Heart of Glass: Front cover done. Back blurb in progress. Some delays in August because I was torn between two cover options both of which I liked. Now we’re done being torn. Very exciting. Clue: 1980s! Yes! In sports news, Cry of the Flying Rhino: Hong Kong – the prize giving ceremony and launch is now only 4 weeks away! …
7 Lessons in Book Promotion (for Slackers)
1/ Someone once said “Writing is Showbusiness for the Shy”. Event/talk/gig tours to promote one’s paperbacks is quite a nice thing to do if you are a) young or b) young at heart or c) have tons of time and money or d) all of the above ideally. As I am having a déjà vu, …
The Brief Crowdfunding Pitch De-Brief
So you have pitched and now you are wondering how the hell did I do? 1. On the pitching letter. Make it pithy and make each one the best letter you ever wrote. If you know them v well, aim for the heart. Go deeper. Ask how Anna’s Grade V piano exam went and how James’ operation …
Your Crowdfunding Pitch Letter
The letter needs to be pithy and to the point. Short direct pitches work better cos firstly people have no time and secondly they have no patience. It should be in three paragraphs only. The first paragraph: Introduce your product and what it is. Learn to cut out all that “how are you hope you’re well” …
Editing, schmediting and COVER DESIGN!
I have been working on the cover design with the graphic designer who has designed bestsellers like The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith and Marina Lewycka’s A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian. As a designer myself, I find it both easy and hard to take the back seat and let someone do …
INTERVIEW: American writer Robert Raymer on Writing and Publishing
Robert Raymer is an American writer and writing facilitator from Grove City, Pennsylvania, who now lives in Kuching, Sarawak on the island of Borneo. I have met Robert just once. I mentioned him in another blog post called “My First Prize-winning Story was typed on this typewriter” about when I first started submitting my work to competitions …
REVIEW: “Monte Carlo” by Peter Terrin (hardback)
Just finished this #beautiful book #montecarlo by #peterterrin #monaco set in the #grandprix #1968. It goes well with my #vintage #things. I only picked it for the #bookcover and the inside text #font #typeface which is #goudyoldstyle #review coming. Good story, touching, short, strong characters #midcenturymodern #interiordesign #writer #writing #writersofinstagram A post shared by Satsuma …
EXCLUSIVE: Heart of Glass structural edit AND Cry of the Flying Rhino publication date
Doctor: So what seems to be the problem? Dude, I am not allowed to complain because I was and am a writer therefore I am already a masochist. In fact I am hanging upside down now flogging myself. It took me more than a decade (I think 13 years and still counting) to write both these …
SNEAK PREVIEW: Cry of the Flying Rhino book cover draft designs
Because I am a control freak, I decided to have a stab at cover design myself. The first one, the black and red one is inspired by Iban tattoo pattern and Alfred Hitchcock film posters by illustrator/artist Saul Bass. But I think it might be deemed too London, too retro. The second and the third are …
REVIEW: Secret retro gig on Saturday 10 June 2017 for Writers!
… celebrating for the first time with Unbound authors. It has been 12 or 13 years since I did my MA and listened to ‘readings’ from a writers’ group. I was touched that my new international writer friends had travelled from all over- Italy, Coventry, Winchester, Oxford and London of course, to my corner of SW London. It reminded …