Thinking of Self-Publishing...

These days writers have the option to self-publish rather than hoping that a traditional publishing house will offer them a contract. Amazon, Smashwords, and a host of other companies offer writers the opportunity to see their book in print, but not everyone has the skill to prepare their manuscript.  That's where L. Cooper Press can help.

For one fee, L. Cooper Press provides:

• In-house line editing or if preferred, a list of approved editors 
• Service provider details for cover design and formatting
• Assistance  in creating an Amazon/Kindle/Createspace account if you do not have one
• Will assign an ISBN for your print book
• Guide you through the process for your printed book.

Advantages of self-publishing with L.Cooper Press:

• There are no contracts to sign
• You retain the copyright
• You set the price of your book and keep 100% of the royalties
• You will receive a professional and personal service from editors, designers and formatters to help you make informed choices for your manuscript.
• Your book will be available in print and ebook formats within weeks.
• A Publisher's imprint enters your book into Books in Print, which is where bookstores and libraries find books they want to order.
• Your book will NOT be perceived as self-published.

For more information visit the website:  L.Cooper Press  or email  lcooperpress@yahoo.com

    

Are you writing today or...

I love to write, but I like to do so in silence. No music, no interruptions, just peace and quiet to concentrate on the plot and characters.  Very few of us ever achieve that in today’s world, and I’m no exception.  But like most women, I have a home to run and a family to feed, a dog to be walked and a lawn to be mowed.

My office sits at the top of the stairs where I can hear everything that goes on in the house, from my other half listening to the radio and the dog barking when someone dares to knock on the door.

So how do I manage my time and concentrate on the task in hand?

I’ll admit, some days it is an up hill struggle to put words on the page.  Like today, when I feel I should be working on book four, I’ve spent the morning writing this post for my blog, and researching online book clubs.  I’ve also promoted my books on websites, read friend’s posts on Twitter and Facebook, even baked a blackberry cobbler.  My other half, bless him, has walked the dog, refilled the bird feeders and is now tackling the ironing.  (Ladies, don’t you just love a man who irons his own shirts?)

While this has been going on, part of my brain has been mulling over my plot and trying to convince me that I have enough of a story to fill a 120,000 word novel.  I’ve named my characters, chosen a setting (Scotland) and thrown them into a tricky situation. 

Life isn’t easy; it throws things at us hour-by-hour, day-by-day that make us change our plans.  The same can be said of writing a novel.  You think you have the plot worked out. You sit down and make copious notes, you might even write a detailed outline or jot down ideas for scenes, but once you put pen to paper your brain can take you in a different direction just as life does.

The question a writer must ask, is should they abandon all the work they’ve done already in order to follow this new idea?  No.  Save what you have already written and continue writing, then see where the story takes you.  I have at least three versions of the first two chapters of my current manuscript saved in a file on my computer.  I may not choose to use them in this book, but with a little reworking and different characters, the scene might be suitable for another manuscript. 

Change happens for a reason, and when it comes to writing a novel, it might just make the experience that much better for the reader.  Embrace them, and move forward.

New Year, New Goals

I've been a very bad blogger of late... but I've had my reasons, which I wont bore you with, but suffice to say they've involved a few trips to the Accident and Emergency Department at our local hospital.

However, now that matters are more or less under control, I'm once again working on my manuscript and determined to finish it before summer is out.

One of the questions I'm frequently asked when giving talks, is where do I get my ideas?  Are they generated by things I read in the newspaper or hear on TV?  Is it a snippet of conversation overheard in a coffee shop that creates that spark and the idea for a novel?

Actually, it's none of the above!  With me, it's places.  My first novel, Three Weeks Last Spring is set on the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest.

The small, picturesque town of Friday Harbor, is unspoilt, and yet lies on a busy shipping route. The Islands are a paradise for wildlife as whales, sea otters and bald eagles .  I realised that it would take very little to upset the ecology of the islands and thus the idea for Three Weeks Last Spring was born.

The idea second novel, The House on the Shore, came from my experiences of managing a small company involved in the offshore oil and gas industry and from working as an administrator on an estate.  I'd also spent twenty years living on a croft in the North East of Scotland and was familiar with the area around Loch Hourn, the setting for the novel.

While sat on the beach on Gasparilla Island, on Florida's Gulf coast, admiring the stunning beach houses, I started to think about how it would feel to own one.  (Note the aspiration, readers!) I played around with the idea for a couple of hours while I thought about how much I was missing the winter weather back home in England (not one little bi, in case you were wondering!), until I had the rough outline of a plot.  Ring of Lies, was published eighteen months later and tells the story of Grace Elliott's struggle to navigate her way through the criminal world of South Florida.

All of which, brings me to my the book I'm currently working on.  It has a title, but I'm not going to share it at the moment.  However, I will tell you that it is set in the Peak District, in Derbyshire, and, as before, it was a place that gave me the idea.  See if you can recognise the setting from the photograph. 

How to write and Sell your novel

Following on from the recent successful novel writing course I took part in with fellow author, Milly Johnson, I have  agreed to run an on-line, no-charge series of classes for The Author's Marketing Powerhouse.   The 10-week course will cover all aspects of writing your novel, from developing your idea to promotion and building an Author Platform.  Click on the link for more details, and sign up today.

Writing Classes with The Author's Marketing Powerhouse

Dear Blog Readers

Wishing you all a relaxing and

happy holiday, and 

a 2012 which brings you 

good health, happiness and success.

I'll be back in early January with news of my current manuscript and interesting articles 

from writer friends and colleagues.  

Keep safe, and for those of you who write, 

nurture your muse.

Happy Christmas

Victoria