October was a whirlwind of work; November niggles are addressed, and December delights beckon…
Cover of my forthcoming novel; artwork by Cody Sexton.
Since publishing my books, I have learned a lot. It’s fair to say that new writers are going to be unaware of all the pitfalls that may lie ahead. You can wait forever to secure a traditional contract, and even then, you most likely will have to do a lot of the marketing and promotion yourself. You can use a ‘hybrid’ model, which has worked out for me once, but I would be unlikely to do it again. You do have to be wary of being trapped in contracts that just aren’t that beneficial in the long game. Because the reality is, you will start by simply wanting to leave a ‘legacy’ behind, and then you will start to realise that your work is worth money that you are simply not getting. There are all sorts of publishing models, but so far, the one that hurts my pocket least, and gives me great and supportive exposure, is to use a small, independent press. With an indie press, you are being ‘chosen’ by submitting your work, and you don’t have to pay them to do it – you share royalties (usually in your favour). I have been a bit disheartened that a couple of local bookshops where I would like to stock my books won’t entertain anything ‘printed by amazon’, because my recent books have been rigorously edited and published by presses who have chosen to publish them, so it shouldn’t be a quality issue. Using KDP is cost-effective for the small indie press, and the small, indie author. It won’t dent Amazon’s pockets not to stock them, but it does hurt the indie artist and publisher. I absolutely champion indie bookshops, and no-one is more supportive than Dial Lane Books. I will certainly continue to buy books there and I hope Andrew will continue to stock all the local authors. He is a rather special and unique individual and is even holding a launch for my new book. However, I did stumble across this which gives another indie author take on the subject: https://joyanapeters.com/bookstores/ On the other hand, I get it that amazon is the ‘enemy’ – but I just can’t afford to pay for print runs as I don’t sell enough to cover my costs yet and I have so many other costs in my life to cover! I am looking at other options and there are a few. I’m going to give a shout out to the two very professional and wonderful indie presses I have recently signed with – Anxiety Press, great for my new poetry book, and for my novel – the up-and-coming Urban Pigs Press. Keep an eye out as after the 13th November, the reveals and lead up to publication of my novel, Burnt Lungs and Bitter Sweets, (a punk tragi-comedy) will begin in earnest. The launch will be a ‘Christmas do’ at Dial Lane Books on December 20th. There will be invitations, but as much support as possible is very welcome!
In other news, I am so busy that I am actually going to take a bit of time off. I’ve finished a tour of Suzanne Hawkes’ play about Patricia Highsmith and Ronnie Blythe, I am applying for some funding, I’m tutoring full time, I am sorting out a couple of shows for next year, I’m in a Christmas show at Two Sisters Arts Centre in December, and I have been a guest speaker for the WI and have another talk coming up. I’m stuck into my next novel and poetry book as well, and I need to finish my short story book number 2. On top of that, I suddenly and unexpectedly had to get a new car, my washing machine stopped working, my fence blew down, I need new glasses, and my front door broke. I don’t know why, but the universe always sends everything to break at once. So, can I have a small break myself now please?
Full Cast picture at Harvest House: Writing Crime In Akenfield by Suzanne Hawkes.
This month I also entered into an online ‘discussion’ surrounding the Katy Hopkins booking at Felixstowe Spa Pavillion. I say ‘discussion’, but the notable truth is that some people like me feel that it is a mistake for this local theatre to book someone who has been known to take ‘satire’ over the line into hate-speak, and at best very misguided views. She has been banned from entering some countries for very serious reasons. What disturbed me the most, however, was that the rude and aggressive reaction to reasonable opinions and the playground name-calling which indicated exactly what sort of fan this person is likely to attract. But It’s a bit like the character of Alf Garnett being taken seriously by people who didn’t understand they were being ridiculed. Katy will rant and rave, attracting a lot of attention with her controversial views, and then she will get paid a lot of money. It doesn’t demonstrate talent, (literally anyone could put on a 'show' like this - just go down the pub on a Friday night and you will probably hear similar conversations) and I wonder if they are even be her real views. (heaven help us if they are!) The fact is, She knows what buttons to press, and she knows that it will incite controversy, sell tickets and then she can go home and drink her wine, and laugh at the people she’s hoodwinked into paying money to see her. But the whole online arguing thing showed that the 'herd' are not only wilfully ignorant, but also pretty horrible people. The theatre’s lament is that it is financially struggling. Well, ok, but do you know what? If I was destitute I would not sell my soul to the devil. On the one hand, at least I wasn’t called a ‘pathetic wet wipe’ for expressing an opinion, but I was asked a question about what I do which qualified me to have any opinion at all, and I answered it. They then went on and on about how I ‘can’t be very good’ because I am not selling tickets at the Spa, (really?) wanted me to print my CV on line for them (!) I must be ‘jealous of Katy’ if I don’t like her, and all sorts of other rubbish which showed the a) were practically illiterate, b) were an opinionated bully who obviously sat on the computer all day looking for something to be angry about. Whatever your feelings about Katy's right to perform, you cannot deny that the booking has provoked hate-speak and a violence of feeling from her fans, and this is really quite disappointing. She calls her show ‘Batsh**t Bonkers Britain'. How accurate – this representation of Britain will seemingly all be under one roof on the night of her show. My nan used to say, ‘Empty vessels make the loudest noise’ – how true this has proved to be all of my life.
Finally, on the other end of the scale, I have recently been involved in an event that no doubt would rile up Katy and her followers: I took part in a poetry event in prison. I can't say much about this at this time, as I have to write it up properly and get permission to publish it, but I can report that this was an incredibly positive experience I will hopefully be able to talk about next month.
So, Bye bye for now and have a great Halloween and Bonfire night!
Virginia.
Comments