Fran Jacobs's Blog, page 4

August already

Well it’s August. I had a lot planned for this year, things I wanted to do, and have only achieved two of them, I did Race for Life, and I published a short story collection, Rules of War and Other Stories (now available on smashwords, amazon to follow.) Any weight I had lost has gone right back on with three months of laziness and overeating.

But, it’s a new month, and there are still five until this year is over and done (including this one) so its time to get on! Diet beginning again today, gym tomorrow (unless the weather gives me another headache!) and I have set myself a writing target of 30k a month. That’s only 1000 words a day. Easy! But as I’ve been doing so little, having been so stuck, I thought I better start slow! Ultimately I want to finish the whole thing by the end of the year, in rough, but we shall see! I’ll do what I can while I have the motivation! I’ll try and post a word count progression regularly. Until I do, here’s a picture of the new book’s cover.

It’s pretty fab. If you do get a copy (0.99 cents. Not much else you can get for that) please do review it, and if you like it, tell your friends.

Self publishing.

Generally i don’t like self publishing. It’s too easy for someone to write something and publish it themselves and call themselves a writer, without putting any thought or effort into what they’re writing, without editing it or anything else. At conventions people always ask if I am self published, probably because they feel the same way about it. And it is easy. Smashwords, Lulu, Create Space will take your file, make it into a book, e or print, and there you are. Done. You just need to make sure you get the formatting right, and they have files to help you with that. But I am looking to do it for a small collection of previously published short stories that I have, as a way to get my name out to more people, and because i don’t really know what else to do with them. So far it was fairly easy.

But what wasn’t easy was the whole tax system thing afterwards! Those publishers are US based, if i don’t want them to keep my royalities i need a tax number and to apply to get said royaltiies. And that’s where it gets confusing. I’m british and a small business, in the UK. So i had to work out what sort of tax number i needed to get, what form i needed.

After a lot of confusion, I was directed to this website:http://rachelabbottwriter.wordpress.com/2012/10/19/uk-indie-authors-tax-on-us-royalties/ 

Which made it all easy again

And now i need to ring someone, get that number, and fill in some more forms to send to Create Space and Smashwords. And it’s done.

Just waiting on the cover now and hopefully my little collection of stories will be out in time for Bristol Con in October.

NOTE: I rang 08438 360065 FIRST to make the call cheaper. then 00 as the exit code for UK before dialing the number. Got through, got my EIN

Too Hot!

Well it’s hot. Very hot. Too hot for me. I’ve been hiding inside, too hot to write, too hot to read in my little tent, and this weekend i have a 5km walk for charity (that’s about 3 miles) madness! And a bbq to follow, which is less mad. (If you want you can sponsor me for any of the races I’m doing. 5km for cancer, and 2km for alzhimers HERE)

Before the heat struck I sent out three stories to magazines, something I haven’t done in ages. It took most of the day. In that time i discovered the Duotrope, which used to be a very good website for magazine listings, now charges. Thank the cats, Ralan is still free, and still useful.

And I have been doing some work on a short story collection I’m putting together. Not the faerie one, i don’t have enough stories for that, but a collection of my previously published stories. Does it count as self published when I’m printing it myself, but they were all edited and vetted by publishers? Not sure.

Musings on the new project

Writing something completely new is fun. Four days into Forest of Ghosts and I am still enjoying it. I like having a whole new world, new religion and way of living to create and introduce, and new characters to get to know as they take shape. It’s fun and exciting, the way reading a new book is.

But, also difficult. You have to avoid info dumping, that is, putting too much information about the world, the characters, their settings and history, in one go. But also you have to avoid confusing people, by not explaining things that they need to know about that world or the characters. And there is the problem of everything sounding so very, very stupid! Fantasy and sci fi and horror in particular have this problem. You’re talking about monsters, ghosts, magic, things that don’t exist in the world as we know it, and it really does sound very silly, until you’re up and running and fully into the world that you’re creating.

But, the fun, the excitment, wins out. Anything is possible, when you start a new book. It can go in any direction. And anything can happen with it. Will it be the one that makes my name? Makes me rich and famous and inspires a tv show or film? Probably not, but the chance is there, and that’s exciting too.

Procrastination and general faffing about.

Anyone who knows me, or who has read this little blog, knows I have been working on the Children of the Shadow, the third and final book in my Ellenessia’s Curse series, but also toying with the Forest of Ghosts, a standalone fantasy that features cats and ghosts. But i wasn’t really getting anywhere with either.

So, I am officially leaving Children of the Shadow alone for now, and working on the Forest of Ghosts. I have more passion for this, it’s completely new, new world, new characters, new plot, and I’m hoping that by doing it I will regain my enthusiasm for Candale and his adventures. I’ve been working on that series for a decade now, so it’s not surprising I’m tired and stuck and need a new thing to get me going again.

Of course, working on a new book has its problems. It’s fun, it’s got energy, but i have to come up with new places, new characters, new beliefs, without repeating ones I’ve already used, and that can be difficult.

But, i do get to draw on my own experiences, that of being a cat owner, as all three of my cats, Claudia, Megaera and Mr Kitty will features in this book as the hero, now named Valyn, has a special sort of bond with our four legged friends. There are also ghosts, mages, and some zombie type creatures, although not the ones commonly used in horror films. These do not want brains. They want something far more destructive.

Regarding the Shadow Seer, and Seer’s Tower, I’m hoping that a shop in town will stock copies. It’s a fantasy type gift shop, so the books should fit in nicely. But will let you know after I’ve been in there tomorrow.

 

Reading and signing

This saturday I’m doing a reading, and signing, with fellow fantasy author, Joanne Hall, in swansea’s Oxfam bookshop and I’ve been rather conveniently ignoring the fact that part of a reading, means reading! Out loud, so people can hear me. I hate that.

Now, I am proud of my book. I put a lot of effort into it, it came out more or less the way i wanted to, it’s the best thing I think i’ve written. Ever. I want people to read it, and enjoy it. But, when you read it out loud, well, it sounds daft. Talking about demons and things. And i get nervous, and stumble over my words, and sound stupid, and i worry that will put people off. You shouldn’t judge my book by my bad reading of it. You should buy it, read it, then judge it

So, if you do come along, please forgive me if i sound a total tit. I will get better, I’m sure, and the book is good. I promise!

To Self-publish or Not to Self-publish?

My novel has been published with a small print publisher, but at conventions and so forth I’m often asked if it was self published. Self published books, vanity press, has long been regarded as cheating, that anyone with money could get a book published, regardless of quality of the writing, or the plot. Publishers offer security, that at least someone liked the book enough to invest in it, to edit and print it. that’s the theory at least.

And i generally agreed with it. Until recently. After reading a new book i had long been looking forward to, and finding it daft, contradictory and just poor, i can no longer say with confidence, that a properly published book is any better than some thing someone prints for themselves. So, i am considering this route myself. Not for my novels. The idea of having to edit 120k worth of words alone is terrifying, but for a collection of short stories. The collection I have been trying to write for years. I’m going to try and get some other writers involved, one or two stories from each of us, and then if a few publishers don’t want it, i will self publish it myself. Working out royalties between all the writers will be fun, so i hope to keep this project between friends, for ease, but i think it’s a go. A chance to get my name out there a little more, and for new writers as well, and perhaps the only way i will get my collection of faerie stories!

As for my novel, well, back to the start of the third book. After faffing for so long, with festivals and trips to the village, i realised that the reason it wasn’t working is because it’s all wrong. So, back to the start for me.I can still use a lot of the later work, but the beginning, that has to be redone. But far better it’s done right, than done wrong and fast.

British Fantasy Society and Cardiff Expo

Monday was the Welsh gathering for fantasy/sci fi and horror nerds here in Swansea. It took place in the No Sign Wine Bar, a suitable venue, as venues go, and was basically just a group of us sitting around, talking and drinking. It was a good night, a chance to talk to other writers and publishers and to promote my own work, though most of what i remember, after just two glasses of wine, was discussing Knightmare, the children’s show from the 80s, and how things were much better ‘in my day.’

Saturday was the Cardiff Comic Expo. It was my first comic expo and i had a table with Joanne Hall, a fellow fantasy writer. And it was excellent! Lots of people in costume, from comics, from anime, from fantasy and sci fi generally, all ready to chat. It was a good, friendly place, lots on sale, including copies of my book. And, surprise of all surprises, a friend of mine, from Live Journal, many eons ago, was also there. I wasn’t sure i recognised her, at first, her hair was a different colour and it wasn’t at all what i expected, but yep! It was her, Reaperfox. It was a slow day, but i still had a great time meeting new people. I think that’s the part i enjoy most about promotion, getting out there, meeting new people and talking about books and fantasy. The other parts, the internet sales, the readings, that’s a lot harder.

It’s always great to meet other writers, (everyone is a writer, if not, they’re an artist! ) other fantasy fans, to network and to sell and I had a great time. WIll be back next year, dressed up and hopefully with something new to sell.

Bristol, Cardiff and Beyond!

Well, tomorrow I’m at Bristol, doing a reading/signing. Next weekend if Cardiff Expo, for signing, with Joanne Hall (see my calender for details on all this) And in April Joanne and I are doing a signing in Swansea Oxfam Bookshop! I have the flyers for that, so have to get on promoting, and hopefully people will show this time. It’s hard being a writer these days, having to promote. People don’t come if they don’t know you, and won’t get to know you if they don’t come. But on the advice of a friend I have rejoined Twitter, to see if that will help me get out there more, and I missed the postings of the Horrible Histories gang. This is ME on twitter, feel free to follow me. I’m still on Facebook, of course.

For my reading tomorrow i have put together an introduction, so i won’t ramble like an idiot. I will, of course, have to start thinking of something else to read for other readings, otherwise people may get bored of hearing me the same thing! I remember hearing Robin Hobb read from Shaman’s Son, in Glasgow, a few years back, and she sounded fairly bored. I didn’t much like the book anyway, but i think if even the writer sounds bored reading it, it’s not going to appeal much to new readers. The issue, of course, is what to read? Something drammatic, but not too spoilery, that doesn’t require too much introduction. Hmm.

Still, busy few months, hopefully a busy year, with lots of sales, and this book/series finished!

And training for Race for Life. Now that I have my depression under some control, I’ve signed up for the 5k Cancer Walk/Run. I did it 5 years ago, and enjoyed it, so I’m looking forward to that. Set myself a high target though, so if anyone out there fancies sponsoring me . . .

http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/frannyjacobs

The internet: making connections.

I love the internet. It brings people together. It’s given me the chance to be published, to talk directly with my publisher, and then with readers, as well as to make new friends and new fans. And it gives me a chance to network, and get talked into doing readings and signings on very little notice!

As with now. It looks like I will be doing a reading, and signing, in Bristol on 23rd Feb, which is scary, but exciting too. I know that some people will be in Exeter for a convention, and i know that it is short notice, both of which suit me as it means there won’t be too many people there to see me make a fool of myself! The weekend after I will be in Cardiff, at the Comic Expo, doing signings there too. I’m excited about that. A chance to dress up, to sign books, meet people. It’s what i enjoy about writing, other than the actual writing, the chance to talk to people about it, about books, to meet people who are also passionate about it.

The reading part, well, not so much. That scares me. I worry, did i chose the right bit, am i reading too fast, am i boring people? I had 5 people at my first reading. No one brought anything after, so i worry that i chose the wrong bit, or i just have a bad book in my hands.

But, i wrote the book that i wanted to, and i love it, so that’s all that i can do really. That, and have a strong drink before hand, and plan out what I’m going to say a little better than last time.

Hope to see lots of you there