I’ve just been featured on Christian Bookshops Blog talking about getting my new book, David and the Hairy Beast, into independent bookshops. If you are thinking of doing the same, drop by and read about my recent experience. For a list of independent bookshops in the UK, visit Local Bookshops.co.uk
Five things you need to know about getting your book into indie bookshops:
- Your book must have an ISBN number and barcode and be Nielsen registered.
- Be prepared to give 35% – 40% wholesale discount off the cover price.
- You need to phone first then ask if you can send a sample to them (be prepared to lose this stock if they don’t want to order more).
- If they do stock your book they’re not likely to take more than a handful in the first instance.
- Terms offered should be 30 days.
For more on publishing your own book and getting it to market, read Anna Crosbie’s How to Publish Your Own Book.
The Crafty Writer is proud to announce the launch of its new publishing wing, Crafty Publishing. Some ‘how to’ books based on the popular Crafty Courses are in the pipeline but for now we’re launching with a stunning children’s picture book called David and the Hairy Beast, the first in a series of six.
David and the Hairy Beast
David’s dad gives him a very important job to do. But can the shepherd boy overcome his fear of the Hairy Beast to save the flock?
Written by Fiona Veitch Smith.
Illustrations by Amy Barnes.
Drop by Crafty Publishing now to order your copy.
I’ve had a good response to my interview with Khaled Mukerjee on self-publishing on Kindle – but I thought I’d take it a step further. Tambra Kendall, who has featured on the Crafty Writer before talking about how to write romantic fiction, has recently started her own e-publishing company, Daughters of Avalon. Tambra is not a first-time author and has already had some success in print and online books, so I asked her why she decided to start publishing her own material. And why, specifically, e-books?
Continue reading ‘Going Indie – starting an e-publishing company’
As we all know e-books are the new big thing. Traditional publishing houses churn out e-versions of their print books as a matter of course these days. And while the jury is still out on whether or not electronic books will completely replace the paper variety, no one can argue that they aren’t here to stay. I’ve been wondering how easy it is to go down this route so when I heard that a Creative Writing MA student of mine (in script, not prose) had just published his young adult novel for the Amazon Kindle, I asked him to tell me about it. Khaled Mukerjee writes as Art Epstein. Chak Chak the Last T-Rex is available for download now. Now over to Khaled: Continue reading ‘Kindle – an author’s story’
Well the contract is finally in place so I can formally announce that I’ve been commissioned by Lion Hudson (Monarch imprint) to co-write the autobiography of Yookie Budia, a former child soldier from the Congo. The book will be called Child of War. Yookie’s story is an incredible but harrowing tale of a journey from war to personal peace. As a young boy, Yookie was forced to participate in a series of atrocities and witnessed the murder of his own family. He managed to escape and after a treacherous journey through sub-Saharan Africa made his way to Durban, South Africa, where more dangers faced him as a child on the streets. If you want to know what happened to Yookie after that and how he met his wife Sarah and how they now run a charity called Hope2thehopeless then you’ll have to read the book! Yookie and I are working on it over the summer and it will come out early next year.
Simultaneously, Craig Gailbraith from Drawbridge Productions in Cape Town, is making a film about Yookie’s incredible journey. I’m sure it will be a box office hit!
If you would like to develop your own skills in writing life stories as well as other non-fiction writing, why not work through the Crafty Writer’s free non-fiction course
In my university writing classes my students frequently ask me what they can expect to earn. Well this varies depending on the kind of writing they intend to do. Below, I have outlined the main areas of work for a writer. Note these are British rates. For American writers please consult the Writers’ Guild of America. For other writers, consult the relevant writing body in your country. Note too that I am not covering copywriting or business writing in this discussion (ask your favourite search engine instead). Continue reading ‘What do writers earn?’
Salt Publishing, one of the UK’s most respected independent publishers, faces closure. The Bookseller reports that Salt has relaunched its “Just One Book” campaign after a tough first half of the year has left them with “less than one week’s cash left”, despite its grant from Arts Council England.
The company needs to sell roughly £45,000 worth of books to keep afloat for the rest of the year. Publishing director Chris Hamilton-Emery said the company had not wanted to repeat the initiative “because we thought it was unrepeatable, but we have just reached crunch time this week”. He added: “We realised if we didn’t get some sales, we would probably go bust very shortly.”
Hamilton-Emery said a number of factors had contributed to Salt’s financial woes, including the recession, the World Cup and the demise of Borders UK late last year. “They were a good customer of ours, so that was a real blow,” he said.
The Crafty Writer’s guest poetry tutor, Andrew Philip, is published by Salt. He says: “It’s harder and harder these days for authors – début authors and mid-listers in particular – to find publishers. The big houses are taking on fewer writers and concentrating their marketing power on certain titles in their lists. So writers need publishers such as Salt more than ever. Publishers who don’t simply bend to the howling winds of celebrity memoirs. Publishers who will take a risk on writing they simply believe in. Publishers who believe in you and give readers the chance to let your voice enter their hearts and minds. If Salt goes, we all lose.”
Writers and book lovers are being asked to buy just one book to help save Salt, Andy recommends:
It’s the age old question, isn’t it? But more importantly perhaps is what they don’t want. Gemma Noon over at the Literary Project asked top agent Carole Blake this very question. It’s a great interview and well worth the read. Note this is a literary agent not a script agent. If you’ve got any insight into what they want, please let us know!
Ray Givans hails from County Tyrone in Northern Ireland but teaches English in County Down. He’s also a very gifted poet. He has published four pamphlet-length collections, most recently Going Home (2004) from Lapwing Publications. He has been awarded prizes for his poetry in Britain, the US and Australia and was the first recipient of the Jack Clemo Memorial prize for poetry. Tolstoy in Love, published by Dedalus Press, is his first full-length collection. BBC Writer in Residence Ian Sansom describes it as ‘a true poetic achievement … a work of great human value.’ I would agree with him. So after reading this interview, get the book and judge for yourselves.
Continue reading ‘Poetry: Tolstoy in Love’
It used to be vanity publishing, then along came self-publishing, now the buzz word is ‘co-publishing’. What is it, and is it worth it from a writer’s perspective? The Crafty Writer investigates.
It’s not vanity publishing
Well firstly, let me say that it is not vanity publishing. In fact, since the self-publishing revolution, brought on by Print on Demand (POD) technology, the charlatans who preyed on desperate writers seem to have scurried back into their holes (although I fear, some of them may have re-emerged as ‘co-publishers’). Vanity publishers will print anything. They claim to be ‘real’ publishers but there’s no editorial input and, apart from a post on their website, no marketing or distribution either – and you of course foot the whole bill. In addition, you have to buy your own books from them, albeit at wholesale discount or ‘cost’. For more information see this article by the Society of Authors.
Continue reading ‘Co-publishing – pros and cons’
Welcome to The Crafty Writer, published by Fiona Veitch Smith, a freelance journalist, editor, author, playwright, screenwriter and writing teacher. This site is full of information and resources to help you to become a better writer. 
