Taryn Bashford's Blog, page 2

GIVEAWAY ON GOODREADS

I thought I'd let you know that Pan Macmillan Australia has organized a GIVEAWAY of THE HARPER EFFECT on Goodreads.

Click to enter: http://bit.ly/GoodRHarp

It's an inspiring story, a YA novel with heart. Perfect Christmas gift and perfect summer reading 🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️🍉🍦

Here's a snippet from The Harper Effect.

The dining room is where the ghosts and monsters play. That’s what Jacob said when I was five and he was six, necks curling around the half-open door, our eyes blurting fright. On a dare, we’d tiptoe into the room, dash around the table then jump through the French windows into the garden, screaming with delighted terror. Nearly twelve years later, it’s still my least favorite room in the house. Maybe that’s because it’s where the recent pep talks have taken place and the grandfather clock seems to count down the seconds to the end of life as I know it.

It's only open to AustraliaThe Harper Effect at first, but if you shelve it/mark want to read then you'll get a notification when the giveaway starts for the USA/UK and all English-speaking countries.

COVER REVEAL

I wrote the very first draft of The Harper Effect over thirty years ago when my 15-year-old brother was playing at Wimbledon and won a scholarship to the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida. At the time, I was training for the Olympics in the 400m track event. Sport was and still is an important part of my life, and even as a teen, I could see how it helped me through the usual teen angsts that we must all survive.I hope that my novel, The Harper Effect, will do two things for my readers: firstly, be that helping hand, that metaphorical hug that any coming of age story provides, and secondly, represent sporty women as normal, cool, admirable and successful so that teen girls can aspire to a new type of role model. If girls can see themselves represented as strong, powerful and athletic, they will be more likely to participate in sport.Instead of bombarding girls with images of external beauty that they should live up to, let’s bombard them with confident, healthy female role models. To prove the point, those girls who haven’t dropped sport in high school have more positive body images than non-athletes (Sabo & Veliz’s study, Go Out and Play; Youth sport in America).I know that when I’m training – I’m now doing triathlons – I feel strong and fit and confident and this in turn, makes me feel powerful and full of positivity, yet when I’m ill or not training, being physically weaker and less fit affects my self-esteem and my ability to cope with the challenges in life.The Harper Effect shows that through dreaming big, working hard, and believing in yourself, you can achieve anything. Let our teens, both boys and girls, see that women can play sport—they can be confident, they can be winners, they can be star athletes. Let them see their sister or best friend or cousin can be involved in professional women’s sport.Let’s present girls with alternate choices for their future. Let’s empower them and help them find self-realisation. Sport can help girls to BE SOMEBODY.I’m thrilled to finally be revealing the cover for my characters who are dying to get out into the world. And there are two editions - the US/UK one above, and the red-coloured Australian cover below.So, want to know more about the novel?The Harper Effect is the story of a girl who learns to win from a boy who has lost everything.Harper Hunter doesn't know how it came to this.Her tennis dreams are collapsing; her coach says she doesn't have what it takes to make it in the world of professional tennis.Her new doubles partner is moody, mysterious and angry at the world. What is he hiding?Harper's in love with Jacob, her neighbour, but he is her sister’s boyfriend. Or, he was. Harper could never betray Aria with Jacob ... could she?As her heart and dreams pull her in different directions, she must figure out exactly what she wants. And just how hard she's willing to fight to get it.An excerpt from The Harper Effect:The dining room is where the ghosts and monsters play. That’s what Jacob said when I was five and he was six, necks curling around the half-open door, our eyes blurting fright. On a dare, we’d tiptoe into the room, dash around the table then jump through the French windows into the garden, screaming with delighted terror. Nearly twelve years later, it’s still my least favourite room in the house. Maybe that’s because it’s where the recent pep talks have taken place and the grandfather clock seems to count down the seconds to the end of life as I know it.To pre-order THE HARPER EFFECT: https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/97817...

Cover Reveal Coming Soon

I'm so excited to tell you that my publisher have finally given me a cover reveal date - and it's in 10 days! I'll reveal both the Australian and USA/UK cover right here, but it'll also be on
http://www.kids-bookreview.com/

If you want to get a notification that the cover has come out, shelve the book and Goodreads will notify you :) Easy.

Happy reading this week!

The Harper Effect

Help Publicity Help You

What happens AFTER you sign your book contract with your publisher? That’s what I’ve been posting about, because I believe the things that happen after you’ve signed that contract provide another steep learning curve and the more you can prepare for it, the better off you’ll be.This learning curve applies mostly to publicity – it’s a whole new skill, a whole new mindset, and it’s a massive workload. So I have a few points to help you get prepared and get ahead.Figure out your author brand. If you’re a YA author writing for teens, it needs to resonate with them. That doesn’t mean you have to wear ripped jeans and answer every question with ‘Whatever’, but it does mean your brand should appeal and relate to that audience. Remember the secondary target audience is parents, teachers, librarians…so you need to appeal to them too. No swearing on your website! In my case, I chose to be an advocate of boosting self-esteem in young people and also of supporting girls in sport at a time (the teen years) when many are dropping out. These issues are addressed in my novel, and have been great pitches and feature articles for my publicist to use when approaching the media for interviews/feature articles etc.Start your author social media platforms immediately. Unless you’re an SEO whiz, it takes time to build your following. Figure out which platforms your readers use. Match what you post to your author brand. Keep it official. Don’t mix in photos of your children (it’s a public platform), but do link it to your life as an author, your writing, your book and books full stop. Be authentic, and engage with your followers through likes, comments and shares. When you launch your book you don’t want to be launching it to a following of 48 people. I took over a year to gain 1500 followers on Instagram, slowly and day by day, they trickle in. My publicity team are pretty happy I started that work well before I got a publishing contract.Build an author website, or get someone to do it for you. I built it free on Wix, but others swear by Wordpress, GoDaddy or Blogger. You will have to see what fits your skill set. This is where readers come to find out more about you and your book. This is where you should be getting potential readers to subscribe to a newsletter so they can receive your launch news. Given you can’t self-promote on social media very much, the newsletter is your self-promotion arena. I’ll be loading my cover and ‘buy’ buttons on this site very soon. I’m so glad it’s already built and not another massive project to do now, when there’s so much else to do.Start making a list of relevant ‘influencers’ in your market. They can be bloggers or Instagram accounts or people within mainstream media on TV or in magazines. If you’re writing books about horses then your list will be different from that of a crime novel. You’ll be asked for your ideas from your publicist, so it’s a good idea to build it now and not be stuck with starting that job when your publicist is waiting on you.Compile a file of book covers you like and even those you don’t like so when you’re asked (if you’re lucky enough to be asked), you can provide your publisher with a book cover brief.These are just some of the main things you can do ahead of time so that you don’t get a shock when the publicity machine for your book kicks in. It seems like nothing is happening for months as you work with the editor and then all of a sudden the Publicity Manager gives you that call and if you haven’t done all or some of the above, you won’t be sleeping for a month!Good luck and feel free to ask me any questions about this topic. I’m happy to answer either here for everyone’s benefit, or via private message.

From an Idea to Reality

So this is how THE HARPER EFFECT started out. A different title, different character names and ages, different voices and perspective, but this was the seed of the concept. The teacher I wrote this for suggested I keep at it and think about becoming a writer. It took a while, but I'm here, finally. So with just weeks to the publicaction of THE HARPER EFFECT, do you want to know what's going on in my world? Surprisingly, it’s the second book Macmillan contracted that has taken over all my attention this month. Here’s the new fear after you sign a book contract: WHAT IF I CAN’T WRITE ANOTHER BOOK? I think this is a question that haunts every debut author, based on my chats with many writers.The most helpful conversation I had was at the recent conference, VOICES ON THE COAST, when I met and hung with a YA author who is also with Pan Macmillan and shares the same editor as me. She’s just released her 7th novel, so I listened good! She gave me some reassurance that I thought I’d pass on to you. Basically, the difference between the first and second novel is that the publisher wants to work with you; they want to make it a great book, they believe in you already. So even if the second book is a little shakey, they’ll still work on it with you. They won’t send you a rejection slip!That made me feel a whole lot better and so I wanted to pass the advice on to you guys should you find yourself in that situation either now or in the future.  I’ve now sent the second novel to my agents. That’s something else – they will also work with me on the draft before submitting to the publisher, because they too have invested in me and want it to work. Pressure valve released!And one last point: After the book contract is signed, a new learning curve begins, and also a new type of juggle. No more prolonged hours of solely writing that novel juggled with researching agents and publishers and query letters. Now there are daily interruptions to discuss further distribution rights, foreign language rights, movie and audio rights, tax, book covers, marketing, book tours, school visit talks, joining a speaker’s agency…the list goes on.It’s a good list though. I prefer it to the list that had ‘re-write my query letter’ on it. And I love to learn new skills and gain further knowledge. I guess the point is that after you sign a book contract, the hard work continues, it’s just a different type of hard work. One thing that doesn’t change – everything still moves at a snail’s pace.

Acknowledging Others

So I've finally had the request for my acknowledgments page for THE HARPER EFFECT. I kept putting it off, knowing the request was coming, and now I know why! WHAT IF I FORGET SOMEONE?I'm having sleepless nights, waking up and remembering another name to add. It's not that these 'forgotten' people are unimportant, it's just that with a first novel, the people who helped make it happen can stretch back for years, not just months. And some people helped in seemingly minor but very important ways - like the fellow Varuna House resident who advised I buy a 'WRITER' mug so that I could see myself as a real writer.On top of that, the acknowledgments are written in my own voice - no character to hide behind. It feels a bit soul-bearing. But at the same time, I'm pinching myself that I'm lucky enough to be writing them.Just another rollercoaster ride on the path to publication - still learning, even months after the publication contract is signed.

Researching A Novel

While I was in New York meeting my USA publisher and agent, I also got to do some research for my second book. In the final third of the book, the characters go to New York, and particularly The Metropolitan Opera House and Central Park. I had a lot of fun researching the facilities, going on tours, taking photos, talking to people, and walking exactly in the footsteps my characters will walk in. It was like being inside the book myself. I went to the locations at night and during the day because everything looks and feels and smells so different at the various times of the day.After my beta readers read my last draft of this book, they commented how the New York scenes had come to life. Even though I lived in New York for three months, that was decades ago. So it was great to breathe life into the New York scenes. It's not just the visual, it's the atmosphere, the people, the shops, the smells, the activity surrounding the scene you're describing, that's important.Central Park was pretty special too. I had to cut out a big chunk of the scene in the park, but in the first draft, it played a big part in the book. Nonetheless, I loved my hours there, drifting down the paths and getting completely lost, and loving every moment.The book also has many scenes in Vienna, and I was lucky enough to go there the Christmas before last, so I have that visit to draw on when I'm writing the scenes in Vienna. My two favorite things in the world are books and travel - research allows me to have both at the same time!Next time, when I'm back for the book launch of the first book, THE HARPER EFFECT, in May 2018, I wish to stay in this hotel. 

The Face of my Book Baby

The final copy edit is done, so it's time for the BOOK COVER BRIEF. I promised to keep you posted about what happens after the book contract is signed, and I'm now at a stage where it's seeming really real because it's time to design a book cover -- ie the face of my book baby.This is just my experience with my publisher, Pan Macmillan so it may be different with other publishers. When asked to let them know what sort of ideas I had for a book cover I pretty much blanked out. Then I remembered I've been collecting book covers I love, like and 'not so likey' for some years now. So that became my inspiration. I advise you to start doing the same thing if you're writing a book!But it's still a bit of a mission because there are so many options. Am I right to prefer covers without images of people or not? Don't people buy people or is it best to let the reader imagine the character in their own minds? To have a logline on the front or keep it simple and save the words for the back? To use bright, bold covers or keep it mostly white and minimalistic?Luckily there's a designer to help me with all of this, and they come up with a design based on my and my publisher's thoughts. I get to see a design and then feed back what I'd like to alter. But I have a feeling, just as when I'm editing, that I'll never be finished with tweaking and wanting to improve it somehow--and the doubts! Oh, the doubts!Once upon a time, an experienced author told me this: "Even after you have a publishing contract, even when you're about to launch your fifth book, you'll still be filled with doubts - about the story, the characters, the writing, the voice - and the book cover. Accept it, and move on." So I'm going to take that author's advice - and go make the best cappuccino ever, and curl up with someone else's book - knowing they probably had doubts too.

Visiting my agent and publisher in NYC!

So apart from getting to write and read all day, I get to visit my USA publisher and agent. Who wouldn't want to be an author? It's been two days of meetings, first with the editor and marketing manager and Publicity manager at Skyhorse Publishing, then With the team at Jill Grinberg Literary Management, followed by lunch with my agent and editor. What a whirlwind. And such a pleasant one.The publisher is located near 42nd Street in Manhattan behind an oh-so-Manhattan looking entrance. Everyone there was so pleasant and emphasised bespoke marketing and publicity plans for each book. Wow! Afterwards I went for dinner before seeing Phantom of the Opera and I sat in the restaurant pinching myself and grinning like a fool. The literary agent is based in Brooklyn and housed in a gorgeous brownstone. I met the whole team and you'd be hard pressed to find a nicer bunch of people to work with. I'm even more honoured now, to be on their list, than I was beforehand!Lunch with my editor and agent afterwards was back in Manhattan and it was 150 minutes of constant chat about books - of course - movies, politics, travel, school days...Ultimately this is a people business and it proved making that personal contact is important. Now when I'm 9000km's away and we are editing or talking marketing etc by phone and email I can picture them all and where they're at and understand their humor or email tone - and hopefully they can picture me so I'm not a faceless writer a million miles away.Can't wait to return for the USA book tour/launch next year in May. I kinda ❤️ New York

Glitches and Smooshing Words

So with mere months to go to the birth of my book baby, what's happening in my world? Well, the book cover is about to be finalised after some tweaking, and the actual manuscript is on the final back and forth copyedit before it goes to the typesetters. But how this final stage has made me laugh and laugh. I can't tell you how many times we've discussed and changed the position of the characters as they sit on a branch up a tree.Yep - you heard me right. Should they sit opposite each other or on adjacent branches? Are they facing each other or just looking over at each other. Should they be on the same branch rather than two separate branches? Then they can face each other more directly. That's page 7 folks. In a few months you can see what we decided on. Thank heavens I have an amazingly patient and thorough editor!Other than the mystery of the branch, we had some technical hitches when I upgraded my Office package. First, the email with my final copy edit went astray and a week later my poor editor sent a slightly worried - Did you get my email? message. This has never happened to me before, but of course, it had to happen now. I explained about my new system, feeling like I was telling my editor that my dog had eaten my homework. Yup, thanks a bunch tech fairies. To add insult to injury, my system then decided it didn't want to marry with my publisher's WORD document anymore without smooshing together certain words - that's the technical term my editor came up with and it just shows how on the same page we are because it's the word I'd have used too :)That issue resolved, my computer lives another day, and we are now ready for the typesetters. Can't wait to see what the text and pages look like when they're turned into a book format.Other than that the only thing I'd add at this stage is that you need to be okay with juggling between writing that next book and working on the edits and book covers and marketing for the current book...I find it hard to pull myself out of the book I'm currently writing, but I'm getting better at it. It comes down to actually missing the characters...it's the author version of FOMO !!