I’ve written a book…. now what?

Karen Sullivan – Founder & Publisher – Orenda Books:

Don’t underestimate the importance of being a debut. This gives you an edge and added opportunities in a very crowded marketplace, wth retailer and press interest, and multiple awards exclusively for debuts. You get ONE shot at getting that first novel right, so don’t waste it. As difficult as it may seem, poor sales or, indeed, a poorly reviewed book will mean that you are unlikely to get shelf space in future, or any real press coverage. If you leave or are dropped by your publisher, subsequent publishers will look at your sales history and review coverage and very likely decline to publish. 

Consider your options very carefully. Grabbing the first opportunity is always a mistake. A good book will not ‘date’, and you should be prepared to wait until you find the right publisher, and wait until your book is as perfect as it can be. Being poorly published by a less-than-reputable publisher can be cataclysmic for your career. There are some authors I simply won’t touch because of their association with publishers I do not respect. Ask questions if you are offered a contract. What is the marketing spend and how much marketing will be done, and by whom. PR? Print copies? Links with ethical/key retailers? Sales team? Awards? Editing? How much input do you get on things like jackets and marketing visuals? Royalties and advances? All of this matters.

Hone it until it is absolutely perfect. Don’t think that because a publisher or an agent will edit means that you don’t have to polish it before they see it. Use as many independent beta readers as you can and take onboard all criticism and advice. You don’t have to follow it all, but you should be aware that if everyone is expressing the same concerns or picking up the same things, there is likely to be an issue. Seasoned authors will tell you that edits can be painful, but the most successful writers are prepared to make changes.

Similarly, if your submission is rejected by agents or publishers, think carefully about the reasons given. As much as you may disagree with any comments, you have to respect the fact that these are industry experts and know the market well. All publishers – big and small – have particular interests and tastes, and their list will reflect that, and the same goes for agents. Do your homework and make sure you ONLY send to the appropriate companies/agents. An early rejection for the wrong reasons can mean that your book/s will not be looked at again in future.

Criticism is designed to help you, and it’s important to take it onboard.

Being turned down by big agents and publishers doesn’t mean your book will never be published. Many are very commercially minded and less likely to take on something that is a little different. A good independent might be a better home for your book, and many indies are bold, very hands-on and hugely successful. Again, however, choose carefully. There are a LOT of publishers out there who do little more than slap a jacket on your book and provide an ISBN. This will harm your career. You need a publisher who will edit, market and sell-in your book with passion, intelligence and enthusiasm. All publishers are not equal. 

Sam Eades – Publishing Director Orion Fiction.

Don’t write for the market, write for you

From toxic marriages to vampire/werewolf love triangles to small town mysteries – the book industry loves a trend – and when starting a novel it can be tempting to anticipate what publishers are looking for by hooking into trends and writing for the market.

However the publishing cycle is long – you might sign a contract but your book won’t hit the shelves until two years later – which means the zeitgeist has moved on and your book has already dated.

Think long-term not short-term when writing a novel. You are your book’s first reader, and are going to read your novel several times before it will be published. Fall in love with your characters and your stories, not the market – and your career will have longevity.

A new beginning

When writing it can sometimes take some time to feel your way into the story as your characters and the world develops. When editing your novel, forensically examine your chapter openings. Have you started the story in the right place? Could you plunge the reader straight into the action at a later point? Cutting your opening paragraphs can make a story more dynamic and hook the reader from the get-go.

Make your characters count

Having too many secondary characters in a novel can be confusing for a reader as they try and remember everyone’s name and role. Write a character list and be ruthless, who deserves their time on the stage and who could be cut? Sometimes amalgamating characters can really raise the stakes – and allow your protagonist to have more interactions and opportunities for drama. A protagonist’s dentist? Boring. A dentist who is also the protagonist’s husband’s mistress? Much more interesting!

Clare Mackintosh – British Author, Sunday Times BestSeller, Over 2 million copies of her books sold worldwide.

Firstly: CONGRATULATIONS! Finishing a book is no mean feat, and you should be really proud of yourself. Secondly: brace yourself – now the hard work starts. It’s really important to stay objective about your work, and accept that it’s very likely you’ll need to rewrite at least some of it. Unless your friends and family are professional editors (and unbiased ones, at that) they might not be the right people to give you feedback, so consider finding a critique partner or writing group, in which to share your work. Stepping away from your manuscript for as long as you can bear is really helpful; you’ll have fresh perspective when you come back to it, and feel less precious about changing elements.

When it comes to editing, it can be helpful to imagine a series of layers. Look at the structural side first: the plot, pace and tension. Once you’re happy with that, do a character edit, looking at motivations and emotional arcs. Finally, a language edit to tighten and polish your prose. When you’re ready to submit to agents, resist the temptation to mention that your mum loved it. Of course she did – she’s your mum.

Louise Beech – Bestselling Author:

Once I’d written my first novel way back in 2007, and had friends and family read it, I got a Writers’ Handbook (that famous red book we all love) and wrote to all the agents in there who might represent my kind of book. Got nowhere. Tried publishers then who would accept unsolicited submissions. Everyone rejected it.

Over the next eight years I wrote another three novels, did the same, and they were all rejected by every single agent and publisher. Got my deal with indie publisher finally in 2015 for the fourth book I’d written.

The lesson? You can’t give up if you want it. Since then all those rejected books have been published. This year I finally got an agent because I’ve written a memoir and a dystopian book that wouldn’t fit my current publisher. It was STILL tricky getting an agent even with six books behind me. None of my journey has been easy. You have to have a thick skin and absolute self belief. You have to be able to take criticism and then use it to improve your work.

Stephanie Butland – Best Selling Author

My journey to publication, once it began, was short. I submitted my memoir of my dance with breast cancer to an agent, via a competition in 2010. That agent – Oli Munson – took me on and since then he has found homes for my 2 memoirs and 6 novels to date. When I write that sentence I realise that all my childhood wishes have come true. (I didn’t wish for cancer, obviously, but I did wish for a shelf full of books with my name on the spine.) 

Looking back over a decade, here’s what I’ve learned, and what I wish I’d known starting out. 

As a writer, the only thing that’s truly under your control is:  words on the page. That’s what deserves your time and energy and passion: that’s the place to focus and to strive. So long as you’re writing the best book that you possibly can, you’re doing the most important thing. 

Writing isn’t fair. Though most books on tables in bookshops, and on prize lists and bestseller lists, deserve to be there, there are more factors than fine writing at play in the publication industry. Terrible books do well and brilliant books go unnoticed. Accept that this is the world you’re operating in, and don’t take failure – or success – personally. 

Identify your champions – agent, editor, bloggers, reviewers, other writers – and trust them. Talk to them, ask their advice, believe them. You don’t have to do everything on your own. 

Writing is a long, long game. Although a lot of energy and column inches go on debuts, chances are your debut won’t make your name. That’s okay. Most writers would say that their first book is not their best book. 

Writing isn’t a competition. Readers don’t choose only one writer/novel/genre. Fellow writers are your companions-in-arms, and the best ones are your supporters and your champions too. When you’re published, aim to be a supporter and a champion to others yourself. 

Writing is craft. Keep learning. Read, analyse, think. Push yourself to have one more look through your draft before you send it off. Listen to your editor, and believe your early readers when they tell you what doesn’t quite work. Strive to do better.

And remember – how I wish I’d known this! – that the best thing about a writing career is… writing. Yes, bookshop signings are great, and your book in your hand is amazing, and an appreciative email from a reader will keep you warm for weeks and weeks. But sitting down at the page and making things happen… that’s the joy. I implore you not to overlook it. 

Bernie HellIer – Self Published Author:

A is for advertise until you can advertise no more.

B is for beta readers, you will need lots.

C is for a copyright page that is needed at the front of your book.

D is for the fabulous designer who will create your dream cover.

E is for editing, line, copy, developmental.

F is for urgh… formatting. Learn how or pay someone!

G is for Grammarly to check as much you can yourself.

H is for hybrid publishers if you can’t do it all alone.

I is for ISBN you’ll need one of these.

J is for the juiciest blurb. Do not give the story away. Create a hook.

K is for KDP, Fi here and download ‘Build Your Book’ a step by step idiot proof guide to self publishing.

L is for the launch team that you will create.

M is for marketing a necessity.

N is for Nielsen where you can purchase your ISBN.

O is for the online presence that you simply must build (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) and maybe a website.

P is for proof readers who will check for mistakes.

Q is for question and answer opportunities. I like podcasts for this.

R is for reviews, just think of them as getting g blood from a stone

S is for signings. Go to your local library and sign a few copies.

T is for typos, leave them out

U is for up skilling, there is so much you can learn to do yourself.

V is for visibility, get yourself out there!

W is for website. You can sell directly from there if you like.

X is for absolutely nothing to do with self publishing that I can think of.

Y is for You Tube. Everything you need is there!

Z is for zzzzzz time to sleep if you’ve done all of the above

Steph Broadribb: Blogger to Author

I started blogging a few months before I started writing the book that would become my debut novel. I’d recently signed up for an MA in Creative Writing and I’d decided to blog about the classic and contemporary crime fiction I was reading from the course reading list. As the blog (www.crimethrillergirl.com) became known in the crime writing world I was offered ARCs to review and branched out from the reading list to reviewing new releases, interviewing authors and going to crime festivals and writing about the events. It was a lot of fun. It also enabled me to meet a lot of authors, agents and publishers and learn about the industry from people in it – something that was really helpful when I had a novel ready for submission.

After a false start with my first agent (see advice below!) my debut novel was bought while I was un-agented and was published in 2016. Later, I signed with my brilliant agent Oli Munson. Since 2016 I’ve had four books out with Orenda Books and two with Trapeze Books (as Stephanie Marland). In March 2022 the first book in a new series for Thomas & Mercer – Death in the Sunshine – will be released.

The advice I’d give anyone looking to get published is:

Be ultra picky when choosing your agent. One of the pitfalls for an author aspiring to be published is to jump at the first offer of agent representation. You hear so many stories about how hard it is to get an agent that as soon as one is interested it’s super tempting to sign immediately. My advice is to make absolutely sure you and the agent you’re thinking of signing with are a good fit. Can you have an honest, direct conversation with them (when things are going well and badly)? If you want your agent to have lots of input to your drafts, is that how they work? If you don’t, how hands off are they willing to be? And, most importantly, do you have a shared vision for how you’d like your books and your career to be?

Don’t expect overnight bestseller success. Sure, it’d be nice, but it’s rare and most authors’ careers are more like rollercoaster rides – high highs and low lows – than a permanent upward trajectory. When you’re having a tough time, remember this. Keep writing and don’t lose heart – good things will happen.

Make connections. The crime writing community is a hugely friendly and welcoming one – many of my best friends are people I met at writing festivals. While the author might write the book there are a lot of people who help that book along on its journey to publication and into the hands of readers – your agent, editor/s, the proof reader, cover designer, PR and marketing people, graphics creators, reviewers, booksellers, bloggers, and readers. It’s a great idea to go to writing festivals and events as a writer aspiring to publication so you can meet other authors, agents, publishers and all those involved in the industry. This way you’ll get a sense of who you’d most like to work with (but don’t try to hard sell them your novel or pass them a manuscript under the toilet stall door – I didn’t do this, but I’ve heard it’s happened more than once before!) and meet other writers at a similar point on their journey to you. Be professional, polite and kind – and enjoy yourself.

Kiltie Jackson: Author

The best piece of advice I was given when I was starting out was to get a GOOD professional editor. There are many crap ones out there so its worth looking around and checking. I have a wonderful editor who is worth his weight in gold. He’s taught me a lot, gives excellent advice and never shouts at my crap grammar!

Stuart James – Best Selling Author:

So after your family read your work, well, sometimes if they can be bothered, it’s the beta readers stage where a few people who love reading pick out any holes in the plot, anything confusing and anything they think does not work.

Also, it really helps to get a couple of professional beta readers.Once you’re happy with the manuscript, I usually get it edited, then proofread and then it’s time to let it fly.

That’s how I work anyway.

Madeleine Black – Author:

I tried to get an agent but wasn’t successful. However I am traditionally published, most people think that needs an agent.

I got the “Writers & Artists Handbook” and sent emails to every agent/publisher that dealt with my genre Also went to Waterstones and sat in the memoir section and wrote down all the name of publishers

Eventually I asked a friend who had published her memoir and I discovered my publisher’s accepted direct submissions from authors I made a spreadsheet to keep track of what I had sent and when/to who! I think I was lucky as it only took about 3 months to get a contract

Robert Scragg – Best Selling Author of Porter & Styles Series:

My first effort to bag an agent didn’t go anywhere, and the thing I think made the biggest difference second time around, was I paid for a full manuscript assessment through The Literary Consultancy. MS assessments in general aren’t cheap but the TLC one was reasonably priced for what it was, and really helped shape the MS into a far better piece of writing before it went out to agents.

Alan Jones – Author:

Beta readers: I usually have a few reading the book at key stages in the editing process to gauge progress. Then hire an editor. The type of editor will depend on how far down the road to publishing your book is. If you can’t get an editor, get a proofreader. You will not find all your own mistakes. After that, you’ll need to get someone to format your book for kindle and paperback, or read up on it and do it yourself. The Smashwords guide is free and it’s a brilliant step by step guide to publishing an ebook. I still use it. After you’ve done all that, read up on marketing your book, and get in touch with as many book bloggers as you can. You should have joined a few online book clubs and posting about books you have read etc.

Richard T Burke – Author:

I started writing about 6 years ago. It took me over 2 years to complete my first book, The Rage. I recently completed my 6th novel, which launches on 12th September . I picked up several valuable lessons along the way. Here are my top 10:

1. I have heard people say “write what you know.” Whilst this is undoubtedly good advice, I would perhaps modify this to “write what you would enjoy reading.” After all, if you wouldn’t want to read what you have written, why would anybody else?

2. To plan or not to plan? Writers are generally classified as pantsers (who don’t bother with plans and write by the seat of their pants) or plotters (who plot the outline of a book before starting on the individual chapters). I class myself as somewhere between the two. I plan the theme and the major plot points in detail but keep the rest of the planning relatively light. Characters need room to breathe, and some of my best plot twists have come about when a character deviates from their planned path. Ultimately, any budding author needs to decide what works best for them.

3. Set targets. I keep a spreadsheet that calculates roughly when I will complete a book. I keep track of progress and can see how I am doing against my expected timeline. An author friend of mine once told me that the longer it takes to write a book, the harder it will be to knock into shape afterwards, and I think that’s good advice. Getting a first draft out quickly enables a writer to spot potential issues with plot or characters early in the process.

4. Typing “the end” in the last line of the first draft is definitely not the end! In fact, it’s probably nearer the beginning than the end. Editing and reviewing is very time consuming. I use automated tools to help with some of the initial review work. I have used ProWritingAid (PWA), Grammarly (free version) and Autocrit. I find one important feature of such tools is their ability to spot repetition. One thing guaranteed to jolt a reader out of a story is repetition (did you see what I did there?). 

5. Beta readers are an essential. I am lucky enough to have a small group who read my books at an early stage and provide feedback. Several of them are authors themselves. Friends and family are fine for a first look, but a critical reviewer is far better to improve the quality of a book. Another piece of advice is to be selective about what feedback to accept and what to reject. As an author, you can choose whether to implement a suggestion or not.

6. I have to admit I’m not great at the marketing and social media side of writing. I would much prefer somebody else to do that for me, but the publishing industry is hugely competitive. I dreamed of being snapped up by a big publisher. As I soon discovered, the chances of finding an agent, let alone a publisher, are extremely low. The agent query letters for my first book met with a barrage of rejections (if I was lucky enough to receive a reply at all). I continued to submit to agents for my second, third and fourth books and received several manuscript requests without being offered representation (I got as far as a telephone discussion with one agent to talk details until it became clear she was a total nut job!) My fifth and sixth books were sequels to my second book, so I took the early decision to stick to self publishing for these and saved myself a lot of heartache.

7. I designed the cover for my first book myself. Frankly, it wasn’t very good! It’s definitely worth paying a professional cover designer unless you possess graphic design skills. After spending hours on my own poor attempt, I have since paid somebody to design some my book covers, most for less than £100.

8. Develop a thick skin! That first one star review will hurt. Authors must understand that not everybody will like what they write. Hopefully the five stars will greatly outnumber the occasional one or two star mauling.

9. Get advice and be prepared to learn. There are several Facebook groups for writers and a vast array of books on the subject. There are also thousands of page on the Internet that deal with the art of writing.

10. Finally, persevere. The first time somebody leaves a five star for that book you spent hundreds of hours writing is very exciting, but it’s a long journey.

How I ruined by own career by Anonymous Author

I had written a book and I really wanted to share it with the world. At this stage, I wasn’t really thinking about a career in writing, I just wanted to be an author, my childhood dream. I saw publication as the final step, not the first. From where I am now, I regret not thinking further ahead. I started submitting to publishers. I didn’t have an agent, so it was the digital first and independent publishers that were my best option. I put the book out there, tried several publishers. My top couple of choices turned me down, and then I heard about a new firm who were actively looking to sign debut novels. This sounded ideal, so I submitted.

To be fair, the first publisher, who we’ll call “Start-Up Publishing” were not the wrong publisher at all. They were a gamble. They took a gamble on me, I took a gamble on them, I went into it open-eyed, as at that stage my one desire was to hold my book in my hand. I wasn’t really in it for the money, I just wanted to achieve that childhood dream of being “an author” and that is exactly what I achieved. I also wanted the confidence of somebody believing in my work – again, exactly what I achieved. Only with hindsight do I now kick myself for not wanting more – so I don’t necessarily think that signing with “Start-Up Publishing” was a bad thing. They gave me what I wanted, after all, and they were lovely to work with! So, first point of advice would be – don’t just think about what you want NOW, but what you will want in two year’s time – which of course is impossible, because who knows what you will want in two year’s time?

My only real problem with “Start-Up” was the publicity. I knew that I’d have to do most of my own publicity, and I was prepared for that – but I was naïve and I although I was prepared to do it, and I’d read a fair amount about HOW to create adverts etc., I didn’t know what, when and where to publicise. I think it says a lot that the authors who have done well at “Start-Up” came with an existing fan-base. They had either already published books with other publishers, or had an established blog following; they knew what they were doing. It isn’t enough to have even a couple of thousand passive followers on Twitter – you need a base of followers who actively support you, which I didn’t have. I was also naïve about how much publicity would cost, and that I would basically be spending money blind – with no immediate access to sales figures I couldn’t assess the effectiveness of any ads I placed on Facebook or Twitter. And as I wasn’t the publisher, I couldn’t advertise on Amazon or apply for things like Bookbub. Point 2 of advice would be learn more about publicity than I did!

When Book 2 didn’t do as well as book 1, Book 3 was rejected, which was a massive blow to my confidence, which evaporated overnight, and led to me making REALLY HUGE MASSIVE MISTAKE! Point 3 of advice would be don’t necessarily try and jump straight back on the horse, like I did. Maybe if your publisher has dropped you there’s a reason, and you need to work out what it is before you move forward. I didn’t really stop to do this, I just kept writing, and desperate to keep writing, I sold myself short. DON’T DO THIS!

My confidence had hit rock bottom, and I knew, I just KNEW that given that a small independent publisher dropped me, my work wasn’t worth anything. So I wrote another novel, just for fun really. What did I have to lose? I’d lost it all already, hadn’t I! It was romantic fiction based around my hobby – let’s say it’s “patchwork”, though it wasn’t really! Over the years I had bought several books about “patchwork” from an independent publisher who really knew their stuff. The content was great and the publisher knew all about patchwork. I considered them to produce quality products, and they had a long track record and lots of contacts in the world of patchwork. Anyone who was interested in reading books about it would eventually find their way to “Patchwork Books” website. I noticed that amongst the practical guides to the hobby, they also published some fiction where quilting featured in the stories. So did my book … I had seen (and purchased several of) “Patchwork Books” existing titles and they were decent quality. Was it worth submitting my novel? I did, and they said yes! I was delighted and signed a contract – I didn’t run it past the S of A but did get a knowledgeable friend to look it over – nothing unusual or any warning bells about it. It wasn’t the contract that was the problem.

The warning bells should have started going off when we got to the editing stage. We talked about technical terms used in patchwork when it came to editing, and differences between American and British English and whether I should set the book in the US because it was a US publisher. Nothing about structure, plot, character …Yes, it turned out that the editor was their normal non-fiction editor, didn’t have a clue about fiction, and with hindsight, the wrong decisions were made. Point 4: check WHO is going to edit your work, not simply that your work will be edited; although I don’t know how you’d do this! The editor hadn’t tackled any structural, plot or character issues – but I also wasn’t expecting a critical readership, but a small, niche audience who were desperate to read about “patchwork”, so I didn’t worry too much. As before he biggest problem with this publisher, however, was marketing. I don’t mean just doing the publicity myself  – I expected that – and I don’t know how I could have avoided this disaster, because I just didn’t know how differently this publisher worked. If you can, I would advise any new author to look at how their publisher has marketed previous books and does it suit your market? Look at their covers, their blurbs, what information they put out before the book appears.  I thought I’d done this – their non-fiction titles were all fine, after all – but, when it came to my book, because they were basically a non-fiction publisher who was having a go at fiction, the marketing wasn’t tailored to romantic fiction. The book (despite the joint decision to write it in British English and set it in England) was packaged as if for the American non-fiction market. It was priced (and publication geared heavily towards) the hard-copy rather than e-books, because craft books sell much better in hard-copy. But romances don’t, and I’m not sure that they knew that! I wasn’t given a cover reveal date (you don’t need them for non-fiction, it appears) or even an advanced publication date. All the lessons I had learnt about publicity with “Start-Up” went out of the window. It was an expensive disaster, I threw more money than I could afford at publicity, everything seemed to happen at the wrong time and on the back foot, and because of the very low price per e-book, I made almost nothing back. Both myself and the publisher made a huge loss on this book, and guess what? We agreed mutually that this was the end of it. The publisher voiced their unhappiness with the performance of the book and told me how much money it had lost them. I felt like utter shit, but I felt they were the ones who hadn’t done the market research; they blamed me for a failure at least partly due to their decisions!

If I had waited, would things have worked out differently? The second time, yes, without a doubt. However, let’s be honest here, “Start-Up” were probably my only chance at publication. They probably weren’t only the “first” to offer me a deal, but would have been the “only” because any larger, more experienced publisher would have known that I couldn’t do the publicity side of it. If I hadn’t signed, if I had looked for a bigger, better, publisher, it’s likely that I would be sitting here now, five years later, thinking, if only I’d signed that deal with “Start-Up” I might have been a published author by now,  I might have achieved that dream. Let’s face it, I’m a reasonable writer, but I’m not outstanding, and I’m rubbish at self-promotion. It was the second publisher that was the real disaster.  In the end, both roads (choosing a small publisher or waiting) would probably have lead to the same destination – disillusionment.

MA Comley – Indie Author

Why did I choose to go indie?

When I started out in 2010, being an indie author was a novelty. Every author ‘s aspiration is to obtain a traditional contract but it’s not for everyone. I put my first book out there with a publisher and they kept me hanging around for my rejection letter for six months. Most authors would have crumbled at receiving their first rejection but I just shrugged it off and found a different route to take.

It was a complete surprise to see my first book rocket up the Kindle chart to #37 with no publisher behind me. In my first year, I sold over 50,000 copies. My second book, Cruel Justice, hit the dizzy heights of #19 in the charts and remained there for over six months. With that success came a huge following on Twitter and Facebook, unfortunately all that following has gone now, since hackers attacked all my social media accounts almost two years ago. But that’s another story.

After six months of success, believe me it was hard work on my part, working a minimum of fourteen hours a day and seven days a week, I was contacted by a top New York agent. He offered me a contract. As with any contract, I would never sign or agree with its contents until I had a lawyer cast an eye over it first. When I employed an Intellectual Property lawyer it soured the relationship between the agent and myself. We tweaked the contract in my favour, he wasn’t happy and flung the accusation at me that I didn’t trust him. I was gobsmacked, we got over the hurdle eventually and I signed the contract. Except NOTHING, absolutely zilch, happened for a whole year. After which I wrote to the agent and asked him to tear up the contract, which he did willingly.

On the plus side, I can say that all my success is literally down to all my hard work. I’m currently standing at almost four million copies sold worldwide on all sites, and a NY Times bestselling author title to boot, nothing to be sneezed at I can assure you. I still work really hard to get my work out there, as well as being a full-time carer for my 84-year-old mother, which can be extremely stressful at times.

I would never have changed my journey though. Around four years ago, I signed with a new indie publishing house, who I’m not prepare to name, the only reason I signed with them was to get my paperbacks in the shops, something that is near impossible for indie authors to achieve. The day after I signed the contract, the publisher sent out an email telling its authors they were going to concentrate on the digital side of things only. It was a real WTF kind of moment for me. I released two books with the publisher, again, after they went back on their word, the relationship suffered. So much so that I didn’t feel they pushed my books at all. We agreed to terminate the contract after a year and my rights were reversed on those two books.

So, here I am, currently releasing a book a month, trying to regain the following I once had, it’s a lot harder this time around because I really can’t devote the time it takes to get seen in the charts these days because of caring for Mum. I’m happy with what I’ve achieved throughout my career and I’m forever grateful to my fans and the other people in this industry who have given me a helping hand over the years.

One day I’ll retire, but not yet. As it is, my characters rarely allow me to sleep. I don’t have regrets because I believe certain problems are intentionally put in our path to see how we either deal with them and strive to overcome them. If my mother hadn’t financially backed my first book, bought the cover and paid for the editing, and most importantly had faith in my work and me as a person, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Indies rock. Not every reader out there will give indie authors the time of day, believe me, I think those people need to give every author a chance. Put it this way, the great James Patterson had his first book rejected 57 times before a publisher finally bit the bullet. It proves how hard it is to obtain a publishing contract with a big six publisher. He’s now the biggest selling author to have ever lived and I bet all those publishers who rejected his work are constantly kicking themselves.

At the end of the day, I’m happy being in control of my own destiny.