Blossom Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 Michelle: as a few of the board members know, I suffer from CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) so am not able to write regularly. My current book was published as a 'one-off' as part of my prize in the Undiscovered Authors comp, so I don't have an agent or a publisher who would be interesting in taking on any further work. I do have enough ideas for three novels - it's just a question of having the energy and the self-discipline to write! And have a lovely time on your hols, Michelle. FishAndChips: no, you're not cheeky at all. Personally my percentage is very small and is only 10%. For example, if Amazon paid 40% of the cover price for my book, then I would get 10% of that (different retailers get different deals). I may be over-simplifying, but I think that's the gist of it. I think it averages out at around 60p per book, in my case. Sam: best of luck with the next book. It sounds as though things are very exciting for you at the moment. Kerri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 Did eitther of you have any input over the covers for you books? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samgrosser Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 Thanks Kerri, for the best wishes. As you say, it is an exciting for me. I can't imagine what it must be like to have CFS, but I know how much energy and discipline it takes to write. I hope you manage to find it from somewhere Ice-cream: I didn't have any input on the cover for my book initially, but my editor sent me a draft with a little message to point out that the plane actually was a Lancaster. He was obviously very chuffed with himself and I felt really bad when I had to write back with the news that the hero was American and didn't fly a Lancaster but a B17! The original sunset was different as well, but had to be changed after another, Booker-winning novel, came out in paperback with a very similar sunset. While I like the cover very much and think that it would attract me to pick up the book in a bookshop, I'm not sure that it's the best cover for it, as I think a picture of a plane might a lot of women off. I think I would have preferred a more people-based image, more like Suite Francaise perhaps. But I don't know. What do other people think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 Thanks for your responses both! That's very intersting. Shame that the brains behind a book actually may see so little of it! Kerri - sorry you have CFS - its amazing that you have been able to write a novel then! I know a few people with that type of thing and I know it's no fun. Thanks for taking time to chat with us. And that goes for you too samantha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Hello again! Icecream: Art is my other love, so when they asked for input on the book cover, I designed my own - everyone I showed it to loved it, and then the publishers went in a completely different direction and made the heroine into a cartoon charater on the cover. I didn't like it, and the consensus was that it was childish. So, they had a rethink and changed it to the cover you've seen - I still wasn't keen, but preferred it to the first cover! FishAndChips: I'm very stubborn, so if someone tells me I probably won't be able to do something, I become determined to prove them wrong! Sometimes it is tough to have CFS, but there are people far worse off than me! And it's lovely chatting here, as everyone is so friendly and non-judgemental - I'm enjoying it. Kerri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicx27 Posted August 18, 2007 Share Posted August 18, 2007 Sam, I'm about 3/4 of the way through Another Time and Place and I'm really enjoying it. You asked about the cover and I can see your point, and do think the plane is a more masculine image. But it wouldn't have put me off the book once I had read the synopsis. I'll wait until I've read it all until I ask any questions. I am finding it a very easy book to read and think Tom is every woman's ideal man! Kerri, I haven't got hold of Karma yet (it's coming to me when Michelle has finished it) so I hope you will be able to answer any questions I have about the book itself when I've read it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted August 18, 2007 Share Posted August 18, 2007 Michelle: it is disheartening to send out review copies, knowing they'll probably not get a second glance. I can pretty much guarantee if you were to offer up review copies here, they certainly WOULD get that second glance and THEN SOME! Actually, a quick question to both of you regarding that - how many review copies did you send out and how much feedback did you get from that? Was it useful to you in any way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted August 18, 2007 Share Posted August 18, 2007 Hi Nic: I'd be delighted to answer any questions for you, once you've read the book. Kell: I believe that the publishers sent out up to 40 books (people who requested review copies included well-known women's magazines and newspapers such as The Times). However, this does not guarantee that anyone will even read them, let alone review them! I also sent out around 20 copies myself, and this resulted in the odd internet review (including one on the Trashionista website). It is disappointing, but thousands of books must be competing for review every year - I think an established name, a well-known publisher and luck can be important factors. My book's currently doing the rounds on sites like Read It Swap It - I know I don't make any royalties out of this but, quite honestly, I'm glad that people are getting to read the book. The main feedback I have received has been from readers who've read and enjoyed the book, then contacted me via my website. It's so lovely when someone takes the time to contact me - it always makes me smile! Kerri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samgrosser Posted August 18, 2007 Share Posted August 18, 2007 Hi Nic: I'm really pleased that you're enjoying Another Time and Place - I don't think I'll ever get tired of the pleasure of knowing people like my book. It makes my day every time. . I'm looking forward to your questions. Kell: My publisher sent out about 50 copies and I got only a few reviews which was a bit disheartening. The reviews I did get were mostly positive though, which was nice. Fortunately the book seems to be available in a lot of libraries, and like Kerri, I'm just happy that people are reading it. Of course, more success would be nice, but just getting published has been such a great experience and such a boost to my confidence as a writer. I know now that I'm not deluded, and that I can actually write! Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicx27 Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 I've finished it now Sam, and thought it a very good read (not sure about large print though, but that's all the library had). Why did you choose the Second World War to write about? Have you always been interested in it? Also, I was wondering all the way through how the story would end. I don't want to put spoilers in the message, so I'll not elaborate too much, but did you ever think about ending the story differently? Where did your inspiration come from for Anna's mother? She's a hateful character with the odd, strangely uncharacteristic, kindness. One final question for now, how much of your time is spent writing? Is it a full time job for you? I hope you get your second book published soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samgrosser Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Hi Nic, I'm so glad you enjoyed the book - I can understand that large print might be a bit off-putting though. Yes, I have always been interested in the Second World War, but funnily, it wasn't what I planned when I began writing. I had an idea for a story about a child who was born to an ill-fated couple during the war and kept secret by his grandmother - it was going to be called The Ghost of Tommy Pilgrim, and was going to be set immediately after the war and in the present. But when I started writing I immediately began to find that it was the parents story that intrigued me and so that was what the novel became. The grandmother survived the change as Mrs Pilgrim who was sort of an amalgam of all the worst bits of all the mothers I knew! In earlier drafts she was worse, but the novel needed for her to have a bit more depth and complexity and that kind of grew with each rewrite. I like your description of her as 'hateful' but with 'odd, uncharacteristic, kindness.' That's the character I was hoping for. The ending remained in doubt until I'd actually finished writing but the original plan was to end it differently. Writing now is more or less full-time. My son is now 7 and so I write when he's at school, as I used to write when he was kindy (nursery school) in Australia, or when he was asleep as a baby. I'm very blessed with a very supportive husband and feel very fortunate to have been able to combine motherhood and writing as I have. Although having said that, I did actually start writing Another Time and Place when I was working as a receptionist at a company in North Sydney (before Jake was born). There wasn't much to do and writing passed the time and made me look busy. Thanks for your best wishes about my second novel. It's still with the agent and I'm still waiting with my fingers crossed! I'm now off to the Mendips for 10 days and I'm not sure how much access to the internet I'm going to have, but do keep the questions coming. If I can't answer them while I'm away, then I definitely will when I get back. I'm really enjoying talking with you all. :eek2: Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicx27 Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Thanks for your reply Sam. I'd love to know what the other ending would have been. Do you think you will ever go back and write your original story (the Tommy Pilgrim one)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted August 20, 2007 Author Share Posted August 20, 2007 I also wondered as I approached the end.. there is a part of me that likes unusual, even sad endings, and I could see a few alternatives. In the end though, I was glad that all was well. One thing I did like was that the ending wasn't drawn out.. if there had been lots of miscommunication etc for some time, I think it would have gotten frustrating.. so spot on Sam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted August 25, 2007 Author Share Posted August 25, 2007 A question to you both.. have you always enjoyed reading? And were there any specific authors whom you feel inspired you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted August 26, 2007 Share Posted August 26, 2007 I absolutely love to read and have done since childhood - I ploughed my way through every Enid Blyton, Nancy Drew, and Sweet Valley High book going! When I was in my early teens, I read the entire 'Young Teens' section of our libraries (particularly when I was first ill, as I couldn't do anything else ). I would regularly get into trouble for reading without the light on, during summer nights, when I should have been sleeping! I find that reading is a fantastic way to relax and is the ultimate escape from reality (even if only for a short while). I primarily read women's contemporary fiction but read some sci-fi, mild horror, tv-tie ins (Buffy, Angel, Charmed, Red Dwarf, Bones, etc), and also non-fiction, such as biographies. I enjoy learning so my bookshelf includes titles on massage therapy, shiatsu, counselling and self-help. The first book that I ever read and found thought-provoking was 'To Kill A Mockingbird' by Harper Lee. This was something that I was forced to read during my GCSEs and I just thought it was amazing. I read it in one evening, as I couldn't put it down. With regard to authors who've inspired me, I would say it was writers like Pauline McLynn, Jane Green and Sophie Kinsella, as they write with humour - that's very important to me as a reader, as there are many bad things we deal with in life which are made bearable if we can retain our sense of humour. I don't read books which are too morose, as I find my own mood changes as I empathise with the characters! Kerri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samgrosser Posted August 26, 2007 Share Posted August 26, 2007 Hi, Just back from a sunny week in the Mendips, refreshed and happy, so I'll take your questions in order. Nic: When I was writing the book, Anna's story took shape very quickly and comparatively easily, but Tom's story changed with every rewrite as I did more research and got more confident with writing about an evading airman's experiences. In the first draft, he got captured straight away, which at the time seemed a less difficult route to take! So it wasn't so much that there was one alternative ending to finish off the existing story, so much as there were many possible stories. One friend did suggest that I have him come back to find Anna has been killed, and that he has a baby to bring up (which didn't tempt me). Another possibility (and this was a scene I got as far as writing in my head) was that Anna managed to track him down to the docks as his ship was about to head home, after he had failed to find her at the end of the war. I don't think I'll ever write the Tommy Pilgrim story now, because the central character really was Mrs Pilgrim, and it would be too hard to change her into someone else. Michelle: I've always read loads. As a teenager I got into Victorian novels - Hardy and the Brontes, and I think I absorbed some of the sense of foreboding that hangs over those stories. I still love the tragic stuff with lots of loss and yearning Later, I was very lucky to do a degree in English Literature, which widened my reading choices and gave me a deeper critical understanding of how words can move and affect us. There are certain books and/or writers that I turn to for inspiration. Hemingway is number one for that - A Farewell to Arms is my favourite book ever. Also inspirational are people like Michael Ondaatje, whose use of language is so beautiful. But I think it was the Victorians who probably influenced the most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicx27 Posted August 26, 2007 Share Posted August 26, 2007 Thanks for your answers Sam. Glad you enjoyed your holiday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicx27 Posted August 26, 2007 Share Posted August 26, 2007 Kerri, I've now read Karma and really liked it. What I particularly liked was that Paige's memories of childhood etc seemed similar to mine (I think we would be around the same age), even down to Crazy for You by Madonna being the song of the moment just before I left school. You said you wrote it in the first person because you didn't want people to think it was about you, but are a lot of the memories and scenarios actually things you experienced yourself anyway? How did you come up with the idea of writing about karma or fate? Did you ever consider a different ending? If so, what was it? And I love your dogs! I used to have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and she was lovely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 Hi Nic: I'm glad you enjoyed Karma. The funny thing about Paige is that, no matter what age the reader is, people seem to relate to her. I have experienced very little of what Paige goes through (so had to rely a lot on research and the testimony of friends, particularly towards the end of the book)...although I was a rabbit in the school nativity (see the gallery at www.hollyaharvey.co.uk for the proof)! While I was writing, I immersed myself in music from the 80s and early 90s, and through that, was able to recall the feelings/emotions these songs invoked. I am very interested in the concept of Karma, but didn't want to get too bogged down by the religious and philosophical aspects - I wanted the book to make people think about how our actions can have a wider impact, but still wanted to make the book a light-hearted read. I didn't have time to consider a different ending, as I only had around two months to complete the book! I don't think I would change the ending, though. And thanks for the comments about my dogs! They are my furry babies and that's where my pen name came from: Holly's my oldest dog; Amber's my youngest and Harvey's my budgie! Kerri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicx27 Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 Ah yes, I see the rabbit picture I presume the other picture in that section relates to Blockbusters the quiz? I loved that quiz in its day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 Yes, Nic - we had an inter-library Blockbusters tournament in which I represented my local 'trailer library'! I think I was about 13 or 14. I used to spend almost every weekend at the trailer library, checking out the new books (as I'd read all the old ones). I remember standing at the Central Library, doing the 'Gold Run' - I got a book token for winning, and still have the card it came in to this day! I don't remember getting to say, "I'll have a 'P', please." Shame. Kerri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratna Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 Hi Kerri & Sam, I read through this thread today but maybe I shouldn't have because now I'm very curious . I hope your books will be available in Indonesia soon. I will put them on my TBR list. Good luck to you both! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted August 30, 2007 Author Share Posted August 30, 2007 As we're near the end of the month, I wanted to say a big thank you to Sam and Kerri.. it's been lovely to chat to you both. I wish you both all the best, with sales and with future projects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 Yea thanks gals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samgrosser Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 Thanks so much for inviting us and for your interest. I've really enjoyed chatting with you all. See you around on other bits of the forum, All the best Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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