tick – create light and
shade in characters
Editors are always looking for an excuse to say no – don’t
give them that excuse. Make your manuscript as polished as it can be
Do research and be confident in your writing – keep the
writing as authentic as possible
If you’re boring yourself, you’re probably boring the reader
– do not submit that 20 pages
A reader loves to be educated (to learn something). Learn
your craft and write as well as you possibly can
Things to consider when pitching –
What is at the heart of your book?
Write your pitch as simply as possible
What about your book do you love best?
Share the main characters’ motivation
DIVERSIFICATION
The latest action packed teen adventure from Charlie Higson
Charlie Higson – author and writer for
radio and television delivered the Penguin Random House keynote on the subject
of Diversification. Here are only a
handful of his great suggestions.
Make use of Twitter – find him @monstroso – writing’s a
lonely occupation and Twitter can be a fantastically helpful research tool.
Throw a question out on Twitter and within minutes, someone will come back with
suggestions
Make a Spotify playlist for each novel/ screenplay you’re working
on. Listening can help unlock that special voodoo place, where the writing
starts to flow
When stuck novel writing, try writing a section as a script,
which is a good way of opening up other pathways in the brain
Spot the good idea amongst all the other ideas you might
have. And hang onto that good idea, which sometimes can become lost in the
process
Catchphrases can be useful for characters
Create vivid and interesting dialogue. It doesn’t have to be
real but it does need to be sparkling
Charlie Higson and me!
and alive
My teenage sons, both avid fans of Charlie’s Young Bond series, couldn’t quite
believe I’d had the good fortune of meeting their writing hero. Here's the proof!
Dotted between the keynote speakers was a fantastic
selection of breakout sessions including this one:
TRYING NEW FORMS AND LEARNING FROM THEM
Crime author - Denise Mina
Denise Mina – multi-award winning crime
novelist, comic book writer, playwright and regular contributor to TV and
radio, on shared a frank and funny review of the ups and downs of
Winner of the 2017 McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime book of the Year
writing for a
variety of media. But whatever the form, she encouraged writers to:
Induce a sense of recklessness in your writing.
Are you being too safe? Do you need to dig deeper?
Remember that just because it sells, doesn’t mean it’s good. Publishers pay for placements in WHSmith.
Chop up work into paragraphs and chapters to increase
narrative pace
Give the reader work to do by leaving things out. That way
the reader invests in the story.
HOW TO MAKE A LIVING FROM YOUR WRITING
Joanna Penn – hugely successful podcaster
(I’ve may have mentioned I'm a massive fan of The Creative Penn podcast on this blog before!) and indie writing gurushared an absolute ton of tips in the final keynote
speech of the weekend.
Here’s an extremely potted version of what she shared:
1) Are you an entrepreneur?
A book is a intellectual property asset
Made once, it can be sold over and over again – think
E-book, Print book, audio
2) Focus on the Customer
It’s about the reader
What do they want?
Only 5% of top selling books include literary fiction
Which sub-categories are your competitors selling in?
3) Make the most of your intellectual property
Understand your contract
What rights have you sold? What can you still exploit?
Look at territory/language/format/length of time before
rights revert back to the author
Joanna's key message was that if you wish to be a successful
author then you
need to write more books.
Try other genres – write both fiction and non-fiction
Write a branded series and get readers hooked (may be linked
by character or theme)
Go short – write a novella (less than 40,000 words long)
Go long – with box sets (great value for the customer)
Re-invigorate your backlist by re-branding, re-titling,
re-covering
Here's Joanna Penn and me with crime author and organiser extraordinaire, Wendy H Jones
5) Attract an audience
Be yourself
Share what you are interested in
Finally Joanna shared a hand written note she keeps by her
writing desk – have you made art today?A mantra I’ve been happy to steal!
WHAT ELSE?
In addition to the packed writing weekend, we were also
treated to a gin tasting session, sponsored by Botanist gin, tried Tia Chia, enjoyed
a formal dinner and ceilidh evening, caught up with old friends and made new
ones along the way.
Sadly, I can’t cover everything that went on but to see more
photographs or discover more fantastic quotes head to Twitter and the
#ScotsWrite17 hashtag.
The publication day is the day a new book is launched. For me, the day passed in a bit of a blur as I immersed myself into the social media world to spread the news. But the launch of my new books didn't begin on Tuesday morning or end on Tuesday night. As many writers will know, the publication day is just one day of several events organised to launch a new book. So whereas the publication day itself may last only 24hours, the launch of a new book starts far earlier and lasts quite a bit longer.
For me it started on the day I received my advance copies of The Thief's Daughter in paperback. My experience will differ from other writers and their access to various promotional opportunities will vary depending how well known and successful they are. I can only share mine, so pull up a chair and I will share with you my experience ...
I think most writers will agree that the moment they see their novel in print for the first time is a very special moment. I captured my moment on video just so I could relive it when I wasn't in such a state of shock. I was also relieved they had arrived as I had a book launch event to plan.
Having never been to a book launch myself, I had no idea what it entailed and if anyone would even come. Thankfully it all turned out okay and I sold all of the advanced copies I had brought with me.
As both novels are about women who face (and overcome) difficulties in their lives, I thought it was fitting to donate a portion of the proceeds from the event to a charitable organisation whose aim is to develop a girl’s potential in order to make a difference to the world – my local Brownies & Guides.
The day before the publication day, I received a lovely review of The Captain's Daughter from writer, reviewer and blogger, Jo Lambert, on her writer's blog. It was just what I needed as the nerves had started to set in. American novelist, Luanne Rice once said, "After 30 novels, release day is still a thrill. It's also a little bittersweet too." I understand what she meant as the books are now out in the big wide world, a bit like a child going to school for the first time. It is also about to be read by other people whose opinions really matter.
Publication Day finally arrived and I spent much of it celebrating the event online. Lots of friends, bloggers, readers and fellow authors sent congratulatory messages and helped me to spread the news. The "book world" is a lovely community, where friends are made and good news is shared. Writing can be quite a solitary career and this online community really helps to make one feel part of something very special.
Although publication day was over by the following day, the launch of the books continued. The day after I was heading for Truro to appear on the Debbie McCrory Show on Radio Cornwall. I have been a guest on Debbie's show once before and when she invited me back to talk about my next release, I jumped at the chance.
Two days after publication, I was hurtling down the road again in my second-hand Honda Jazz to the seaside town of Penzance to appear on Coast Afternoon with John Pestle on CoastFM. This radio program was a first for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. John and the team put me at ease and the 30 minute slot flew by. Thank you to CoastFM for allowing me to use their photograph.
The online blog tour had already kicked off by the time I was sitting down behind a microphone. It's a challenge to keep guest posts fresh and interesting, so I decided to talk about some of the important elements of writing a novel, choosing a particular one for each blog, with the odd fun blog post in-between. Here is the blog tour, if you would like to follow it.
So the past few weeks have been busy and I look forward to putting up my feet. In the meantime, perhaps I should tell you a little about each book.
The Captain's Daughter
The Captain's Daughter was inspired by the kitchens and servants' quarters of Lanhydrock House, which is a National Trust property in Cornwall. I was also inspired by my visits to Bodmin's historic jail and court house. Both are wonderfully atmospheric buildings with a vast history behind them.
Book Blurb Sometimes you need to discover your own strength in order to survive … After a family tragedy, Janey Carhart was forced from her comfortable life as a captain’s daughter into domestic service. Determined to make something of herself, Janey eventually finds work as a lady’s maid at the imposing Bosvenna Manor on the edge of Bodmin Moor, but is soon caught between the two worlds of upstairs and downstairs, and accepted by neither, as she cares for her mistress.
Desperately lonely, Janey catches the attention of two men – James Brockenshaw and Daniel Kellow. James is heir to the Bosvenna estate, a man whose eloquent letters to his mother warm Janey’s heart. Daniel Kellow is a neighbouring farmer with a dark past and a brooding nature, yet with a magnetism that disturbs Janey. Two men. Who should she choose? Or will fate decide.
Available to download from all eBook platforms.
Coming to audio at a future date.
The Thief's Daughter
The Thief's Daughter was inspired by Bodmin's debtors' prison and a rocky inlet on the North Cornish Coast, called Pepper Cove. The cove was named after the large quantities of spices smuggled into Cornwall during the 18th and early 19th century. It provided the perfect backdrop and plot for my characters to live through.
Book Blurb Hide from the thief-taker, for if he finds you, he will take you away … Eighteenth-century Cornwall is crippled by debt and poverty, while the gibbet casts a shadow of fear over the land. Yet, when night falls, free traders swarm onto the beaches and smuggling prospers. Terrified by a thief-taker’s warning as a child, Jenna has resolved to be good. When her brother, Silas, asks for her help to pay his creditors, Jenna feels unable to refuse and finds herself entering the dangerous world of the smuggling trade. Jack Penhale hunts down the smuggling gangs in revenge for his father’s death. Drawn to Jenna at a hiring fayre, they discover their lives are entangled. But as Jenna struggles to decide where her allegiances lie, the worlds of justice and crime collide, leading to danger and heartache for all concerned …
Paperback available to order from Amazon and all good bookshops.
Coming to audio at a future date.
Thank you for my publisher, Choc Lit, and the Choc Lit Panel and Stars for bringing my novels to publication.
Also thank you to all the bloggers and reviewers who helped make the book launch a success. Finally, thank you to you for sharing in the celebrations of my double book launch by reading this post. I have enjoyed sharing my novels and book launch preparations with you.
Now where is the wine and soft fluffy socks? It's time I put those feet up for a rest!
