Archive for category Events
One Day For Me – Book Launch Party
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Books, Events, Promotion, Self-publishing, Successes on January 27, 2013
Welcome!
Please grab a glass of Champagne and a smoked salmon canape from the waiter. You’re just in time for my launch speech.
It’s great to see so many of you here today – thank you for sparing the time to come along. There will be chocolate profiteroles and cream when I’ve finished speaking – so I’ll keep it short!
One Day For Me contains some of my writing successes from recent years – eight stories that have either won or been shortlisted in UK national writing competitions. The subject matter and characters are varied and include Wallis Simpson, an abused wife, a young girl making money from lost property and a pro-athlete struggling with the demands of her career.
I’m proud of these stories and I’d like to share them with you.
Of course, I didn’t work in isolation. I want to say a big thank you to my writing buddy, Helen Yendall , who read many of these stories when they were still a work in progress.
I also want to thank Marilyn Rodwell of the Birmingham RNA and our anonymous erotic writer member, who between them organised an inspiring workshop on e-publishing – without which I would never have got this project off the ground.
Finally, I would like to say a huge thank you to all the followers of this blog who took the time to comment on my original cover design. I learned a lot from you all (which I will summarise in another post) – and I hope you agree with me that the finished cover is a vast improvement!
I now declare One Day For Me launched!
It is available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com. Look out for it on Smashwords and other platforms later in the year.
Now the waiters will circulate with the profiteroles – enjoy!
E-book Erotica – the way forward?
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Events, Markets, Self-publishing on November 29, 2012
On Saturday we had a really interesting meeting of the Birmingham Chapter of the Romantic Novelists’ Association. There were 8 of us around the table in the Edwardian Tea Rooms of the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and one of our member’s exploits took up most our discussions.
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery – Edwardian Tea Room (Photo credit: ell brown)
She shall remain nameless, since for obvious reasons she writes under a pseudonym, but she is making around £800 a month selling her erotic e-books, mostly to the US markets. Bear in mind that she fits this around a full-time day job and a family -it makes me wonder why I am slogging away trying to get the odd story accepted by a women’s magazine or shortlisted in a competition!
Our successful author currently has 67 stories for sale, ranging in length from 3,000 to 10,000 words. Apparently the secret of her success is to keep up with the latest trends in erotica – for example monsters are the ‘in thing’ at the moment (the mind boggles!).
She self-publishes the e-books, formatting them and designing the covers herself. As you can imagine, we were all agog to learn her secrets and she has promised us a workshop in January…
Talking about the mind boggling, I caught the tail end of a Radio 4 program – ‘When Harry Potter Met Frodo’ – about Fan Fiction this week. The presenter was talking about Slash Fiction. This is a sub-genre of Fan Fiction and involves choosing 2 of your favourite male characters from existing works of fiction, bringing them together and letting them have an affair (at least that’s my polite way of putting it!).
So, if you want to write what the market wants – now you know!
Crime Writing with Claire McGowan
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Authors, Events, Markets on October 14, 2012
I went to listen to Claire McGowan talk about crime writing as part of the 2012 Lichfield Literature Festival.
First of all she gave us 3 good reasons for choosing to write crime fiction:
- Crime accounts for 1/5 of all adult fiction sales
- In 2011 crime dominated the top 10 library loans
- Agents and editors are actively taking on new crime writers
Then she listed the essential elements of a crime novel:
- A good plot
- A gripping pace
- A satisfactory resolution
Suspense also forms an important part of a crime novel and the reader can be kept on tenterhooks in two ways:
- Wondering what has happened – for example, What dark secrets are the characters hiding? How did the victim meet his death when he was in a locked room?
- Wondering what is about to happen – for example, What will the killer do next? Will he be caught in time?
As well as the theory behind crime writing, Claire shared her own method of writing – which can be applied to any genre. She said it’s important to start with a one sentence ‘high-concept’ of what the book is about but it’s not necessary to plot every detail in advance nor to write long life histories for each character. Claire says she gets to know her characters as she goes along – a bit like getting to know someone in real life.
By writing 1,000 words a day for 3 months you can finish a first draft – and that first draft doesn’t have to be good! Claire repeated this last point several times. Once the first draft is complete, you can work on it and improve it. And Claire writes her first draft without research, to avoid getting side-tracked. She checks her facts later.
Doesn’t that make it sound easy?! So what are you waiting for…
Claire’s first book ‘The Fall’ is available here and her second book ‘The Lost’ will be published in April 2013.
Meet Children’s Author – Lorraine Hellier
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Authors, Books, Events on August 26, 2012
Fellow Midlands-based writer, Lorraine Hellier , has asked me to tell you about her latest book. It is the fourth in her children’s Serendipity series and is called ‘The Boy Who Tricked Trolls’.
The blurb about the book is tantalising:
Alex discovers the secret passage through a Grandfather Clock which leads to a fantasy world on the island of Serendipity. Desperate to help rescue little Amy, he and his friends are captured by trolls in the underground caves. How will he escape?
“Despite being part of a series the book can be enjoyed as a standalone novel,” says Lorraine. “The story is reminiscent of C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and it will appeal to readers aged around 7 to 11 years.”
Lorraine is a retired dental therapist and now visits schools encouraging children with her reading and writing workshops. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and also attends the same writing group as me – Lichfield and District Writers.
“The advice and encouragement of other writers is invaluable,” she explains. “I would recommend anyone new to writing to make contact with other authors for support.”
Having finished the hard graft of producing the book, Lorraine is now busy organising events to make sure it reaches as wide an audience as possible.
“I’m also working on the second draft of book 5 in the series,” she continues, “and preparing activities for children at my author events and school workshops. Plus, I’m making notes about other ideas before they take over my head!”
Lorraine will be promoting her book between 10am and 3pm at Lichfield library on the 8th September 2012 and also at Burntwood library on the 22nd September at the same times. If you live in the Staffordshire area why not go along and meet her?
Signed copies of Lorraine’s books are available via her website and the novels can also be bought through Amazon. They would make the perfect present for junior school children (and don’t forget, Christmas will be upon us before you know it!).
Writing Poetry in Castleton
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Events, Poetry on August 7, 2012
“When you write poetry, imagine looking through a small window. Focus on just one aspect of the scene,” advised Alison Riley on a recent ‘Poetry Stroll and Write’ which I stumbled upon whilst on holiday in Castleton, in the Peak District.
As I’ve said before, I am not a poet but anything remotely writing orientated always grabs my attention, so whilst my husband took himself off for a walk, I joined the poetry session.
Alison was full of good advice.
Whenever I attempt a poem I immediately start worrying about its form – rhyming? free verse? sonnet? etc. Alison suggested that I forget all of this and instead let myself go with some free writing about what was around us.
“Don’t worry about form or rhyme,” she said. “That can all come later.”
I managed some disjointed phrases about the mountain rescue van parked nearby. It definitely wasn’t poetry but Alison reckoned that with a bit of polishing it could become a reasonable poem.
Alison then showed us the poem ‘Resolution‘ by Jo Bell. It’s about Castleton at New Year and, sitting there in the quaint old village where it was written, it was extremely evocative. I began to feel that maybe I too could write a poem and, back in our rented cottage, I did. It’s about the ‘coffin route’ from Edale to Castleton (before there was a church in Edale, the corpses had to be carried over the hill into the next town for burial) – at the moment it’s just a rough version in my notebook but maybe one day I’ll dare to bring out into the light of day…
Thanks for the inspiration, Alison!
Alison Riley organises the Derbyshire Stanza of the Poetry Society.
Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Authors, Books, Events on July 15, 2012
Could you co-write a novel with your teenage daughter? That’s what Jodi Picoult did when her daughter Samantha pitched an 
idea to her for a young adult novel.
The result is Between the Lines. It is based on the idea that the characters in a book can live their own lives when the book is closed. When the book is opened they must jump back into their pre-ordained story roles, like actors who appear in the same production night after night. But what happens when a teenage girl falls in love with the illustrations of Prince Oliver in a fairytale book and the prince wants to live a life outside of the story pages?
Jodi and Samantha came to Birmingham Library theatre last week to talk about the novel and I went along to hear them. Samantha is 16 now and suggested the idea to her mum 3 years ago. They spent 1 school summer holiday talking about the concept, the following summer writing it, the next summer editing and this summer they are promoting the finished book.
Jodi was the disciplinarian, setting the number of hours per day they would work or the number of pages that must be completed. She also did the typing, just because she’s got quicker fingers. The two of them sat side by side in Jodi’s office and literally spoke the story aloud to each other, often coming out with exactly the same words and ideas – I’m sure this is only possible if you have an extremely good relationship with your teenager!
Despite being only 16, Samantha was a very confident young woman and gave a reading from the novel as if she were a born actress.
The audience at the Birmingham talk included several school parties who asked Samantha for advice on becoming a writer. She urged them to write to a set schedule in order to get it done. Jodi added that taking some sort of writing course was also extremely useful.
Finally, Jodi says there are 2 skills which are essential to any writer:
- Be able to write on demand
- Be able to self-edit
So, it shouldn’t be too difficult to produce that bestseller if those are the only 2 things we need to master!
Don’t forget you have until midnight tomorrow (Monday 16/07/2012) to enter the draw for a copy of Writing the Paranormal Novel by Steven Harper. Click here for details.
Related articles
- Samantha van Leer and Jodi Picoult spill the beans (bookwitch.wordpress.com)
Unbound Live!
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Authors, Books, Events, Promotion on June 25, 2012
Here’s a new way of getting your book published. Pitch your idea to a group of readers and ask them to stump up the cash to get it into print. The Unbound website goes into more detail saying:
“If you back a project before it reaches its funding target, you get your name printed in the back of every copy and immediate behind-the-scenes access to the author’s shed. If any project fails to hit its funding target, you get refunded in full.”
The ‘author’s shed’ includes access to interviews, draft chapters and progress reports on the book, amongst other things.
Readers can pledge differing amounts from £10 to £250 and earn similarly varying rewards from an e-book edition of the book to lunch with the author, invites to the launch party and goodie bags. Details are here.
The website has details of the authors and books currently looking for publication funding.
But the pitching is not all virtual. Unbound Live! events allow the authors to stand up and pitch directly to an audience (I can’t imagine anything more nerve-wracking than trying to explain my idea for a book to a room full of people!). Birmingham is to host the first library Unbound Live! event. It’s on July 10th 7pm at the Library Theatre. I’m disappointed that I can’t make it but for anybody that can, the details are here. (And thanks to Frances for alerting me to this event).
Publishing is a gamble so it makes sense to ensure that there is an audience willing to pay for your work in advance.
What do you think? Could you be tempted to fund a book in this way? Would you like to pitch in this way?
Related articles
- Unbound Live: Readers decide which books get written (theculturecut.wordpress.com)
Annie Murray – Author Talk
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Authors, Books, Events on May 17, 2012
Yesterday I went to hear Annie Murray speak at my local library. Annie writes regional sagas set in Birmingham, each one 
covering various segments of the 20th century up until the 1980s. I had expected her to be an older lady who had lived in the city all her life, with a family tree connected to the area for generations. How wrong can you be?
Annie is around my own age (which to my daughters does probably mean ‘an older lady’!) and she only lived in Birmingham for around 5 years during the 1980s. But this brief stay in the city was enough to ignite her passion for the city and it’s heritage. She has been producing novels set in the area for 20 years.
Annie describes her books as being like a ‘family album’ – charting the ups and downs of ordinary people. It is people who interest her rather than history and she adds just enough of her research to the books to give a flavour of the time.
“I’m often told how vivid my novels are,” she says, “but local people subconsciously imprint their own memories of the area on to the story – thus adding to what I’ve written without realising it.”
I asked Annie if she plans her books in great detail. “No,” she explains. “I know the beginning, the end and how many years it will span. I write a half page synopsis for my publisher but then my writing is like driving in the dark. My view forward of what’s going to happen is limited like the distance illuminated by a car’s headlights.”
Like most writers, Annie has had to combine her writing with bringing up a family and it’s often put on the back burner as she deals with her other responsibilities. But that doesn’t mean her work is completely stalled. Annie thinks that writers unconsciously dwell on their work all the time and that we should all learn to work with this.
As always, it was inspiring to listen to an author who has ‘made it’ and if Annie can write sagas spanning generations without a detailed plan maybe there’s hope for the rest of us that struggle to outline everything in advance!
World Book Night 2012 Part 2
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Authors, Books, Events, Promotion on April 23, 2012
I went to the local hospital today to distribute 24 World Book Night copies of Sophie Kinsella‘s book The Secret Dreamworld of a 
Shopaholic.
The aim of World Book Night is to encourage people who don’t usually read to pick up a book and get into the reading habit. As writers this is something that we should support – because if there are no readers what’s the point of writing?
I started in the A & E department of the hospital. I explained to the receptionist what I was doing and gave her a book. She was delighted and promised to pass it around her colleagues, adding that they often swapped books. So that was one book given away but unfortunately not to a non-reader. This was a trend that continued for the rest of my ‘giving’ session.
I only approached women (because Sophie Kinsella writes chick-lit) and I avoided people who were actually reading a book as they waited to see a doctor but it is very difficult to tell by a person’s appearance whether or not they are a reader. So inevitably I unknowingly spoke to keen readers and they almost bit my hand off at the offer of a free book. The non-readers I came across were simply not interested in giving the book a try – no matter how much I tried to sell it as a ‘light, easy read’. The exception to this was a lovely, chatty cleaner who was very grateful for the book and said she didn’t normally read but once bought a 48 hardback book set of Agatha Christie novels – they look lovely on her shelf but she’s never opened one of them!
One person turned down the book because she didn’t like Sophie Kinsella and another because she had already read the book. Three people knew about World Book Night and a paramedic told me she’d recently seen a book left on a park bench in a polythene bag, labelled ‘Read Me’.
I enjoyed being a ‘giver’ and intend to apply again next year but I’m not sure that World Book Night is achieving its aims. I’m sure that most of the books must end up with people who are already hooked on reading. It’s very difficult to persuade a complete stranger, who says they’re not interested in reading, to take a book. I got the feeling that some of them thought there was some ulterior motive or catch to it. Similarly, once you discover someone is a reader, it’s awkward to withdraw the offer of a book – plus if I’d restricted myself to non-readers I would have been at the hospital all day trying to find enough of them willing to give reading a try.
How did anyone else get on?
World Book Night 2012 Part 1
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Authors, Books, Events, Promotion on April 19, 2012
I’ve just collected my World Book Night 2012 books from the library. I have 24 copies of The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic
by Sophie Kinsella to distribute on Monday 23rd April. In my application to be a ‘giver’ I said that I would distribute them in the casualty department of my local hospital – so that’s where I’ll be on Monday.
The purpose of World Book Night is to give away books to those who don’t regularly read, and thus spread the love of reading. According to the World Book Night website, “the aim is to reach and inspire those who have never discovered the value of reading”.
So I’m hoping to find lots of bored ladies waiting in casualty who might be persuaded to give reading a try. I need females because Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series is essentially a chick-lit novel that I can’t see many men enjoying – but maybe they’ll take a copy home for their wife or girlfriend.
But before I can get stuck into the giving I have to write in the front of each book – my name, where I collected the books from and the book’s unique identifying number (this is logged via the World Book Night website each time the book is passed on so that its journey can be traced). I’ve written in 8 books so far and its becoming a bit of a chore – but maybe I should look upon it as practice for that book-signing that I might do one day far in the future!
Next week I’ll let you know how I got on with the giving – and if there are any other ‘givers’ (or ‘receivers’) out there, do let me know how you get on.
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