Authors Electric

To day is the last day of 2013.  Is it just me or has this year flown by? Traditionally it’s a time for looking back on the year that’s been and to look forward to the year to come.  This has been my first year as an “Indie” and I’ve learned a lot. I could tell you all about what I’ve learned about writing and editing, but I expect you have heard all that before.  Instead I’m going to tell you about the importance of covers and the audience they are aimed at. I’ve worked with children all my adult life as a primary school teacher, and I think I know children pretty well.  It’s a key requirement for being a teacher, don’t you think?  It often surprises me how many teachers don’t know about children’s TV, books, films and toys.  In today’s teaching environment it’s essential to know what’s cool and what’s not. Brackenbelly is the “star” of my Kinmaran Chronicles , a series of fantasy adventure stories for eight to twelve year olds.  This re...

Like many writers, it took me ten years to produce my first novel. After a decade of false starts, abandoned ideas, hours spent sweating blood over phrasing and word choice and tone... I had almost nothing to show for it. I was the archetypal starving artist, except I was fortunate not to be starving or living in a garret. Whether or not I was an artist was also (and continues to be) a matter for debate. Then, six years ago, and a few months before the birth of my first child, I decided it was now or never. If I didn’t finish the book now, I never would. Because with the arrival of fatherhood, there was no way I’d have enough time ever to write anything substantial. Or so I thought, wrongly. Back then, I thought I knew it all. (I still think I know it all, by the way, but I’m realistic enough these days to understand that what I currently know might turn out to be utter, unadulterated twaddle in the light of further experience.) I finished the novel, redrafted it several...

After taking the step of self publishing there will come a time when you need to consider ISBNs and whether you need one, and if you do where to get one and what it will cost, and whether you should avail yourself of the free ones that certain companies offer. WHAT IS AN ISBN? First of all let’s look at what an ISBN is. It means International Standard Book Number, and is what booksellers and distributors refer to when they want to order books. Each number is linked to a specific book and no other. Not only that, but different editions and different formats have a separate number. So when the bookseller or distributor orders the book identified by a specific number they know exactly what they will get. This is the reason why paperback versions of the book have a different ISBN to the hardback, and the electronic versions. Not only that but each electronic format requires a different number as well, so the epub version of your book will have a different number to the kindle...

I have already committed two murders, and I'm now contemplating a third. Is that enough to make me into a serial killer? My first murder happened in Cornwall - in my book for 9-12 year olds, "TWICE TIMES DANGER". I'm making no confession, because anything I say might be used in  evidence against me, and would anyway be a spoiler. Curiously, my second murder takes place in Cornwall too (what is it about Cornwall that incites such violence?) This one takes place in my Young Adult novel, "SIRIUS RISING", which no one has yet had the courage to take on, so I may do it myself in the New Year. If I do, it will be my first purely self-published novel as opposed to re-issuing my currently out of print work as ebooks, but I first have to find the courage and expertise to do it, both of which are sadly lacking since I lost my fantastic husband, David, back in March. And my third murder? Ah, the third. It's going to happen in France, and the victim won...

Whenever authors get together we can be heard complaining about those who we work alongside. We complain that our agents never return our calls; our publishers never promote our books and the booksellers then refuse to display them with the prominence we are convinced they deserve. Digital publishing has called our bluff on the first two because we can now publish and promote our own stuff, so we have no one to blame but ourselves if things don’t go as well as they did in our dreams. Now a young author called Daisy White has gone one step further and is running pop-up bookshops, not just to sell her own books but also those of other participating authors. Any author who thought they could do better than Waterstones now has a chance to put their money where their mouth is and back Daisy White’s “Booktique”. Currently Daisy can be found in Tunsgate Square Shopping Centre in Guildford, nestling up amongst blue-chip names like Barbour and Heals. She will be there until January 12th. Du...

One of the great things about being an independent author is the freedom of choice; you can choose your author name and book titles with impunity. One of the great hazards of being an independent author is the freedom of choice; you can choose an author name or a book title in ignorance and sabotage your chances of success. This freedom of choice can find the tiniest chink in an author’s self-confidence and subject them to flag in the wind decisions on all kinds of aspects of publishing. When sales are disappointing the independent author often jumps to a conclusion that isn’t based on fact. No one is buying the book because the cover is crap; so change the cover. No one is buying the book because the blurb stinks; rewrite the blurb. People are not drawn to the title; choose a new title. Nobody wants to buy something written by an obviously made-up name; choose a new pen name. Re-invent everything because you got it wrong the first time. Or did you? I’ve seen perfe...

Authors Electric are proud to bring you their first ever Christmas Sale . The books below are either on offer or are simply the books we're most proud of this year. Whatever the price, you're sure to get value for money with this selection. We hope you've enjoyed following our e-publishing journey and wish you all the best for 2014. Cheers! Adult thriller Amazon UK: £1.99 Amazon US: $2.99 Humour/Satire Amazon UK: 99p Amazon US: 99c Amazon UK: 99p Amazon US: 99c Crime thriller Amazon UK: £2.49 Amazon US: $3.99 Short stories Amazon UK: 99p Amazon US: $1.53 Amazon UK: £2.89 Amazon US: $4.30 Mystery thriller Amazon UK: 99p Amazon US: 99c Mystery thriller Amazon UK: £1.83 Amazon US: $2.99 Children's stories Amazon UK: FREE Amazon US: FREE Historical fiction Amazon UK: 99p Amazon US: 99c Crime thriller Amazon UK: 99p Amazon US: 99c Horror Amazon UK: 99p Amazon US: 99c ...

It’s Christmas Eve. And you’ve time to read blogs!! I’m impressed … or maybe you’re alone for the festivities, and have nothing to do today other than make sure you’ve enough milk to see you through. I’ve done Christmas alone – from choice. It was wonderful. The street was quiet. I walked along my lovely High Street and everything was hushed. There was more life in the afternoon: children with new bikes and scooters wobbled past my front window. They took no notice of me, settled by my fire with a heap of books and knowing I’d not be disturbed (my idea of bliss!) Not everyone has choices.  Some will be overwhelmed by family and wish you could be on an island, without them. Some will love the chaos are able to be kind to great-great-aunt Gertrude even when she spits out the sprouts. Some will be up all night playing Santa and by tomorrow afternoon will be praying for it all to be over. Some will be alone, nothing but the telly and maybe a book or two, and ...