Today has been a really big day for me – exactly a year since my debut novel Recipes for Melissa was published. I find it strange even to type that last sentence without smiling, actually, because there is still this surreal feeling deep inside, waiting to find myself in that episode of Dallas. Mature readers will know the one – Bobby steps out of the shower and we find it was all a dream… So in this bizarre (80s flashback!) state, I thought I would share a few thoughts on what I have learned during this special first year as a published author. Lots actually but two key things especially. First – patience and an awareness of the long game. And second - not to be too sensitive and ridiculous when a (thankfully rare) negative review rears its ugly head. Let’s kick off with patience. After Melissa was published in the UK, I was almost in this dreamlike state. I had a champagne celebration with friends, gorgeous reviews started to come in. I was walking on air….and then? I suddenly realised as the launch euphoria died down that it was not going to be about one single book. One launch. It was a career. A long game. I had to retreat to my writing cave on my tod as I had always done to crack on with book two while waiting to liaise with my German publisher about book one in translation. I worked for a very long time as a journalist and TV presenter so I have been used to things happening very, very quickly. Constant buzz. Daily deadlines. In publishing it’s very different. You have your moment in the sun and then you have to put your head down and get back to solitary hard work quietly in the shade. I’m certainly not complaining but I do have a much better understanding of the cycle now – having repeated it all with my second book which came out in March. All quiet work solo in the cave… and then suddenly a great rush of activity and PR. The trick is to learn patience during the stints in between. What is the saying….all good things come to those who wait. And now onto the second crucial lesson - how to cope with a negative review. Thankfully I have to date only had a few….compared to well over a hundred gorgeous five stars ( phew!). The truth is I knew it was inevitable that not all readers would like my work and I am very, very respectful of every reader’s right to their opinion. You can’t please everyone. Tastes vary. But it is still very hard not to be upset when someone does not like your book. The advice is not to take it personally but that, of course, is easier said than done. Hear this….at first it really does feel personal. How can it not hurt when a reader dislikes your work? So if you are a new writer or newly published then I would share the same advice I was given. Try to distract yourself by reading your best reviews all over again. Be respectful of subjectivity. Let yourself be a bit sad ( it certainly feels sad!), go eat a large quantity of chocolate and then DO get it into perspective. This is what I have learned. If the vast majority of readers like your book very much, you’re doing great! And so this evening as I raise a glass to my first anniversary as a published author, I know exactly what I want to say …. I want to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to those bloggers who have supported me this past year by giving a new author a chance and taking the time to read and then write about my debut and my second novel. I owe you so much. And thank you to each and every one of my new readers who have bought my books and also so kindly reviewed them. You have made all those years of rejection worth every bit of the heartache on the long journey to publication. I feel very, very blessed and very lucky, doing a job now that I absolutely love. So this evening I raise my glass to YOU. Thank you xx Take a quick peek in my garden right now and you will understand why I am so in love with the new German cover for my second novel. This is Droemer Knaur’s edition of Last Kiss Goodnight which is retitled The Joy of Bright Days and is out in paperback in August. Anyone would think I had picked the colours for this cover myself! I really do feel so incredibly blessed re cover designs just now. Regular readers will know how much I also love the new edition of Recipes for Melissa in the UK which got its delicious new look to celebrate the release of my second novel. Many people really liked the original cover for my debut but the more contemporary look is clearly going down well too. As I write the book is in the top #200 on Kindle so I am absolutely thrilled!! But isn’t it extraordinary how my writing – the very same books - receive such different titles and treatments in different countries? I find it all absolutely fascinating. Book covers are, of course, a MAJOR topic of conversation among authors. And rightly so. It can be quite tense and emotional waiting to see a new cover and often the ‘reveal’ though pleasing, may not be quite what an author expects. Like it or not, a cover can make or break a book and so I’m learning that it is most important to be professional rather than purely emotional. First question has to be the bottom line, after all. Will this cover sell my book? Attract readers? Send the right signal to the right section of the market? So just now I feel incredibly lucky that all my publishers (get me with the plural!) are putting in so much thought and work into my designs. In the UK my primary sales are on Kindle and so my covers here need above all else to be striking in thumbnail version so that they ‘pop’ on the page when potential buyers are skimming the Amazon shelves. I’ve written here before about the recent branding update which saw Recipes for Melissa given its beautiful new cover to tie in with my second novel Last Kiss Goodnight. Both novels now work extremely well in partnership, I think, and as I said earlier are selling very well at the moment so crossed fingers and three cheers for my publisher Bookouture for putting in this extra effort for me. I’m incredibly grateful. Meanwhile back to Germany where Droemer Knaur are targeting book shop sales as well as ebook sales with their lovely covers. For my first novel (retitled For All the Days to come) they went for sheer BEAUTY. A gorgeous hardback with gold front and backplates, a gold thread bookmark and a stunning design. It is a book to treasure. I am so proud of it. Now – moving onto paperbacks, the German designers have come up with this nature/berry theme to tie my two books together. And I LOVE them!! The new paperback for my first novel features forget-me-nots which tie in with the theme of the book just beautifully. And for the second? Well, as I said from the off, someone must have told them about my garden. So I will sign off here today with a little montage of all my covers so far (and some shots of my garden too so you will understand the colour reference). There are still editions of my debut to come from Israel, Korea and Brazil. I honestly cannot wait now to see what they come up with. It’s been a very hectic month since the release of my second novel so it feels like time for a little update here. I can’t thank readers and reviewers enough for all the support for Last Kiss Goodnight. As I write, it is sitting in the top ten for Literary Sagas on Kindle alongside my debut so I feel chuffed to bits, as well as a little bit amazed. The second novel actually made #111 in the whole Kindle chart at one point so forgive me for admitting that I took a screen shot of that as a little keepsake. I’ve had a lot of fun chatting on various blogs about the new book as well as interviews for BBC Radio Devon and Talk Radio Europe. After all those years as a television reporter and presenter, I can tell you that it still feels very weird to be answering the questions instead of asking them. But the best thing now? As all the excitement slowly dies down after that first surge of publication PR, it’s very much back to the day job…ie getting on with the next book. And the good news is I am finally getting used to this. The rhythm of the published author - which is the transition to true acceptance that you really do have to …..keep going. In interviews, I have likened this transition to getting hitched. You spend all that time planning the big wedding…and almost forget that you have to be married afterwards. What? You mean….I have to live with him now? What? You mean….I have to write another book... straight away? As someone who celebrates my silver wedding anniversary later this year, I seem to have adjusted to marriage just fine. So let’s all hope this new life as an author goes as well. My thanks again for all support, especially those who have been kind enough to post reviews. I have some more exciting news to share very soon but my publisher has asked me to keep it secret for now (which, trust me, is very difficult!) If you're a writer yourself, have a good writing week. And to all book lovers, I hope you are reading something wonderful. I feel a bit hoarse. Well…not actually, but figuratively, you understand. For the past week, since the publication of my second novel, I have been running around the house and on Twitter and Facebook, screeching like a kid full of too much sugar. I apologise. I do see that it’s not been very controlled or humble or modest. It’s all been a bit ‘look at me’. But the truth is it is very hard to get the tone of this marketing malarkey right and I am just genuinely overwhelmed with the beautiful things people have been saying about the book. And then there’s the shock issue of the rankings! (I may have, ahem, mentioned them once or twice on social media). Yesterday, for instance, I hit #170 in the whole of Kindle and practically fell off my chair. Me? In the top #200?! This, I promise you, is not false modesty or me seeking compliments. I am truly astonished. The DH meantime is all smugness, wearing his ‘told-you-so’ face…which I will explain in just a mo. You see I am both terribly proud and very fond of this second novel but I also have this massive soft spot for my debut Recipes for Melissa (for all sorts of personal reasons). And I kinda thought Recipes was the book that would get the higher ranking of the two, being the first etc. I was utterly thrilled when my debut made it into the top #500 on Kindle for its launch last June and really hoped, quietly, that this second book might nudge near that too. But everyone says the second book can be a bit tricky, blah blah,…and so I was very nervous and didn’t want to go building up my hopes too much. Meantime hubby has a massive soft spot for this second book ( in the same way I do for the first). It has always been his personal favourite…so he, as I say, has been wandering around saying…..told you. I honestly do not know why we authors get ourselves into such a stupendous tizz over book launches. We long for them. We work towards them. It is what we dream of…seeing our work in print. And then we go and have this last-minute complete meltdown panic, followed by the polar opposite sugar rush when things go better than we dared to dream…. So please forgive all this…including the self-indulgent selfie with this post! Please try to overlook all the running around this past week, shrieking on social media. I promise to calm myself down and get back to the business of writing the next book. But I feel I really must say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has bought the new book. And for all the kind reviews. I am genuinely surprised and delighted. You have made a nervous author very, very happy. In short...I love you all! Drum roll, please....for it's a double celebration! Not only is it the eve of publication of my second novel but I have also now been able to share the stunning new cover for my debut Recipes for Melissa. Can't tell you how difficult it has been to keep this little beauty a secret. This new edition is to celebrate the release of Last Kiss Goodnight tomorrow - March 25th - and to tie the two novels together with a little bit of subtle 'branding'. Though the first edition of Recipes for Melissa was very pretty, my publisher wanted a vibrant new look to tie in with book two. So the new design has the same white lettering across both titles and a similar shaft of sunlight as background to the subtitles in red font. The new cover is already being delivered to kindle and will be used for a second edition of the paperback too. I think the two novels with their strong colouring now match rather beautifully and I do hope you agree. Meantime early reviews for Last Kiss Goodnight have been lovely so this very happy author has a bottle of something fizzy in the fridge ready for tomorrow. Have a wonderful Easter and forgive me for mentioning that Last Kiss Goodnight is just 99p at the moment! A lot of people ask where the idea for a book comes from….so here is the story behind my second novel. The truth is it all stemmed from a haunting. Or rather a haunting image. A long time ago when I was a television reporter in London I was sent to cover a campaign launch on a little green opposite the house of commons. I arrived with my TV crew to find a group of women releasing dark balloons against a clear sky. I learned, to my great sadness, that they were all mothers and each balloon represented a child they could not find. The stories of the estrangements were many and varied. Runaway children. Custody disputes. Crime...The list went on and on. But though the stories were all so very different, the look in the eyes of all the mothers was the same. I was young. I was not a mother then but it still broke my heart. I interviewed a number of the women and one took me back to her house to show me the bedroom that she had kept exactly the same since the day her two children were “lost” to her. I have always been a little haunted by the memory of those balloons and when I was looking for an idea for my second novel, I realised that I wanted to write a fictional story that would capture something important I learned that day. For those brave women taught me the real difference between empathy and sympathy. Through their campaign they gave each other strength and hope and a lot of love. They were able to help each other so much, I realised….because they truly understood each other. My second novel tells the story of two women who strike up a powerful bond of friendship born of an empathy they don’t at first understand…as they each deal with secrets from their past. The story is entirely made up, of course. It’s a novel and I would never use the facts of anyone’s true story for my fiction. But I do hope I have captured the emotional landscape of what it means to search for someone you love. And the huge importance of true friendship…and the healing power of love. UPDATE The book called Last Kiss Goodnight was published in March 2016 and has received more than 100 wonderful reviews. Thank you, readers. It means so much to me to see people enjoying the result of watching those balloons. One reader recently wrote: 'One of the best books I have read this year'. That certainly made my day! I hope your own writing life is full of wonderful inspiration. The time has come to pinch myself yet again as I am delighted to share with you the cover for my second novel. It is up on Amazon right now for pre-order and is published on Friday March 25th as both an Ebook and paperback. So, given this is take two for me now, I thought I’d jot some brief notes on how this feels second time around. Is it any less surreal? Is there any less excitement, doing this as a ‘published author’ (for, let me check the calendar, a whole seven months now) rather than a complete newbie? The short answer is…er; no, dear people! This still feels an absolute surreal privilege and I feel no less lucky to have finally ‘got there’. But some things have, of course, changed practically and logistically. I do , for instance, feel that I have a better professional understanding now of all the processes on the journey to launching a novel. The structural edits. The copyedit. The cover liaison. The cover reveal. The Pr….and lift-off. The heady drama of these final hectic weeks… Most important I am learning the essential juggling act of editing and launching one book while writing a new one. This will make experienced authors smile as it is probably the biggest adjustment - the joy of having a deal but realising that with that comes a schedule and a series of deadlines! I also find that I still feel very nervous, truth be told, about what readers will think. I had expected that to diminish a bit with the second book but I learn that this continuum of nerves is perfectly normal too…just part of the territory as a writer. I suppose because we care so much about our writing and our craft, that will never go away. But I do take heart from the wonderful reviews for my debut. Forgive the boast but as I write I have 65 five-star reviews for Recipes for Melissa and feel very, very blessed so thank you to anyone reading this who has been kind enough to buy and review my first novel. Means a lot to me. Do hope everyone likes the second! We have all heard about "that difficult second book" ...so I thought it was about time I updated you all on mine. The truth ? I haven't blogged for so very long because - well; it's been...difficult! I know, I know. I don't want to churn clichés any more than you want to read them. I want it to be all puppies and birdsong and bestseller lists. Come to think of it, I probably shouldn't be so darn honest here but -hey, we are all in this together. So the truth is I had a little hiccup when I couldn't work on my edits because my lovely UK editor had to have some time off. Not her fault. She really is lovely. Life just happened. The only problem for me? I am also under contract to deliver this same script ready for translation to my German publisher...who has (not surprisingly) been asking when exactly it will be turning up? It was getting to the point where I thought I might have to leave the country or stop answering the phone (Author? Deadline? I have no idea what you're talking about. Wrong number. Sorry. Goodbye…). In the midst of all this the darling husband was wandering around saying helpful things like – but I thought it was your dream to be published….Why are you so stressed? And then all of a sudden the clouds parted. In came the second edit notes. Hallelujah! I open them, relieved and beaming…to find that my editor has a spectacular suggestion….of restructuring the whole story. Really? Like – you mean; complete restructuring? No. You're right. In fact it’s a brilliant idea. Genius. Absolutely. I'm on it… Cue feral domestic life (again!), much frantic late night working to get the script in by Xmas...so that Germany will get it on time too and I can open my emails again. Blogging? Are you understanding now? Sorry. Really sorry… But the terrific postscript news is I have somehow not only survived this ‘second novel ‘ rollercoaster but am actually loving the book in its new shape (memo to new writers; editors really are fabulous...always listen). New version goes into my UK publisher this week…and ssshh, whisper this, but we have a fabulous new title to share very soon too. I am meantime also delighted to see that hardback sales of my debut's beautiful German edition look strong for Christmas - not surprising as it is quite delicious with gold paper front and back plates and a cover worth stroking..(though I may have mentioned this a few times before). So, all in all, I am slowly moving from dramaqueen/ stress to excitement all over again. More news on pub date and second novel cover reveal coming up. Watch this space! For now - enjoy your own writing and have yourselves…..a very Merry Christmas! I have just received an email from my editor to say my edits for book two are on the way…so I have decided on a very quick blog before I dive right back into that editing cave. Not even three months since my debut was launched on the world and I can’t believe how much has changed. How little has changed. How much I’ve learned. How much I have still to learn... I remember last Christmas attending my agent’s festive drinks party and being so ridiculously nervous. I knew there would be lots of experienced novelists there and though I had clinched a deal by then– my novel sold in several languages – it hadn’t been published. I hadn’t been through the editing process with a real, live publisher. I hadn’t experienced the thrill of holding that first paperback in my hands. And now that I have experienced all of those things? Well – it’s every bit as exciting as I had hoped, that’s for sure. But it feels more like a job now. The delicious job I have always longed to do. I understand a bit more now about what’s expected of me. How the editing process works….The difference between a development edit and a final copy edit. I have a better idea of how long things take. I am less nervous. Less at sea. I enjoy swapping notes with other authors, feeling that little bit less green about it all. I no longer have to face the embarrassment of telling people just how many years I spent trying to be a novelist...which always felt that little bit ridiculous until I got my happy ending. But I learn now that the worrying never quite goes away. That once published, you tend to exchange the worry over whether you’ll get published….to the worry over marketing and how well your book will sell. I’ve learned too what it feels like to check Amazon first thing every morning for ranking…and reviews. That incredible thrill when there’s another 5-star. The disappointment when there isn't. But I’ve learned also, thank goodness, that whatever else is going on – marketing; cover discussions blah blah – once I sit down to write or edit, nothing has actually changed at all. And my apologies to those of you who are thinking - easy to say once you have the deal, Teresa! I don't mean to sound smug or unfeeling over the sting of rejection. Trust me - I had my share! I am just trying to be honest here. And that is the joy and the relief and the wonderful paradox of it all. For I realise now, above all else, that it is the writing that defines me rather than the publication. I would have kept on writing….deal or no deal. It’s who I am. So if that is who you are too and you’re still waiting for “the call”….just remember that you are a writer already - aspiring or otherwise - and keep going. Perhaps have a trawl back through some of my old blogs which share tips….and also serve to remind that it wasn’t that long ago that I was ‘aspiring’ rather than ‘published’ too. To be honest, it simply feels strange. A lot’s changed since I started this blog. I feel blessed - of course I do. And yet at the same time nothing has changed at all. For at the end of the day as I wait to launch into editing this second book….it’s still me and the page. True - I have guidance now and a deal, not to mention some income, all of which is great. My editor will have ideas. Some very, very good ideas. And some I may not agree with and may even cause panic. But once the discussions are over and the work begins, it will essentially be down to me. Sitting here in my office on my tod. Just me and the page. The way it has always been. And the way, thankfully, that I like it… One of the things that I am learning as a newly-published author is how much trickier it becomes to balance reading and writing. And if that sounds strange, let me explain… It goes without saying that writers must be avid readers. It’s how we came to want to write….right? I love books. I love reading and I have always made it a priority. It’s a given. But now that I have contracts to honour (lucky me – I’m certainly not complaining!) I find that I am having to shift both my thinking and my scheduling. Previously I wrote fiction speculatively, alongside my journalism and other paid writing. It meant I set the timetable. If I wanted to put my MS aside and read something fresh instead, I could....and would. Now, of course, I am writing novels professionally and when I am up against an editing deadline, I find it difficult (and more than a little bit frustrating) to fit in quite as much reading as I would like. It’s just an adjustment. I’m new to everything, after all. Finding my way. For those who have yet to clinch a deal (do please keep going…and read previous blogs on how long I had to wait!) the “business end” of publishing a book involves an unbelievable number of re-reads. For example, I went through two rounds of development edits… and then a copy edit for my debut Recipes for Melissa. For each one, I obviously read and re-read the MS umpteen times to ensure I had re-stitched all the changes successfully. I’m a pretty quick reader…but I still allow around four hours to go over my MS. So in the final weeks ahead of publication, I re-read my own book more times than I care to admit! ( I also re-read the final e-book conversion and the PDF of the print version as they were sent through. Over the top? Borderline OCD? I don’t think so. Copy editors are good but mistakes can still slip through and, for myself, I feel the buck stops with the author…so I wanted to try my very hardest to deliver as clean a version of my debut as possible.) So instead of reading a dozen new books, I seemed to be reading my own over and over and over. Tired eyes? You betcha! I reached the point where I felt I could probably recite whole chunks. I checked in with a couple of other authors to find this is not unusual at all. Some even said they never find time to read other work while editing. Fair enough. It’s the job, after all. So once my debut was out, I quickly turned to my “to-read” pile. How wonderful. To be reading other novels again. It was like devouring chocolate after a diet. And then? The publisher is keen to have book two as quickly as possible! Perfectly understandable. So after finishing just a handful of delicious novels by others, I was right back into MS number two, tidying it up for submission. It’s just gone into my editor and I learn her editorial notes should be back next week. So what am I doing? I am reading, reading, reading, reading… as much as I possibly can before I am back in that editing cave. So whatever you are reading or writing just now….enjoy. And do let me know on Twitter or on my Facebook author page how you manage to balance your own reading and writing. All tips gratefully received. |
AuthorTeresa Driscoll - journalist, author, mother of two and lover of great coffee. CATEGORIEsArchives
February 2024
|