Authors Electric

Have a look at this on the internet. It’s a map of independent bookshops across the country (world?). I have no idea where the data comes from but it does show the vast swathes of Britain with no independent bookshop. Where I live (mid-Cheshire), there are no bookshops at all – not even any chain stores. I’m discounting our local branch of WH Smith which doesn’t really have much more choice than the media aisle at the supermarket. And there is also The Works , but that is mostly remaindered stock bundled as 3 for £5 (good value if they have what you like on the shelves). I do have author friends whose books are actively bought by The Works, so maybe they are branching out more?  Anyway, our nearest independent bookshop is in Nantwich. Nantwich Bookshop & Coffee Lounge . As it says on the tin, it’s a book shop and it’s a coffee lounge – not just coffee either. They do a lovely all-day breakfast too and other sandwichy and lunch things. Food and books – how much better can it g...

Why does the fate of the applicants on Dragons’ Den , (or Shark Tank if you are in the US or The Tigers of Money if you are in Japan , where the show was first conceived) seem so familiar? Because that programme’s format is what every professional writer’s life is like from the day we complete our first manuscript and go looking for a publisher to the day we finally give up the struggle. Just like the Dragons’ Den hopefuls we start with our brilliant ideas, which always seem to us like the most original things ever. We believe they are guaranteed to be bestsellers because if we didn’t we would have trouble getting through the work needed to bring them to life. They are our babies and we pour months and years of toil into their creation. Then we realise that we need someone else to see the potential that we see, someone with money and, hopefully, expertise in the design, marketing and selling of books, someone who will take our precious ideas, package them be...

Well, we've made it my last entry on this list of laudable self-published novels . Unlike my previous countdowns, these books were not ranked in any particular order: They were each a book that that was, for my money, just as good as, and in many cases better than, most of the other traditionally published novels on the shelves at any local or chain bookstore. Since the list has been going for over a year now, here's a rundown of the books I covered: Fields of Gold: The Orchid and the Rose by Jim Stephens Hero in a Halfling (Epik Fantasy Series) by William Tyler Davis Dangerous to Know (The Chronicles of Breed series) by K. T. Davies Murder Creek by Matthew Boedy Dancer in the Dark by Thomas E. Fuller and Brad Strickland Rooted - Idabell Allen The Confederate - Scott Thompson The Swithen by Scott Telek Dream Weavers & Truth Seekers (series) by Cecilia Dominic Again, these books range in genre fro...

Last month , I began my list of notable self-published books. These books, though, are not in any particular order (well other than the order in which I read them). Before I talk about this month's selection, however, I want to talk a bit about my method of finding these books. I know quite a few authors of self-published books, and they're all really good, a few may even make this list, but I wanted to focus more on writers I had not read before. The point of this list is, after all, to get more self-published authors as much exposure to new readers.  It is surprisingly hard to find self-published books by new authors, though, since one of the biggest drawbacks to self- or small-press publishing is the lack of promotional funds. However, thanks to social media promotions, which are not nearly as expensive as you might think, I found it fairly easy to discover new writers just by browsing my Facebook news feed. In fact, over half of the novels I'll be discussin...

It's been a good bit since I went on a diatribe about dissing the self- and independently-published writer. Almost four years, in fact . I thought I had put it all behind me. I thought, naively, that I had won. I really did. I had hung up my shootin' irons, beaten my sword into a ploughshare, and turned my spear into a pruning hook. I was all ready to sip tea on my porch and reminisce with the young'uns about the ol' days fightin' the good fight for writer equality. Then I saw a social media post from a writer I respect (who shall remain nameless, partly to protect his privacy and  partly because he's a local poet, so you wouldn't know him anyway) that advised his followers not to take writing advice from self-published authors who think high word counts equal quality writing. I'd share a screen shot, but I can't find it now. It has either been edited, deleted, or is buried so far down his news feed that it finally hit China. It's just...

So it's January and I’m supposed to be full of resolutions and renewed energy, taking stock of the past 12 months and gearing up for the next. Well, I’m not. Not really. Stock-taking, maybe. 2017 was an eventful year in many ways – I started Slimming World in mid-January, and nine months later I’d lost 3 stone and 2-3 dress sizes, gaining an entire new wardrobe, a new fitness regime and muscles I didn’t know I had in the process. All good. On the writing front though, it’s been very different. 2017 seemed to be a turning point for many of my writer friends. There are a number of us who’ve walked this indie journey together over the past seven or eight years; we’ve stumbled on the path, supported each other and celebrated with each other. But many of us have become jaded along the way, frustrated with the endless hurdles and constant pressure under which we put ourselves. Sales are way, way down for me – and I suspect I’m not alone in this as several of my writer frien...

 Last month, my colleague, Griselda Heppel, wrote about how annoying it is when people make wild unsubstantiated guesses about Shakespeare's life, based on very little evidence. For instance, he left his wife his 'second best bed,' so, obviously, he didn't think much of her. And she was eight years older than him so, obviously it was an unwanted marriage of convenience. And he went away to be a playwright in London, so quite plainly, he hated the sight of her. Any of these statements may be true. But it's just as likely that they aren't. They are much made out of very little. The idea that Bill didn't get on with Anne because he was young and carefree and she was such a grumpy old hag is based solely on a line in Twelfth Night: 'Let still the woman take an elder than herself.' This is seized on as a hot-line to Shakespeare's heart. Aha! This is him regretting his unwise marriage and letting slip what he really thought. Never mind that S...

When actors are not acting, they are 'resting'. In fact, they are probably working harder than ever, earning a crust in some low-paid job whilst trying to chase after as many acting opps as possible. And the longer they are 'resting', the harder it becomes for them to believe in themselves as actors. There probably comes upon them a growing, insidious fear that they will not actually be able to do it again - to get out there and produce the goods.   So it is for us writers, especially novelists. We have, perforce, to spend time and energy on the editing/re-writing/publishing stage; then even more time/energy on the publicity/marketing stage. It can take months and months, even years. All our creative juices are being used up in blogging, facebooking, twittering, etc to bolster our 'internet platform; our time is used up travelling to events and likely outlet places; if our marketing efforts bear fruit, still more time goes on signings and talking to book group...

These are a few of my Favourite Things Two weeks ago, I did one of my favourite things as a writer: visited a school. On the hottest and longest day of the year, I stood in a cool (aahhh, relief) assembly hall and spoke to two lots of 9 - 12 year-old boys, around 150 in all. Together we covered important topics that would be part of any national curriculum I had a hand in - alchemy, magical instruments, demons, Faustian pacts, corruption and abuse of power. Yup, that should equip them for dealing with whatever the world can throw at them in later life. Oh, and the crucial ingredients for what makes a good story: strong, believable characters, powerful motivation and a tight plot structure. I involved my audience as much as possible, asking questions ranging from easy to more demanding, not because I expected them to know all the answers but because it's extraordinary how often children can surprise themselves - and their teachers - with knowledge they didn't know th...