I Knew it in the Bath by Linda Flynn

 

How we came to publish this one

We have published Linda quite a lot. We do like working with authors whose short stories we have published. We know them already. We have a relationship. They understand how we work. Linda is very loyal to our imprints and a great supporter of our events. She is also one of our editors.    

The title

This is the title of one of the stories within the collection. Actors often say about lines that they fluff “I knew it in the bath.” In this particular story a woman gains insight about what is happening in other aspects of her life whilst she is in the bath. All of the stories in this volume are a little like this. They are reflecting on something that has happened and are looking for insights.     

Some notes about the process

As ever, this collection went through our three stages of editing and three proof reads.

The cover

The cover is intriguing: a silhouette of a bath.   

Some notes about style

Some stories are shorter, some longer. They are the type that make you think – and go on thinking even after you have put the book down! As one reviewer says: “Linda Flynn has such a way with words. The stories are imaginative and enthralling, and you will find yourself wanting to delve into one story after another. If you are looking for an eclectic mix of stories to delight you, this is it.” In many of the stories Linda has a very literary and strong voice.   

Who we think the reader is

Certainly these stories are for readers who like to be intrigued. The stories are very mixed so there should be something there for everyone.        

What else

We hope Linda will carry on writing for us. We look forward to her next collection.

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 Amazon. If you would like to review and you are strapped for cash, just get in touch for a free PDF or Kindle file.         

 

Some reminders about our distribution patterns

One of our authors raised a couple of questions about this the other day so I thought I’d do a little recap here.

All of our Bridge House, Red Telephone books and some of our Chapeltown books are distributed via Ingrams whose print on demand service, Lightning Source, we also use. The fact that we are hooked to good distributors and the books have an ISBN means that any book shop can acquire them and they also appear in online catalogues. So, you’ll see your book in Waterstone’s online, Tesco online, Barnes and Noble etc. Waterstones adds an extra gatekeeper; they just won’t handle certain books. Fortunately we are approved publishers and they will handle our books.  Some branches will host events for local authors. It depends very much on the branch though and how supportive they are. For example, the Deansgate branch in Manchester is. Bury, my home town, isn’t!

Another author reported recently that a library would not take her book as it was self-published. Here they are confusing print-on-demand with self-publishing; our books go through three stages of editing and three post camera-ready proof reads They have professional text and cover design. Plus we have a marketing strategy that we keep refining.

Some books we publish via Amazon KDP. These are all the CafeLit serials and the later Best of books.  Since Brexit exporting to any country has become very difficult.  There are fees to pay and forms to fill out. Brexit has affected not just exports to the EU but to many other countries including the US. Our trade agreement with many countries was as an EU member. Amazon KDP gets round this nicely as the books are always printed and shipped locally.   

There are some other advantages and disadvantages of the two systems:

Ingrams is more expensive in two ways. We have to pay set up costs – currently about £86.00 including a proof copy. Then we have to pay £8.50 a year for distribution. The latter is extremely good value for money – it enables worldwide distribution which would otherwise cost us hours of work and much higher fees.  However, some of the backlist isn’t covering that cost and soon we’ll go through the process of flipping the backlist to Amazon KDP. We can still supply discounted author copies. There are no set up or distribution fees with KDP and we can get a proof copy at cost price.  

Ingrams offer more choice in sizes and covering though Amazon KDP are gradually increasing their range. There is a perception that Ingrams offers better quality but there is also a rumour that in fact Amazon use Lightning Source for their printing.

Ingrams’ books can be ordered by any bookshop.  Amazon KDP cannot except in the US. Amazon KDP is offering enhanced distribution but it is much more expensive than Ingrams.

Another author a while back who was thinking of self-publishing asked whether it was better to go exclusively with Amazon for e-books or to go wider. The arguments for and against each system are pretty even. We find it simpler to operate just with Amazon.

Angels and Devils by William Wilson

How we came to publish this one

We have William before. We do like working with authors whose short stories we have published. We know them already. We have a relationship. They understand how we work.   

The title

This is a very apt title. The protagonist in each story appears to be either a devil or an angel.  

Some notes about the process

As ever, this collection went through our three stages of editing and three proof reads. One of our freelance editors worked on this.  

The cover

The cover was provided by the author’s son-in-law, Dany. We were delighted that it worked perfectly on all levels: technical, artistic and commercial. It’s a rather nice cover.     

Some notes about style

Some stories are shorter, some longer. They are the type that make you think – and go on thinking even after you have put the book down! A quote from reviewer Rosemary Johnson: “William Wilson has an understated style which never gets in the way of story-telling and he is a master at building up tension, layer by layer.”   

Who we think the reader is

Certainly these stories are for readers who like to be intrigued. There is some darker humour in some of them. Wilson includes some sharp observations on human nature.        

What else

William is doing a great job on selling these books.

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 Amazon. If you would like to review and you are strapped for cash, just get in touch for a free PDF or mobi-file.