Off to Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival in a moment - but just had to post a link to this wonderful review of Who Killed William Shakespeare? which appeared only today on the Review Group blog.
This makes today feel very good indeed.
And if you follow the link, read the review and then leave a comment BTL, you'll automatically be entered in a prize draw for a free, signed, hardback copy of Who Killed Will!
Go on - you know you want to!
Showing posts with label Review Blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Review Blog. Show all posts
Tuesday, 29 April 2014
Saturday, 26 April 2014
Shakespeare Week
Not his 450th birthday, surely?
Of course not.
It's been a busy week. And I've found myself biting my tongue quite a lot, as the media celebrates the Other Shakespeare - the Shakespeare who is really very little more than a Trademark.
It started for me with a fantastic afternoon at the Tree House Bookshop in Kenilworth, where I gave a talk about Who Killed William Shakespeare? and signed some books for the start of their Shakespeare Festival. If you happen to be in the Kenilworth area, I can highly recommend a visit to the Tree House Bookshop - it's a lovely, relaxing place to browse second hand books, to lounge in their sofas, drinking tea or coffee.
Wednesday was, of course, Shakespeare's birthday. And the "We Love Coventry and Warwickshire" website was kind enough to host a wee post of mine, entitled Two Years to Find Shakespeare. Pretty self-explanatory, I'd hope.
I then had a piece published by my beloved Review Group on their wonderful blog, this one entitled - what else? - Happy Birthday, Shakespeare.
And now I'm looking forward to the Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival, and my talk/book signing there this coming Tuesday on Who Killed Shakespeare? Advance bookings appear to be pretty good, but if you are in or near Shakespeare's hometown on the afternoon of 29 April, come along - there's tea and cake!
So, you can't really accuse me of not celebrating Shakespeare's birthday. But, as I hope my various talks and blogs have made it clear, we might not really be celebrating Shakespeare. Not yet. We're pretending we are, but we're still allowing the experts to keep us in the dark about him.
But that will change soon. And I'll have a lot more to tell you about "Shakespeare's Son", Sir William Davenant, as my work on his biography progresses.
TTFN!
Monday, 17 March 2014
My Writing Process (blog tour)
I was "tagged" to take part in this blog hop by the wonderful Margaret Skea, whom I have known since the Authonomy days, and who posted about her writing process on her own blog last week.
Margaret passed on to me the four questions that writers are invited to answer as part of this blog tour.
So, here goes ...
1. What am I working on?
Right now, I'm finishing one project and starting another. The Grail; Relic of an Ancient Tradition has been occupying my time now since January 2013. I was looking to do something of a follow up to The King Arthur Conspiracy, partly because I had been doing some more research - especially into the location and circumstances of Arthur's last battle - and partly because I wanted to address some of the (very minor) objections to Artuir mac Aedain having been the original Arthur of legend.
Thanks to Trevor Greenfield of Moon Books, I was given the opportunity to write The Grail in an unusual way. Each month, from January to December 2013, I would write a chapter, which would then by uploaded onto the Moon Books blog. That meant that, each month, I would send my draft chapter to my associate, John Gist, in New Mexico, who would read it and comment on it for me, and I would visit my friend Lloyd Canning, a local up-and-coming artist, to discuss the illustration that would accompany the chapter. There would be a final rewrite, and then I'd submit the chapter and the image to Trevor at Moon Books.
It was a long process, and an odd one (I wouldn't normally submit anything less than a complete manuscript). I've spent the last couple of months revising the full text and adding a few more illustrations. And, well, it's about finished. John contacted me from the States last night to say that he had read through one of the more recent drafts of the full thing and he really liked it. It's not all about the distant past - there's a lot about how our brains work, and how a certain type of mind tends to ruin history (and other things) for everybody else. That type of mindset seeks to prevent research into figures like Artuir mac Aedain so that the prevailing myth can be maintained. The same type of mindset will cause us no end of problems in the immediate future, and the book ends with something of a prediction.
Coming up ... Sir William Davenant. I published a piece on The History Vault, a couple of days ago, about Shakespeare's Dark Lady. It could be read as a sort of introduction to my biography of Sir William Davenant. I've only just signed the contract for the Davenant book, and it's due to be handed in to The History Press in June 2015.
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
History for me is an investigative process. I lose patience very quickly with historians who do nothing more than repeat what the last historian said. It's a major problem: a consensus arises, and woe betide any self-respecting historian who challenges that consensus. But the consensus is often based, not on historical facts, but on a kind of political outlook. It tends to be history-as-we-would-like-it-to-be, rather than history-as-it-was.
There are similarities with archaeology. Dig down anywhere within the Roman walls of the old city of London and you'll hit a layer of dark earth. This was left behind by Boudica when she and her Iceni warriors destroyed Londinium in about AD 60. But if you don't dig down far enough, you won't find that layer.
Too much history - certainly where Arthur (and the Grail) and Shakespeare (and Davenant) are concerned - gets down as far as one layer and stays there. In the case of Arthur, that layer is the 12th century; with Shakespeare, it's the late 18th century. In both instances, that's when the story changed. New versions of Arthur and Shakespeare arose, reflecting the obsessions of the particular era. When historians dig down to that layer, and report on what they've found, they're not writing about Arthur or Shakespeare - they're writing about what later generations wanted to think about Arthur and Shakespeare.
You have to go down further. Otherwise, you're just repeating propaganda.
I'm also a bit fussy about how my books read. That's my dramatist background, I reckon. But I read a great many books - history, mostly, of course - and too many of them are, frankly, boring. I seek to write exciting, accessible history that has been more diligently researched than the norm. I don't seek to shock, but real history often is shocking. Maybe that's why so many historians prefer to keep telling the "consensus" story.
3. Why do I write what I do?
The work I do now started because I was intrigued and inquisitive. The familiar legends of Arthur are all well and good, but I was more interested in the man who inspired them - who was he? what made him so special? And the same with Shakespeare - how did a Warwickshire lad become the greatest writer in the English language? (My own background is not too different from Shakespeare's.) And what was the inspiration for the character of Lady Macbeth.
I'm still intrigued and inquisitive, but over the years I've found myself more and more determined to see justice done - to right the wrongs of the past. Those wrongs are perpetuated by historians who don't ask questions. And that's a betrayal, not only of the actual subjects (Arthur, Shakespeare) but also of the reader today. It's a kind of cover-up, designed - I believe - to reshape the past so that it justifies certain policies today. If you're a monarchist, for example, or an old-fashioned imperialist, you're going to want to believe that Queen Elizabeth I was marvellous. And then you're going to have to believe that Shakespeare thought she was marvellous. Which means that you'll have to turn a blind eye to what was going on during her reign, and to the criticisms which Shakespeare voiced. Before you know it, you're ignoring the facts altogether in order to write a history that supports your own prejudices. I can't believe how often that happens.
Both Arthur and Shakespeare were killed, and their stories were subsequently written up by their enemies. Their real stories are much more interesting - and they deserve to be told. If we cling to the myths, we allow demagogues to dictate our history to us.
4. How does my writing process work?
Well, it's not quick. The research can take years. Then there are usually a number of false starts. Fortunately, I tend to have some sort of agreement with a publisher, these days, so when I say I'm going to write something, that means I have to get on with it.
I'll start at the beginning, with the long, slow process of getting words down on the page (it's long and slow because I have to go hunting for the information before I put it down). But I always have a carefully worked out structure in my mind, and day after day a kind of rough draft takes shape. It's usually fairly messy, and at some point I'll stop and go back to the start, smartening it up and giving myself enough momentum to plough on and get a few more chapters drafted.
After that, it's an ongoing process of revision (never less than three drafts). For several months, I'll be revising the early chapters while I'm still drafting the later ones.
I have to work pretty much every day. For a finished manuscript of, say, 100,000 words, I'll expect to write anything up to 500,000 words, which will be sifted and boiled down to fit the appropriate length. I'll keep going back and revising different sections, here and there, and often, in the latter stages, I'll rewrite the chapters out of sequence (partly to keep them all fresh). Then there's endless, obsessive tinkering, as I fuss over every full stop and comma.
The King Arthur Conspiracy took seven months to write (and rewrite). Who Killed William Shakespeare? took nine months, and then some for the illustrations. The Grail took me a year to write (a chapter a month) and another 2-3 months to revise (with illustrations). With Sir William Davenant I want to create something special, so that'll take ages.
There are two things I couldn't do without. One is coffee. The other is my fantastically loyal, supportive and organised wife, Kim.
*****
I now get to tag a couple of authors who will pick up the baton and run with it, and I've chosen two great writers who are part of the Review Group on Facebook. I'll let the first introduce herself:
I’m Louise Rule, my first book Future Confronted was published in December 2013, and I am now researching my next book, the story of which will take me travelling from Scotland to England, and then to Italy. I am on the Admin Team of the Facebook group The Review Blog which I enjoy immensely.
Louise's blog can be found here.
My other chosen successor on this blog tour is Stuart S. Laing. Stuart writes about Scottish history - his posts on the Review Group Blog covering fascinating moments in Edinburgh's past are a joy to read, but it's his historical novels - the Robert Young of Newbiggin Mysteries - which really deserve attention.
Stuart's blog can be found here.
Finally, it remains for me only to thank Margaret Skea for inviting me to take part in this hop. And to thank you, dear reader, for perusing my musings.
Ciao!
Margaret passed on to me the four questions that writers are invited to answer as part of this blog tour.
So, here goes ...
1. What am I working on?
Right now, I'm finishing one project and starting another. The Grail; Relic of an Ancient Tradition has been occupying my time now since January 2013. I was looking to do something of a follow up to The King Arthur Conspiracy, partly because I had been doing some more research - especially into the location and circumstances of Arthur's last battle - and partly because I wanted to address some of the (very minor) objections to Artuir mac Aedain having been the original Arthur of legend.
Thanks to Trevor Greenfield of Moon Books, I was given the opportunity to write The Grail in an unusual way. Each month, from January to December 2013, I would write a chapter, which would then by uploaded onto the Moon Books blog. That meant that, each month, I would send my draft chapter to my associate, John Gist, in New Mexico, who would read it and comment on it for me, and I would visit my friend Lloyd Canning, a local up-and-coming artist, to discuss the illustration that would accompany the chapter. There would be a final rewrite, and then I'd submit the chapter and the image to Trevor at Moon Books.
It was a long process, and an odd one (I wouldn't normally submit anything less than a complete manuscript). I've spent the last couple of months revising the full text and adding a few more illustrations. And, well, it's about finished. John contacted me from the States last night to say that he had read through one of the more recent drafts of the full thing and he really liked it. It's not all about the distant past - there's a lot about how our brains work, and how a certain type of mind tends to ruin history (and other things) for everybody else. That type of mindset seeks to prevent research into figures like Artuir mac Aedain so that the prevailing myth can be maintained. The same type of mindset will cause us no end of problems in the immediate future, and the book ends with something of a prediction.
Coming up ... Sir William Davenant. I published a piece on The History Vault, a couple of days ago, about Shakespeare's Dark Lady. It could be read as a sort of introduction to my biography of Sir William Davenant. I've only just signed the contract for the Davenant book, and it's due to be handed in to The History Press in June 2015.
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
History for me is an investigative process. I lose patience very quickly with historians who do nothing more than repeat what the last historian said. It's a major problem: a consensus arises, and woe betide any self-respecting historian who challenges that consensus. But the consensus is often based, not on historical facts, but on a kind of political outlook. It tends to be history-as-we-would-like-it-to-be, rather than history-as-it-was.
There are similarities with archaeology. Dig down anywhere within the Roman walls of the old city of London and you'll hit a layer of dark earth. This was left behind by Boudica when she and her Iceni warriors destroyed Londinium in about AD 60. But if you don't dig down far enough, you won't find that layer.
Too much history - certainly where Arthur (and the Grail) and Shakespeare (and Davenant) are concerned - gets down as far as one layer and stays there. In the case of Arthur, that layer is the 12th century; with Shakespeare, it's the late 18th century. In both instances, that's when the story changed. New versions of Arthur and Shakespeare arose, reflecting the obsessions of the particular era. When historians dig down to that layer, and report on what they've found, they're not writing about Arthur or Shakespeare - they're writing about what later generations wanted to think about Arthur and Shakespeare.
You have to go down further. Otherwise, you're just repeating propaganda.
I'm also a bit fussy about how my books read. That's my dramatist background, I reckon. But I read a great many books - history, mostly, of course - and too many of them are, frankly, boring. I seek to write exciting, accessible history that has been more diligently researched than the norm. I don't seek to shock, but real history often is shocking. Maybe that's why so many historians prefer to keep telling the "consensus" story.
3. Why do I write what I do?
The work I do now started because I was intrigued and inquisitive. The familiar legends of Arthur are all well and good, but I was more interested in the man who inspired them - who was he? what made him so special? And the same with Shakespeare - how did a Warwickshire lad become the greatest writer in the English language? (My own background is not too different from Shakespeare's.) And what was the inspiration for the character of Lady Macbeth.
I'm still intrigued and inquisitive, but over the years I've found myself more and more determined to see justice done - to right the wrongs of the past. Those wrongs are perpetuated by historians who don't ask questions. And that's a betrayal, not only of the actual subjects (Arthur, Shakespeare) but also of the reader today. It's a kind of cover-up, designed - I believe - to reshape the past so that it justifies certain policies today. If you're a monarchist, for example, or an old-fashioned imperialist, you're going to want to believe that Queen Elizabeth I was marvellous. And then you're going to have to believe that Shakespeare thought she was marvellous. Which means that you'll have to turn a blind eye to what was going on during her reign, and to the criticisms which Shakespeare voiced. Before you know it, you're ignoring the facts altogether in order to write a history that supports your own prejudices. I can't believe how often that happens.
Both Arthur and Shakespeare were killed, and their stories were subsequently written up by their enemies. Their real stories are much more interesting - and they deserve to be told. If we cling to the myths, we allow demagogues to dictate our history to us.
4. How does my writing process work?
Well, it's not quick. The research can take years. Then there are usually a number of false starts. Fortunately, I tend to have some sort of agreement with a publisher, these days, so when I say I'm going to write something, that means I have to get on with it.
I'll start at the beginning, with the long, slow process of getting words down on the page (it's long and slow because I have to go hunting for the information before I put it down). But I always have a carefully worked out structure in my mind, and day after day a kind of rough draft takes shape. It's usually fairly messy, and at some point I'll stop and go back to the start, smartening it up and giving myself enough momentum to plough on and get a few more chapters drafted.
After that, it's an ongoing process of revision (never less than three drafts). For several months, I'll be revising the early chapters while I'm still drafting the later ones.
I have to work pretty much every day. For a finished manuscript of, say, 100,000 words, I'll expect to write anything up to 500,000 words, which will be sifted and boiled down to fit the appropriate length. I'll keep going back and revising different sections, here and there, and often, in the latter stages, I'll rewrite the chapters out of sequence (partly to keep them all fresh). Then there's endless, obsessive tinkering, as I fuss over every full stop and comma.
The King Arthur Conspiracy took seven months to write (and rewrite). Who Killed William Shakespeare? took nine months, and then some for the illustrations. The Grail took me a year to write (a chapter a month) and another 2-3 months to revise (with illustrations). With Sir William Davenant I want to create something special, so that'll take ages.
There are two things I couldn't do without. One is coffee. The other is my fantastically loyal, supportive and organised wife, Kim.
*****
I now get to tag a couple of authors who will pick up the baton and run with it, and I've chosen two great writers who are part of the Review Group on Facebook. I'll let the first introduce herself:
I’m Louise Rule, my first book Future Confronted was published in December 2013, and I am now researching my next book, the story of which will take me travelling from Scotland to England, and then to Italy. I am on the Admin Team of the Facebook group The Review Blog which I enjoy immensely.
Louise's blog can be found here.
My other chosen successor on this blog tour is Stuart S. Laing. Stuart writes about Scottish history - his posts on the Review Group Blog covering fascinating moments in Edinburgh's past are a joy to read, but it's his historical novels - the Robert Young of Newbiggin Mysteries - which really deserve attention.
Stuart's blog can be found here.
Finally, it remains for me only to thank Margaret Skea for inviting me to take part in this hop. And to thank you, dear reader, for perusing my musings.
Ciao!
Tuesday, 11 February 2014
Reviews, News, Interviews
Today, we're playing catch up. Or archiving, if you prefer.
First, some news. I have a couple of talks booked for the near future.
The first will take place at Goldsmiths, University of London, on 20 March and is entitled The Faces of Shakespeare: Revealing Shakespeare's Life and Death Through Portraits and Other Objects - should be an interesting one, as I expect to unveil a "new" portrait of William Shakespeare, and it's free to attend! So, if you're in the area ...
After that, I have an appearance at Stratford Literary Festival on 29 April. Not free to attend, that one, but for a mere £8 you get me talking about Who Killed William Shakespeare?, plus tea and cake! It'll be just days after the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth.
I've also had a couple of interviews published online lately: one with the lovely Stephanie Moore Hopkins for her Layered Pages blog, the other for Paula Lofting, tireless mastermind of the Review Group blog (Simon Stirling Discusses the Mysteries of Shakespeare).
But that's not all! I've also been indulging in a bit of book reviewing myself. So, for your information and/or delectation:
My review of Keane's Company by Iain Gale for the fantastic Historical Honey website can be found here.
My review of Nancy Jardine's The Beltane Choice for the Review Group can be found here.
And finally, my affectionate tribute to Richard Findlater's lovely old theatrical biography of Grimaldi, King of Clowns can be read here.
Plenty more of that sort of thing to come, folks, and I'll do my damnedest to keep you posted about it all. Meanwhile, in other news, I'm now on Twitter - @WhoKilledWill.
Onwards and upwards ...
First, some news. I have a couple of talks booked for the near future.
The first will take place at Goldsmiths, University of London, on 20 March and is entitled The Faces of Shakespeare: Revealing Shakespeare's Life and Death Through Portraits and Other Objects - should be an interesting one, as I expect to unveil a "new" portrait of William Shakespeare, and it's free to attend! So, if you're in the area ...
After that, I have an appearance at Stratford Literary Festival on 29 April. Not free to attend, that one, but for a mere £8 you get me talking about Who Killed William Shakespeare?, plus tea and cake! It'll be just days after the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth.
I've also had a couple of interviews published online lately: one with the lovely Stephanie Moore Hopkins for her Layered Pages blog, the other for Paula Lofting, tireless mastermind of the Review Group blog (Simon Stirling Discusses the Mysteries of Shakespeare).
But that's not all! I've also been indulging in a bit of book reviewing myself. So, for your information and/or delectation:
My review of Keane's Company by Iain Gale for the fantastic Historical Honey website can be found here.
My review of Nancy Jardine's The Beltane Choice for the Review Group can be found here.
And finally, my affectionate tribute to Richard Findlater's lovely old theatrical biography of Grimaldi, King of Clowns can be read here.
Plenty more of that sort of thing to come, folks, and I'll do my damnedest to keep you posted about it all. Meanwhile, in other news, I'm now on Twitter - @WhoKilledWill.
Onwards and upwards ...
Wednesday, 5 February 2014
The Mysteries of Shakespeare
More plugging and boasting from yours truly (don't lose heart, though - I'll return to real blogging before too long!).
This was posted on that lovely Review blog today:
Me, Discussing the Mysteries of Shakespeare
Hope you like it!
This was posted on that lovely Review blog today:
Me, Discussing the Mysteries of Shakespeare
Hope you like it!
Thursday, 26 December 2013
Mummer's Day
Season's Greetings!!
Here's a little seasonal piece I wrote for the Review Group Blog: On the Feast of Stephen. It's mostly about Mumming.
All the very best to you all!
Here's a little seasonal piece I wrote for the Review Group Blog: On the Feast of Stephen. It's mostly about Mumming.
All the very best to you all!
Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Waking the Dead
Just thought I'd share this with you - it's a seasonal post I wrote for the Review Group blog:
Have a very happy Samhain, everybody!
Monday, 30 September 2013
Review Group Blog Interview
It's my lucky week!!!
After Hereward Proop's lovely interview with me about Who Killed William Shakespeare? for Booksquawk (see below), I now have a fantastic interview about The King Arthur Conspiracy with Stephanie Moore Hopkins - it's just gone live. Check it out:
Interview with Author Simon Andrew Stirling
I feel very honoured and privileged, and it's just the boost I need as I prepare for my talk at the Warwick Words Literary Festival this coming weekend. More on that to follow.
For now, though, rather than me wittering on, please visit the Review Group Blog by clicking the link above.
And let me take this opportunity to thank Stephanie very much indeed for her great review and interview!
After Hereward Proop's lovely interview with me about Who Killed William Shakespeare? for Booksquawk (see below), I now have a fantastic interview about The King Arthur Conspiracy with Stephanie Moore Hopkins - it's just gone live. Check it out:
Interview with Author Simon Andrew Stirling
I feel very honoured and privileged, and it's just the boost I need as I prepare for my talk at the Warwick Words Literary Festival this coming weekend. More on that to follow.
For now, though, rather than me wittering on, please visit the Review Group Blog by clicking the link above.
And let me take this opportunity to thank Stephanie very much indeed for her great review and interview!
Saturday, 14 September 2013
The King Arthur Conspiracy
The King Arthur Conspiracy
I'm very touched, and hugely grateful to Stephanie for all her enthusiasm.
There'll be an author interview to follow in a couple of weeks.
Have a great weekend, everybody!
Friday, 13 September 2013
Blog to Blog
I wasn't around much yesterday - was down in London town on a secret mission - so I didn't get chance to flag this up. But that's okay, because we've extended the deadline for the "Win Yourself a Signed Copy of Who Killed William Shakespeare?" competition until tomorrow (Saturday).
Still time, then, to answer the question, which you'll find on the "Spectacular Virtual Review Group Blog Launch" Facebook page, and be in with a chance.
Here's the short piece I wrote about researching Who Killed William Shakespeare? for the new Review blog:
http://www.thereviewgroup.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/simon-stirling-special-feature-fact-or.html
And thanks to those great guys in the Review Group for all their hard work on getting this started. A worthy cause, my friends!
Still time, then, to answer the question, which you'll find on the "Spectacular Virtual Review Group Blog Launch" Facebook page, and be in with a chance.
Here's the short piece I wrote about researching Who Killed William Shakespeare? for the new Review blog:
http://www.thereviewgroup.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/simon-stirling-special-feature-fact-or.html
And thanks to those great guys in the Review Group for all their hard work on getting this started. A worthy cause, my friends!
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
Win a Signed Copy
Just a reminder ...
On Facebook tomorrow - Thursday 12 September 2013 - there is an opportunity to win a first edition hardback copy of Who Killed William Shakespeare? The Murderer, the Motive, the Means, signed by the author (me) with whatever message the winner desires.
There will be an oh so simple question to answer, and the winner will be chosen at random. It doesn't matter where in the world the winner might be - the signed copy will be posted for free (which means that if the winner is in the United States, for example, they'll get their copy before the book is even released over there!)
This will be just the latest fantastic giveaway taking place on the all new Review Group Blog. So, if you get this message in time, please pop over and have a look.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/368011109968529/
Good luck!
On Facebook tomorrow - Thursday 12 September 2013 - there is an opportunity to win a first edition hardback copy of Who Killed William Shakespeare? The Murderer, the Motive, the Means, signed by the author (me) with whatever message the winner desires.
There will be an oh so simple question to answer, and the winner will be chosen at random. It doesn't matter where in the world the winner might be - the signed copy will be posted for free (which means that if the winner is in the United States, for example, they'll get their copy before the book is even released over there!)
This will be just the latest fantastic giveaway taking place on the all new Review Group Blog. So, if you get this message in time, please pop over and have a look.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/368011109968529/
Good luck!
Saturday, 7 September 2013
New Review Blog Launched TODAY
The ecology of publishing is changing.
In the Industrial Age, books were printed and bound in quantitites. They were then transported, stored, distributed and stacked. It was an expensive and fairly complex process, but essentially the same as any sort of manufacturing industry.
That still goes on, of course. But new technology has allowed alternative publishing models to thrive. Now, a writer can register online with a print-on-demand company. He or she can then create two files (one for the inside of the book, one for the outside) and send them to the printers. A bar code or "ISBN" on the book means that all the relevant details can then be displayed by online booksellers, such as the mighty Amazon. When the book is ordered, the message goes out to the printers, and a copy is printed, bound, packaged and sent out. Overheads ... practically nil.
And then there are ebooks. Once a book has been written, edited, formatted and converted into the right kind of file, the sky is the limit here. Any number of ebooks can be sold and instantly despatched to ebook readers at no real cost. There aren't any production overheads: as long as the consumer has a Kindle, a tablet, a computer, an ebook reader, then the book can be "produced" for free. Which means that most of the profits go straight to the author.
What this means is that a whole new publishing industry has developed. Gone are the old, painful processes of acquiring agents, approaching publishers, piles of rejection letters, long waits and tiny royalties. Publishing can now be almost instantaneous. Everything is in the hands of the writer now.
But what about the reader? Well, there's suddenly a lot more choice out there. And most books published by the new methods are considerably cheaper to buy than those which have gone through the traditional process. A newly published ebook, or nicely-produced print-on-demand copy, can be purchased for - what? - about $3 maybe.
When there's an explosion of new product, readily accessible at relatively low cost, a new form of marketing has to emerge. The old system relied on the marketing contacts, resources and budgets of the publishing houses. The new system relies on networking, social media and recommendations.
Reviewing books is effectively the new trend. It's about the only way that a reader and prospective purchaser can decide whether or not they want to try out a new book. And this year, reviewing is taking off in a BIG way. I've just received a new hardback novel to review for one of my favourite historical websites (those lovely Historical Honeys), and will soon be getting a couple more to review from the fascinating Moon Books stable.
Authors are going to be spending a lot more of their time reviewing other authors' books, because we can no longer rely on the traditional marketing methods. Now, we do it ourselves.
So ... it gives me great pleasure to announce the launch of a new blog dedicated to reviews of new books, along with author interviews, competitions and prize giveaways. This REVIEW blog grew out of a very active and exciting Facebook group, and such has been the interest in the new REVIEW group blog that the official launch party has been extended from a week to a fortnight!
Please pop over and have a look. My day is Day 6 - Thursday - and I'll be giving away a free signed copy of Who Killed William Shakespeare? to go with my own blogpost about historical fact and fiction.
This is how we do things nowadays. The old media are lumbering along. New media is where publishing is really happening.
http://thereviewgroup.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/welcome-to-review-group-blog.html
In the Industrial Age, books were printed and bound in quantitites. They were then transported, stored, distributed and stacked. It was an expensive and fairly complex process, but essentially the same as any sort of manufacturing industry.
That still goes on, of course. But new technology has allowed alternative publishing models to thrive. Now, a writer can register online with a print-on-demand company. He or she can then create two files (one for the inside of the book, one for the outside) and send them to the printers. A bar code or "ISBN" on the book means that all the relevant details can then be displayed by online booksellers, such as the mighty Amazon. When the book is ordered, the message goes out to the printers, and a copy is printed, bound, packaged and sent out. Overheads ... practically nil.
And then there are ebooks. Once a book has been written, edited, formatted and converted into the right kind of file, the sky is the limit here. Any number of ebooks can be sold and instantly despatched to ebook readers at no real cost. There aren't any production overheads: as long as the consumer has a Kindle, a tablet, a computer, an ebook reader, then the book can be "produced" for free. Which means that most of the profits go straight to the author.
What this means is that a whole new publishing industry has developed. Gone are the old, painful processes of acquiring agents, approaching publishers, piles of rejection letters, long waits and tiny royalties. Publishing can now be almost instantaneous. Everything is in the hands of the writer now.
But what about the reader? Well, there's suddenly a lot more choice out there. And most books published by the new methods are considerably cheaper to buy than those which have gone through the traditional process. A newly published ebook, or nicely-produced print-on-demand copy, can be purchased for - what? - about $3 maybe.
When there's an explosion of new product, readily accessible at relatively low cost, a new form of marketing has to emerge. The old system relied on the marketing contacts, resources and budgets of the publishing houses. The new system relies on networking, social media and recommendations.
Reviewing books is effectively the new trend. It's about the only way that a reader and prospective purchaser can decide whether or not they want to try out a new book. And this year, reviewing is taking off in a BIG way. I've just received a new hardback novel to review for one of my favourite historical websites (those lovely Historical Honeys), and will soon be getting a couple more to review from the fascinating Moon Books stable.
Authors are going to be spending a lot more of their time reviewing other authors' books, because we can no longer rely on the traditional marketing methods. Now, we do it ourselves.
So ... it gives me great pleasure to announce the launch of a new blog dedicated to reviews of new books, along with author interviews, competitions and prize giveaways. This REVIEW blog grew out of a very active and exciting Facebook group, and such has been the interest in the new REVIEW group blog that the official launch party has been extended from a week to a fortnight!
Please pop over and have a look. My day is Day 6 - Thursday - and I'll be giving away a free signed copy of Who Killed William Shakespeare? to go with my own blogpost about historical fact and fiction.
This is how we do things nowadays. The old media are lumbering along. New media is where publishing is really happening.
http://thereviewgroup.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/welcome-to-review-group-blog.html
Tuesday, 3 September 2013
New Review Blog About to go Live
In these days of t'internet, writers are able to help and support each other in ways which just weren't possible not so long ago.
This has its downside as well as its upside. Where do you start? How much time do you spend on social media? What do you do to get your work seen, read, reviewed and talked about?
Well, there's a new resource on its way, and I'm very pleased to be a part of it. A Facebook group known simply as "The Review" is about to hold a week-long launch party for its new Review blog. The blog will include reviews (naturally), interviews, guest posts, recordings and all the fun of the fair. There are also some spectacular goodies to be given away.
I have a guest blog post on the subject of "FACT OR FICTION", which will go live on the Review blog next week. And because so many juicy morsels are on offer, I felt that it would only be right to place my own giveaway on the table.
We'll be giving away - for free - a signed first edition hardback copy of Who Killed William Shakespeare? The Murderer, the Motive, the Means.
So, if you're interested in books, authors, writing, reading, go to this page and join the Spectacular Virtual Review Group Blog Lauch party:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/368011109968529/
Sign up for your chance to win all sorts of freebies (including a signed copy of my booky-wook) and to keep track of the excellent work of these dedicated reviewers. The party starts this weekend.
Don't miss it! And spread the word!
This has its downside as well as its upside. Where do you start? How much time do you spend on social media? What do you do to get your work seen, read, reviewed and talked about?
Well, there's a new resource on its way, and I'm very pleased to be a part of it. A Facebook group known simply as "The Review" is about to hold a week-long launch party for its new Review blog. The blog will include reviews (naturally), interviews, guest posts, recordings and all the fun of the fair. There are also some spectacular goodies to be given away.
I have a guest blog post on the subject of "FACT OR FICTION", which will go live on the Review blog next week. And because so many juicy morsels are on offer, I felt that it would only be right to place my own giveaway on the table.
We'll be giving away - for free - a signed first edition hardback copy of Who Killed William Shakespeare? The Murderer, the Motive, the Means.
So, if you're interested in books, authors, writing, reading, go to this page and join the Spectacular Virtual Review Group Blog Lauch party:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/368011109968529/
Sign up for your chance to win all sorts of freebies (including a signed copy of my booky-wook) and to keep track of the excellent work of these dedicated reviewers. The party starts this weekend.
Don't miss it! And spread the word!
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