Saint Ettie’s Music School

 

 

How we came to publish this one

Martin approached us with this story, It wasn’t yet quite ready for publication so he worked with a couple of our developmental editors before it then went through our normal editorial process.   

The title

Yes, it’s a story about a music school.

Some notes about the process

This went through the normal three stages of editing:

·         A structural edit

·         A line edit

·         A proof read

As well, of course as the normal four proof reads.

The cover

This was a composite picture using copyright-free material including one of Martin’s own photos. The main concept was Martin’s own. Our designer worked with him to get this exactly right.    

Some notes about style

This has an old-fashioned voice which is one of the main features of the text.

Who we think the reader is

Although we’ve published this under our Red Telephone imprint this may well be enjoyed by an adult reader who likes some nostalgia.

What else

The quirky point has to be the talking musical instruments. Curious? Then take a look at the book.   

Review copies

It’s always great if you can buy the book and give us a review. Just click on the link to be taken to our bookshop. If you would like to review and you are strapped for cash, just get in touch for a free PDF.

 

Grab your copy here.        

Contract up? Do Not Fret

 

There will be a termination clause in your contract. Most of the times we give the rights back to you after three years from publication date but some contracts vary. However, we’re very reluctant to take books completely out of print unless the author wants it.

When we license your rights, it is for that particular book.  So, if it’s a collection of short stories, and you have one about a banana boat, and suddenly there is a call for stories about banana boats, yes its’s fine to send that story to the call. Chances are anyway you’ll re-edit it  so in fact it’s not the same story anyway. Of course bad practice would be to submit the book that we’d carefully edited and designed to Penguin Random before the termination time. We would me a little miffed.

So, when the three years is up (or whatever time is on the contract), what can we do?

Basically, we’ll keep it in print unless you tell us to take it down.  

You may have moved on so much, as a writer, that you no longer want the book in print. We can then pull it totally. Your choice!

A couple of comments on social media

 

Sadly, I’ve left Twitter.  My account is still there but I’m doing nothing with it. Twitter was always my favourite social media platform. However, I can no longer interact with it because of who owns it and which regime he belongs to. So, I’ve moved over to @gillj.bsky.social. Do come and find me there. I’ve left 4000 followers and I’m slowly building up on this platform – currently I have 241 followers and I’ve posted 197 times. Hopefully it will be different by the time you go and look. In many ways I’m enjoying the slow build up and now that I am older and wiser I’m taking a little more care about who I interact with and how I interact. I’m recognising some old friends and gaining some new ones.  

It isn’t a miracle cure. The same issues are still there that are on all social media platforms. Annoyingly many people‘s profile descriptions are rather vague. But there are a lot of Twitter refugees there and they behave very well on the whole. They are a critical mass.     

I wonder a little whether it will affect how visible all my enterprises are but here’s a thing: CaféLit has had over 129,000 hits in December – and that’s with me no longer linking to stories from the Facebook page.

Having said that, I think I’ve cracked how to make references to the e-zine acceptable. If I’m already on the Facebook page when I link from Blogger, Facebook doesn’t seem to mind so much.

So, we’re visible.          

The Best of CaféLit 13

 

 

How we came to publish this one

We publish one of these annually. We use a variety of methods for picking out the best that’s been published each year. We try to get the best 3000 words or so for each month. This year we asked contributors to select one story for each month they were published.   

The title

And so the title describes the collection – selected as described above.

Some notes about the process

Stories do get a copy edit before they go on to the site. We produce a camera ready copy and send it to all contributors to check. Once we’ve received their responses  we correct the camera ready and then it is given a final proof read     

The cover

We have a standard picture but just vary the colour year on year.

Some notes about style

 

Most of our stories are not typical of the sort of thing that you see in women’s magazines though there are a few of those nevertheless. We also have a variety of longer and shorter stories, and amusing, feel-good and darker ones.

Who we think the reader is

Our vision for CaféLit is that the reader enjoys the stories during their tea and coffee breaks.  

What else

The CaféLit magazine and The Best of books are amongst our top earners.  

Review copies

It’s always great if you can buy the book and give us a review. Just click on the link to be taken to our bookshop. If you would like to review and you are strapped for cash, just get in touch for a free PDF.

 

Grab your copy here.        

 

The Sea and the Moon by Pam Pottinger and India Rose Bird

How we came to publish this one

We’ve known Pam for a while and so when she sent her picture book text to us we were delighted to offer her a contract. The story works well and we are fortunate that she has a personal relationship with India Rose Bird whose illustrations are fabulous.  

The title

Plain and simple: the book is about the sea and the moon.

Some notes about the process

Much of the work in producing a picture book is about making sure the pictures and the text work well together. We had to think about page turns, how the eye would be drawn and whether the pictures add to the story as well as illustrating it.   

The cover

Beautifully evocative and, with the title, inviting you to think about the sea and the moon.

Some notes about style

Clearly this book is meant for young children but if it’s at all possible for this age group, I would say this is a literary text. It almost becomes poetry as you read it.

Who we think the reader is

This is a book to be read by an adult to a young child. Hopefully they will also take the time to discuss the pictures and what the story tells us about the sea and the moon.

What else

Picture books can be expensive to produce, especially if we have to commission an artist. In this case it was lovely to have two people who were willing to work together.

Review copies

It’s always great if you can buy the book and give us a review. Just click on the link to be taken to our bookshop. If you would like to review and you are strapped for cash, just get in touch for a free PDF.

 

Grab your copy here.        

 

Kathleen by Amanda Jones

How we came to publish this one

Amanda is one of our editors and she is also a regular contributor to CafeLit. She is editing The Best of CaféLit 14 for us. In fact, this was first published as a CaféLit serial. Here, though, we’re publishing it as a Feisty Women book.     

The title

Plain and simple: the book is about Amanda’s mother and her mother’s name is  Kathleen  

Some notes about the process

All stories on CaféLit are given a brief copy edit before they are posted. So, we collected the posts from the site. We only made further copy edits and proof reads to the text we had. However the book was a little short. For that reason we decided to add in some of Kathleen’s own work and we also decided to print in the format we orally use for collections of flash fiction.       

The cover

Just a fabulous photo of Amanda and her mum. What could be better?

Some notes about style

These little stories are not really memoir nor are they biography. This is more a collection of vignettes and some of the pieces are actually written by Kathleen herself.   

Who we think the reader is

There is much about disability in this book so it may appeal to those people who are living with disability or have friends or relations in that position. Also though, these short pieces are very well crafted and verge on being prose poetry or poetic prose. They will please reader who enjoys that type of material.

What else

Amanda has conducted several talks and works shops based on this book.

Review copies

It’s always great if you can buy the book and give us a review. Just click on the link to be taken to our bookshop. If you would like to review and you are strapped for cash, just get in touch for a free PDF.

 

Grab your copy here.        

The House of Clementine

 

How we came to publish this one

This is the fourth novel in my Peace Child series. Book 1, The Prophecy was the novel that formed part of my PhD thesis: Peace Child, Towards a Global Definition of the Young Adult Novel. It was the first time I’d written for YA and the first time I’d written SF. The SF was a way of exploring society and the novel interacted with the theory of what a YA novel was. I researched this by reading a lot of YA novels in many languages and in other Englishes and examining their publishing and labelling  process.

I’m actually almost at the end of the edits of my sixth Peace Child novel. There is one more to come and there is one waiting in the wings to be published                

The title

All of the Peace Child novels have a very strong sideways sub plot. This one here is of that of the House of Clementine which started off innocently enough: a family became good at growing clementine and soon become a dynasty. Corruption set in The House of Clementine can never be fully inclusive. It has an outside. This is also important in the novel I am currently finishing.                                                                 

Some notes about the process

Although I own the publishing company this still went through all the normal processes.

The cover

The book is illustrated throughout by Ashleigh James, my older daughter. She has                       provided the cover of all of the Peace Child novels.  

Some notes about style

I’m told I have a very simple style and I believe in plain English. I believe there is good use of the senses in this book and that helps to portray the setting. I have tried to maintain a good narrative balance.

Who we think the reader is

As we have published through The Red Telephone we’re primarily seeing this as a Young Adult novel. It is at the older end of that. There is romance and implicit sex. Certainly those adults who enjoy reading young adult books ought to like this.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

What else

All of the Peace Child books grapple with current issues. In this one a president wants to build a barrier around his planet. However he is not orange and he is quite young and slim. He does indeed though have a special relationship with the House of Clementine. As with all of the Peace Child books a sub-plot includes or seems to include the supernatural.  

Review copies

It’s always great if you can buy the book and give us a review. Just click on the link to be taken to our bookshop. If you would like to review and you are strapped for cash, just get in touch for a free PDF. 

Find your copy here