The Story so Far

It seems hardly believable to me now, but it must be true because I wrote everything down in a journal and I’ve just looked at it. I started thinking about the plot for what would become ‘Coat with Long Sleeves’ over the winter of 2012/13. I wrote out the first four chapters in longhand and then I stopped.

They say everyone has a novel in them. There were issues I wanted to write about; storylines that floated about in and out of my mind for the next four years and plots that snaked through my consciousness and then vanished.

I never was a typical debut author. I hadn’t written professionally or worked in the publishing industry. I wasn’t looking for a dazzling literary career. I didn’t even want to make any money, and anyway, I’d left it a bit late at the age of 62.

I was a complete novice, but I wanted to give it a try.

In September 2016, my wife and I had moved to Devon and for twelve months I had been absorbed in my new surroundings. I had a wonderful study, tucked away where nobody could disturb me, and a looming winter of cold days and long nights. I decided it was now or never. If it didn’t work, at least I would have got it out of my system. I reserved four hours each weekday for writing. I thought that was about right.

My first draft was handwritten

My first draft was in handwritten ball-point on loose lined A4 paper, double spaced.  

I feel I can be more creative with a pen.  

More spontaneous.  

Arrows and instructions dotted about; flamboyant crossings-out; different coloured inks.  I arranged the pages in their chapters attached with treasury tags and the pile grew alarmingly in size.

I was naïve.  

I didn’t know what genre fiction was, so I didn’t write for one.  

I didn’t know how many words a novel should have, so I didn’t count.  

I didn’t know who would want to read my book.  I still don’t.

By late 2017, I had most of the chapters and most of the plot written out, and now I needed it typed.   I figured I could do it myself or get someone else to look at it.   Trouble was, my handwriting had become, shall we say, eccentric – it would need translating to a stranger.   I could dictate it, perhaps, and I did try this with a speech recognition app, but it couldn’t get past obscure vocabulary or questionable grammar and was never my friend.

I decided to type it into Word myself and unexpectedly found the whole exercise pleasantly therapeutic.   It was reassuring to be in control.   It remained ‘all my own work’, and when I got fed up with the typing, I pondered over the plot and finished off all the bits with gaps in them.

Editing as a pleasure.

And then came that most daunting of chores – editing. Except that it wasn’t. I loved it. It brought out the researcher in me. Checking facts and fleshing out the bones of your knowledge; it was easy, seamless and instant. What was the phase of the moon on June 21st 2016? It really was Full. Wikipedia, what did we ever do without you? (we went to the library and took all day). Word has so many ways to help with typos and composition and Google can find clever dictionaries and thesaurus’s that throw up alternative words and expressions with a click of the mouse.

But you’ve got to stop somewhere.

After the fifth draft, I printed out a copy and gave it to my friends to read.

It was an exhilarating time.

They came back with suggestions and pointed out errors and generally said some nice things – they were my friends, after all. I was encouraged enough to want to push on.

I needed to find out how to get my creation published.

It might seem unlikely, but I knew nothing of the publishing industry.

Nothing at all.

I bought the Writers and Artists Yearbook and consumed it.

I searched online for a week and joined Jericho Writers and watched all their tutorials.

I read about how to submit queries and manuscripts to literary agents, and then I did it and sat back and waited.

Now, by then I had also learned how slush piles work and taken on-board the statistical likelihood of soliciting a positive response, so I wasn’t really surprised when I received only four replies from about fifteen bespoke submissions, all of them polite but automated.

Next up, indie publishers. I took the same trouble to thoroughly research their favourite genres and interests and I crafted tailored and well considered enquiries to half a dozen of the best matches. You’ve probably guessed the result.

I now know how publishing works

I think I now understand how the publishing industry works. I know that risks are taken; it is commercial, not altruistic or philanthropic; money must be made at each turn of the page, and I also realise that only the elite or the lucky ever make the big time.

So the risks that are taken need to be minimised; famous authors are favoured (whether they are famous for writing or for something else); formulaic successes are copied; trends and fashions are nurtured. Boxes must be ticked.

I also know that there are so many books being written that only a small fraction ever see the light of day.

I am an old, white, straight, rich, able-bodied Englishman. My protagonist is an old, white, straight, rich, able-bodied Englishman. We don’t tick many boxes, he and I.

I needed to find out about self-publishing

Fortunately, self-publishing is VERY easy to do. Anyone can do it. And therein lies something of a problem. No matter what you are told, there will always be a stigma dogging self-publishing, and it’s easy to understand why. Without speculative investment, a self-published book will not have had the rigorous structural editing from which a traditionally published book will have benefitted. Vanity publishers will always exploit vulnerable new writers.

But the great advantage for the self-published author is that he or she remains in control. That’s an enviable, liberating thing.

On the recommendation of a friend, I am being self-published by Matador, an imprint of Troubador Publishing. I have been very impressed so far with their work.

My paperback book is being printed as I write. It is due to be delivered from the printers next week. My ebook is formatted and ready to go. It is an exciting time.

And so I have been thinking about how I will promote and market ‘Coat with Long Sleeves’. I’ve recently learned all about book bloggers and reviewers, and am disappointed that it’s the same story. Too many books; not enough ticked boxes.
But it’s early days.