Book fair at Salford University

This was so successful that I have decided to pursue other opportunities to take part in book fairs as well as gift and craft fairs.  

You wouldn’t normally expect to sell a lot of books at a fair visited mainly by students but visitors to the stall did buy quite a few and it wasn’t just the staff that were willing to spend money.   

Perhaps more importantly I’ve managed to recruit more reviewers and readers.

So, I think I’ll now try to attend a few more fairs.

I’ve also decided to buy five copies of each book we publish, to take along to the fair and to offer in bundles.

I’m actually buying the books myself and awarding royalties to the authors as if the books had sold at retailer rate. So, it shows up on our books as the book selling at 65% of RRP. Of course, I can buy the books at a very reasonable rate for the printer and I’m pricing them to cove the printing cost and the amount we assign to authors. I’ll keep in a stock of fifty or so book and top them up on a rota basis. I’ll try to take along to each fair a selection of all the different types of books we produce.

So, on sales sheets you will see a Book Fair and it will look exactly like a retail outlet. On the All Titles sheet there will be a column labelled BF and this shows which book s have been bought for book fairs.

The fairs themselves can be fun and you get to talk to a lot of people so I’m going to put a few words about this on the Marketing Plan for Authors document.

Afterwards by Karen Kendrick

 

How we came to publish this one

I’ve known Karen for quite a while: ever since she was an MA student at the University of Salford where I used to be a lecturer. She has had several short stories published in our annual anthologies. She has a really distinctive writing voice. We managed to find some funding for this project so I was very pleased to be able to  publish this book.  

 

The title

‘Afterwards’ means what happens after you die. It’s not at all what you may think.   

Some notes about the process

This went through the normal three stages of editing. There wasn’t a lot to do as Karen is a very good writer.

The cover

Karen had a very clear image of the green scorpion. We managed to find one that matched what she imagined and that also made a good book cover.

Some notes about style

Karen’s strong voice tends towards the literary. Sections are short so it is very digestible.

Who we think the reader is

It is certainly a young adult text. However, many other readers will enjoy this because of the quality of the writing. The plot at times resembles a video game, so it may appeal to gamers. The protagonist exists in a dystopia though I am pleased to say there is hope at the end. Even though it doesn’t have a ‘happy ever after ending’ there is some hope at the end.   

What else

The ending is also open and I think leaves the story ready for a sequel. I hope it will come soon.

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

Is there any wiggle room in the schedule provided in my contract?

 

 

Yes, there certainly is. It’s important, though that you discuss this carefully with your editor and the production team.   Everything has been carefully worked out so that we can dovetail the work. 

But we do allow a generous month for each part of the process so there is every chance that if something isn’t finished by the end of the month specified it can be completed the next month and yet there will still be room for that month’s task.

In the end, a book is ready when a book is ready. If both sides can be kind we’ll get there.

We do understand that life happens and that sometimes creative processes get stuck.  Key is keeping everybody informed.    

Royalty Statements 2024 have been issued

 

That time of year again – Royalties have been processed

I have now completed all of the royalty statements and they have been sent out if you have gained more than £10.00 Remember:

 

You may use your earnings to buy books – either immediately or we can hold them on account until you want more books.

 

You may wish to pay part or all of your royalties to one of our charities which this year are The Born Free Foundation, Medical Detection Dogs, Search Dogs and Whizz Kids

 

You can also just let your royalties roll over to next year.

The 31 March is the final date for letting us know if you want to donate all or some of your royalties to our charity.

 

Royalties will automatically roll over to next year if we have not heard from you by 8 April.

 

Please let us know which you prefer.

 

You probably have a rough idea if you've been following the monthly updates.

 

There are at least four people who did cross the £10.00 threshold but are still paying off an advance and / or paying off  'author kit' books. Do remember that in the two latter cases we only hold back royalties on that particular book.

 

CafeLit (e-zine) is one of the best earners and if we have featured your book or story in a Saturday Sample or Sunday Serial you still get a royalty for that.

 

Individual book performance sheets are only uploaded to the drop box at the end of the month. (Often a few days into the new month) I may have a slightly more up to date one but it will only show extra direct sales.

 

You can request your individual royalty statement at any time but please do this via a private email.

 

Even if you haven't crossed the £10 threshold you can still use your royalties against purchases books or donate to one of our charities.

 

Several people haven't responded to the emails I've sent out, so do check your spam.

 

We've paid out more than ever this year.

 

Now, back to other business!

 

The Post Box Topper Chronicles by Dawn Knox

 

How we came to publish this one

This started life as a CaféLit serial. This joins the three other ‘chronicle’ books by Dawn. The BasilwadeChronicles, The Macaroon Chronicles and The Crispin Chronicles        

The title

Indeed it is a collection of stories about a group of people who knit post box toppers. ‘Chronicle’ in the title ties it to the series.   

Some notes about the process

Texts are given a short copy-edit before they are loaded up to CaféLit. We pulled all of the stories together and the book was then designed. Thereafter come four proof reads:

1.      A technical proof-read of the camera ready text

2.      A proof read by the author

3.      A proof read by one of our editors

4.      A final technical proof read

The cover

Dawn herself commissioned all of the covers for this series. The artist Neill C Woods really understands the texts and captures the essence of them.   

Some notes about style

All of these books are quite quirky. The characters are slightly larger than life yet still rounded and believable.   

Who we think the reader is

These are entertaining to read. You will laugh quite possibly out loud. This is for people who like stories about villages and small towns but who also have a quirky sense of humour.   

What else

Dawn is a prolific writer and has produced much varied work. Do take a look at some of her other books as well. See her author page:

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.        

Is my book available through Gardner’s?

 

Gardner’s is the main wholesaler for the UK and also deals with some other European countries, notably the Republic of Ireland. All main retailers in the UK have a relationship with Gardner’s. Gardner’s can get our titles to retailers in three to five working days so in turn retailers can get books to customers, including libraries, in five to seven working days.

So, yes, our books are available through Gardner’s.

There are a few caveats here however:

Retailers can only get a 10% discount form Gardner’s, so though they will accept orders from a customer they tend not to stock books unless they have a relationship with the author and are arranging an event.

We do not accept returns. ‘Return’ actually means ’destroy’ and we consider that criminal. So, bookshops and Gardner’s themselves may be a little wary about stocking too many books.  We get round this for author events by getting the author to pick up any ‘returns’.

We use print on demand (POD) and proudly so.  More about that in an answer to another FAQ? So, a customer orders a book, the retailer raises the order with Gardner’s, Gardner’s informs our distribute Ingram’s who asks the printer to print it. Yes, this can all be done within three to five working days.  Do not let a retailer tell you any different.  

Our printer does huge print runs every few days for Gardner’s. Sometimes Gardner’s and some retailers – e.g.  Amazon take a punt on our books and keep a few in stock.

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.