Adventure is the Gift, Exception is the Rule.
Gone through the editor’s report with a fine tooth comb, made lots of amendments, hopefully made the plot and context of the scenes in War Mages: Sharpshooter a lot stronger.
Now it’s another full readthrough and line edit to make the pacing lean and tight.
Then it’s off to the copyeditor and proof-reader at Magic Pencil to get things shipshape for Querying.
With luck, it might be out this year…
Well, hope you have a Great Day, Adventurers! 🙂
(And think of my poorly fingers!)
No, it’s not some kind of neurotic, homicidal duck. Hmm, now there’s an idea…
No. The butcher’s bill is old British Army slang circa 1700’s for how much the battle cost in manpower (dead and wounded).
Well my manuscript for War Mages: Sharpshooter has returned from the editor and it’s a bloodbath. So much is wrong with it, I’ve been told to saw the narrative to pieces, re-stitch an outline, trepan grammatical errors and amputate a lot of dead verbiage.
The report was 25 pages long, contained a humbling lesson in the English language, used words I still don’t know, and has left me a little bewildered as to where to start fixing up the 100k corpse now on my table.
There is a ‘but’.
The report was worth it’s weight in gold. Why?
Things have clicked.
Best of all, even in this, Godawful state, my editor tells me this a great novel. Her words. And that, along with the help and love from family and friends, is what keeps my ambition to be a professional writer from the butchers’ chopping block.
People keep saying I can do it, one day I might even believe them! Until then: I’ve got work to do.
Anyway, that’s your lot! Have a great day Adventurers! 🙂
If a person is not talented enough to be a novelist, not smart enough to be a lawyer, and his hands are too shaky to perform operations, he becomes a journalist.
Norman Mailer
I’m beginning to think a career change may be in order.
Apologies for the radio silence, but I’ve been busy been ill and lethargic. I’ve had a flu thing (non COVID) that has been doing the rounds, and with underlying health complaints it has been a long old performance. It has tied up a lot of my energy and drive, so I’m feeling a bit of an impostor.
However, my latest offering; War Mages – Sharpshooter, has gone to the editor. I want to make it a series, but I realise I’m actually behind on all my other series’ and so am suffering Writers’ Inertia on top of everything else (I don’t know what to start, or how), and Only Bloody Money, my crime-action-thriller is looking at me sidelong, wondering if I’m going to stop ignoring it like some old friend at a party I fell out with.
My sequel to the Ares Gambit is doing the same…
Hmm.
A writer is someone for whom writing is harder than it is for other people.
Thomas Mann
He isn’t wrong.
However, the key to all this is to keep doing it I suppose. I’m just to have a little breather – even David Morell ‘Rambo‘ took one for about a year so I think I’ll be ok in the end.
Anyway, just going to sit on this hillside and size up this boulder. Just need a bit of puff.
Stop and admire the view some times, and have a great day Adventurers! 🙂
Non Covid cold and flu for three weeks – or at least the swizzle-sticks are telling me that. Am finding it hard to write or work with a lot going on at the moment. The cold has brought out other long-term complaints too, so I’m walking around with a bellyful of Fed Up.
However…
With Easter coming shortly, what better time to pick myself up and carry on?
War Mages: Sharpshooter, my alternative historical fantasy will be ready for the editor soon. I have to get it to her before the 25th, so it’s getting tight.
In other news, my Kids book The Knitted Knomes got a lovely review from a kind reader, with another 5 star rating from another. Thank you both, if you ever read this!
Just a quick Proof-Of-Life from me today, but the boulder isn’t going away. Once the fantasy goes to the editor, I have no choice but to work on other projects in between psychometric tests for some jobs! Talk about being between a rock and a hard place..! :p
Anyway, Have a Great Day Adventurers! 🙂
Thankfully, this is not a post about holding on, although God knows, I need to. Changes in my non-author life are making waves again, but that’s just how it is.
Onwards.
I saw a post or blog, or note somewhere a little while ago, and with the launch of the Knitted Knomes, the thought came up again.
The poster supposed that a writer should buy their own book – this is a reasonable argument to make, since we live in a world where we expect people to stand by their product, and show how much faith they have in it, that they have one themselves.
On the other hand, anything you make yourself, you’re doing it for the love of thing (hopefully), and you get to keep it at the end. You don’t have to buy the thing; you made it. If you sell it on, you can make another, or keep both.
I’m not saying the suggestion is wrong – but what I am saying is that the suggestion fails to take into into account several factors when talking about books. If you’re an Indie Author/Publisher, you’re likely working through Amazon. My figures are out of date, but at last count IIRC, Amazon sales/platform account for roughly 70-75% of Indie book sales, which is huge.
Amazon does not provide authors with free copies of their books, instead offering the option to purchase ‘Author Copies’ at printing cost. Considering that most (reasonably priced) books you’ll see actually return anything from £0.08 pence for a paperback to £1.74 for an e-book, you have to sell four books to cover the cost of buying a paperback copy for your own shelf. The only benefit is if you purchase your own e-book, you get a ‘refund’ on it, since you’re effectively paying yourself.
Consider this against Traditional Publication. Not only do you net a handsome advance (note to any Trad Pub submitters, have your MS finished pronto, because if you don’t get it done by the deadline, you have to pay it alllll back). Do you know what else you get?
Ten free copies of your book.
And they all go out to friends, family, your agent, the list goes on.
So: does an author have to buy their own book to expect others to do the same?
In my opinion, not really. Authors have poured that book out onto paper (or screen, or whatever) because it was already inside them, they already own it. I can still have conversations about my characters like they were people I knew for a lifetime.
Plus, no-one will ever know if I bought it anyway. Only I see the numbers. I suppose “pics or it didn’t happen” is a thing, but who is going to care? Besides, my book is in the store, I have no more to prove. Me buying the book isn’t going to sell it to you. That is what a cover is for. That is what blurb is for. That is what marketing is for.
That’s what the story is for. Buy books for what is in them, not for who buys them.
Having said all that, I do buy copies of my books, but the reasons I do so are more than just having faith in them (which I do).
So what do you think? Should authors buy their own books? If so why? There’s no wrong answer..!
Let me know, and as always, have a Great Day Adventurers. 🙂
Just a quickie!
Well I am glad to report a couple of copies of The Knitted Knomes have gone out! This is great, as hopefully there will be a small trickle of interest which leads to a review or two 🙂
The wicked rest not, I am still working on War Mages, and we’re now up to roughly 70k, which is an increase in the past couple of weeks of 10k words. That’s not bad considering there have been a few very busy days.
Still, onwards and upwards!
Have a great day Adventurers! 🙂
Hello everyone, just to let you all officially know that The Knitted Knomes is now available in the Kindle Store in both E-book and paperback format.
At 220 pages of woolly derring-do, why don’t you go and check it out?
Have a great day Adventurers! 🙂
The Knitted Knomes cover has been finalised, and the Kindle MS is undergoing a thorough poking to see what, if anything is wrong with it.
As an Indie Author, I’m (mostly) responsible for proofing the product, and I do my best to eliminate the problems, but it seems there is always one that sneaks through. I apologise for that when it happens, as every good customer service rep should, since I wear that hat too. The buck stops with me (or you if you do the same).
Anyway – here it is:
Ken has done a brilliant job, again, and his work will be going out to the big wide world along with mine!
I expect the Knitted Knomes to be ready in a few days, and will announce the actual launch on this blog – so stay tuned.
In other news, my Alternative Historical Fantasy, War Mages, has been scheduled for the skilful knife of a freelance editor (same one that did the Knomes), so that is moving ahead too – even if it’s not quite up to snuff yet! That’s ok though, since the editor won’t call for it until April! Whew! 😀
Anyway – that’s it for now fellow Adventurers – have a great day! 🙂
Ken, my long-suffering cover designer has come back to me with several prototypes for my new Kids’ book. Although I hoped to have it out for Christmas (Indie Authors can turnaround fast) it didn’t happen that way. I also trawled it in front of fourteen Agents and two publishers, but no dice.
Not meant to be I guess – which is fine.
Anyway…these are the covers in the running:
The second cover has an alternate colour scheme which is a bit more colourful and bright, but is essentially the same composition, so this isn’t a page error!
There were five in total, but these I think are the most age appropriate and audience relevant ones. With a Kids’ book, my editor (who is a specialist) said that the themes might go over a young’un’s head so that would have to be reinforced by the cover and blurb. My prototype blurb is below:
Old Toy Soldiers Never Die, They’re Simply Frayed Away.
1940. World War Two is in full swing, and bombs are falling all across the British Isles. When his evacuee granddaughter goes into hospital with a serious chest infection, James Phillips needs to do something. He makes Tom and three companions – Derf, Jack and Bob.
Simple toys, made of wool.
Except they’re alive.
As they begin their adventures, the Knomes realise that James and his family need their help. They learn the terrible tragedy of war, and how people can be good or bad, all the while making every effort to help put things right through ingenious schemes.
They are, after all, made of stern stuff.
Will Tom and his woolly squad pull together, or will it all unravel?
🙂 and that’s it Adventurers, feel free to let me know what you think, and as always, have a Great Day.
There’s a lot of people to thank, and I can’t get a box of chocolates to everyone, so please accept my gratitude..!
Just a thank you to all my fellow adventurers, whether you’re bloggers, readers, or hard working folks stopping by, thank you all for your contributions this year, because you give something very precious: Time.
Thank you to all my friends and family for their continued support and relentless optimism in the face of my ups and downs, and for donating their precious time to help and who encourage me, a humble scribbler. 😉
Thank you to my support staff and all the real professionals I’ve worked with over these last twelve months, like Ken my Cover Designer, who has Covid (Get well soon mate!) a couple of Editors, my Proofreader across at Magic Pencil and everyone who helps make thoughts into hard copy.
Thank you to all the Agents who replied to my Queries, some of whom gave me really solid feedback, others who were polite in their rejection, and thank you to the ones who did not respond, (or replied to me like they would a Twitter post), because you narrowed my list down, and saved me time in the future.
Time is a precious commodity. We can give it or have it taken from us, and if we are lucky we find those who are willing to share it. If you have friends, family or someone you know is alone this Christmas, or have a faith in someone or something higher, give them the best present you can, give them your time, and your love, because those are the things human beings run on.
Anyhoo, that’s it for now, and likely this year!
Have a Happy, Safe, Peaceful and Joyful Christmas this year, my fellow Adventurers, and may 2022 prove better for us all. 🙂
Mightier Is The Pen 