News about my writing
We've just got
back from what is fast becoming an annual trip to Nerja on the Costa del Sol.
In theory we only go there every other year, but we're so drawn to it that
we'll probably now continue to go there once a year. It's an important place
for me: it kick-started my writing.
However, when
you're a writer and a publisher, as I am, you don't really stop
"working". I don't really like to divide life into work and non-work
because if you love what you're doing there is no such thing as
"work".
The change of
climate, scenery and food was nevertheless welcome.
I've come back
full of good ideas.
Gift to or from a writing friend?
Why not get a mug
made at Vista Print with book covers? Here's how: https://www.vistaprint.co.uk/photo-gifts/personalised-mugs.
Then fill the mug with other goodies - a
bar of chocolate, some nice pens, a small note book? If it's for a friend who
is not a writer, consider adding in some nice snacks or toiletries.
1940s Group
I'm getting a few
members into my 1940s' group now. We're beginning to become beta-readers for
each other. Hopefully we'll also soon attract reviewers.
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 mail 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.
Reviewers sign up here.
Editors sign up here.
Illustrators sign up here.
Designers 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
Editing is well
under way now for Gliterary Tales and many stories have now been saved to
Final. We've decided on a cover picture and I've also been busy making a book
trailer.
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.
If you’re interested in this, contact me here.
Already in progress are collections by Paul Bradley, Phyllis
Burton, Jesse Falzoi, Dawn Knox, Jenny Palmer, Dianne Stadhams and Paul
Williams.
We have now almost
finished working on edits of Citizens of
Nowhere, with the theme of the global citizen. Several books are due out
any moment now.
CafeLit
I've just decided
that from now on stories will be posted at 4.00 p/m. After all that is the time
Afternoon Teatime, for Kaffee and Kuchen 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.
Some new writers have
joined us recently: Sandy Wilson, Mandy Percy, Wendy Ogilvie, Janelle Hardacre
and Sophie Flynn. You'll find several of your old favourites there as well.
But we're always
open to submissions. Find out to submit here. We are
now interested in a few seasonal stories – Guy Fawkes, autumn, Halloween,
Christmas 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 alos
link the apge to your storeis 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. 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.
The book is out now and available at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Who-Will-Be-My-Friend/dp/1910542121/
Reviews welcome. We can provide the
PDF.
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
Shortly I'll
restart my tour of creative cafés where I'll 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.
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.
Costs= 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)
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.
Current reading recommendations
Her Father's Daughter by Nessa O'Mahony
I'll be quite upfront to start with and say
that Nessa O'Mahnoy is a friend of mine. We both worked for our PhDs 2003-2007
and graduated together form the Bangor University in 2007. I'll also say that
straight away afterwards that that makes no odds
I've had this book
for quite a while. I wish I'd read it sooner. It is a delight.
As the title
suggests, there are autobiographical elements here of the Nessa's relationship
with her own father. It also contains the story of her mother's relationship
with her grandfather.
The poems are
strong because they relate to the real world. Nessa uses a powerful mix of
writing with the senses and her own inner thoughts and observations to tell an
engaging story through language carefully chosen.
A particular
favourite of mine is 'Natural Selection' (34):
April blusters
into May,
plays a glassy
tune
on the wind chime
guarding the
crab-apple
from bull-finch
rapine.
At my desk on the
first floor
I miss most of the
garden action,
though the upward
climb
of pink and white
on the silver
birch
can still arrest
me
Available here.
Calling all writers
I'm running an occasional series of interviews on my blog.
Take a look at my interview with Allison
Symes. 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 Snowflakes. Sign up to get this newsletter with news of other freebies and offers.
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.
1 comment:
Such a great post to know different useful information.
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