Self-publishing makes you smile – proof!

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agent, awards, cover, Faith Hope and Trickery, IngramSpark, London Book Fair, self-publishing, The Selfies

Apologies for the radio silence: it has been a mad fortnight.  Entirely my own fault, as I work alone and am in charge of my own diary, but everything except the absolute essentials of work and survival shopping/cooking have been on hold – apart, that is, from attendance at the London Book Fair.  For the first time ever.  And as an award shortlistee (is that a word? perhaps nominee is better)!

Of course I had heard of the LBF (as I thought it was trendy to call it, until I heard the old pros talking simply of “London”) but had never really felt entitled to attend before.  And to be honest, much of the show – fascinating though it is to wander around – is intended for publishers and booksellers and agents, looking to schmooze each other and make deals.  If you were an author looking for an agent or a publisher, it would be a handy place to do some research; you can see at a glance which “lists” would welcome your work, and with the lure of a (vastly overpriced, as always at these events) coffee and pastry you might even be able to set up a meeting or two.  I simply enjoyed seeing all the stalls and fantasising about being “author of the day” at an LBF of the future…

But back to the award.  As regular readers will know, I was – amazingly and thrillingly – chosen as one of eight shortlisted entrants for the inaugural Selfies Award, created to recognise writing and publishing professionalism in the self-published world.  I am told that more than fifty entries were received, so getting down to the final eight – and as a part-time author – pleased me enormously.  We were an entirely female shortlist, and it was a delight to meet the other seven authors on the day.  We were all a bit giddy by 4.30pm when we were shepherded onto the low stage of the little theatre set up in the “Writer’s Block” area of the fair, and we each had to announce our name and our book title.  I didn’t win but was consoled by the fact that both the winner (Jane Davis, with her book “Smash all the Windows”) and the runner-up (Jane Steen, with her book “Lady Helena Investigates”) were just the loveliest women.  I entirely forgot to take any photos myself but I hope that the award sponsors IngramSpark (through whom I publish the Sam books) won’t mind me borrowing this one from their Twitter feed:

That’s the overall winner Jane Davis being announced and the runner-up Jane Steen on the right, with the biggest smile in the universe!  (You’ll also spot the purple book cover of “Faith, Hope and Trickery” on the banner behind us – so many people complimented me on that cover.)  Look how happy we all are – that’s self-publishing for you!

Dreaming big for Sam

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awards, prizes, writing

In exchange for a full day of writing tomorrow, I have spent today helping my husband to sort out and tidy the loft.  Much of this has involved retrieving clothes that we had bunged up there years ago, trying them on, laughing hysterically at what we used to wear in public, and then sorting them into three piles: keep (very small pile), charity shop, and bin.

One item we came across was the most gorgeous long evening dress – mine, not his.  It is vintage, red satin, sleeveless, full length, with a sort of fish-tail at the back and a matching red satin long coat.  I cannot remember buying it, although I do sporadically collect 1950s dresses, and it fits perfectly.  But when on earth would I wear it?  It’s not really practical for financial training, fiction writing, sitting in court or cycling around Cambridge, which is how I spend my waking hours these days.  My hand hovered sadly over the charity shop pile.  “Wait!” said my husband suddenly.  “You’ll want something fancy to wear when you win the Booker Prize.”  “True,” I said, “but where will I keep it until then?”  “Back in the loft, in a special clothes bag, and when you hear you’re on the short-list, we’ll get it down and it can air.”  And that, dear reader, is why I married him.

Longlist long-shot

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awards, Historical Novel Society, indie publishing, Samuel Plank, self-publishing, The Man in the Canary Waistcoat

Some time ago I told you the exciting news that “The Man in the Canary Waistcoat” had (a) been reviewed (favourably) by the Historical Novel Society, (b) picked as one of their Editor’s Choice titles for that quarter, and therefore (c) entered into the running for the 2016 HNS Indie Award [as it’s independently published].  That longlist of thirty-eight contenders has just been whittled down to a shortlist of nine, with the overall winner to be announced in September 2016, and sadly “Canary” has not made it.

I was initially – momentarily – cast down by this, but then I reminded myself: the HNS is international and highly regarded, it’s dealing with exactly “my people” (historical fiction), and they considered “Canary” one of the thirty-eight novels of 2015 that best exemplified (to quote their website) “excellence in indie-published historical novels”.  Excellence!  And as my cheerleading husband said, if I can make the longlist with my second novel, who knows where I’ll be with my seventh!  Onwards and upwards and, as Sam would doubtless point out, the job itself is reward enough.  How many people get to spend hours immersed in the company of such fascinating characters living in such interesting times?

The mark of distinction

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awards, Historical Novel Society, Samuel Plank, The Man in the Canary Waistcoat, writing

As I sit here at the dining room table, labouring away at “Plank 3”, a lovely email pings in.  It is from the Historical Novel Society, and they say that they now have a logo that can be used by all recipients of their Editors’ Choice accolade.  Back in May, “The Man in the Canary Waistcoat” was admitted to the charmed circle, and so I can proudly display the green and gold logo – look, there it is on the left.

I can’t tell you what a fillip it is to receive this timely reminder that my books are enjoyed by those who read them.  It is the curse of the self-published author, the lack of publicity, and now that I am over my initial worry that no-one was reading my books because they were not worth reading, I am just desperate to get the word out to as many people as possible.  In other words, I am now reasonably confident that if someone takes a chance on one of my books, they will enjoy it.  So recognition like this, from the well-respected HNS, is invaluable.

Well, I can feel Sam looking at me and tapping his pocket watch meaningfully, so it’s back to the grindstone.  I have an enforced day “off” tomorrow; I’m in court myself as a magistrate, and only hope that my recent immersion in the criminal justice system of 1826 does not make me yearn to transport felons to the colonies.