 2012 PR shot It’s ten years since I started thrusting books on the world and I’d like to I share some expurgated diary extracts and experiences with you.
But first, a word of motivation…
You know how they say it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something? If you take a working day of 8 hours, that comes out to 1,250 days. Suppose we work 5 days a week, i.e. a 40 hour week (Haha!) that comes to around 250 weeks or 4.8 years.
A wise entrepreneur once told me it takes about 5 years to get a business off the ground and into profit. So theoretically, I should have got hold of this writing business. I couldn’t possibly comment…
It’s actually quite hard to get ideas out of your head into an arrangement of words on a page that you feel satisfied with. But be comforted – perfection is impossible. That’s almost the first helpful lesson you learn. Some readers will rave about your writing, others will be left cold. But as a writer you feel compelled to keep trying, however tired your fingers are or how ever much your back aches, however many times you feel discouraged by others’ success or your own lack of it. But if you do the very best you possibly can, then give yourself a gold star. Being bloody-minded and persistent also helps…
So how did it all go for me…
August 2009: A really bad film sends me to my desk, and within 90 days, I have churned out a story of 90,000 words. No clue what to do with the finished manuscript, but it’s bound to be snapped up and sold in every shop and airport.
2010-12: A humbling apprenticeship. I discover I know nothing about the book world or novel writing craft despite being a life-long avid reader. Although ‘high concept and well-written’ according to professional assessors, my story is covered in layers of wishy-washyness and meanders all over the place – certainly not ready for agents, publishers or unprotected readers. I start a blog, though (https://alison-morton.com), as I knew from my business days that you need your own wholly-owned presence in cyberspace.
 Nicola Morgan, Alison Morton, Liz Harris sharing a good joke in 2010 I join a writers’ circle, acquire a critique writing partner, go to conferences, read craft books, study on courses and in classes, and hone.
And I mean hone. You have never seen such scalpel action on a writer’s work. I put it through professional assessments – tough and even tougher. At last, a reasonably manuscript emerges.
My desk isn’t visible through the layers of multiple rejection letters saying, ‘intelligent and well-crafted, but we don’t know how to market it’. I despair. But feedback from many quarters said the story was of publishable standard so I take heart.
During this ‘apprenticeship’, I make connections including the late Carole Blake, the agents’ agent, who becomes a friend and mentor. We discover we both have a lot of opinions on everything. 😉 I come across publishing experts of all stripes in person and virtually including Sam Missingham. My business brain clicks into action and after consideration I decide to research the self-publishing sector. My brain hurts but I draw up a short list of experts to help bring my novels to market in the best possible presentation and grill them for two hours each.
2013: Structurally and copy-edited, proofed and put together beautifully by SilverWood Books, INCEPTIO hits the world. PERFIDITAS follows six months later (It’s fully drafted by the time INCEPTIO came out, so I’m not being super-productive!). Am taken aback by the amount of PR/marketing needed: blog tours, reviews, guest posts, competitions, talks, local radio, let alone feeding my own blog. (Aaaaargh!)
Join the Alliance of Independent Authors – lifeboat.
2014: SUCCESSIO comes out in June and I’m interviewed by no less a person than broadcaster Sue Cook!
I start to get onto the speaking ladder at conferences – panels and talks – very exciting!
 Publishing collaboration panel at the Romantic Novelists’ Association 2016 conference with Dominic Wakeford (Piatkus), Carol Blake (Blake Friedmann Lit Agency), Katie Fforde, Nicola Cornick (Vice Chair RNA), Donna Hillyer (publishing consultant) But I realise my writing life has to change. It’s the fine choice indies have to make – writing or marketing? The answer is both. Planning is key whether it’s speaking, attending, selling your books, requesting reviews, running your social media, writing guest posts, packing your exhibition box or considering next year’s events.
And you learn to write on planes and trains.
2015: AURELIA comes out, the first of a new trilogy set the late 1960s. Originally, it was going to be a single sequel, but I have too much story, so another trilogy. That will be it. Or so I think. I go to the US and chair the indie panel at the Historical Novel Society conference. This is also the year for a marketing makeover for the blog. I split it as I was aiming at two audiences – my Roma Nova readers and other writers. Now I have a writing blog as well as the Roma Nova book one (https://alisonmortonauthor.com). (What am I doing???)
 2016: The year the Ryanair crew recognise me when I came back home to France from my tenth gig in the UK. I’m doing too much, including a major conference in France as well as several in the UK. Still, I’d chair the indie panel at the 2016 HNS Conference, launch my fifth book, INSURRECTIO (endorsed by Conn Iggulden!) at the London Book Fair (left) and speak at an event with Kate Mosse!
2017: RETALIO comes out in April followed by CARINA, a novella, in November. I only achieve this by gluing myself into my chair and doing fewer events, although I had the pleasure of speaking in Dublin for the first time.
2018: Persuaded by the dynamic force known as Helen Hollick, I move several light years from my comfort zone and write a short story for 1066 Turned Upside Down alternative history collection. No problem with the alternative history side; this is the genre I write in – I give talks in it – but a short story? Um… I write 90-100,000 word books. But somehow it works.
This impels me to publish a short story collection of my own – ROMA NOVA EXTRA. Oh, and I represent the indie writing world on a panel at CrimeFest.
2019: The great change in Roma Nova: reorganisation and brand new covers! Each heroine now has four books – three novels and a novella to their name – and the series will split into the Carina and Aurelia strands. I published NEXUS in September, the novella that completes the Aurelia strand. In my spare time, I write a short story for RUBICON, a collection of Roman stories published for the Historical Writers’ Association, and a 17th century Roma Novan story will be out in December as part of Helen Hollick’s Story Song month.
Ten years later, I’d say the writing process itself doesn’t get a great deal easier but some aspects of writing life do. You’ve gained expertise, knowledge and valuable contacts. You have a better idea of what you’re supposed to be doing, and have (hopefully) gained a sense of proportion. And you’ve learnt that change is the only certain thing.
So, nine Roma Nova books, one history book, a new writer’s guide later, I’m not super-productive by some standards, but I still feel that urge to write, to put those words out there. Where next? I’m developing a new series – a first draft completed and the second started… Yes, the itch is still with me.
Update December 2021: And two books in that series are now out – Double Identity and Double Pursuit. You have to do something during yjr pandemic lockdown. 😉
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers – INCEPTIO, CARINA (novella), PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, NEXUS (novella), INSURRECTIO and RETALIO, and ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories. Audiobooks are available for four of the series.Double Identity, a contemporary conspiracy, starts a new series of thrillers. Double Pursuit, the sequel, is now out!
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines and taste world the latest contemporary thriller Double Identity… Download ‘Welcome to Alison Morton’s Thriller Worlds’, a FREE eBook, as a thank you gift when you sign up to Alison’s monthly email newsletter. You’ll also be among the first to know about news and book progress before everybody else, and take part in giveaways.
If you enjoyed this post, do share it with your friends!Like this:Like Loading...
 No, not Julio-Claudians or other Romans, but that powerful and intermarried ruling family, the Tudors and their connections.
This Thursday’s guest is Tony Riches, a full-time UK author of best-selling historical fiction. He lives in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the history of the Wars of the Roses and the lives of the early Tudors.
Tony’s other published historical fiction novels include: Owen – Book One Of The Tudor Trilogy, Jasper – Book Two Of The Tudor Trilogy, Henry – Book Three Of The Tudor Trilogy, Mary – Tudor Princess and Brandon – Tudor Knight.
Tony’s latest book, Katherine, Tudor Duchess is out this week. Sometimes the side actors can be more intruiguing than the main characters. Over to Tony…
Attractive, wealthy and influential, Katherine Willoughby is one of the most unusual ladies of the Tudor court. A favourite of King Henry VIII, Katherine knows all his six wives, his daughters Mary and Elizabeth, and his son Edward.
When her father dies, Katherine becomes the ward of Tudor knight, Sir Charles Brandon. Her Spanish mother, Maria de Salinas, is Queen Catherine of Aragon’s lady in waiting, so it is a challenging time for them when King Henry marries the enigmatic Anne Boleyn.Following Anne’s dramatic downfall, Katherine marries Charles Brandon, and becomes Duchess of Suffolk at the age of fourteen. After the short reign of young Catherine Howard, and the death of Jane Seymour, Katherine and Brandon are chosen to welcome Anna of Cleves as she arrives in England.
 When the royal marriage is annulled, Katherine’s good friend, Catherine Parr becomes the king’s sixth wife, and they work to promote religious reform. Katherine’s young sons are tutored with the future king, Prince Edward, and become his friends, but when Edward dies his Catholic sister Mary is crowned queen. Katherine’s Protestant faith puts her family in great danger – from which there seems no escape.
Katherine’s remarkable true story continues the epic tale of the rise of the Tudors, which began with the best-selling Tudor trilogy and concludes with the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
——
Available in eBook and paperback from Amazon UK and Amazon US
(Audiobook in 2020)
——
Connect with Tony
Website: tonyriches.com
Blog, The Writing Desk
Facebook
Twitter: @tonyriches
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers – INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, INSURRECTIO and RETALIO. CARINA, a novella, and ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories, are now available. Audiobooks are available for four of the series. NEXUS, an Aurelia Mitela novella, is now out.
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines… Download ‘Welcome to Roma Nova’, a FREE eBook, as a thank you gift when you sign up to Alison’s monthly email newsletter. You’ll also be first to know about Roma Nova news and book progress before everybody else, and take part in giveaways.
If you enjoyed this post, do share it with your friends!Like this:Like Loading...
 Eyedrops – my life for the next six weeks I woke up yesterday morning and could see.
No, not a divine miracle, but a result of expert surgery and it’s only one eye so far. The other one will be sorted out in a fortnight’s time. (Update 10 October: Second eye done and all is fabulous.)
I’ve lived in a blurry world of deep myopia since I was seven; sometimes assisted by glasses, other times by contact lenses, but always worried about losing one or the other and dropping back into that blurry world. Short sight has been part of me over many decades. I’m vain enough to whip off my glasses for photos, especially for that vital author mug shot, but otherwise my 180 degree vision has mostly been only partly usable.
Now it’s all going to change and so will part of my identity. It’ll be strange not scrabbling almost instinctively for my glasses first thing in the morning. Practically, I will join the rest of my cohort and need reading glasses for close work as I requested long sight over medium range for my new implanted lenses. I live in rural France and here you can’t survive without some form of personal transport, i.e. a car. But I will regain my confidence to drive at night again. Actually, I’ve hardly driven for a few weeks now because of the evil cataract that’s been growing in my defenceless left eye.
Currently, I’m typing this one-eyed and wearing my husband’s spare reading glasses, but I will be getting my own after the second eye operation. I can then do that ‘looking over the top of my reading glasses’ thing that I make the older Aurelia do in my Roma Nova books when she wants to remonstrate with somebody. I’m looking forward to the dramatic gesture of sweeping my reading glasses off with a sigh and staring coldly/pityingly/compassionately at some unfortunate.
 The first one that says ‘Arrrh’ gets it! It’s been a year of operations for me: skin cancer last December, realignment of foot bones in March and these two eye operations. The French health service has been superlative and the follow-up and ancillary care unrivalled. We live in a medical desert when it comes to specialists – this is the downside of rural France – but are lucky to have a good local health centre with GPs and nurse practitioners. However, good hospitals are an easy hour’s travel away so it works out in the end.
A bonus has been the fascinating conversations in the anaesthetists’ bay, operating theatres and the post-op recovery rooms about vocabulary, holidays in England, chatting in German with an anaesthetist from Alsace whose husband was an English teacher, giggling over sounds we find difficult to pronounce in each others’ languages. Oh, and you always get cake afterwards…
But there’s a dark side to my year of operations
Cramming all these procedures into less than ten months was not my favoured plan. The cancer was the urgent one, of course, and had to be done ASAP, but the others could have been sorted out at a more leisurely pace. It was Brexit.
There, I’ve said it. The Withdrawal Agreement (WA) has been fiddling about in the UK parliament for ever and older French resident British citizens didn’t know from one month to another whether their healthcare would still be covered by the EU reciprocal reimbursement system. As I now receive a UK state pension based on national insurance contributions I’ve paid throughout my working life in the UK, my healthcare is delivered by the French system and the cost reimbursed to them by the UK. This system is EU-wide, but would end for British citizens on Brexit. The draft WA made provision for this to continue for existing residents, but it became obvious the agreement wasn’t going anywhere.
Then came the threat of no-deal exit in March 2019 with much anxiety especially among the more elderly pensioners who had lost 20% of their income since 2016 due to the falling pound. Many of us with appropriate knowledge and experience spent hours talking and reassuring them, but couldn’t offer them any hard information. Neither could the embassy here, let alone the UK government.
So on a personal level I planned to get everything at least started by March which would qualify under the continuation scheme. My second eye operation and follow-up will just about be done before 31 October which looks as if it will be a no-deal Brexit. I received a letter yesterday from the UK saying healthcare would be extended for another six months, albeit with a convoluted mechanism. Not very comforting for an elderly acquaintance of ours with a husband suffering from terminal cancer, or for people needing ongoing dialysis or diabetic or hypertension medication.
Luckily, the French government stepped up in February with up to two years’ no-deal post-Brexit cover. But the UK has let its elderly EU27 residents down badly. In France, EU27 residents receive healthcare on the same basis that French citizens do; the social security generally reimburses 65-70%. You need a top-up insurance for the balance unless your income is below the mininum wage or it’s a life and death condition which is paid for by the French state.
For the UK, which pays our social security portion, British pensioners in the EU27 are a cheap date. And it seems we’re being stood up.
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers – INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, INSURRECTIO and RETALIO. CARINA, a novella, and ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories, are now available. Audiobooks are available for four of the series. NEXUS, an Aurelia Mitela novella, is now out.
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines… Download ‘Welcome to Roma Nova’, a FREE eBook, as a thank you gift when you sign up to Alison’s monthly email newsletter. You’ll also be first to know about Roma Nova news and book progress before everybody else, and take part in giveaways.
If you enjoyed this post, do share it with your friends!Like this:Like Loading...
 Authors love reviews – this is not a secret!
But after you’ve closed a book, why should you bother to write one? How do you do it? And who can write a review? What’s considered a ‘good’ review?
Whoa! Let’s take a step back…
Why write a book review?
Analysing and expressing your thoughts about a book you’ve read can help you understand it better and thus enrich your reading experience. Additionally, and more practically, book reviews are crucial in helping other readers understand what a particular book is about and whether they should invest time in reading it. An honest and well-written book review can also help your favourite authors. Reviews not only provide valuable feedback for the author – or at the very least, some much-needed praise and/or positive critique – they also boost visibility of books on sites like Amazon, helping more people find (and purchase) the books that you love and want to recommend to others.
Some tips…
- Before writing, consider who the review is for: online retailer e.g. Amazon, magazine/newspaper article (what readership?), book site e.g. Goodreads, your own blog, serious review journal, e.g. London Review of Books, genre review site/magazine e.g. Discovering Diamonds Reviews, HNS Historical Reviews or Mystery People magazine.
- Consider the style, tone and length of review appropriate for the publication while not sacrificing your own.
- Do not be intimidated into thinking your review must be erudite or cover several pages. Some of the best reviews can be only three lines long.
- Key guideline: it’s about the book, and not you.
A few general guidelines
 Make notes. By the time you have finished the book, you’re bound to have forgotten things you wanted to include in the review. The physical action of writing helps commit those points to memory.- Read the whole book unless it is so dire you can’t bear it. But be prepared to say why if asked.
- Any review that you write should be constructive, whether it’s positive or critical.
- Engage your readers immediately in your review – use the first sentence to state your overall opinion.
- Strive to be kind in your brutal honesty. Avoid being hurtful in your constructive criticism – authors are people too!
Nitty gritty
- Mention the main theme, genre, whether it’s part of a series, or a debut.
- Does it fit into genre conventions or not? Does that make it a better’/more interesting or engaging book?
- Does the book give you a sense of the place it’s set?
- What is the author’s ‘voice’ like?
- Mention the plot, character development and the writing style
- Is the dialogue lively or dull, correct for the period/setting?
Your reactions
- Other readers don’t want to hear just the facts. They also want to know what you think about the book, and how it made you feel! Did you like the story? Hate it? Why? Explain your feelings towards the book as best you can. What particularly excited you? What made you want to throw the book away (If you did)?
- What do you think the author did well? What do you think the author could have done better?
- Be authentic. Your followers/readers want to hear what you think of the book, and in your own voice.
Extras
- Include comments on any artwork or graphics included, extra materials (like a reading guide, map, family chart, glossary, etc.), whether there are any incorrect facts. (Check very carefully before you do!)
- DO NOT include half the plot, or heaven forbid, the whole plot, or spoilers in your review (No one enjoys spoilers and it’s mean).
Watch your formatting
While most book review sites and retailer sites such as Amazon prefer you write in a simple format, you can make it readable and enjoyable by other readers with these guidelines:
- Avoid writing just one big block of text. Space out your paragraphs so your review is easily readable.
- Don’t use ALL CAPS ever in a review.
- Don’t use punctuation excessively, such as using multiple exclamation points or question marks.
- Proofread your review for grammar, spelling mistakes, typos, etc. before sending it in or publishing it. A simple typo or error in your book review might discredit your review in the eyes of readers.
These are just a few guidelines – you do not need to do all of this, but hopefully, they may help to encourage you to leave a review after you’ve finished reading that book on your bedside table.
Happy reviewing!
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers – INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, INSURRECTIO and RETALIO. CARINA, a novella, and ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories, are now available. Audiobooks are available for four of the series. NEXUS, an Aurelia Mitela novella, is now out.
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines… Download ‘Welcome to Roma Nova’, a FREE eBook, as a thank you gift when you sign up to Alison’s monthly email newsletter. You’ll also be first to know about Roma Nova news and book progress before everybody else, and take part in giveaways.
If you enjoyed this post, do share it with your friends!Like this:Like Loading...
 Absolutely thrilled to be invited on to the Alliance podcast, hosted by Howard Lovy. And even more so as it features ‘inspirational authors’ Not quite sure I’m inspirational, but that’s enough imposter syndrome. 😉
Like many people, I always take a (mental) deep breath before an audio interview as you can’t see who is going to be listening at the other end, both interviewer and the wider audience – they won’t be able to see your smile, whether nervous or confident. Audio only gives a stronger, less attenuated signal and is standard for interviews over the internet on systems such as Skype. I usually ask the host to switch on their video a few minutes to chat beforehand so I can visualise them as the interview progresses. Then we’re back to audio only.
Howard has created a very smooth yet snappy podcast from all my mumblings and highlighted a couple of quotes:
On Creating Alternate History
“Every book has its own world and you have to create that with detail, but not drop it in in great lumps. You’ve got to get your characters completely integrated into the world and drip drop information in. But you have to make it plausible, credible and consistent.”
On Bringing Roman Times Forward
“You can’t have kick-ass feisty women who are heroines doing stuff in the ancient Roman world. So it basically had to come forward to the modern world. And to get it forward, we had to have a Roman society that had survived.”
And here’s the podcast!
If you enjoyed it, do feel free to tweet!
 The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi, “ally with an i”) is a professional membership organization fostering ethics and excellence in self-publishing.
ALLi is a diverse, supportive and friendly community of thousands of authors, collaborating with other author organizations and service partners.
In addition to an active, engaged, and growing membership, alongside with a healthy social media presence, ALLi has credibility and influence in the publishing and self-publishing industries with its founder-director, the award-winning novelist and poet Orna Ross, repeatedly named one of the “Top 100 people in publishing.” (The Bookseller)
As the only non-profit representing independent authors globally, with members on all seven continents, the association has become the most trusted voice in self-publishing. And its outreach education programs and campaigns ensure its impact is felt beyond its membership designations and borders, influencing the wider author community at every level.
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers – INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, INSURRECTIO and RETALIO. CARINA, a novella, and ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories, are now available. Audiobooks are available for four of the series. NEXUS, an Aurelia Mitela novella, will be out on 12 September 2019.
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines… Download ‘Welcome to Roma Nova’, a FREE eBook, as a thank you gift when you sign up to Alison’s monthly email newsletter. You’ll also be first to know about Roma Nova news and book progress before everybody else, and take part in giveaways.
If you enjoyed this post, do share it with your friends!Like this:Like Loading...
|
Subscribe to Blog via Email
Join 50 other subscribers.
Categories
Archive
|
