First Ebury Publishing and Now Bloomsbury - The Publishers Sending me Pressies in the Post this Week

I assumed that the first time a full manuscript-sized envelope dropped through my door from a publisher it would be the manuscript of my debut novel with an 'unfortunately' letter enclosed. Not so. First, Dim Wit fell through my door from Ebury Publishing and now I await the arrival from Bloomsbury of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

Seriously folks, get on Twitter if you want some free goodies.

Get Involved with Publishing

Obviously, I'd love you all to be telling people about my writing and blogs but I'm not the only writer on the face of the planet and we're in a recession so it's only good publishing karma to help out the authors already in print isn't it? If they do well, the publishers will do well and if the publishers do well they'll be more likely to take a punt on new writers.

The Plan

Let's harness the power of our own little networks to see how much we can move things along. It's good practice for when we all get published ourselves after all. It's all well and good for us to be navel-gazing and pondering endlessly on our would-be-author status but the fact of the matter is that some of us will be published soon *shock!* and when that happens, we'll need to know what to do next. Part of that is the business side of publishing - marketing and what-not - so let's have a go at it!

If you look at my previous post, you'll see I've started to promote Dim Wit using the hashtag #dimwit on Twitter. The people at Ebury Publishing have already put a link to that post here on the blog.

Help Yourself

This is the point where I appeal to your inner 'but-it's-a-recession-why-should-I-help-anyone-else?' brat. If you're not feeling charitable, have a moment of self-interest. They are publishers. They will be keeping an eye on how various marketing strategies are working. If, when they search for #dimwit your name comes up as a retweeter of a book they publish then maybe they'll check you out. Worth a tweet on the off chance eh?

When I've read the book from Bloomsbury, I'll put up a review and we can all do our best to spread the word. In the meantime, if you're on twitter, look up #dimwit and get retweeting. I'll put up some shorter quotes so retweeting's easier. If you're not on twitter, cut and paste the quotes from the left column and put them on your blogs and social networking sites.

All we need to do is start a bit of online chat - not tough is it? Also, don't forget Jamie (Ford.) Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is a stupendous book and I'm loving every page of it. Jamie's already on the New York Times Best-Sellers List and published in new countries every week but still there's no publishing deal in England. We've got to turn this around. It's great that Toad sent me a copy of the book from America but I want to see it in my local bookshop and think 'that's my chum's book. Isn't it pretty?' Let's see how much of an international ripple we can create for all these authors then - when it's the turn of one of us - we'll know what we're up to.

Happy chatting!

Rebecca

Rebecca Woodhead

First Ebury Publishing and Now Bloomsbury - The Publishers Sending me Pressies in the Post this Week

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Sprinkle Tweet-Sized Nuggets of Mirth With the Help of 'Dim Wit'

This morning, a well thumbed copy of Rosemarie Jarski's 'Dim Wit' arrived on my kitchen floor.

Ebury Publishing furnished me with this book in return for my provision of a truly awful joke which, for the sake of your sanity, I won't repeat.

Dim Wit is a romp through the brains of the daft, their handlers and observers. Huge laughs are guaranteed. Perfect to read in the bath or raid for twitter-friendly quotes to brighten your online world.

#dimwit

This is the kind of book that begs to be retweeted so I plan to let it speak for itself through regular tweets from its pages on http://twitter.com/rebeccawoodhead. If you're on Twitter and you find these quotes as hilarious as I do, please retweet them with the hashtag #dimwit so its fame will spread further.

If you're not on twitter, the quotes will appear in my twitter feed in the left column on this page so you can simply copy them onto your blog giving credit to the book and Rosemarie Jarski. If you put a link back here or to my twitter page too, that would be hugely appreciated.

Here's a little writing-related taster to get you on your way:

'A chrysanthemum by any other name would be easier to spell' - William J. Johnson

Rebecca Woodhead

Sprinkle Tweet-Sized Nuggets of Mirth With the Help of 'Dim Wit'

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Stephen Fry Sent me a Direct Message and Hubby got a Job!

Wonderful Day

Most important bit first... If you've been following the blog, you'll know how utterly impoverished the good ship 'Woodhead' has been of late. This became even more the case when the company my lovely husband worked for went down at the start of the year and he was made redundant (not glamorous 'we've put money aside for our employees' redundancy but statutory 'here's some pennies from the government to buy some gruel' redundancy.) The months have stretched out with only part time employment for 4 months until this morning. Hubby has been offered a full time job at last. It pays peanuts and I'm allergic to peanuts but still... it's a job! There is much merriment in the house and we are about to settle down to a celebratory feast of porridge and golden syrup.

The other bit of grin-inducing news is that Stephen Fry sent me a direct message. Can this day get any better?

Stephen Fry Sent me a Direct Message and Hubby got a Job!

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Writers Write but Should We Tweet?

A Twitter Trial

For the last four days, I have conducted a very scientific trial into the benefits of Twitter to the marketing plan of a would-be novelist. Here are my findings (in 'bad news first' format)...

The Case Against

• I love it! This is not as good as it sounds. It is totally addictive and as impossible to ignore as a ringing phone. Every time I feel it is safe to leave the Blue Bird of Twitterness for a few hours and go back to my editing, I notice a new follower and feel compelled to log back in to see who it is. This is BAD. Don't do this.

• It may not necessarily be the best showcase for your work. For one thing, you have only 140 characters at a time to play with. Despite the fact that I read an agent in the US claiming to have picked up two novelists on the basis of retweets (tweets that someone has forwarded) I'm pretty sure that's not typical... yet. Unless your book is about philosophical quotes or other 140-character friendly content then Twitter's not going to show what you can do with words.

• It may not necessarily be the best showcase for your blog. This starts from the basis that your blog is the perfect place to show off your writing talent. It may be. If you write fiction and your blog is dedicated to sharing this fiction then you have a point. If, like me, you devote your blog to writing non-fiction and connecting with your followers then maybe not. Blogging is conversational. It lends itself to fast hang-the-grammar-and-who-cares-whether-it's-passive-voice writing. Not the kind of writing I'd submit to an agent or publisher. That said, a writing blog is a wonderful thing. You connect with your readership. This has a couple of great payoffs. First: you build a readership for your published/soon-to-be-published work. This is handy from a business sense (it helps the writer, agent, publisher and retailers) but also from the reader's perspective. Not only are you more likely to buy and promote books written by someone you actually know and consider to be a friend but you'll also have more fun reading them.

'Hang on!' I hear you cry. 'This sounds like good news. Didn't you tell us it would be bad news first? Bad writer. Go to your room and think about what you've done.' Aha! I'm one step ahead of you. The good news was about the blog. I was establishing for you the good-news-ness of blogs. Blogs are great news. This post is about Twitter - the sting's in the tail. Twitter may not help your blog. For one thing, through my time on Twitter I have not gained a single smiling face on my follow board here at From Brain to Bookshelf. Twitter is not an extension of your blog. It's a whole different country.

This brings me to the final bad point about Twitter.

• It is not a country to which everyone has - or wants to have - a passport. If you want to connect with your readers, you'll need more than Twitter.

The Daily Show puts it better than I could.


The Case For

• I love it! I'm fairly sure I can conquer my addiction. It'll lose its new car smell pretty soon.

• It may not be the best showcase for my writing but in only four days I already have more followers on Twitter than I've pulled to this blog in the last six months!

• There would be more but I've blocked a load. It turns out that marketing in any obvious way on Twitter is a giant bore so I kick off those aggressively offering to make me rich etc. You may think I'm leading up to something that should go into the 'points against' section: you can't sell on Twitter. Not so. It doesn't matter that you can't - or shouldn't - sell on Twitter because you can do so much more.

• What you can do on Twitter is: start a conversation; make a connection; have 'normal' chats via direct messaging with agents, publishers, readers and celebrities. This is something I've managed in only four days!

Stephen Fry Follows Me!

This is the biggest thrill. He's my fave celebrity - as fans of the blog will know. Many years ago, I had a wonderful evening of pizza and chat with Mr Fry and a couple of his chums. It was a bizarre experience and utterly utterly charming and fun. A few years later, we met again at the BAFTAs and although it was quite obvious that he didn't remember me, he bluffed his way through the experience and was just as charming. Imagine my grin when I scrolled down my followers on Twitter a decade on and found that I am now able to direct message Stephen Fry. Thrilled.

So - Twitter: Writer Friend or Writer Foe?

London Belle passed on a little nugget of disgusting wisdom the other day that I think I will now share with you.

'procrastination is like masturbation, at first it feels good but in the end you’re only screwing yourself.'

In short, the enemy is not Twitter but procrastination. If you feel the need to procrastinate then Twitter is a terrible place to go. If you're a procrastinator and you have a deadline to meet then STAY AWAY!

Twitter is a drinks party. You go in, meet some people, have a chat, scoff some cheesy-nibbly things and have fun. Maybe you stay for a few minutes. Maybe you're drunk in the kitchen after all but a few die-hards have gone home. It's your choice. Much as I'm fond of drama, you know I'm going to hit my self-imposed deadline. I always do. Twitter doesn't scare me. Just one more glass of virtual Pol Roger and I'm off back to my manuscript.

Happy Tweeting.

Writers Write but Should We Tweet?

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Save Me From Myself! The Twitter Bird is Distracting me with its Tiny Blue Feathers!

My name is Rebecca Woodhead and I'm a Twitterholic.

I thought I could handle it. They say Blogger is a gateway drug that leads inevitably to Twitter but I thought 'no way, I can handle it Dude. I can handle a few puffs of blogger. I'd never shoot up Twitter...'

It's an old story. The instantly addictive Twitter has found its way into my veins. Help. I am writing utter drivel. The evidence is right here (recent twittering garbage is in the left column.) Poor Alan Davies. He doesn't need to tell me about his tricky middles. What was I thinking?

Do me a favour. If you see me leave more than three tweets a day, pop across and tell me to get back to my editing. You don't have to follow me on twitter to do that (though you can if you want) and I will be very grateful. Addiction is bad. I must nip this in the bud.

Rebecca

Save Me From Myself! The Twitter Bird is Distracting me with its Tiny Blue Feathers!

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Two Weeks Until the Big Day!

Well, it's a little over two weeks. Eighteen days from now I will trek down to the local post office with bundles of manuscripts.

Those of you who've followed my blog since day one will know how seriously I take my self-imposed deadlines. Over the last few months I have edited, researched, lost 28 pounds and generally psyched myself up to start my new life as a professional author.

Of course, there's the statistical chance that I won't be successful and that I will have to tolerate years of being turned down before my books make their ways to shelves but... what if that doesn't happen? What if the years of preparation I've put in are enough? What if an agent sees my work and thinks 'I like that'?

Would you go to an interview for a job you really wanted and think 'there's no way I'll get this'? Of course not. That would be daft. You'd do everything in your power to prepare yourself for the interview and give it your best shot. That's my theory with my career as a writer. It's too important for me to assume I'm not going to succeed. I have to. I'll keep going until I do. When it happens, I'll be ready for it.

Background to the Blog

For about two decades I bought Writers' & Artists' Yearbook every year but it wasn't until a couple of years ago, when I'd been through so many adventures and jobs, that I finally thought:

'What am I playing at? This is how I want to spend my life.'

The Challenge

I did some research and read lots of articles other authors had written about what the life of an author was really like. I went and saw some best selling authors speak and took loads of notes, then I set myself a challenge. I would live as if I were already published for a year. I would assume I'd been given a deadline by which to write a novel and I would complete the novel by that deadline. More importantly, I'd write a novel before I turned 35! The deadline arrived and the book was written.

Challenge - The Sequel

In my original plan, this was the point at which I'd approach agents but the plan changed. I had a great idea for a sequel. I knew I wanted a career as a novelist and I needed to prove to myself that my book-in-a-year hadn't been a fluke so I set myself a deadline for the same day the following year to complete the second book.

Then Came the Blog

On the last stretch of the journey, I set up a blog. This blog. I wanted to reach out to potential readers and build a following for my work before I started slogging my manuscript around. What I didn't anticipate was the support that I would receive from this and the other blogs on which I write. Nor did I anticipate how much I would learn from other writers online. I'm not scared of failure because I know that there are hundreds of readers and avid writers I can speak to who will give me honest feedback and support me through my trials and tribs on the journey.

Here Be Dragons

The next leg of the journey is going to be an adventure. I have no map for it. There may be storms. There may be dragons. I don't care: I'm sailing in anyway.

Over the next couple of weeks I will be going over my short-listed agents again; checking out their news and websites; looking at the performance of their authors etc. When I've picked the ones I feel most matched with, I'll put together submission packages for each of them and send them off. From that point until I get an offer, my little cottage will be Submission Central. I won't stop until I've got an agent.

My husband - who was made redundant just before I finished my last novel - still doesn't have full time work and I'm unemployed too so the process of pulling together cash to send off manuscripts is necessarily slow.

As the company Hubby was working for went under completely, there was no redundancy package so we had to fight for statutory redundancy which is low and takes an age to get. Family members aren't able to help financially. It's tough but there's no point getting all cross about it. I'm lucky that even in the midst of all this my husband is supportive of my writing. Much to be grateful for.

The Challenge Continues...

While all that is going on, I'm starting work on novel number three. I love putting my characters in tricky situations but this will be the trickiest yet. By this book, my readers will be familiar with (and hopefully love) the core characters and in this novel they'll see what happens when they're really thrown into the mire. I can't wait to start writing it.

How I Write Novels

Usually I do the 'brain writing' between February and June/Julyish. This is when I allow my subconscious free rein with the idea for the next book (which I sketch out in the five minutes following 'the end' on the first draft of the last book.) I dream about the characters, imagine their lives etc. It's all very 'early Brontes' except my own Bronte sisters are my husband and some fish. Not much call for floaty dresses.

In the summer, I write a bit every day and work out a rough plan for character and plot development (which always goes awry by the tricky middle bit), then the weather changes. I write progressively more in September and October but 50% or more is written between mid-December and mid-February. I don't always write my chapters in order because I find the different paces of writing produce different effects so I write the bits of the story most suited to the pace of writing. Some people might find that a tricky way to work but I find it works brilliantly for me.

Permission to Nag

Well, that's quite enough from me for today - phew! Long post! If I haven't posted about sending off manuscripts in three weeks do me a favour and tell me off. Time to let them go out and fend for themselves.

Two Weeks Until the Big Day!

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The Best Bit of the Recession so Far was when... I bought 1 iron, 1 ironing board, 1 laundry basket and 20 wooden hangers for 20p!

Small recession related celebration on the blog today. I found a load of TESCO vouchers I’d been hoarding and managed to sort out all my laundry needs for the cost of a couple of chunks of chocolate. In these downturn days, the joy of a tremendous bargain is so very sweet.

The floor is open. How’s the recession treating you? What are the best bits? Have you started hoarding vouchers, making food from scratch or renting DVDs from the library? Discovered Freecycle? (We did and someone gave us a free TV!) Maybe, if you’re also a writer, you’ve lost your job and found more time to write. Whatever it is, banish the doom with a bit of recession celebration.

Finish the following sentence:

The best bit/s of the recession so far was/is when....

The Best Bit of the Recession so Far was when... I bought 1 iron, 1 ironing board, 1 laundry basket and 20 wooden hangers for 20p!

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