Doubts over going indie? Banish them now.

If ever I have been under any doubt (and I have been - lots) about independently publishing my work, I'm not under it any more!

There are so many debates as to whether indie / self publishing your work limits your chances with the big publishing houses (or any come to that)and it is easy to get lost amongst the advice. So this isn't more advice, it's just something that came to my attention this week. I hope that by sharing it with you maybe I can reassure you that the indie route you're taking is a good one.

Every now and then I check my status and rankings on Amazon.co.uk (Okay, you've got me, I do it at least once a day) and I've been pleased to see that the months of hardwork on the marketing front and the word of mouth over my Knight Trilogy series have seen me move from my starting point amongst quater of a million other e-books to being consistently in the top #3000; somedays I even hit the #1000s. Now this is really reassuring, especially when I get to look at my graph on author central.

So, I thought to myself, maybe this is actually nothing that special - maybe I am still behind a couple of thousand traditionally published authors - because of course in my mind, being traditionally published surely means that the publishing house and agents are busting a gut to market and promote your book in return for their rather fat slice of the cake.

So imagine my utter surprise when I discovered that one really awesome YA book published by Harper (Yes, the shimmering vision of publishing I so once longed for) is languishing in the #200,000 rankings. Yes, that was two HUNDRED thousands. This would mean that the e-book version of this book was selling less than one book a day! How can this be?

So I investigated further and discovered that maybe one reason was that they were selling his e-book edition for £7.49 (having slashed it from £12.49) Now I know there is a whole argument about the 0.99c pricing and the devaluation of literature blah de blah (BTW my #1 of the series is on a 0.99c!) but surely in these new interesting times of publishing you might have thought that Harper might have given the author a chance to compete amongst the indie pubbed stuff - especially as he is in effect, paying them.

So, although I perhaps once longed after being 'adopted' by a top publishing house who I thought would nurture my talent, market the hell out of my book for me and 'turn' me into a shiny, happy author, I am beginnning to think that actually the way I am doing it is the best way for me, both financially (I get to keep all 70% of my takings) and artistically.

Hopefully, next time you look at your rankings this little blogpost puts it all a little into perspcetive for you.

Imagine love for us

Yours are the eyes that may not see.
You may not touch.

There are years between what could be,
We are already a memory of each other.

Let me be a secret smile on your lips.
A sleepless night of dreams.

Flash me a look that says what cannot be said;
A silent stolen kiss across the time.

Sit and carve a space in your imagination.
A place where we can love.

A place free.

REVIEW 'FULL DARK, NO STARS' by Stephen King

My reading relationship with Stephen King is complex. Every now and then I find myself enticed back into his nightmare world, almost as if I were a visiting long distance niece who is reminded just how much she adores her darkly, witty and slightly disconcerting uncle.

This 'visit' usually happens about once a year and is always a casual decision. Earlier this year I stumbled across 'Desperation' in a charity shop. I picked it up, not with any real intention to read it but when I did, I devoured it in less than twenty four hours. This is how I always end up reading King - in a dark, indulgent binge.

And so it was with 'Full Dark, No Stars': It happened to be the third choice on the infamous 3 for 2 bargain offer which usually lands you with a free book that gathers dust on the shelf until it makes its last chance saloon at the Charity Shop. But in King's old wily way, I found my hand lifting it from the shelf and I started reading it yesterday. You can tell from this review that the binge has happened.

If I'd paid enough attention to the blurb and not just the King name, I would have noticed it was a collection of (long) short stories; 1922, Big Driver, Fair Extension, A Good Marriage. If it hadn't been the third, I wouldn't have bothered. But I'm glad I did.

King doesn't shy from the adult content in his collection (He offers a kind of erudite 'justification' of this at the end of the book in the form of an authorial note on the importance of the 'truth of the story' etc) I'm kind of glad he did this because I was tempted to write King a missive on his instance (almost indulgence) on the trope of the abused woman.

Both '1922' and 'Big Driver' are classic, old school nineteen eighties horror against women tales. I think 'Big Driver' was a kind of attempt to redress the balance with a nod to female revenge / empowerment. But to be honest, it was a bit of a weak gender political message tacked on as if to justify the graphic descriptions of rape earlier in the story. It wasn't overly offensive - the intention had been good - it was just a little disappointingly and archaically executed.

I loved 'Fair Extension' - for me this is King at his best. The King that wrote 'Needful Things'. Clever, chilling exploration of the 'ordinary' man's capacity for cruelty and the canker of bitterness that can nestle in the heart of all of us.

The thing is with King, you know within minutes that your in stable, proficient hands. (Note I didn't use the word good!) King is an accomplished, confident storyteller. His characterisation is his strength. He pulls you into the character's world, you see through the eyes of them. It is never an objective observation with King - as a reader he makes you a part of the tale and this is why he is a master.

A recommended read.

Overall 4.5/5 (loses half a star for his lazy feminism :))

BTW - 'Desperation' is a fabulous read.