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Featured Author - Carole Matthews


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With or Without you was the first book of yours that I read.. I think it benefitted fromyour personal experience. It was a great book, btw. :smile2:

 

Where else do you want to go,but haven't managed yet? (And next time you do LA, can I come along too? :) )

 

I have about 45 places on my list of 'must' visits! Every year it grows longer. Would love to go to Japan. Peru and the Inca Trail is up there too. Would love to go to Antartica - but can't quite work myself up to cope with the cold! I think when you're writing books as a fast pace - I'm now doing two a year - that you use up so much material that it's good to do these things to replenish your stock. (That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!) We always do group holidays and meet so many great people that it's a never-ending supply of stories and anecdotes. I can always find an 'expert' to ring up from my list of trip acquaintances. Best Carole xx

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I completely agree with your comments with regard to second-hand books. The Oxfam stores in particular look like 'proper' book shops, and charge far more than I expected. Also, with regard to libraries, our local Library is due to close after being around more years than me - I have to believe that the availability and cost of second-hand books is a factor...among others.

 

I only buy second hand books if the book I want is no longer in print. My friend opened an independent book shop in 2005 (taking a huge risk) and finds it very difficult to compete with both large book chain and second hand book-sellers. She has attracted a lot of local authors to do signings, which gets people through the doors, but obviously the 'big names' aren't interested. I hope that her shop doesn't become another statistic...

 

I don't think that buyers necessarily think that they are doing damage to the book sellers who can't afford to absorb losses and to the writers - they are just delighted to get a bargain!

 

Kerri

 

I hope that your friend's book store does well. It's tough to make a living with the competition from the supermarkets and second-hand sales. Sometimes authors don't even realise that a shop wants them to do a signing - all enquiries are fielded by their publishers who can make incredible demands about number of copies that they need to order, etc. I do most of my PR direct through my website because of that. I recently did a talk for a library - when I got there they told me that they'd phoned for 4 months (!!) to my publisher and had got nowhere. One email to me and we'd booked it up. In fairness, some authors hate going out in public - to me it's a rare joy to be let out to meet my readers! Carole xx

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The last point is interesting.. in most cases, the authors that I've interviewed etc on here I've approached direct. I think you can get a good idea from a website how approachable an author is..and I have to say, the vast majority have been absolutely wonderful! :)

 

Do you enjoy the web side of thing.. your site and MySpace, popping onto forums like this one, etc?

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Hi Michelle - yes, I do enjoy it. I must say that I do a lot more in the USA than in the UK. They seem - if you don't mind me saying! - more into this kind of thing. Although I'm glad to say that we're catching up fast! Perhaps it's simply down to the vastness of their country that they rely on the internet much more. I think this is the first UK forum I've done (which is why I assumed you were in the US when I first heard from you - durr...) I do a lot of online chats in the states - the only drawback being is that they're usually scheduled for around 2 in the morning for me!

 

I started the myspace site over the Christmas holiday - not really knowing whether it would be useful or not. But I've found it completely addictive. Now I'm spending far too much time pimping my site and not enough writing! I confess that I spent an hour this morning trying to download a tapdancing kitten - sad, I know. And still I couldn't get it to work! Although I'm pleased to say that I did start my next book this afternoon (my editor will be pleased to hear this too!) Again - like my own website - it's an easy way for me to interact with readers. There's nothing nicer than ending the day with a bunch of emails from people telling you that they like your books. It's very motivating! Carole xx

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Carole, I was just wondering, as you enjoy the promotion side of things, which place has been your favourite to visit for a booksigning? And which (if it's not too cheeky to ask - you dan't have to name names, just a description would be fine :)) was your least?

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Carole, I was just wondering, as you enjoy the promotion side of things, which place has been your favourite to visit for a booksigning? And which (if it's not too cheeky to ask - you dan't have to name names, just a description would be fine :)) was your least?

 

 

My favourite place to do a booksigning is at the enormous Book Expo of America (BEA) fair which is held every year - it switches cities. One year it's in New York, then Chicago, then LA, than San Fransisco. 30,000 booksellers, publishers and authors descend on one place. The booksellers are always so friendly and keen to see the latest books. I do some 'booth' signings - on my publishers stand. And I also do what's called a ''runway' signing where I'm literally at the end of a long chute with a huge queue just signing book after book. I get to rub shoulders with 'real' writers like Lee Child, James Patterson, Nick Hornby. It's a huge ego boost for us authors who are terribly fragile by nature!

 

I don't mind naming names - this deserves shame and ridicule! I was to do a pre-arranged stock signing at a WHSmith store in North London. I turned up, the book manager was away that day - never a good start - so I spoke to her assistant, telling her that I was Carole Matthews and was there to sign books. She went away - for a very long time - then came back with a whole trolley full of Robert Harris's books which she preceded to lay out in front of me. 'I'm not Robert Harris,' I said. 'Oh,' she said, clearly shocked by this revelation. 'Who did you say you were? Jill Mansell?' I'm still not sure to this day how she managed to mistake me for Robert Harris..., Jill Mansell I could have understood. :smile2: She did eventually find my books - but that kind of thing doesn't do much for the ego (or the blood pressure!)

 

It's always nice when people treat you well. Sometimes you're not even offered basic courtesy - other times people go out of their way to make sure that you're looked after well. If I've had a long drive, it's nice to be offered a drink or shown where the loo is! Sometimes it's just the silly little things that leave a favourable impression. I stood in for a talk at a local library last week as an author had let them down at the last minute - they had me a Thornton's heart iced with 'thank you' as a gift - that was really lovely for someone to take the time to do.

 

Carole xx

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Hi Michelle - thankfully, a lot of US readers are great Anglophiles and love the whole 'Brit' thing. I owe Helen Fielding a drink if I ever meet her, because she was the one who started the big Brit chicklit move in the USA which certainly helped me to get my deal over there. The amazing thing is though is how little UK literature they take compared to the amount of US books we import. I'm published now in 23 countries including China, Russia, Thailand, etc and I do wonder what those readers make of some of my stories - or if they even understand them! Because I don't speak a lot of the languages you just have to hope the translator makes a good stab at the jokes and the cultural references. Best Carole xx

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Hi Carole. I just wanted to say that I'm thrilled to bits to have won one of your books and can't wait to read it. Thank you so much for coming on the forum and answering all our questions, which must be tedious sometimes if you do the same thing all over the world. But we appreciate it on here. Good luck with the award...hope you get it, and please pop back once in a while and say Hi.

 

Susie

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Hi Guys - just a note to say thanks for having me. I've thoroughly enjoyed my time on the forum and the variety of questions. Hope you'll come and see me if I'm ever in your area. And know that you know me, it's your duty to tidy me up in the bookstores!! (Preferably put my books in front of those whose are selling better than mine :) ) Hope some of you will sign up for my newsletter at www.carolematthews.com to keep in touch. There's all kinds of useless gossip, monthly competitions and short stories. Will be sending out the prize books at the end of the week - hope you enjoy yours Purple Poppy! Thanks again. Every good wish. Carole xx

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Hi Carole, just wanting to say thanks for your book, I started it today and I am enjoying it thoroughly, its a great read.

 

Also thanks to Michelle, for giving me the opportunity to get the book.

 

:)

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