Thanks, Nell - you're a star!!

)

LoL

A
xxx

Fellen,
This is no tip on how to get a publisher but ideas to increase publicity. Have you thought of local radio and press. I know our local papers are keen to do interviews with anyone who has success like yours. You could also try your local BBC radio station, any exposure must be good for sales. Or how about linking the interview with an independant book-shop? You know, how they've taken a chance with an independant author, excellent exposure for both of you.

All the best,

Gina.

Well I received the book today in the post and it looks great! I look forward to diving into it!

Fellen, You've done brilliantly. Congratulations!! I had a friend who similarly published her own first novel and it did extremely well in terms of publicity and sales. However, no publisher would take her, because the book had already been published:-( What she then did was get herself an agent who told her to come up with an idea for a couple more novels, and then sold them to TransWorld on synopsis, along with the first novel. They published the new novels first (when they were written) and slipped the original in somewhere between. All are doing well. In other words, it might help if you approach with a package, and it always helps to have a representative to argue your corner. With all those reviews behind you, you should have no problem, so just keep writing:-) Shyama

Thanks guys. I will think about all of the suggestions here.

Ani: glad it got there safe and sound. I typeset it with my own fair hands and any and all typos are also down to me. The world's hardest (writing) job must be 'self' copy editing. In fact, self any-kind-of-editing is a killer. I would have offered my body for a decent editor (not much I'll grant that) but I knew none (been out of the country for a while and the only two editors I ever trusted were not available).

I even set my matchstick men-level art skills to work on the cover. The interior is nice though; I'm very proud of that.

It seems that the TLS review has opened some doors. It looks like I may be getting some proper distribution after all. A lot of work in front of me but suddenly the people at the 'head offices' of the big stores are sounding like they're very interested.

I'm hoping that it will be in a lot of stores by the time The New Scientist and Classic fm Mag do their reviews. (I have a few others in the pipeline as well.)

With music, I need radio, I did one; it was wonderful but I need more. But most of all I need it in stores everywhere. People reading, enjoying, word-of-mouth; that's the prize.

You people here have been so nice.

Many thanks.

P.S. I have a couple of publishers 'looking at it' now. This could be interesting, but I want to do the London Book Fair and check out the lay of the land. Access to stores is exciting. The possibility of 'seed' publishing is interesting. Someone called today to ask if I'd read his manuscript (with a view to publishing). It almost broke my heart to say that I'm no use to him, and only in my dreams may I ever be of any use to other writers.

I wish him well.

YOu've done brilliant so far. well done.

you need to build on this of course but it's a long road. and you've made a fab start. hire a publicist? do the job yourself? send copies out to other places you want to be reviewed?

I think you don't really need to worry - you've got some great places reviewing you. I think that is amazing for a first novel. but it's not a question of sitting on laurels (you don't sound like you would!) but of moving forward but without fretting about how good a success you've done already. you're getting there. jsut carry on in eth same way, I would say.

is it self-published as I don't know the publisher?

of course posting in forums like this also serves as marketing, creating word of mouth sales. But I am sure you're well aware of that!

Well done Fellen it sounds to me like you are in a fantastic position. I totally agree with Shyama, now is the time to get a good agent and let them do the leg work.

Good Luck

Best

Julie
x

Congrats on getting this far Francis!

You should contact Richard and Judy, tell them about your book and your story of trying to get it published. I read somewhere that featuring a book as one of their book club titles can sell maybe 50,000 copies.

Or you could approach one of the major papers with the idea of writing an article on self publishing. Flick through any of the weekend mags and there'll be an article by some writer or other who just happens to be flogging a book at the moment.

Just out of curiosity how many have you sold so far?

Geoff

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. Richard and Judy would be good. I expect I'd have to generate a little more heat to get it noticed by producers of that show.

In the meantime I'm working away at decent distribution across major UK cities. I suspect that I'm going to end up with a publishing company by default.

I may talk to a couple more agents but (at the risk of offending those poor, sensitive souls) my experience has been that they lack vision (en masee; somehow). I have no idea how this could happen outside of a shallow analysis that leads me to believe that people who start out making tea to get a foothold and end up doing something entirely unrelated to the making of a nice cuppa often turn out to be agents who believe that the world of publishing is a big crapshoot and hard facts and numbers supported by overwhelming anecdotal evidence must be eschewed in favour of one's own sensibilities.

These people work very hard but most of it is a bloody waste of time. Publishing is logistically efficient but the sector itself - especially the 'search' (is there one?) for new product and raw materials - is insanely inefficient. A hundred years of doing things a 'certain' way has given us agents perfectly evolved to work in a completely closed environment.

On one side we have publishers, ravenous for new novelists that will sell like hotcakes. On the other we have hundreds of novelists writing stuff that people love. In the middle we have experts who spend every day trying to stuff their clients down the throats of publishers and publishers too frightened even to make a decision about who has possibilities (otherwise why would agents drone on about how "enthusiastic" they need to be?).

Last time I spoke to an agent I told him my book was selling an average of five copies a month at the few stores I had. He told me that no way would a big publisher buy a book with a market of sixty copies a year (he multiplied 12 months by five copies (he assumed a single store for some reason); and that was my whole future laid out). When I explained that I had just done two distribution deals and that we might now be able to extrapolate these numbers times 'x' stores, (I stupidly mentioned that Americans, Australians and Kiwis were writing to me to tell me they loved it - therefore I suggested to the agent that we might even take our multipliers into other countries) he told me "wishful thinking."

He's right, of course, I'm a 'wishful thinking' type of person. But I can also do simple arithmetic.

Talking to agents is so draining and they seem so far behind the curve that I suppose I might be able to get an agent if the book 'becomes' a best seller.

Of course, the said agent had just taken on a fellow agent as a client. What do you reckon the odds are? Strange how people 'in' the industry seem somehow so loaded with talent that they get agents and deals and then, after publication, the "reviews aren't important". Which is what I got told; six months ago; I was insane, after twelve major reviews, suddenly reviews are no big deal because some bloody agent has signed someone impersonating a writer and the books don't sell; therefore reviews mean nothing. Reader reviews mean nothing.

Selling any less than that magic number which constitutes the actualization of the phenomenon known as a best seller means the book won't sell.

It's all good fun.

Thanks again.

P.S. For God's sake, any agents out there who want to bleat about their lot. Please spare me. In fact, instead of defending your corner just send me your details and a short synopsis with thee chapters entitled "How I Plan to Spend my Ten Percent."

If it ain't double-spaced, courier it gets wiped upon my Irish arse. I want to hear an original voice, something unique; strong vivid characters please with a solid plot (although we could work on that; I like to get agents early, before they've matured, so that I can work with them, so, in the tradition of great literary awards there is an age limit (after all, who wants old nags for agents?), so if you're older than nine don't bother applying).

I have an agent auction planned and I'm taking names. The auction is designed to find the 'most enthusiastic' agent but note that party hats and streamers are forbidden. You are allowed to do a little dance, but no tutus please.

Musical instruments will be tolerated (with the exception of banjos, ukuleles, and Scottish massed pipe bands) but I'm most interested in a good story, well told. You've no idea how many agents come out with the same hackneyed scenarios. I want to be stunned. I want to be amazed. Frankly, I'm starting to think that you people all sing from the same songbook. Please; above all: Orginality. I know it's hard, but if you keep at it, you can make it. I promise I will read all submissions if I've nothing pressing to do and I will expedite all replies in no more than three to twenty-six months. Agents should coordinate their efforts on this because I will not tolerate multiple or parallel submissions. Each agent must get in the queue and wait their turn. I cannot believe that you people would expect me to deal with more than one of you at a time. If it means that we do not make a deal for thirty or forty years, then just think how much worse it could have been.

The lucky winner of the auction will then be allowed to skim off some of the cream (he will still be required to make me a cuppa from time to time; lest he lose his natural, inbred skills) and s/he will also be allowed to auction my future works for obscene amounts of money (that will then be multiplied by ten so that Guardian journalists have something to write about).

Please do not forget the S.A.E. You would not believe how many people expect me to stump up for a stamp. If I'm going to go to all the trouble of cutting sheets of A4 into little strips so that I can advise you about my lack of enthusiasm then the least you can do is pay for it.

If your book is as funny as that last post, you'll be laughing