News about my writing
So, I plod on with my writing. I was beginning to despair that
things were going out of print faster than new items were being taken on when
out of the blue I received an email from a magazine publisher that said: "Yours stood apart from the rest. We thoroughly enjoyed
reading … and consider it to be a perfect fit for …"
Nice.
It's pure fiction though inspired by
a few events that have happened during my ten years association with Salford. I've reread it critically and still want to
edit. Isn't it always so? I think,
though, it's the voice that works here.
They say write what you know don't
they? I know Salford at least a little now.
.
1940s Group
I'm getting a few
members into my 1940s' group now. We're beginning to become beta-readers for
each other and we're attracting a few reviewers also.
I'm also adding
snippets of information as I find them to that page. Any more are of course
welcome.
This is a Facebook
group for those of us who write about the 1940s. This group is for all
people who write about the 1940s. Fiction and non-fiction, for young and old.
Topics might then be: the Holocaust, World War II, Civilian Experience (all
sides) and the battle front. We can exchange ideas about research and
marketing. We may promote books and stories, - the last day of every month and
on launch / release day. In particular, we might work together to make use of
the many 1940s' weekends that take place.
Dreamteam
My Dream Team of
reviewers and beta–readers and for my publishing and self-publishing projects, editors,
proof-readers, illustrators and designers is beginning to take shape. Take a
look at some of the people I've added: Roger Noons, Alyson Rhodes, Bartosz Milewski, and Karda Zenko. Do take a
look at what they can offer. There are a few others on the site, too. Find them
here.
This is a personal recommendation. Initially I intend to use
my Dream Team a lot myself but gradually I would add in people that friends and
friends of friends have recommended.
What happens?
You sign up to a mailing list and every time a request comes
in we mail it out to you or the enquirer contacts you directly via my web site.
The conversation then carries on between you and the person making the request.
You may also have a page set up on my blog and you may update that once a
year.
Interested? You may sign up for more than one category.
Beta readers sign up
here.
Illustrators sign up
here.
Proof-readers sing
up here.
DO REMEMBER THAT
AT ANY TIME YOU’RE APPROACHED AND YOU’RE BUSY IT’S PERFECTLY FINE TO SAY NO.
Bridge House
We have been busy.
The collection of stories by Debz's Canvey Island writers' group, Tales from the Upper Room, is now ready.
It retails at £7.00. As usual, reviews are most welcome. Contact me if you are
willing to review.
Both Glit-er-ary Tales and our Citizens of Nowhere are on their final
proof read.
We’re getting plenty
of interest in our single-author collections. These are for authors we’ve
published before and they may include stories we’ve already published, ones
they’ve had published elsewhere and new ones. The description for this is now
on the web site. We’ve already had some enquiries and we’re currently working
on several anthologies. You may
recycle stories we’ve already included in another anthology, and you may reedit
these if you wish. You may also add in new stories. We’re aiming at a total
word count of between 30,000 and 70,000 words.
Dawn Knox's
Extraordinary
is now out. It is available
here.
Reviews
of course are welcome. Contact me if you would like a review copy. We are also
holding an on-line launch party.
Would
you like to join us? Here is
your invite. What
happens at an on-line launch? Read all about it
here.
If you’re interested in having a single author collection, contact
me
here.
Also in progress are collections by Paul Bradley, Phyllis
Burton, Jesse Falzoi, Jenny Palmer, Dianne Stadhams and Paul Williams.
CafeLit
Stories are now
all being will be posted at 4.00 p,m, Afternoon Teatime, Kaffee and Kuchen time and it's also when the
kids are home from school. Just the right time for a cuppa and a good story.
We're getting
quite a few submissions now but still not quite up to one a day. Sadly, of
course, we have to reject some. We still need a few more Christmas ones.
In October we had
stories from Wendy Ogilvie, Roger Noons (naturally!), Lisa Williams, Helen Combe,
Dawn Knox, Robin Wrigley, Brigta Orel, Sandy Wilson and Many Percy.
We're always open
to submissions. Find out to submit here. We're still
interested in seasonal stories – Guy Fawkes and Christmas in particular and
would like to have them now so that we can schedule them effectively. Remember,
this gives you some exposure and there's always the chance that your work might
be accepted for the annual anthology.
The Best of CaféLit 6 has been produced and copies are on sale. As
usual we welcome reviews. I can let you have a PDF or an e-mobi copy if you're
willing to review. You can also buy copies here.
On offer for
CaféLit authors is a page on our web site. See examples here. The list is growing. Click on the names to
find out more about the authors and to access their work. If you're a CaféLit
author and would like a web page, use the ones there to get ideas. You need to
send me between 250 and 350 words about yourself, an attractive image, a list
of up to six publications, up to six awards and up to six links. I then also
link the page to your stories on CaféLit. Send to gill at cafelit dot co dot
uk.
Chapeltown
Christopher Bowles'
Spectrum,
a challenging but very satisfying read. Again reviews welcome. The Kindle
version was quite a challenge. He has some fabulous reviews. See them
here.
More are welcome. I can send you a PDF or mobi file. Be warned: there is some
adult material in this. There is also a lot of beautiful writing. If you would
like to buy the book, see details
here.
Chapeltown has now
successfully published its first picture book. Colin Wyatt’s Who will be my friend? – is a delightful story about friendship and
accepting others. Yes, Colin is Debz’s dad. He is a Disney licensed illustrator
and his previous publication is The Jet Set. We feel very
honoured to have published him.
We’re very pleased with this book and now aim to publish
more picture books. We're working on an illustrated book by Philippa Rae and
we've offered two more contracts for picture books.
If you're interested in reviewing any of the above, just
email me.
Coming soon: work by Anusha VR, Gail Aldwin, Mandy Huggins and Roger Noons.
Creative Café
I've added in the Breakaway
Café and Arts Centre this month. It is in Hastings, but alas not Hastings
UK so I've not been able to arrange a visit. This is a very vibrant place with plenty
of creative café activities both in the café itself and the arts centre. In
fact, we've now extended our repertoire of activities.
I've restarted my
tour of creative cafés where I collect stories for an anthology. In some cases,
writers may offer them and in others maybe customers may tell me their story
and I'll write it for them. Do you know of a café that might be interested in
this? Let me know if you do.
Remember you can
now buy merchandise for the Creative Café project. The profit on anything you
buy here goes to the Creative Café Project. Check this out here.
We’re always
looking for new cafés. If you visit one
of the cafés in the project
and would like to write a review of between 250 and 350 words – nice, too, to
have a couple of pictures – send it to me here.
Do the same if you find a new café.
I’m also now proactively encouraging cafes to stock The Best of CaféLit. Do you know anyone who
might like to stock it? We can offer a 35% discount to retailers. Query gill at
cafelit dot co dot uk.
The Red Telephone
I am now working
on Richard Bradburn’s Evernrood.
Our mentoring
programme is now full. I’m now working quite closely with three very different
authors: Charlotte Comley, Dianne Stadhams, and Nina Wadcock. They are all
presenting some fascinating material. University of Salford graduates Lauren
Hopes and Christian Leah have also joined our happy band.
Book tours
If you’re a Bridge House / Red Telephone / CaféLit / Chapeltown
author and you want to get serious about book tours, consider our author’s kit.
We provide twenty or so books (exact number is up for negotiation) you take to
the bookshop and the bookshop can put these through the till. We then invoice
the bookshop, with a 35% discount for any sold and top up your supply to
twenty. At the end of the tour you can either pay for the remaining books at
cost + 10% or keep them until you’ve sold them and then pay the normal price of
75% of RRP. The latter can in any case be set against royalties. You need to
allow at least ten days between events. Contact me
here if you’re interested
in this.
School Visits
I’m proactively promoting my school visits associated with
The House on Schellberg Street
project. I’ve now developed a whole workshop for this. It starts off with a
board game, includes some role play and creative writing and ends with a
discussion.
I'll be presenting about my work on this at the
2017
NAWE Conference.
Apparently there
are still a few places left for day / evening delegates.
Costs for my workshops = travel expenses plus £400 for a
full day and £200 for a half day. This includes all materials and some
freebies. Two schools near to each other might consider splitting the day and
halving the travel expenses and fees. This is open to negotiation in any
case.
I also offer a free half day visit, though you pay my travel
expenses, if you allow me to promote my books.
I’m continuously adding materials for schools to the site
that are different from the ones I use for the workshops. I’ve recently added
in resources and books to do with the topic. See them
here:
Query for a school visit
here.
I’m also happy to tailor a visit for your agreed donation.
This can be for either a
Schellberg Cycle
visit or a creative writing workshop. Any monies raised this way will go specifically
to a project I have for a non-fiction book about a journey that will follow the
footsteps of
Clara Lehrs.
I’m hoping to do the whole journey by train, including departing via my nearest
Metrolink station. It’s important to feel the rails beneath my feet.
I offer as well standard
author visits which include readings from my books, Q & A sessions and
creative writing exercises.
It is now possible to purchase the kit to work on on your
own. Find details
here.
Please remember, with these as well, I’m open to negotiation
if you can’t afford the full price.
Upcoming events
The London Bridge House / CafeLit / Chapeltown / Red
Telephone celebration will be 2 December at the
Princess of Wales again. This year
we are again “sold out” – the event is free but ticketed but it is possible to
go onto a reserve list. We shall have:
- general mingling
- cash bar
- an opportunity to buy lunch
- an opportunity to buy books at an advantageous
rate
- “speed-dating” where you get to speak to as many people as
possible in the room i.e. promote yourself to readers, swap tips with
other writers
- author readings
- latest news from me
- collection for a local charity
- big book swap (bring one of your other titles and take something
else home – hopefully all will be reviewed. If you bring a non-writing
friend they can just bring a book they love)
We have glorious plans, still
under wraps for the moment – watch this space, for 2018 and there will also be
a Manchester event in the summer.
Writing opportunities
Remember I keep a
full list of vetted opportunities on my writing
blog. See them here. New
ones are added several times a day. Roughly once a month I go through it and
take out all of the out of date ones. At that point I send it out to a list. If
you would like to be on that list, sign up here.
I'm in the process
of revamping the way this works and making it much more user friendly. I hope
to have this completed by the time the next newsletter comes out.
Current reading recommendation
Letter to an
Unknown Soldier edited by Neil
Bartlett and Kate Pullinger
This is a
fascinating book. It links to the project Letter to an Unknown Soldier. I
have a letter there. Read mine here. Though the letters
are really to soldier of the Great War, many other conflicts are mentioned and
many of the letters are to the universal soldier.
Calling all
writers
I'm running an occasional series of interviews on my blog.
Take a look at my interview with
Allison
Symes and
DawnKnox. If you would like to be on my blog just
answer the questions below and send them with appropriate images to gill dot
james at btinternet dot com.
Please feel free to pick and choose which of these to
answer.
1.
What do you write? Why this in particular?
2.
What got you started on writing in the first place?
3.
Do you have a particular routine?
4.
Do you have a dedicated working space?
5.
When did you decide you could call yourself a writer?
Do you do that in fact?
6.
How supportive are your friends and family? Do they
understand what you're doing?
7.
What are you most proud of in your writing?
8.
How do you get on with editing and research?
9.
Do you have any goals for the future?
10. Which
writers have inspired you?
Please write as much or as little as you like for each
section and supply as many pictures as you like. Also let me know your latest
publication and supply me with a link if it's not on Amazon.
Giveaway
This month I’m
giving away an e-mobi file for your Kindle of Baubles Download
here.
You will also find
in this dropbox:
·
An
extract from Clara’s Story
·
Some
seminars for schools about The House on
Schellberg Street
·
Some
fiction writing exercises
·
The
opening chapters from my manual for writing the young adult novel
Note, that normally my books and the books supplied by the imprints I
manage, sell for anything form £0.99 to £10.99, with most on Kindle being about
£2.99 and the average price for paperback being £7.00. We have to allow our
writers to make a living. But we’re offering these free samples so that you can
try before you buy.
Happy reading and
writing.
