Dear Mr Green

I call on all readers to strike down the insidious lie that an independently published book is the creation of an individual soul labouring in isolation. And probably delusion.

That belief threatens the quality, range and adventurism in independent publishing. It’s also bullshit.

Independent authors are just as aware of the value of booksellers, editors, marketers, designers and proofreaders. In fact, probably more so, as we interact directly with these people and understand how much value they really add.

Independent authors are also aware of the necessity of teamwork. We treasure the unflagging support, advice and guidance of those who went before and who have the generosity of spirit to share their experiences and warn others of the pitfalls.

I belong to writers’ collective Triskele Books; a team of indie authors who act as five tireless and committed editors for my work, who encourage me to make my books the best they can be, who insist on expert design and proofreading, who believe in creative freedom coupled to professional presentation.

I belong to The Alliance of Independent Authors, a non-profit organisation which offers all kinds of opportunities for writers, one of which is the industry-savvy, observant, brave, and articulate membership.

I write for Words with JAM, a free literary magazine aimed at sharing news, ideas, new writing, interviews and a sense of community with our readership. We work with agents, traditionally published authors, big and small publishers, journalists and experimenters, without feeling the need to draw a line between Them and Us.

I work with Nuance Words, a non-profit organisation dedicated to bringing local writers together. We publish a regular ezine, offer workshops and events for writers and collaborate with our local bookshop to get more people reading.

So I’m not in the ‘profit-maximisation’ business. I’m in the writing, storytelling, creatively collaborating, team-working, indie publishing and book-loving business.

I’m not going to get out of that business. I’m right at the centre of an exciting sea-change in that world. And while I embrace the vistas opening up before us, I am not going to judge anyone for peddling the comfort blanket of traditionalism.

We’re building this together and we’re going to keep building it together.

 

(This is a response to John Green’s acceptance speech at the American Booksellers’ Association Awards.)

 

The Sands Are Shifting

A week is a long time in politics.

Not to mention publishing.

Saturday saw the launch of  four Triskele Books releases at Foyles, London’s award-winning independent bookshop. This photograph shows us with all our paperbacks, each with beautiful matt covers, printed by Lightning Source UK.

Gillian Hamer, Jane Dixon-Smith, JJ Marsh, Liza Perrat, Catriona Troth

 

Triskele launch authors chose to talk about their books in a series of brief interviews with Liza Perrat, whose book Spirit of Lost Angels was published in the first wave of Triskele releases.

Complicit author Gillian Hamer explained how the atmosphere and history of Anglesey permeate her contemporary crime novels with a touch of the paranormal.

Jane Dixon-Smith confessed her love for all things historical as the driver behind her retelling of the Tristan and Iseult legend.

Jill Marsh (me)  talked about Tread Softly, her crime novel set in the Basque Country, and her research into Spanish wines.

Catriona Troth discussed her novella Gift of the Raven, and how she identified with the main character’s quest for his heritage.

more info and pics here

One of our lovely guests, Polly Courtney, got talking to Catriona Troth. Polly is famous for dropping her publishers after they insisted on marketing her incisive analyses of lads’ mags and City culture as chick lit.

Whatever she said seemed to take effect. The very next day, Kat rejected a publisher. Here’s her blog post. Go Kat!

Next, Dan Holloway, representing The Alliance of Independent Authors, sent out the call to the publishing trade. Open Up to Indies is a campaign to encourage booksellers, awards and festivals to recognise the burgeoning phenomenon of popular independently published books that readers want to read. If you support the initiative, sign the petition.

And in Words with JAM published mere minutes ago, Andrew Lownie, one the smartest guys in the business, talked to me about The Lownie Agency’s adaptation to the changing environment: Thistle Publishing.

The sands are shifting.  Every day brings a new development for authors, booksellers, publishers, printers and ultimately, readers.  The outlook is uncertain, but as an eternal optimist and believer in happy endings, I’ve bought my ticket and plan to enjoy every minute of the ride.

 

Help! I Need Somebody …

This week has been an education.

I’ve learnt a lot about teamwork, reliability, content and support.

Mostly from writers.

Writers are pretty good at coming to the rescue when you’re in a fix. No matter which route you’ve chosen, you’ll find assistance somewhere. Whether it’s advice on agents or marketing intelligence, writers generously share what they’ve learned.

Here I’m sharing a sample of terrific goodies which have personally benefitted me.

Over at the Triskele Books blog, you can dip into a selection of soundbites from writers on how to write: I just spent a good ten minutes trying to choose a favourite – impossible – although Patricia Duncker, Flannery O’Connor and David Applefield shall be printed out and stuck on my wall.

Andrew Lownie, nominated for Agent of the Year at The Bookseller Awards, is one of the smartest in the business. He regularly shares his intelligence on his website. Years of experience, plus contemporary nous make Andrew and his team one of the most informative sources around. Watch out for his article in Words with JAM on his new venture – Thistle Publishing.

On the subject of agents, AM Heath did an Agony Aunt session on Twitter last week, answering questions from writers. Rachel Monte delivered a neat summary, so no one need miss out. Thanks, Rachel!

Something which concerns both traditionally published and indie authors is Social Media. Joanne Furniss studied the subject for her MA thesis, and presented the results as a blog. (You may recognise one of the interviewees.)

And on the subject of marketing one’s work, David Gaughrean has done it again. Let’s Go Digital, his guide to e-publishing, has been invaluable to me as an indie writer. Now, we can all benefit from his intelligent insights as to e-marketing. Let’s Go Visible is concrete, clever advice on getting your book seen.

Lastly, for those brave folk considering transmedia storytelling, apps and technological experiments, go explore The Writing Platform, aimed at arming writers with techo-tools.

There. Spreading the love.

 

 

 

 

 

The New Triskele Releases!

Right, I promise to shut up for a bit after this.

But I have to share the beautiful, evocative covers for Triskele Books summer releases. Launch date – June 1st.

*Happy sigh*

Jane Dixon-Smith is an incredible designer and just wait till you read her writing.

Next month, I’ll be knocking around ideas regarding artistic collaboration with James Lane, the fine artist who paints the covers for my print books.

Complicit by Gillian E Hamer

‘On the beach stood the adverse array (of Britons), a serried mass of arms and men, with women flitting between the ranks. In the style of Furies, in robes of deathly black and with dishevelled hair, they brandished their torches; while a circle of Druids, lifting their hands to heaven and showering imprecations …’

When Roman historian, Cornelius Tacitus, recorded the invasion of the small island of Mona Insulis off the North Wales coast in 60AD – the beginnings of a propaganda war against the Druidic religion began.

Two thousand years later, that war is still being fought.

For two millennia, descendants of a small sect of Anglesey Druids have protected their blood lineage and mysterious secrets from the world. Until members of this secret society are murdered one by one.

Detective Sergeants Gareth Parry and Chris Coleman, along with new girl, DC Megan Jones, must stop this killer at all costs. What they discover will shock the whole police team and leave consequences which have an impact like no crime in the history of the force.

Set along the dramatic Menai Straits, Complicit is a story of greed, loss and obsession.

Tread Softly by JJ Marsh

“You don’t attract trouble. You go looking for it.”

Disheartened by her recent performance, Beatrice Stubbs takes a sabbatical from the Metropolitan Police for a gourmet tour of Northern Spain. In Vitoria, she encounters a distant acquaintance. Beautiful, bloody-minded journalist Ana Herrero is onto a story.

Beatrice, scenting adventure, offers her expertise. The two women are sucked into a mystery of missing persons, violent threats, mutilated bodies and industrial-scale fraud. They are out of their depth. With no official authority and unsure who to trust, they find themselves up to their necks in corruption, blackmail and Rioja.

Beatrice calls for the cavalry. The boys are back, and this time, it’s a matter of taste. But when her instincts prove fallible, Beatrice discovers that justice is a matter of interpretation.

Tristan and Iseult by JD Smith

In a land of fog and desperate tribes, Tristan fights to protect western Briton from Saxon invaders. In the wake of battle, he returns to Kernow bearing grave news, and the order of power shifts.

As Tristan defends the west, his uncle, King Mark, faces enemies to the east beyond the sea: the Irish Bloodshields. Mark is determined to unite the tribes of Briton and Ireland and forge an alliance that would see an end to war and the beginnings of peace.

Iseult, the daughter of Irish kings and a woman of the blood, resigns herself to her inevitable fate: marriage to Lord Morholt. A bloody duel changes her course, and she finds herself stranded on the coast of Kernow bringing with her the possibility of peace. But when she loses her heart to one man and marries another, her future and that of Briton flutters grey.

Three people and a hope that will never fade, this is a story of promise; the legend of love.

Gift of the Raven by Catriona Troth

The people of the Haida Gwaii tell the legend of the raven – the trickster who brings the gift of light into the world.

Canada. 1971.

Terry always believed his father would return one day and rescue him from his dark and violent childhood. That’s what Indian warriors were supposed to do. But he’s thirteen now and doesn’t believe in anything much.

Yet his father is alive. Someone has tracked him down. And Terry is about to come face to face with the truth about his own past and about the real nature of the gift of the raven.

 

Not the Granta #1 – Dan Holloway

As a performance poet you delight in words, rhythm, sound and the visual pictures words can make on a page so why a novel in numbers?

Interesting, I hadn’t thought about that as a contrast – I think maybe I’ve got to the stage where I feel too comfortable with doing things that are lyrical and rhythmic, and that’s a bad thing – it can make writing really lazy. That may have pushed me. The main reasons though were to do with wanting to see what was possible in taking the author, and the shackles of language, out of the text and free the characters – and readers. That, and just wanting to find new ways of telling stories, to see what’s possible. I am in love with the conceptual art of the 1980s and 1990s, with the way people like Tracey Emin made people question what art is. I think we’re too comfortable with our idea of how stories are constructed, with how we represent both our own lives and those of others to ourselves. I wanted to ask why we assume that a satisfying emotional arc can only be conveyed in a book through words. Because we shouldn’t assume. And as writers it’s almost criminal to let assumptions go unchallenged.

On early reading, evie and guy seems leaves a lot of space. My reaction to that as a reader was to fill it with my own ideas and interpretations. Was that your intention?

Yes, that’s absolutely it. I wanted readers to bring Evie and Guy to life, both individually and separately, to let their lives grow from the page any way they wanted.

Comprehending one life through such a unique lens is a challenge, but two, and their interwoven history must have been a complex undertaking. Can you talk a little about the creative process?

Ooh, now that’s a tricky ask, and I feel really conflicted. Not because I don’t like talking about it – I could waffle on forever – but because I am wary of telling readers how to read it. Not just wary, that’s sort of the whole point of the book, not pointing readers in one direction or another. Having gotten that out of the way…

Having decided what numbers I’d use (which in itself took two years, during which time I experimented with variations on the notion of “digital”, ditched only when I had a moment of inspiration involving Lacan and the fall from jouissance into language, and how listing moments of solitary sensual pleasure might offer a ladder back out of language), my first step was to get hold of a virtual calendar. What I didn’t want to do was just put down random days and dates. I wanted to take readers seriously. It was very important to me that if I was serious about self-publishing being the home of innovation, I needed to expect readers to take me seriously in return, to scour my numbers for meaning and clues to my characters’ lives then I needed to respect them for it. I didn’t want them picking holes in my timelines because I hadn’t been bothered to check when Easter was for example, or to check my weekdays from my weekends.

So with what was to become a very well-thumbed perpetual calendar and a list of Easter dates by my side my next step was to write out the whole of their lives, in broad brushstrokes at first, creating narrative arcs that had their own internal logic and then the points at which they intersect and weave together and unravel and weave back. At that stage I started extrapolating into numbers, having first done some background research and taken steps to ensure verisimilitude such as plotting out with the virtual calendar a lifetime of menstrual cycles for Evie and then both the baseline and the evolving physiological and psychological rhythms of her sexuality within those cycles. At this point I found myself creating incredibly detailed lives for them, because every single instance had to be “real” (to me, at least, even though readers may find wholly different scenarios for each). It had a very disorienting effect compared to writing other novels – the lack of any truncation or elongation of time was almost hypnotic. I hope very much it induces something similar in the reader – a mix of infuriation and intrigue that they can’t drill down or skip over but everything happens at the same pace – that eventually turns almost into a trance, because it’s a fascinating thing to feel in relation to a book.

Could you see evie and guy interpreted in another art form? And if so, how much control would you want to retain?

I’d be happy to see people telling the characters’ stories in any way they wanted, but I think this book can only really exist in this form – though in a sense it exists in as many forms as there are readers. It’s like a musical score that comes alive in the performance. All books are like that of course, but books that use language less so, I’d like to think, because our brains are geared to cope with language, they have all sorts of shortcuts – and that can be constricting, make us lazy. This book has absolutely no meaning unless the reader “plays” it, works at it, makes it come alive – it has a recalcitrance, which I think is what I’m excited about. It does none of the work for you, and yet if you do the work, suddenly, out of nowhere it’s like these whole new worlds within worlds appear out of nowhere.

I’ve enjoyed your novels, watched your poetry and nodded at your articles on how broad and inclusive publishing could be. So I have to ask, what’s next?

All sorts of things! At the moment I’m putting the final touches to my first one man performance poetry show, Some of These Things are Beautiful. Poetry-wise, I’m also preparing for the Hammer and Tongue poetry slam final in May, for which I have to have two new poems ready to perform.

I’m also working frantically on NOTHING TO SAY (http://79ratpress.wordpress.com),  an exhibition-like collection of poetry that will launch at Stoke Newington Literary Festival on June 8^th before a week long show in Oxford. It’s built around collections by six poets that I’m editing and publishing, as well as a catalogue comprising what I think is some of the best poetry from a new generation of emerging poets. And, of course, it’s run more like an art exhibition than a publisher.

In terms of my own writing, I finally have a clear new project for a novel, which will take all my time after this summer – I plan to ditch everything except this, to see if I can do the whole single-minded thing. Writing evie and guy has been wonderful creatively – after three years of banging my head against a wall with it, it finally feels as though all the other ideas can come to the surface and have their space. The new novel will be my attempt to do the grand, sprawling epic, focusing (natch) on identity in cyberspace and post-communist Europe and on art galleries as places where the rules of physics do not apply. It will be set over the course of a single summer and echo Do the Right Thing, Summer of Sam, Three Colours: Blue, and anything by David Mitchell or Murakami whilst being not like any of them. Characters/POVs include a homeless street poet, a reclusive installation artist (of course), a policewoman who escaped the massacre in Srebrenica and spends her nights as a dominatrix, a philanthropist who may not always have been so philanthropic, a group of private school kids home for the summer discovering that their parents were once part of something very sinister, an elderly novelist and women’s rights campaigner spiralling into dementia and probably many others all of whom may or may not have any connection with each other. The working title is Ninety Nine Nights of Urban Dogging.

I admire you for taking risks with what literature means, in all your work. Which writers do you think are producing the most exciting alternatives to the mainstream?

I recently took part in a project to come up with an alternative to the Granta list and contributed five names (http://workshyfop.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/best-of-young-british-writers-day-4-dan.html). That’s a good place to start. Performance poetry in general has some incredible talent – Kate Tempest recently won the Ted Hughes Award, so she’s probably not alternative anymore. Penny Goring is astounding and quite the most original voice writing today. Lucy Furlong does wonderful things with poetry and maps. Andrea Coates has yet to publish a novel but has a burning ambition to change the literary landscape that means I’m eagerly awaiting when she does – and in the meanwhile I am publishing an astonishing poem of hers for NOTHING TO SAY. All of the writers I’m publishing for NOTHING TO SAY, of course, are incredible – and very different from each other.

There’s very little risk taking by and large in contemporary literature. Certainly not in the mainstream, and very little among self-publishers. Alt Lit does some fun things with the internet, has a Murakami-ish mix of playful and despondent, but it’s not really risk-taking by and large. There seem to be precious few writers out there who want to leave the world a different place from how they found it. I find that rather disheartening. Small presses are a ray of glorious hope – from tiny experimental ones like Lazy Fascist, Philistine, and Civil Coping Mechanism to the likes of And Other Stories, Melville House, and Peirene who are introducing the public to exciting work in translation and novellas. But I’d like to see more writers wrestling with literary history, demanding that we question what stories can be, trying to free the human spirit through – or despite – language. Not necessarily showily, or sweepingly (take a writer like Adelle Stripe, the UK’s finest poet at the moment, whose work is shot through with subtle savagery), but desperately wanting to leave culture richer than they found it. There seems to be almost a disdain for anyone who dares to want to do that publicly (whilst there’s an almost universal approval for anyone who wants to sell lots of books). We’re too afraid to look like fools – and that’s the first step on the path to ruin.

 

You can see Dan perform live at Cheltenham on Wednesday

You can read evie and guy here.

Where to find Dan and his work:

http://danholloway.wordpress.com
my personal website – books, poetry, videos

http://thecynicalselfpublisher.blogspot.co.uk/
self-publishing advice

http://agnieszkasshoes.blogspot.com
(my raucous opinions)

http://lastmanoutofeden.tumblr.com/
my online playpit for 2012

http://eightcuts.com
(a literary project and publisher I run)

http://www.youtube.com/lastmanoutofeden
my YouTube channel – performance poetry

My books
Last Man Out Of Eden
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Man-Out-Eden-ebook/dp/B0083LLM00

Songs from the Other Side of the Wall
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Songs-Other-Side-Wall-ebook/dp/B003LN1UBG

(life:) razorblades included
http://www.amazon.co.uk/life-razorblades-included-ebook/dp/B003QTDLBW

The Man Who Painted Agnieszka’s Shoes
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Man-Painted-Agnieszkas-Shoes-ebook/dp/B004QGYH6M

Black Heart High –
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Heart-High-ebook/dp/B0053CPFDC

 

Authors and ISBNs in Switzerland

Switzerland by Martin Haake

As Swiss ALLi rep, I’ve had a lot of enquiries about the ISBN – International Standard Book Number.  Here are some answers.

This is the information I shared at TIPE (The Independent Publishing Event), January 2013 in Zürich.

An ISBN identifies your book, like a fingerprint. If you’re based in Switzerland, you need to apply for Swiss ISBNs. Those with an address in the UK, US, Australia, etc, can apply via those countries. In Britain, you have to buy a batch of 10. The US, Australia and Switzerland allow you to buy individual ISBNs but do remember that you will need a different number for each format, paperback, Kindle ebook, Smashwords ebook. Also a single ISBN costs 115CHF, whereas 10 cost 300CHF.

Swiss site (German/French): SBVV

UK site:
http://www.isbn.nielsenbook.co.uk/controller.php?page=121

US site:
https://www.myidentifiers.com/

Australian site:
http://www.isbn.nielsenbook.co.uk/controller.php?page=121

If you come from somewhere other than the above, find your home site here:
http://www.isbn-international.org/agency

Since TIPE, more questions have arisen on the subject …

Do I need an ISBN?

No, not necessarily. Amazon offers a free ASIN (an Amazon identifier), which identifies Amazon as the publisher. Smashwords and Lulu likewise. You receive all your royalties, naturally, but will be ‘published’ by those organisations.

How do I apply for a Swiss ISBN?

The Swiss ISBN site. Available in French and German. Open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday mornings. Beatrice Hédiger, who runs the office, located in Zürich, also speaks English.

I have an ISBN. How can I get my book into Swiss stores?

Sarina Dupont, of Orell Füssli’s English Bookshop: “Previously we took some copies on consignment for three months. After that we checked how the sales went and if we could keep the title for longer. This procedure proved to be time-consuming due to correspondence, paperwork, billing etc. for every individual title. There were more requests than we could handle, so we decided to take no more books on consignment at this moment. It’s a pity, but we have to give priority to daily business.

If the book is in stock with one of the main distribution centres of your country (for example OLF or Schweizer Buchzentrum in Switzerland), it’s easier for a bookshop to order 1-2 copies to give it a try.”

So how do I make my book available via OLF?

Spokesman for OLF: “If your titles are listed with one of the three big UK or US wholesalers (Ingrams, Baker&Taylor, Gardners) any bookshop in Switzerland can order your books.”  For listing in these companies’ catalogues, you need an ISBN (see below).

If I only have an ASIN, can I get listed in the Nielsen catalogue?

Spokesperson for Nielsen Bookdata UK: “For Nielsen, an Amazon identifier is not sufficient. In fact, most international bookdata handlers require an official ISBN.”

And finally, does the ISBN have a future?

The Economist says it’s questionable, Laura Dawson (Bowker) says yes.

 

If there are ISBN questions I’ve not answered, please let me know.

 

 

A Single Version of Truth

Metadata.

Scares me a bit.

So when I spotted a chance to learn, I dived right in.

I’ve just attended a webinar hosted by the Bookseller, in association with BIC (Book Industry Communication), sponsored by Virtusales. Speakers included Karina Luke (BIC), Azar Hussain (Faber and Faber), James Lovett and Toby Gill (Virtusales) and Uma Chandron (Kobo). The event was moderated by Tom Tivnan (Bookseller).

Below is my take, as an indie author, as to how metadata can work for – not against – me. These are my words, but my aim is to share their message.

What is Metadata?

According to Karina Luke, it’s simple. The BIC Basic Standard of metadata is your sales rep – how customers find you, whether customers buy you – this is the place where every vital detail of your product is stored. Your metadata is the best sort of salesperson, who knows every last detail and can make it sound irresistible.

• ISBN
• Title
• Product form
• Main subject category
• Imprint name
• Publication date
• Cover image
• At least one supplier name
• Availability status
• Retail price including VAT
• Statement of rights relating to territories

And, of course, the blurb: the description of the book is the salesperson’s spiel.

Karina said that metadata used to be the domain of the geek – no longer. Now we all need to improve, update and ensure our metadata is accurate. The alternative is losing sales. And the proof – Nielsen BookScan Research and White Paper on Metadata provides conclusive data.

 

Next up, Azar Hussain (Information Manager at Faber and Faber) quoted Clay Shirky

There is no such thing as information overload, only filter failure.

Metadata is nothing more than accurate descriptive information. Metadata is the answer to the readers’ questions – what’s it about, when’s it out, where can I buy it?

In the olden days … like ten years ago, library searches for books meant trawling static data. Now we can update constantly, target to groups, take short-term advantages of interest spikes and alter data to align with trends.

Hussain gave a surprising statistic – if all the missing metadata were added in the US book market, sales would increase by 3.2%. Or $400m, if you want to be precise.

Toby Gill and James Lovett (Virtusales) gave an excellent overview of what a system can do for a publisher. But I’m not quite at the publishing house stage yet. Two tips I picked up – own your data (make sure it’s accurate) and always update.

Uma Chandron of Kobo, looked at metadata with a retailer’s eye. She offered seven tips:

1. Show respect. Metadata matters to the reader – get it right
2. Maximise your data – use tags, add series codes, lead the reader to more
3. Know your rights per territory. Where can Kobo sell on your behalf?
4. Know your territory pricing. Eg: books cost more in Australia – so calculating your GBP price in AUD is underselling.
5. Be explicit. If you want Kobo to do the work, converting for territories, tell them. Make permissions clear.
6. Understand the tax in/tax out situation. For example, in GBP/Euro, customers don’t expect to pay extra tax on the advertised price, where they do in US/Canada.
7. Practise active pricing. Watch what works. Observe trends and adjust your metadata daily

So what IS metadata?

Your single version of truth – about your book(s).

Sort it out.

 

Self-Publishing is a misnomer

The phenomenon of self-publishing – or my preferred term, independent publishing – is no longer a minor irritation that will go away if you ignore it for long enough.

A major new force on the literary landscape, it attracts extreme opinions. Traditional publishers, literary agents, book journalists, established authors, and unpublished writers all have a view.

Some see it as a plague – an infestation seeping under the traditional gatekeepers. They have a point. Trawling recent releases on one particular site had me shaking my head in more than disbelief. Speakers’ Corner in print.

Some see it as opportunity. Authors are making money, some more, some less, but e-books and POD have made it easier than ever to get it out there.

Some see it as an opportunity for revolution, pushing at the edges of what words mean.

If you think you’re ready to publish, read this. The Paris Review of Books, on Robert Gottlieb – the man who made great writers greater. For me, it resonates deeply, as I spent years – yes, years – learning how to write before considering taking control of my own creative process. (And I consider myself far from a finished product – currently calculating whether I could afford a Creative Writing MA if I sold the car.)

As it happens, I’ve met a lot of writers. I go to writing workshops, I hang out on writing sites, I participate in two physical writing groups, I critique, I learn from critiques and I read writers of all genres. They educate me. These are not people who emit 80,000 words over two consecutive holidays, bundle it together and send it off to agents/Amazon.

These are people who want to learn, to improve, to help others, to hone their prose, refine their structure. They want to be better. They want to be real writers.

Here is the energy, expertise and intelligence which can and should harness the power of independent publishing. And this where I do get evangelical: writers must ally with writers. Collectives, teams, alliances, leagues, whatever we call ourselves; we can make more of individuals by working together. This is why we established Triskele Books.

So it’s not self- publishing. I can’t do this by myself. It’s independent. I make my own creative choices. I need an editor – with Triskele I’ve got six. They force me to work harder and take my work higher. I need advice – I can learn from copywriters, designers, app experts, photographers and website genies. Most of all, I need support – from other writers. They understand. They are writers.

Good books are improved by other writers.

Good books take a lot of work.

Good books will find readers.

On a slightly related tangent:

Older women – as writers, as protagonists, as readers and as drivers of their own success – are the latest emerging force. I’m not a Baby Boomer, but Beatrice Stubbs is. My heroine is ten years older than me, makes questionable decisions and struggles with both her mental health and hair.

Danuta Kean, books editor at Mslexia, published a piece in Issue 49, entitled Here Come the Baby Boomers.

Patrick Janson-Smith, publisher of the HarperCollins’ imprint Blue Door, is adamant that demographic change is driving the trend towards older female protagonists. ‘We have an ageing population,’ he says. ‘There is also a recognition among publishers that the people who buy print books – and Kindles – are older and want stories that reflect their experience.’

‘It is about time,’ says literary agent Clare Alexander. ‘In 2005 Emma Soames, then Editor of Saga, gave a talk at the Booksellers Association conference, and told publishers they were under-publishing for older women,’ she recalls. ‘There’s lots of research showing that Baby Boomers are heavy book buyers, but publishers have been slow to respond – mainly because most editors are not Baby Boomers.’

The rise of an older generation as an economic power has also lifted taboos about discussing issues that affect them. ‘My mother’s generation would never have talked about the menopause,’ she adds. ‘Writers can look at issues in a way that was not so easily done in the past.’

 

 

Easter Eggs!

Ten Bookmarks for Indie Authors

I don’t like chocolate.

There, I’ve said it.

So rather than some guilt-inducing transient pleasure which will probably make you nauseous anyway, my gift to you is a different kind of egg. Unwrap these goodies instead.

When I get lost, confused and start running round in wobbly circles, I need someone to hold my hand and help me understand the shifting new frontier that is independent publishing. My blog readers, I imagine, are balanced, determined individuals who never wobble and would probably pooh-pooh helping hands. Still, I’m going to share some of my favourite resources. Pooh-pooh at will.

ALLi (The Alliance of Independent Authors)

A non-profit, global, collaborative, collective of self-publishing writers, with vast resources of information. Lots of first-hand experience and a powerful force for the publishing community. Publishes daily paper with up-to-the-second news. Example post:
http://selfpublishingadvice.org/blog/find-time-for-social-media-eight-tips-for-self-publishing-indie-authors/

Publetariat

Online community and news hub built specifically for indie authors and small, independent imprints. I gleaned so much of my print research here. Example post:

http://www.publetariat.com/publish/al-katkowsky-book-app

The Writing Platform

Website and programme of live events dedicated to arming writers with digital knowledge. Free online resource for all writers and poets ­ emerging, established, not yet published, traditionally published and self-published ­ who are looking for neutral information about writing in a digital age. Rescue remedy for technophobes.

http://www.thewritingplatform.com/

The Creative Penn

A personal favourite, who’ll be delivering her third Zürich seminar this autumn, Joanna Penn shares her breadth of knowledge as an independent author. Writing, publishing, marketing, speaking; she’s got it all going on. Example post:
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2009/08/14/3-steps-to-start-author-platform-building/

Indie ReCon

Last month’s virtual conference for indie writers provided advice and intelligence on EVERYTHING. Seriously, check out the schedule and tell me what they missed. Here, you can find all you need to know.

http://www.indierecon.org/p/schedule.html

Jane Friedman

Outspoken, opinionated and extremely well informed, Jane shares her knowledge on writing, reading and publishing in the digital age. Down to the nitty-gritty, this is one woman you want on your side. Read this:

http://janefriedman.com/2013/03/26/amazon-white-glove-program/

Emma Darwin

Another friend of the Zürich writing community, Emma’s blog is a go-to site for authors particularly curious about the craft. All her posts are useful, but for me, this one resonated like a cathedral bell.

http://emmadarwin.typepad.com/thisitchofwriting/2013/03/feedback-humility-and-the-sword-of-truth.html

Catherine Ryan Howard

Writer, blogger and coffee enthusiast from Cork, Catherine helps writers with all the questions we are afraid to ask. This post on US tax issues has been one of the most popular and useful pieces of advice ever.

http://catherineryanhoward.com/2012/02/24/non-us-self-publisher-tax-issues-dont-need-to-be-taxing/

David Gaughrean

As well as being the chief source of the information in Catherine’s tax post, David hosts his own blog, Let’s Get Digital. His advice is solid, realistic, practical and indispensable to the contemporary writer. I recommend David’s book to everyone because he been there and done it. Then shared. Look at this:

http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/practicalities/

Triskele Toolbox

And of course, our own growing bag of goodies on manuscript presentation, time management, indie reviewers, crime and historical research, peer review sites, cover design and more to come.

http://triskelebooks.blogspot.co.uk/p/triskele-toolbox.html

Happy Easter!

 

The Toolbox

All of us at Triskele understand how much we owe other writers.

To those influential, experimental, classic, independent, brave, imaginative and pioneering writers who shaped our imaginations and broke down doors, we salute you. (Did that sound a bit stadium rock?)

Anyway, we want to give something back.

Triskele and a select band of trusted colleagues are in the process of assembling the Triskele Toolbox.

Everything you need from workbench to bookshelf and beyond. We’ll talk writing manuals, characterisation, research, multi-media, editing, motivation, cover design, genre-crossing, marketing, voice, reviewers, plotting, sensory language, critiques, sources, copyright, agents, imagery, foreign rights, serialisation, platform, collaboration, pitching and time management. And other stuff we haven’t even thought of yet.

As indies, we’re interested in EVERYTHING. But the Triskele Toolbox is for everyone, whatever the genre, publishing route or measure of success.

We’ve only just started, but look at the fruit bowl of delights spread before you already! This is going to be a big fat walloping well of useful juice. I shall now stop my moist metaphorising before I turn a riper Shade of Grey.

http://triskelebooks.blogspot.co.uk/p/triskele-toolbox.html