Peter Carroll's Blog: Thoughts On Writing
December 14, 2017
More Stark, or should that be Starker?
The third DI Adam Stark novel was published in July 2015 and, almost as soon as I’d finished it, I was confident I had the plot and theme of the follow-up, Stark Reminders, pretty clear in my mind. I started writing it in about September 2015 and, at first, it all went fairly well. I wasn’t writing prolifically, but it was steady enough by my standards. Then, in summer 2016, I hit a bit of a brick wall.
I’d had bouts of writer’s block before but I’d usually overcome them fairly easily. This one lasted a lot longer. I really struggled to motivate myself to write. I found I’d lost the thread of the story and was struggling to get past a certain point in the plot. I was also demotivated by a drastic slump in sales for all my existing novels. All the effort and time that it took to write them didn’t seem worth it if nobody was interested in reading them. By late 2016 I had more or less stopped even trying to add anything to it. I also had a second idea on the go, that didn’t feature Stark, but it wasn’t working any better.
I spent much of 2017 rediscovering my love for live music and working long, hard hours, which didn’t leave me a lot of head space for writing. Then, in October 2017, something clicked. I took a large chunk of sub-plot out of the book and set it aside to use in some other form. It had dawned on me that it was overcomplicating the story for writer and readers alike! It was like a weight had been lifted, and off I went. In early December, I completed a first draft and submitted it to my publisher.
After such a long and difficult writing process, I’m not too sure if it’s ended up any good! Such is the way of all writing, I suppose. With luck, I’m hoping it will appear for sale sometime in early 2018. To everyone who’s been patiently waiting for it – thank you for your continued support.
Here’s to an easier ride for the next one!
I’d had bouts of writer’s block before but I’d usually overcome them fairly easily. This one lasted a lot longer. I really struggled to motivate myself to write. I found I’d lost the thread of the story and was struggling to get past a certain point in the plot. I was also demotivated by a drastic slump in sales for all my existing novels. All the effort and time that it took to write them didn’t seem worth it if nobody was interested in reading them. By late 2016 I had more or less stopped even trying to add anything to it. I also had a second idea on the go, that didn’t feature Stark, but it wasn’t working any better.
I spent much of 2017 rediscovering my love for live music and working long, hard hours, which didn’t leave me a lot of head space for writing. Then, in October 2017, something clicked. I took a large chunk of sub-plot out of the book and set it aside to use in some other form. It had dawned on me that it was overcomplicating the story for writer and readers alike! It was like a weight had been lifted, and off I went. In early December, I completed a first draft and submitted it to my publisher.
After such a long and difficult writing process, I’m not too sure if it’s ended up any good! Such is the way of all writing, I suppose. With luck, I’m hoping it will appear for sale sometime in early 2018. To everyone who’s been patiently waiting for it – thank you for your continued support.
Here’s to an easier ride for the next one!
December 21, 2016
My Top 5 Reads in 2016
I read almost 30 books in 2016, which is the most for a long time. A lot were decent but unremarkable, a few were pants. These five stood out.
1. Life Or Death – Michael Robotham
I’ve read a lot of thrillers over the past couple of years. Very few of them have been complete duds, but I could say the same about the number that have really grabbed me and stood out from the crowd. This book is one of them.
The premise for the book is a complete winner. Audie Palmer has spent ten, hard years in prison, but the day before he is due to be released, he escapes. Why would anyone do something like that?
What follows is a brilliantly told tale. It unravels beautifully, revealing the reasons for Audie’s actions as it switches between present day and his past. The writing is fantastic, with some of the best similes and descriptions I’ve read in a long time. I found myself entirely immersed in the book, rooting for Audie, booing the baddies and turning the (electronic) pages with relish.
I can’t speak highly enough of this book. By far the best book I’ve read this year and straight into my top ten ever, I think. Superb!
2. The Big Sleep – Raymond Chandler
It’s funny how you can convince yourself that a book won’t be for you based on some rather tenuous assumptions. This book was one of those. Sure, I knew it was regarded as a classic, and a touchstone for many a crime-writer, but I didn’t think I’d like it. I was so, so wrong!
I picked this up in a bookshop and, by the end of the first page, I was hooked. The humour is razor-sharp, with cracking one-liners and acerbic asides on almost every page. It’s not a comedy but it is very amusing and very clever.
It has to be said that the story is contained within a bit of a rambling plot, and on a few occasions I found the dialogue hard to fathom – it’s definitely stylised and of its time. However, I got used to it and it was worth the effort. The ending is very satisfying and ties together the loose ends that, at one point, I thought might be left hanging.
Superb stuff, and I’ll be reading the rest of the Marlowe books, now that I’ve broken through my prejudices.
3. A Walk In The Woods (Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail) – Bill Bryson
I’ve read a few Bill Bryson books and enjoyed them all. This was no exception.
Bryson is witty. I don’t find him belly-laugh funny but when I’m reading his stuff I smile a lot, snort occasionally, and admire his way with words. The tale he tells here is diverting and interesting, with his adventures on the trail interspersed with a bit of history and social commentary. It’s not a tension-filled, roller coaster, brimming with intrigue and jeopardy (although there is a little of that), but it still held my attention, amused me, and made me want to read on.
Having read some of the negative reviews I’m rather struck by how selective or just plain wrong some of these people are in their criticism. For instance, according to many of the 1 star reviews, he does nothing but rip into everyone he meets on the trail, running them down in some way. This is not the case. He speaks warmly of many folks, and has a go at what sound like a few idiots, deserving of his ire. He gently and affectionately ribs a couple of others. According to some, he seems to think he’s a proper mountain man and superior to day-hikers. He doesn’t say that even once in any serious way – although he jokes about it in a self-deprecating fashion on several occasions. In fact, he does a fair bit of day-hiking himself. He repeatedly points out his own shortcomings, including devoting almost a chapter to an occasion when his own stupidity and bad planning almost got him into serious trouble on one section of the trail (on a day hike). I wonder if they even read the last two chapters when they make these claims about his superior, know-it-all, attitude to trail hiking.
All I can think is that, for some people, they read this book wanting to dislike it, or Bill Bryson himself, and exaggerated or misrepresented certain aspects of the story in order to confirm their misgivings were well placed. Either that or they just took him too seriously and literally: it’s perhaps more of a British thing (and he’s a bit of an Anglophile) to employ self-deprecation and banter, and be tongue-in-cheek about a subject to get a laugh. It’s also true to say that pointing out facts will always get someone’s back up who is determined never to accept them as such – whatever subject they pertain to.
In any case, I really liked this book and, if you’ve read and enjoyed other books of his, I think you’ll enjoy this one too.
4. Beyond The Rage – Michael J. Malone
A very good read and a refreshing change from the cop-centric thrillers that dominate the crime genre.
Set in Scotland, this is the tale of a gangster with a past he knows little about, but that is going to cause him a lot of trouble in the here and now.
Great plot, great characters, believable and realistic dialogue, and some very clever twists – all delivered at a cracking pace.
Thoroughly recommended.
5. The Dark Inside – Rod Reynolds
The unusual setting of Post-War, small town, 1940’s Texas is atmospherically captured in this novel.
A traumatised and emotionally unstable reporter from New York, Charlie Yates, is exiled to the town of Texarkana, which straddles the Texas/Arkansas border. He’s been involved in an altercation at work, and his marriage is on the rocks. Two young people have been found murdered in their car in a lover’s lane. At first, it seems a banal case to the big city hack -he’s seen and reported on a lot worse – and his mind is elsewhere. However, before long, it’s clear there’s a serial killer on the loose and, in order to stop him, Yates will encounter police corruption and brutality, Chinese whispers, hostile locals, a powerful businessman, and a femme fatale.
It’s a well-written tale. The punchy dialogue uses enough Texas-isms to create a sense of place, without becoming a bewildering chore to decipher. Descriptive passages are mercifully short and add to the story. The plot is well-woven and the denouement very good. It’s got the feel of a movie – perhaps starring Russel Crowe or Guy Pierce as our hero – with very well-drawn characters.
Well worth a read.
1. Life Or Death – Michael Robotham
I’ve read a lot of thrillers over the past couple of years. Very few of them have been complete duds, but I could say the same about the number that have really grabbed me and stood out from the crowd. This book is one of them.
The premise for the book is a complete winner. Audie Palmer has spent ten, hard years in prison, but the day before he is due to be released, he escapes. Why would anyone do something like that?
What follows is a brilliantly told tale. It unravels beautifully, revealing the reasons for Audie’s actions as it switches between present day and his past. The writing is fantastic, with some of the best similes and descriptions I’ve read in a long time. I found myself entirely immersed in the book, rooting for Audie, booing the baddies and turning the (electronic) pages with relish.
I can’t speak highly enough of this book. By far the best book I’ve read this year and straight into my top ten ever, I think. Superb!
2. The Big Sleep – Raymond Chandler
It’s funny how you can convince yourself that a book won’t be for you based on some rather tenuous assumptions. This book was one of those. Sure, I knew it was regarded as a classic, and a touchstone for many a crime-writer, but I didn’t think I’d like it. I was so, so wrong!
I picked this up in a bookshop and, by the end of the first page, I was hooked. The humour is razor-sharp, with cracking one-liners and acerbic asides on almost every page. It’s not a comedy but it is very amusing and very clever.
It has to be said that the story is contained within a bit of a rambling plot, and on a few occasions I found the dialogue hard to fathom – it’s definitely stylised and of its time. However, I got used to it and it was worth the effort. The ending is very satisfying and ties together the loose ends that, at one point, I thought might be left hanging.
Superb stuff, and I’ll be reading the rest of the Marlowe books, now that I’ve broken through my prejudices.
3. A Walk In The Woods (Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail) – Bill Bryson
I’ve read a few Bill Bryson books and enjoyed them all. This was no exception.
Bryson is witty. I don’t find him belly-laugh funny but when I’m reading his stuff I smile a lot, snort occasionally, and admire his way with words. The tale he tells here is diverting and interesting, with his adventures on the trail interspersed with a bit of history and social commentary. It’s not a tension-filled, roller coaster, brimming with intrigue and jeopardy (although there is a little of that), but it still held my attention, amused me, and made me want to read on.
Having read some of the negative reviews I’m rather struck by how selective or just plain wrong some of these people are in their criticism. For instance, according to many of the 1 star reviews, he does nothing but rip into everyone he meets on the trail, running them down in some way. This is not the case. He speaks warmly of many folks, and has a go at what sound like a few idiots, deserving of his ire. He gently and affectionately ribs a couple of others. According to some, he seems to think he’s a proper mountain man and superior to day-hikers. He doesn’t say that even once in any serious way – although he jokes about it in a self-deprecating fashion on several occasions. In fact, he does a fair bit of day-hiking himself. He repeatedly points out his own shortcomings, including devoting almost a chapter to an occasion when his own stupidity and bad planning almost got him into serious trouble on one section of the trail (on a day hike). I wonder if they even read the last two chapters when they make these claims about his superior, know-it-all, attitude to trail hiking.
All I can think is that, for some people, they read this book wanting to dislike it, or Bill Bryson himself, and exaggerated or misrepresented certain aspects of the story in order to confirm their misgivings were well placed. Either that or they just took him too seriously and literally: it’s perhaps more of a British thing (and he’s a bit of an Anglophile) to employ self-deprecation and banter, and be tongue-in-cheek about a subject to get a laugh. It’s also true to say that pointing out facts will always get someone’s back up who is determined never to accept them as such – whatever subject they pertain to.
In any case, I really liked this book and, if you’ve read and enjoyed other books of his, I think you’ll enjoy this one too.
4. Beyond The Rage – Michael J. Malone
A very good read and a refreshing change from the cop-centric thrillers that dominate the crime genre.
Set in Scotland, this is the tale of a gangster with a past he knows little about, but that is going to cause him a lot of trouble in the here and now.
Great plot, great characters, believable and realistic dialogue, and some very clever twists – all delivered at a cracking pace.
Thoroughly recommended.
5. The Dark Inside – Rod Reynolds
The unusual setting of Post-War, small town, 1940’s Texas is atmospherically captured in this novel.
A traumatised and emotionally unstable reporter from New York, Charlie Yates, is exiled to the town of Texarkana, which straddles the Texas/Arkansas border. He’s been involved in an altercation at work, and his marriage is on the rocks. Two young people have been found murdered in their car in a lover’s lane. At first, it seems a banal case to the big city hack -he’s seen and reported on a lot worse – and his mind is elsewhere. However, before long, it’s clear there’s a serial killer on the loose and, in order to stop him, Yates will encounter police corruption and brutality, Chinese whispers, hostile locals, a powerful businessman, and a femme fatale.
It’s a well-written tale. The punchy dialogue uses enough Texas-isms to create a sense of place, without becoming a bewildering chore to decipher. Descriptive passages are mercifully short and add to the story. The plot is well-woven and the denouement very good. It’s got the feel of a movie – perhaps starring Russel Crowe or Guy Pierce as our hero – with very well-drawn characters.
Well worth a read.
September 5, 2016
Write On
I started writing – in any kind of formal sense – about six years ago. I wrote a novel, which, lo and behold, somebody said they wanted to publish. That was an amazing feeling and all the build up to the launch of my first novel was exciting and new and great. Then I wrote another one, and then another, and again, until now I have six.
My journey toward becoming a writer has been via a steep and slippery learning curve. One of the things I’ve noticed along the way, is that most people who write tend to proclaim how much they love it, how it consumes them, how they would spend every waking moment doing it if they could. The thing is, I’ve struggled with writing for the past six months and it made me question whether I was a proper writer or not.
I finished my last novel – Stark Realities – in the spring of 2015 and it was published that summer. It was the third instalment of a police procedural series. I should point out that I don’t write for a living. Just as well, really, as I’d made very little money from my efforts up to that point. However, all the evidence, advice and received wisdom was that series were the answer to sales, and the more you added to them, the better. I was really hopeful this third instalment might help springboard sales from the modest to low levels I’d managed so far, up to something more akin to decent or respectable.
When the book came out, my motivation levels to market the hell out of it were sky high. I did all the things I was supposed to. I wrote blogs on my website and as a guest of others; I got local press coverage; I got a couple of excellent reviews from relevant websites; I posted on every Social Media outlet I could; I started an e-newsletter, complete with an exclusive, free, short story to help improve take-up; I did a Goodreads giveaway for the paperback; I revamped all my covers to give them a common branding; I had hundreds of existing four and five star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads and every review that appeared for Realities was a four or five star; I was already writing the follow-up.
Sales were … underwhelming.
It was as if someone had stuck a pin in me. What I found most demoralising of all was the aftermath of Amazon promotions. On a few occasions my books were chosen to be included in some promotion or other. Usually, sales surged and the books climbed the rankings. Within days, a few new, positive reviews would appear. I would get excited, thinking this was the breakthrough I’d been waiting for. And then, when the price reverted to normal, and Amazon’s marketing machine moved on to pastures new, sales slumped and the books tumbled back down the rankings.
All of the time I’d been spending marketing the books seemed like a massive waste of time. Nothing I was doing seemed to sustain sales at levels where I would actually make some money from them. In the Spring of 2016 I stopped writing the follow-up to Stark Realities. Ironically, the stark reality was, I couldn’t see the point.
I’m under no illusions about becoming a millionaire, by the way. I don’t even mind if I can’t make enough to call it my proper job. I just wanted it to justify the time I put into it. I wanted to see my efforts rewarded. I’ve got a busy life away from writing: a time-consuming job as an ecologist and a daughter who competes for Team GB at ice-skating. All through the summer, when I was tired or busy, I couldn’t face writing. I stopped posting tweets and Facebook posts. I couldn’t think of anything I wanted to blog about. I had no motivation for it at all.
This is when I started to doubt my writing credentials. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that I can write well – enough strangers have said so through their reviews to convince me of that. What I really mean is, that I doubted whether I had the mind-set of a writer. I didn’t seem to love it enough and I didn’t find myself bereft if I went days without adding anything to the new novel. I just didn’t feel like I could call myself a writer. I’m sure there are plenty of other writers who’ve been through something similar; it just didn’t seem like it when I went on Twitter or Facebook.
Fast-forward to September 2016 and, in the past month, I’ve added almost 20,000 words to the next Stark novel. It’s been a hard year but I’m glad I’ve battled through that summer hiatus and the lack of motivation. I’m hoping the next novel might actually benefit as a result. In the end, I decided that I’ve come too far with this and put too much time and effort in to just chuck it.
I am a writer – even if I’m not as evangelical as some – and I will indeed write on, hoping for that breakthrough moment.
My journey toward becoming a writer has been via a steep and slippery learning curve. One of the things I’ve noticed along the way, is that most people who write tend to proclaim how much they love it, how it consumes them, how they would spend every waking moment doing it if they could. The thing is, I’ve struggled with writing for the past six months and it made me question whether I was a proper writer or not.
I finished my last novel – Stark Realities – in the spring of 2015 and it was published that summer. It was the third instalment of a police procedural series. I should point out that I don’t write for a living. Just as well, really, as I’d made very little money from my efforts up to that point. However, all the evidence, advice and received wisdom was that series were the answer to sales, and the more you added to them, the better. I was really hopeful this third instalment might help springboard sales from the modest to low levels I’d managed so far, up to something more akin to decent or respectable.
When the book came out, my motivation levels to market the hell out of it were sky high. I did all the things I was supposed to. I wrote blogs on my website and as a guest of others; I got local press coverage; I got a couple of excellent reviews from relevant websites; I posted on every Social Media outlet I could; I started an e-newsletter, complete with an exclusive, free, short story to help improve take-up; I did a Goodreads giveaway for the paperback; I revamped all my covers to give them a common branding; I had hundreds of existing four and five star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads and every review that appeared for Realities was a four or five star; I was already writing the follow-up.
Sales were … underwhelming.
It was as if someone had stuck a pin in me. What I found most demoralising of all was the aftermath of Amazon promotions. On a few occasions my books were chosen to be included in some promotion or other. Usually, sales surged and the books climbed the rankings. Within days, a few new, positive reviews would appear. I would get excited, thinking this was the breakthrough I’d been waiting for. And then, when the price reverted to normal, and Amazon’s marketing machine moved on to pastures new, sales slumped and the books tumbled back down the rankings.
All of the time I’d been spending marketing the books seemed like a massive waste of time. Nothing I was doing seemed to sustain sales at levels where I would actually make some money from them. In the Spring of 2016 I stopped writing the follow-up to Stark Realities. Ironically, the stark reality was, I couldn’t see the point.
I’m under no illusions about becoming a millionaire, by the way. I don’t even mind if I can’t make enough to call it my proper job. I just wanted it to justify the time I put into it. I wanted to see my efforts rewarded. I’ve got a busy life away from writing: a time-consuming job as an ecologist and a daughter who competes for Team GB at ice-skating. All through the summer, when I was tired or busy, I couldn’t face writing. I stopped posting tweets and Facebook posts. I couldn’t think of anything I wanted to blog about. I had no motivation for it at all.
This is when I started to doubt my writing credentials. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that I can write well – enough strangers have said so through their reviews to convince me of that. What I really mean is, that I doubted whether I had the mind-set of a writer. I didn’t seem to love it enough and I didn’t find myself bereft if I went days without adding anything to the new novel. I just didn’t feel like I could call myself a writer. I’m sure there are plenty of other writers who’ve been through something similar; it just didn’t seem like it when I went on Twitter or Facebook.
Fast-forward to September 2016 and, in the past month, I’ve added almost 20,000 words to the next Stark novel. It’s been a hard year but I’m glad I’ve battled through that summer hiatus and the lack of motivation. I’m hoping the next novel might actually benefit as a result. In the end, I decided that I’ve come too far with this and put too much time and effort in to just chuck it.
I am a writer – even if I’m not as evangelical as some – and I will indeed write on, hoping for that breakthrough moment.
January 19, 2016
Killed By Death
Last night Glen Frey, founding member of The Eagles, passed away, aged 67. As a friend commented on Facebook – that’s no age these days. And it isn’t. Only, he’s the latest in a steady stream of rockers who’ve died around the age of 70 in the past couple of years. Just check out this (far from exhaustive) list of famous musicians who’ve passed since 2014:
Lemmy and Phil Taylor from Motorhead.
David Bowie.
Chris Squire from Yes.
Andy Fraser from Free.
Jack Bruce from Cream.
Johnny Winter.
Bobby Womack.
All of these guys have died at a relatively young age, and mostly from cancer, but it’s not really so surprising. They lived the rock ‘n’ roll life – smoking, heavy drinking, and industrial-scale drug taking. Only a few of their generation will escape the damage this will have done to their bodies and plough on into serious old age. The sad fact is; the rock ‘n’ roll graveyard is going to be filling up with all our favourite old rockers in the next five to ten years.
However, there’s no point getting down about this. Death is a fact of life. Would it have been better for Lemmy to have been a teetotal, non-smoking, vegan, so he might have lived to be 95? Would it have been better if Bowie continued singing about gnomes and doing mime instead of spawning Ziggy Stardust and Alladin Sane from his drug-addled imagination? Nah, of course not. These were lives lived to the full, with permanent memorials left behind in the form of their music. The world’s cemeteries are full of untended headstones: monuments to anonymity, transience and the ordinary. These guys won’t be forgotten and the music they’ve made is their headstone. That’s something to be celebrated, not mourned.
So, as each of your favourite artists passes on, celebrate, take solace in the music, and remember that rock ‘n’ roll will never die.
I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Lemmy and co and the song that inspired the title of this blog.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJj7g...
Lemmy and Phil Taylor from Motorhead.
David Bowie.
Chris Squire from Yes.
Andy Fraser from Free.
Jack Bruce from Cream.
Johnny Winter.
Bobby Womack.
All of these guys have died at a relatively young age, and mostly from cancer, but it’s not really so surprising. They lived the rock ‘n’ roll life – smoking, heavy drinking, and industrial-scale drug taking. Only a few of their generation will escape the damage this will have done to their bodies and plough on into serious old age. The sad fact is; the rock ‘n’ roll graveyard is going to be filling up with all our favourite old rockers in the next five to ten years.
However, there’s no point getting down about this. Death is a fact of life. Would it have been better for Lemmy to have been a teetotal, non-smoking, vegan, so he might have lived to be 95? Would it have been better if Bowie continued singing about gnomes and doing mime instead of spawning Ziggy Stardust and Alladin Sane from his drug-addled imagination? Nah, of course not. These were lives lived to the full, with permanent memorials left behind in the form of their music. The world’s cemeteries are full of untended headstones: monuments to anonymity, transience and the ordinary. These guys won’t be forgotten and the music they’ve made is their headstone. That’s something to be celebrated, not mourned.
So, as each of your favourite artists passes on, celebrate, take solace in the music, and remember that rock ‘n’ roll will never die.
I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Lemmy and co and the song that inspired the title of this blog.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJj7g...
September 30, 2015
An Open Letter to the DM-ers
Dear Certain Authors,
Imagine you went to a party and someone walked up to you unannounced and said, “Hello, my name is Pete, nice to meet you; I’m an author and I’d be really grateful if you would buy my book. Here’s a link for you to follow to buy it.” They hand over a tablet and wait for you to comply. You’re a bit taken aback and don’t do as they ask but, undeterred, this person takes back the tablet and ploughs on. “No? Ok, well, how about you like my Facebook page, then?” Again, they open the link and hand over the tablet. At which point, you hand them it back and walk away, vowing never to have anything more to do with them.
In the real world, nobody would behave like that unless they were unwell. However, on Twitter, some authors behave like that every day. If you send out auto-DMs to new followers, you are that party-goer. No, really, you are. If you think it’s ok for your first interaction with a person (who knows nothing about you) is to send them an email, generated by a computer, asking them to buy your wares or like your pages, then you’re wrong. It’s not ok. It’s rude and it’s needy and it’s short-sighted.
Do you read spam emails from people you don’t know who are trying to get you to buy meds or sexual services? No? Neither do I, so I wonder what makes authors think their spam is any less annoying? Is it because it is art, dahling? Well, I’m sorry but that’s not reason enough to justify an unsolicited sales pitch and, if I get sent one of those, I unfollow. I’m not alone in this by the way – I’ve had several conversations about this with like-minded tweeps.
You have a profile on Twitter. If someone follows you, you can provide a link on there to something you hope they’ll be interested in. If they don’t bite right away, you’ll just need to try something else; be charming, helpful, friendly, amusing or perhaps even controversial; do something that gets their attention in a positive and engaging manner. If you want a favour, try doing one for someone else first. Chances are they’ll reciprocate and, if they don’t, then move on and try making friends with someone less rude and selfish.
I like Twitter, and I enjoy using it, but I hate auto-DMs. Please, if you have one set up, get rid of it. It’s not helping you sell anything and it’s getting on other people’s nerves. Oh, and those generic, impersonal, auto-DMs that just say thanks for following or suchlike? Totally pointless. We all know you didn’t notice we’d followed and were genuinely grateful, so why pretend you did?
First and foremost, Twitter is a social network, so be sociable, and sales will follow.
Kind regards,
Peter Carroll
Imagine you went to a party and someone walked up to you unannounced and said, “Hello, my name is Pete, nice to meet you; I’m an author and I’d be really grateful if you would buy my book. Here’s a link for you to follow to buy it.” They hand over a tablet and wait for you to comply. You’re a bit taken aback and don’t do as they ask but, undeterred, this person takes back the tablet and ploughs on. “No? Ok, well, how about you like my Facebook page, then?” Again, they open the link and hand over the tablet. At which point, you hand them it back and walk away, vowing never to have anything more to do with them.
In the real world, nobody would behave like that unless they were unwell. However, on Twitter, some authors behave like that every day. If you send out auto-DMs to new followers, you are that party-goer. No, really, you are. If you think it’s ok for your first interaction with a person (who knows nothing about you) is to send them an email, generated by a computer, asking them to buy your wares or like your pages, then you’re wrong. It’s not ok. It’s rude and it’s needy and it’s short-sighted.
Do you read spam emails from people you don’t know who are trying to get you to buy meds or sexual services? No? Neither do I, so I wonder what makes authors think their spam is any less annoying? Is it because it is art, dahling? Well, I’m sorry but that’s not reason enough to justify an unsolicited sales pitch and, if I get sent one of those, I unfollow. I’m not alone in this by the way – I’ve had several conversations about this with like-minded tweeps.
You have a profile on Twitter. If someone follows you, you can provide a link on there to something you hope they’ll be interested in. If they don’t bite right away, you’ll just need to try something else; be charming, helpful, friendly, amusing or perhaps even controversial; do something that gets their attention in a positive and engaging manner. If you want a favour, try doing one for someone else first. Chances are they’ll reciprocate and, if they don’t, then move on and try making friends with someone less rude and selfish.
I like Twitter, and I enjoy using it, but I hate auto-DMs. Please, if you have one set up, get rid of it. It’s not helping you sell anything and it’s getting on other people’s nerves. Oh, and those generic, impersonal, auto-DMs that just say thanks for following or suchlike? Totally pointless. We all know you didn’t notice we’d followed and were genuinely grateful, so why pretend you did?
First and foremost, Twitter is a social network, so be sociable, and sales will follow.
Kind regards,
Peter Carroll
September 17, 2015
A Bit of a Dog
It’s fair to say that my second novel Pandora’s Pitbull has presented me with some dilemmas. It’s never sold all that well and reviews seem to be polarised. I’m still hopeful it could do better and the latest instalment of its rehabilitation started today.
I’m a big fan of dystopian TV like 'The Walking Dead', and films like '28 Days Later', 'Zombieland' and 'World War Z' and the influences of these are in the story. The idea itself came from a scene in my first novel 'In Many Ways'. Originally, I considered calling the book 'Dawn of the Ned' because of this, but the pun is a bit too parochial and might imply a spoof or comedy – a la Shaun of the Dead. Although it does have some black humour in it, it’s not really that kind of book, so I used a line from the novel to create the title. Even now, I’m not sure it works – that author’s self-doubt kicking in again.
The first cover was stark (sorry!) and aggressive. I thought this would be eye-catching and help it stand out. However, after a while, and some repeated feedback, I decided that it needed to be toned down and we re-designed the cover. I was much happier with this reworking. It still shows the eponymous dog but, it also has a photograph from an electron microscope of a virus in the background, and the graphics were much improved. It made little or no difference to sales as far as I can tell!
Reviews have been mixed! One kind person said it was “Funny and ferocious a very enjoyable read.” Another less favourable review from Australia said “IT IS AWFUL! Even as a Kindle 99cent special it is AWFUL! Have I mentioned IT IS AWFUL?!!!” Overall, though, it’s had fifteen five star Amazon reviews versus five one star reviews (and one of those is a diatribe about the cover and pitbulls by someone in the US who didn’t buy it or read it). If three times as many people love it as hate it, I figure it’s got to be worth keeping on trying with it.
The latest initiative is to add this map to the book. I think for most readers, it will prove a useful aid to tracking the movements of the various characters across the UK (even the fictional bits!) and I’m hoping it’s a wee bit of added value folks will appreciate. I don’t expect it to kick start a sales avalanche but if it’s appreciated by a few and helps people make sense of what’s going on, then I’ll be happy with that.
If you have read it, and haven’t posted a review yet, please consider doing so. It just might help get it noticed. Thanks.
Grrr!
Peter
I’m a big fan of dystopian TV like 'The Walking Dead', and films like '28 Days Later', 'Zombieland' and 'World War Z' and the influences of these are in the story. The idea itself came from a scene in my first novel 'In Many Ways'. Originally, I considered calling the book 'Dawn of the Ned' because of this, but the pun is a bit too parochial and might imply a spoof or comedy – a la Shaun of the Dead. Although it does have some black humour in it, it’s not really that kind of book, so I used a line from the novel to create the title. Even now, I’m not sure it works – that author’s self-doubt kicking in again.
The first cover was stark (sorry!) and aggressive. I thought this would be eye-catching and help it stand out. However, after a while, and some repeated feedback, I decided that it needed to be toned down and we re-designed the cover. I was much happier with this reworking. It still shows the eponymous dog but, it also has a photograph from an electron microscope of a virus in the background, and the graphics were much improved. It made little or no difference to sales as far as I can tell!
Reviews have been mixed! One kind person said it was “Funny and ferocious a very enjoyable read.” Another less favourable review from Australia said “IT IS AWFUL! Even as a Kindle 99cent special it is AWFUL! Have I mentioned IT IS AWFUL?!!!” Overall, though, it’s had fifteen five star Amazon reviews versus five one star reviews (and one of those is a diatribe about the cover and pitbulls by someone in the US who didn’t buy it or read it). If three times as many people love it as hate it, I figure it’s got to be worth keeping on trying with it.
The latest initiative is to add this map to the book. I think for most readers, it will prove a useful aid to tracking the movements of the various characters across the UK (even the fictional bits!) and I’m hoping it’s a wee bit of added value folks will appreciate. I don’t expect it to kick start a sales avalanche but if it’s appreciated by a few and helps people make sense of what’s going on, then I’ll be happy with that.
If you have read it, and haven’t posted a review yet, please consider doing so. It just might help get it noticed. Thanks.
Grrr!
Peter
August 27, 2015
Building Bridges
My first novel, In Many Ways, came out four years ago. I sometimes find it hard to believe that I have since written five more, but I have. In that time, I’ve struggled to find the winning formula to kick-start sales to a level that I might consider taking up writing full-time. Marketing the books has become as big a part of my life as writing them – with mixed results.
I’ve tried all sorts of things to get the message out to a wider audience; to let people know the books are there. I have decent numbers of reviews for all of the books in the UK (219 Amazon reviews with 87% of them four or five stars) but I have struggled to find readers and reviewers in the US (17 Amazon reviews with 76% of them four or five stars). My Goodreads ratings are ok – 60 in total and an average of 3.6 out of 5 stars. I’ve had bursts of sales during promotional periods that make me think maybe I’ve cracked it, only to find sales fall back again after they finish. It’s a frustrating business.
I’ve connected with a few folks through social media and some of them have been very generous in their efforts to promote my stuff to their followers. I’ve joined a few author groupings although I find the levels of cross-promotion variable, and mostly poor. A lot of folk seem to join these collectives full of good intentions but are either not tech savvy enough to work out how to take part, are too self-absorbed to cross-promote others, lose interest after a bit, or find their time taken up elsewhere. I’ve done interviews and appeared on other writer’s blogs or websites. I don’t consider any of this wasted effort, and I’m always grateful for any kind of leg-up from a fellow writer or a blogger, but I don’t know how effective it is in gaining new readers.
My latest attempt to promote my books has involved a partnership with a friend who’s also a talented photographer – Alan Gray. I met Alan because our daughters skated at the same club. One day, while browsing his website, I came across a superb photograph of the Clackmannanshire Bridge. I knew it was perfect for my next book cover as the bridge features prominently in the story. I asked him if he would let me use it and, thankfully, he agreed. We could both see the potential benefits to each other’s business from doing this. We came to an arrangement about payment and usage rights and my publisher, Dave Lyons, set about creating the cover. We used an agency called 99 Designs, who ran a design tender process and, as part of that, we also asked our Facebook and Twitter followers to voice an opinion on the final three options. It was a fun process and got lots of engagement.
Once the book was launched I approached the local press as I always thought it made a good local-interest piece that we were working together in this way. I was right. Two papers have run articles in the past week.
One thing I have noticed since I started working with Alan is the numbers of views my Facebook posts get are up significantly. I only have 209 Likes on my author page; he has 543 for his photography page. My previous record for views was 875, but two posts that Alan helped by cross-promoting exceeded 1000 views, with one of them hitting 1,300. That’s a lot of extra reach I’ve gained from us working together. He tells me that he’s seen an increase in website traffic but no upturn in sales as yet. It remains to be seen how effective this partnership will be for us in terms of increased revenue, but I still think it was a good idea and well worth doing.
Whatever happens, and despite the lack of a big breakthrough, I’ll keep on building bridges with other folks and see where it leads. It’s a lot less lonely working in partnership and I like helping other people out when I can. If you think we might be able to work together to each other’s mutual benefit, please do get in touch.
Peter Carroll
I’ve tried all sorts of things to get the message out to a wider audience; to let people know the books are there. I have decent numbers of reviews for all of the books in the UK (219 Amazon reviews with 87% of them four or five stars) but I have struggled to find readers and reviewers in the US (17 Amazon reviews with 76% of them four or five stars). My Goodreads ratings are ok – 60 in total and an average of 3.6 out of 5 stars. I’ve had bursts of sales during promotional periods that make me think maybe I’ve cracked it, only to find sales fall back again after they finish. It’s a frustrating business.
I’ve connected with a few folks through social media and some of them have been very generous in their efforts to promote my stuff to their followers. I’ve joined a few author groupings although I find the levels of cross-promotion variable, and mostly poor. A lot of folk seem to join these collectives full of good intentions but are either not tech savvy enough to work out how to take part, are too self-absorbed to cross-promote others, lose interest after a bit, or find their time taken up elsewhere. I’ve done interviews and appeared on other writer’s blogs or websites. I don’t consider any of this wasted effort, and I’m always grateful for any kind of leg-up from a fellow writer or a blogger, but I don’t know how effective it is in gaining new readers.
My latest attempt to promote my books has involved a partnership with a friend who’s also a talented photographer – Alan Gray. I met Alan because our daughters skated at the same club. One day, while browsing his website, I came across a superb photograph of the Clackmannanshire Bridge. I knew it was perfect for my next book cover as the bridge features prominently in the story. I asked him if he would let me use it and, thankfully, he agreed. We could both see the potential benefits to each other’s business from doing this. We came to an arrangement about payment and usage rights and my publisher, Dave Lyons, set about creating the cover. We used an agency called 99 Designs, who ran a design tender process and, as part of that, we also asked our Facebook and Twitter followers to voice an opinion on the final three options. It was a fun process and got lots of engagement.
Once the book was launched I approached the local press as I always thought it made a good local-interest piece that we were working together in this way. I was right. Two papers have run articles in the past week.
One thing I have noticed since I started working with Alan is the numbers of views my Facebook posts get are up significantly. I only have 209 Likes on my author page; he has 543 for his photography page. My previous record for views was 875, but two posts that Alan helped by cross-promoting exceeded 1000 views, with one of them hitting 1,300. That’s a lot of extra reach I’ve gained from us working together. He tells me that he’s seen an increase in website traffic but no upturn in sales as yet. It remains to be seen how effective this partnership will be for us in terms of increased revenue, but I still think it was a good idea and well worth doing.
Whatever happens, and despite the lack of a big breakthrough, I’ll keep on building bridges with other folks and see where it leads. It’s a lot less lonely working in partnership and I like helping other people out when I can. If you think we might be able to work together to each other’s mutual benefit, please do get in touch.
Peter Carroll
Thoughts On Writing
Some musings and things I've learnt as I've gone along.
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