I have had the pleasure of knowing bestselling author, Morwenna Blackwood for many years and recall the impact her amazing debut novel, The (D)evolution of us had on me. So it is a delight to welcome Morwenna to the bog today to discuss the vagaries of being an author. Over to you, Morwenna.
So. You’ve always wanted to be a writer, have you? Mmm. We’ve never heard that before! Oh, and you’ve actually written a novel, have you? Mmm. 65,000 words. Not exactly a novel. Well, you’ve done the easy bit. Best of luck!
You again? What now?! Ooh, you found a publisher, did you? We’ll give you that – well done. Hang on! You can’t just sit back and write another novel! You’ve signed a contract! You’ve got to put some work in, now! Welcome to the world of relentless self-promotion! Oh, come on, you’ve got to do more than post it on your Facebook page and email the local newspaper! Hahaha, honestly! Here’s some advice:
Set up social media accounts on every platform, make daily content, find and build your audience. Organise blog tours, craft fairs, book fairs, market stalls, Zoom calls, posters, flyers, banners. Then brace yourself for the No! from all the bookshops – they don’t want you, because you’re not famous/there are too many of you/I-don’t-care-that-you’re-published-your-book-must-be-available-from-Gardners/Nielson. And calling yourself a local author is not a good idea! Also, you need to write a weekly blog, set up a website, do a newsletter, spend three hours everyday on social media interacting with strangers who know damned well you just want them to buy your book. And look out for the scammers. You paid 30 dollars for what? I said look out for the scammers! Yes, they’re scammers, too! And those! Scammers, scammers! And be yourself. But be interesting; be different. People are buying you when they buy your book. What do you mean, it’s not selling? Well, two-hundred-trillion books are released on Amazon every week! Maybe you are just rubbish at marketing, and not cut out to go the distance. Buy a book on marketing. Or pay a PR company! And don’t forget to balance things with your home life and your real job … Oh, and keep writing – one release a year won’t cut it. And SMILE!
We told you writing the book was the easy bit! Honestly, is it any wonder so many disillusioned authors stop trying to write professionally?
But, wait! Do it as a hobby! You wanted to write, so write! Just self-publish! Everybody’s doing it! You’ll need to download Adobe. You’ll need an ebook reader, and be able to convert your files. It’s not working because you haven’t embedded your fonts. It’s easy! Watch a YouTube video! Oh, for goodness sakes! If you don’t know how to edit your language identifiers in HTML, just pay someone to sort the files for you! It’s only £200 for your little slip of a novel. And you’ll still need to get your book edited, or at least beta-read – your MC’s character arc sucks. And get someone to design you a genre appropriate cover – you won’t sell anything with that thing you’ve knocked up on Canva on the front of your book! Oh, and it’s not printing because you didn’t specify the paper width. Honestly, this is the soft option! What’s wrong with you? Can’t you cut it?
And now what’s the problem? Your publisher’s closing down? Well, what did you expect? It’s a saturated market, and you’re just one more wannabe. We don’t care if you’ve written a whole series with them! This isn’t for you. It was all a pipedream. Here, take some Prozac …
But something in you can’t let it lie. You know you can write. You know where you fit. And you’ve made some connections – friends, even – along the way. Yes, you’ve queried again in panic, and had a couple of nos, but were these guys really right for you and your work? Just ping an email over to this publisher. They look like a good fit for you …
Yes, having a series of novels become unavailable after four years of bloody hard work, is sad. Soul-destroying, even. But, with your accumulated knowledge, and a fresh pair of eyes, your second editions could be awesome. It’s exciting. Remember when this was exciting?
Look how far you’ve come.
Look at what you’ve achieved, against all the odds.
And the best thing? You’re cutting it as a writer now, and no one can take that away from you.
The Author
When she was six years old, Morwenna wrote an endless story about a frog, and hasn’t stopped writing since.
She’s the author of bestselling noir psychological thrillers, The (D)Evolution of Us, Glasshouse, Underrated and Skin and Bone, as well as short stories and a collection of poetry. She’s just released a new novel, Cover Your Tracks. Morwenna has and MA in Creative Writing, and can usually be found down by the sea.
She often thinks about that frog.
The Links
Comments