David Roy's Blog, page 6
May 18, 2022
The Past
I left the Army in 1991 and went to, what was then, a polytechnic in Plymouth to study Fisheries Science. For some time I thought that this would lead to some fantastic career along the lines of Jacques Cousteau or... well, just him really. It was not to be. Like many students I was disappointed by the career opportunities related to my degree.
I drifted into teaching but always wanted to be a writer. My first book was based on my experiences from the Gulf War. It was, as Spike Milligan once said, 'a smash flop' but I persisted with it and over the years I have refined the story and the storytelling to the point where it is still a smash flop.
Perseverance doesn't always pay. And here endeth today's lesson.
I drifted into teaching but always wanted to be a writer. My first book was based on my experiences from the Gulf War. It was, as Spike Milligan once said, 'a smash flop' but I persisted with it and over the years I have refined the story and the storytelling to the point where it is still a smash flop.
Perseverance doesn't always pay. And here endeth today's lesson.
May 12, 2022
Formula
There is a formula for writing books and you ignore it at your peril. Depending upon the genre, there are certain reader expectations, the lack of which will bring your book down.
It is possible to deviate from the formula (and create a new formula in the process) but you run the risk of disappointing your readers. And without them you are nothing.
Horror has to be horrifying. Mysteries have to be mysterious. Thrillers have to thrill. Romance has to be... romantic. In fact all books benefit from a level of romance because love and relationships is a major theme in everyday life.
An ingredient which is often missing is humour. An unexpected quip or observation from a normally serious protagonist is a nice surprise in any type of book and yet it seems that, particularly in police procedurals, everything has to be very downbeat. This is particularly noticeable when a decent crime thriller is adapted for TV. When was the last time someone told a joke, smiled or enjoyed a normal relationship with his or her family?
Instead, we get twisted back stories of alcohol addiction, gambling debts, anger, rejection and failure. It's overdone and unbearable. When I see a new, 'Tense crime thriller' advertised on TV, I decide there and then not to watch it. The unsustainable anger and confrontation doesn't reflect true life at all... but it is part of the formula.
It is possible to deviate from the formula (and create a new formula in the process) but you run the risk of disappointing your readers. And without them you are nothing.
Horror has to be horrifying. Mysteries have to be mysterious. Thrillers have to thrill. Romance has to be... romantic. In fact all books benefit from a level of romance because love and relationships is a major theme in everyday life.
An ingredient which is often missing is humour. An unexpected quip or observation from a normally serious protagonist is a nice surprise in any type of book and yet it seems that, particularly in police procedurals, everything has to be very downbeat. This is particularly noticeable when a decent crime thriller is adapted for TV. When was the last time someone told a joke, smiled or enjoyed a normal relationship with his or her family?
Instead, we get twisted back stories of alcohol addiction, gambling debts, anger, rejection and failure. It's overdone and unbearable. When I see a new, 'Tense crime thriller' advertised on TV, I decide there and then not to watch it. The unsustainable anger and confrontation doesn't reflect true life at all... but it is part of the formula.
April 28, 2022
Linktree
I have recently incorporated Linktree into my social media so that my various accounts are in one place and easily accessible. No one has an excuse not to follow me on Goodreads now. Who knows, someone might even read my blog.
In other news, I have decided that I truly detest colons and semi-colons. Despite having attended a 'grammar' school, I don't recall anyone ever explaining their correct use. To this day, I still don't really get them, which is a problem when you are editing books. I have even ventured onto BBC Bitesize for advice. Really we need a seven-year-old on the editorial panel.
The End
In other news, I have decided that I truly detest colons and semi-colons. Despite having attended a 'grammar' school, I don't recall anyone ever explaining their correct use. To this day, I still don't really get them, which is a problem when you are editing books. I have even ventured onto BBC Bitesize for advice. Really we need a seven-year-old on the editorial panel.
The End
April 26, 2022
Marketing
For the past week I have been trying to build up the Hobart Books' mailing list. It's not easy. Probably two thousand messages sent has resulted in about three hundred subscribers, well short of the numbers needed. Along the way, I am starting to follow people on Goodreads too.
It made me wonder how writers publicised their books in the days before the internet. Of course, there were far fewer writers and it was down to the publishers to spread the word but when you think about it, books were never really advertised on TV and rarely in papers or magazines.
I suppose readers went to book shops and just picked out something they liked.
Once you had established yourself as a writer, it was just a case of continuing to write good books, or, in the case of Margaret Mitchell who wrote 'Gone With The Wind', rest on your laurels and enjoy your wealth.
It made me wonder how writers publicised their books in the days before the internet. Of course, there were far fewer writers and it was down to the publishers to spread the word but when you think about it, books were never really advertised on TV and rarely in papers or magazines.
I suppose readers went to book shops and just picked out something they liked.
Once you had established yourself as a writer, it was just a case of continuing to write good books, or, in the case of Margaret Mitchell who wrote 'Gone With The Wind', rest on your laurels and enjoy your wealth.
April 20, 2022
Mailing List
https://www.hobartbooks.com/contact.
If anyone out there in Goodreads' Land would like to subscribe to the Hobart Books' mailing list, then the link above will take you where you need to be. Simply fill in the short form and tick the box to hear about new releases and special offers from Britain's best small publisher*
*In my opinion
If anyone out there in Goodreads' Land would like to subscribe to the Hobart Books' mailing list, then the link above will take you where you need to be. Simply fill in the short form and tick the box to hear about new releases and special offers from Britain's best small publisher*
*In my opinion
April 15, 2022
Good Writers, part 3
The recently departed Jack Higgins fits into the category of good writer. Whilst there is nothing flashy about his work, it has its own niche and he knew his audience very well.
Jack Higgins produced straightforward adventure stories with a tough male hero and a woman who needed his help. It was of its time and it followed a formula but he sold millions of books so what of it? If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
His biggest hit was 'The Eagle Has Landed' which sold tens of millions of copies and was made into a very successful film. It was a wartime thriller with Michael Caine, somewhat against type, playing a German officer. Like many Higgins' stories the IRA was involved too; he was part Northern Irish.
So, if you want an undemanding, rollicking read, Jack Higgins is your man.
Jack Higgins produced straightforward adventure stories with a tough male hero and a woman who needed his help. It was of its time and it followed a formula but he sold millions of books so what of it? If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
His biggest hit was 'The Eagle Has Landed' which sold tens of millions of copies and was made into a very successful film. It was a wartime thriller with Michael Caine, somewhat against type, playing a German officer. Like many Higgins' stories the IRA was involved too; he was part Northern Irish.
So, if you want an undemanding, rollicking read, Jack Higgins is your man.
April 13, 2022
Good writers, part 2
Another good writer - very British in style - is Leslie Thomas. Many of his stories have a military theme and yet are written so gently that the whole genre is turned on its head. Leslie Thomas was himself a National Serviceman, who famously, despite admitting to poor numeracy skills, was sent into the Pay Corps for his two years in uniform.
His first book was entitled, 'The Virgin Soldiers' and became a classic. My favourite of his novels is 'The Magic Army' which is a comedy based around a US Army engineer regiment stationed in England prior to D-Day. Just writing about it makes me want to read it again.
His ability to combine comedy with pathos sets him apart from other writers. His books are so well crafted that it is impossible to describe how they are written. He makes it look easy. If I could write like Leslie Thomas, I'd be more than happy.
His first book was entitled, 'The Virgin Soldiers' and became a classic. My favourite of his novels is 'The Magic Army' which is a comedy based around a US Army engineer regiment stationed in England prior to D-Day. Just writing about it makes me want to read it again.
His ability to combine comedy with pathos sets him apart from other writers. His books are so well crafted that it is impossible to describe how they are written. He makes it look easy. If I could write like Leslie Thomas, I'd be more than happy.
April 12, 2022
What makes a good writer?
What makes a good writer? Depending on your point of view you may or may not think that I am qualified to answer that question, so I will tackle it from the perspective of a reader.
There is no single skill that a good writer possesses and not every writer is good for precisely the same reasons. Take Daphne Du Maurier, for instance. I have only read one of her books - Rebecca - and my lasting impression is of someone who could say very little in an engaging, thought-provoking way. Rebecca is the slow burner to out do every other slow burner. It is a real 'page turner' and yet each of those pages releases only the tiniest fragment of plot, if indeed it releases anything at all.
Yet, not one word is wasted and everything combines to provide one of the most satisfying denouements in literature.
In my next blog I will talk about Leslie Thomas, a quite different type of writer.
There is no single skill that a good writer possesses and not every writer is good for precisely the same reasons. Take Daphne Du Maurier, for instance. I have only read one of her books - Rebecca - and my lasting impression is of someone who could say very little in an engaging, thought-provoking way. Rebecca is the slow burner to out do every other slow burner. It is a real 'page turner' and yet each of those pages releases only the tiniest fragment of plot, if indeed it releases anything at all.
Yet, not one word is wasted and everything combines to provide one of the most satisfying denouements in literature.
In my next blog I will talk about Leslie Thomas, a quite different type of writer.
April 6, 2022
London Book Fair
Yesterday was my first London Book Fair. Adam, co-owner of Hobart Books, had been many times and had contacts to meet, plans to discuss and ideas to work on. It was very productive and enlightening. Just over a year ago, I was still a teacher, floundering and... well mainly floundering and now I was hob-nobbing with the great and the good of the publishing industry.
So, we chatted to printers, sales reps, rights agents and came away with plenty to think about. Not only that but we each got a free Tunnock's Caramel Wafer, which is a bit of a result in itself and quite unexpected.
So, we chatted to printers, sales reps, rights agents and came away with plenty to think about. Not only that but we each got a free Tunnock's Caramel Wafer, which is a bit of a result in itself and quite unexpected.
March 30, 2022
The World
The world still turns. Putin's invasion of Ukraine has caused that country untold damage and yet the Russian invasion forces have stalled. The war still features in the news but it isn't quite such a big story now.
In other words the conflict in Ukraine, for now, has become normal, part of our daily routine. It's not that I stopped working for Hobart Books in the last month, rather that I didn't talk about it much.
We have five new books in the pipeline, which hopefully will appear in the next few months. After that, it might be the case that the second Lost Man book is published but no firm decision has been made.
https://www.hobartbooks.com/
In other words the conflict in Ukraine, for now, has become normal, part of our daily routine. It's not that I stopped working for Hobart Books in the last month, rather that I didn't talk about it much.
We have five new books in the pipeline, which hopefully will appear in the next few months. After that, it might be the case that the second Lost Man book is published but no firm decision has been made.
https://www.hobartbooks.com/
