Monday, 27 January 2025

And I Said by Linda Morse

 


 

How we came to publish this one

Linda Morse was one of our winning authors in the first Waterloo Festival Writing Competition. As ever, we are often pleased to work with authors we have published in one of our anthologies. And Linda was offering something a little bit different: a collection of monologues.     

The title

Linda came up with the title ‘Just Sayin’ but we realised that Malorie Blackman had used that for her autobiography. There isn’t any copyright on titles but we considered it might have looked as if we were hitching a ride in the marketing process. ‘And I said’ is totally appropriate as the stories are about what Linda or her characters said. .    

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

Linda provided the photo for the cover.

Some notes about style

Each monologue is unique and the voice differs throughout.  

Who we think the reader is

These are entertaining to read, just as you might read pieces of flash fiction, though they are a little longer. They are of course also very good read out loud. They may be of interest to drama groups.    

What else

Linda is very happy for you to use her work without asking permission. Do let her know though and if possible she will come and watch. And send photos and news about the event in any case.  

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 or e-book file.

 

Grab your copy here.        

 

 

Tuesday, 21 January 2025

Why doesn’t my book generate the same amount of income for every sale?


There are several reasons for this:

1.       Prices go up and we don’t always change the RPP immediately.

2.       Exchange rate varies so although we fix an RRP for each currency the actual amount we get varies according to the exchange rate.

3.       Our printer sometimes reduces prices.

4.       There is a variance in wireless costs when sending e-books.

5.       We have to allow retailer 35% discount and 40% in the US. When we sell directly with a shop we have to pay shipping. When books go through our distributor we don’t.

6.       The biggest profits are made on large orders from authors.

7.       Prices have to be neat – so there isn’t a set percentage profit.

8.       Shipping rates can vary. Sometimes they are reduced if our printer is sending other books to the same outlet.       


Sunday, 12 January 2025

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.        


Tuesday, 7 January 2025

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.          

Friday, 27 December 2024

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.        

 

Friday, 20 December 2024

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.