As you guys might know from my last post, I’ve decided to embark on a hybrid career. This means I'll be charting my voyage here as I delve into the world of indie publishing, trying my best not to fall off my kayak in my usual clumsy manner. 

The first challenge I've come up against is figuring out which idea to launch my indie career with. One thing I do know is whatever idea I go with, it can't be too similar to the genre I write for my publisher, Lake Union (Amazon Publishing). So no women's fiction or psychological suspense. Not just because, ya know, I might get my arse sued for going against my contract with APub but also because I want my indie books to be distinct from my trad published books. Just makes it feel cleaner, you know? 

So what kind of genre? I adore writing about 'other worldly' things and I'm no stranger to the fantasy world: the first ever book deal I got was for my debut, a teen paranormal romance (girl falls in love with a shapeshifter. Yep, I was ahead of that shifter curve!). It was published in (randomly but also brilliantly) Germany. I won't go into detail about how that phone call went with my agent at the time but here's how it started: 'So Tracy, Penguin said no in the end but guess what? The Germans love your book!'
 
So that was decided: whatever I write, it will have fantastical elements. But which idea? I've been trying to decide between a dystopian idea (think The Power by Naomi Alderman) or an urban fantasy idea (specifically, witches!). 

But still, I've been struggling to decide which one to go for. Spells or superpowers? Superpowers or spells? (or are they the same?!)

You might think the fact I'll be independently publishing this novel would help me with this decision. It's not like I need to run the idea past my agent or editor to get a nay or a yay before it’s published. I have 100% control so really can write from the heart.
  
But the problem is, there’s a huge risk factor involved, a risk factor I haven't been used to. Awareness of that risk leads to fear. Specifically, fear all my hard work will be wasted.
 
The thing is, I sold my last few novels based on just outlines. These outlines had to go through professional readers (my agent, my editor, her colleagues) before being given the green light. And that green light meant guaranteed money in the form of an advance, even if the books tanked. Not to mention the minimal outlay involved. Contrary to popular belief, the good traditional publishers do cover all the marketing costs alongside the print and production. 

So this all meant I was able to approach each project with a degree of comfort and confidence. My little security blankets, you could say! But I won't have these security blankets for my indie project. 
 
And actually, you know what, I think this is the issue faced by all traditionally-published authors looking to go hybrid or full-on indie. It's not just the extra work involved with indie publishing. I think a lot of people think that. Like, 'Oh diddums, the poor little trad published author doesn't want to get their hands dirty.' It's more that we've just got used to a low risk life so to step away from our cosy little worlds and embark on this hybrid voyage can make us feel, well, naked. And as much as I love whipping off my bra at the end of a hard day at my desk, I ain't gonna be sharing that with the rest of you.

You'll be pleased to hear I've managed to get some grit about me. I've grabbed a dressing gown of my own making, sewn with courage and independence, and I'm stepping forth. I know which idea to go with now and I'm more excited then ever about embarking on this journey.

So what did I do to get over myself?

1. I've looked at the market

While I’m aware trends change month by month, it’s still been useful looking at what’s selling. I did this by seeing what indie authors were saying on groups like 20BooksTo50K® and the Facebook groups set up for people who have signed up for any of Mark Dawson's courses (I signed up for his Self-Publishing 101 course a while back and will be using what I've learnt from it to publish this book).

I also signed up for K-Alytics where I'm getting access to fantastic deep dive reports into different genres to help me figure out where the market’s going.  Just reading the reports or watching the videos can be enough to help you choose between any ideas you’re torn between.

I also looked at other books like the ones I’m considering writing. How are they doing in the market? How are they similar? 

What did I learn? Well, did you know academy paranormal romance is hot right now but supernatural prison fiction is about to take over? I mean, how cool does that sound? Prisons! Supernatural creatures!

Seriously though, this doesn’t mean I’m going to write in any of these genres (no matter how tempting!) but what did become clear was that one of the genres I want to write in - urban fantasy - is not only uber popular but also oversaturated. That should have put me off it, right? Instead, it made me realise even with this knowledge, I still love the idea. 

2. I've told myself I have a good head-start

Then the fear came back. It's scary to know urban fantasy is such an oversaturated market with so many awesome book to choose from. Why would people want to read my book, a book that won't have even had a seal of approval from my agent and editors. Oh god, I could feel the dressing gown coming off. I was feeling naked again. Noooooooo! 

But instead, I gave myself a good talking to. I realised I need to have more confidence in my instincts for finding a good idea and writing it well. I've sold hundreds of thousands of books, have hit the Kindle #1 spot and Germany's top 50.  This will not guarantee indie success, sure, but it does give me a better chance. 

And then there's the fact I've already written loads of books, some which have been published, some which haven't seen the light of day. I have honed my craft. Sure, debut novels can do really well. But it certainly helps if you've had a little practice and I've had a lot. 

Reminding myself of this has made me stop panicking and that in turn had helped me to... 

3. Play

By play, I mean taking time to really think about my ideas and have fun with them.  And this in turn has helped me stop worrying about the financial risks too. I've earned decent money from my writing, after all. A lot of it goes back into living, into paying bills, into tax and into savings. The dull stuff!

How about I spend some of it having a play and experimenting? If it doesn't work out then at least I can say I had fun while doing it. But damn it, I am going to do all I can to make it work for me! 

In my next blog post, I plan to cover the writing process as I embark upon it, and why it will be different from how I approach my trad published stuff. Please comment with your own experiences and views!

That revered and wise tome of the 21st century, Wikipedia, defines midlist as:

Books which are not bestsellers but are strong enough to economically justify their publication (and likely, further purchases of future books from the same author)

Oh don't you love how they add 'further purchases of future books' like it's an afterthought and not the sole indicator of whether we can enjoy a long term career or not! 

If we look at backlist sales in mean average terms, the majority of authors will fall into the midlist author category. You might think you're lowlist, but if you're still selling books and have a chance of continuing that in the future, I'd put you in the midlist. 

Authors can jump from one list to the other. While I have been at the top of the digital bestseller lists, even then I was no JoJo Moyes or Clare Mackintosh (still hope to be!). So for the sake of argument, let's just agree I'm currently a midlist author and while the seas for me are calm at the moment, things feel like they could change any moment. 

Setting goals is an interesting one for us passengers on the midlist boat. There are things to celebrate from the previous year. For me, I got three offers on the table from publishers and decided to move over to the Lake Union imprint of Amazon. Not all midlisters are lucky enough to stay in contract during this super competitive time so it was a highlight, for sure, and means I'm currently in a reasonably stable position. 

It wasn't an easy decision to make. I was worried by making such a move, I'd be rocking the boat and end up falling into alligator-filled waters.

And yet I couldn't resist taking a peek at Highlist Island. You know the one I mean. Nope, not that one with the botoxed lips and guitar string bikinis. The one with the authors who have parties thrown for them by their publishers and hotel room walls papered with gushing national newspaper reviews as they chill on the beach with their laptops, secure in the knowledge they'll be writing full-time for quite a few years.

As a midlist author, you often find yourself treading that fine line between taking risks to try to get onto that island or just sitting quietly where you are, grateful you're not yet one of the ones struggling to keep afloat. 

That makes it difficult sometimes to make goals. But I believe there are three goals you can make: 
- one that keeps you secure in your boat
- another that works towards getting you over to Highlist Island
- Then a final one which could allow you to hitch a lift on a completely different boat  all together 

Here's what I mean... 

1. Stay secure in your boat by making the most of that side hustle

Most midlist authors don't make enough money to write full-time, or if we are able to write f/t thanks to reaping the benefits of a bestseller or two in the form of ongoing royalties and foreign deals (like me), you still have to take it year-by-year. Unless you get another bestseller, that money could well run out. 

So side hustles are important to keep you afloat. And by side hustles, I mean using those skills you have - usually writing, or PR, or designing websites or teaching others - to top up your coffers. As long as it's creative and enjoyable and NOT your office job, then it's a step towards gaining control of your working life and tilting the balance in favour of being a full-time creative. 

Me for example. I've been helping my brother's awesome business out with social media. Just a few hours a week but I've been loving it. 

Then there's my Savvy Writers enterprise, this blog and related activities. It was never set up as a side hustle, more pure desire to support my fellow authors. But inevitably, with the Savvy Writers' Fest I'm running in May for published authors (more about it here) there is the potential to make a little money (though in truth, that money will all go back into Savvy Writers).

2. Aim high by doing all you can to get a bestseller

It's important to never lose sight of the end goal that benefits all writers: sell a shit load of books, whatever format those books are in. 
​
My next book Wall of Silence is due out in April. It's a milestone for me as it'll be my first book published by the Lake Union imprint of Amazon Publishing after my previous six books were published by HarperCollins.

Why the move to A-Pub?

It was simple: I want another bestseller. Specifically, I want to get the same kind of royalties I enjoyed with my biggest selling novel, My Sister's Secret. In fact, I want to surpass that (dream big, remember).

I came to the logical conclusion The Zon would offer me the best chance of that thanks to their insider knowledge, mammoth marketing machine and the fact I get a better share of royalties (not to mention fluffy reasons like really connecting with my editor and loving their vision for my novel).

Sure, it was a risk. I've stood up on that midlist boat and it's rocking slightly. But it's a risk I need to take if I want to get over to Highlist Island. Or more accurately, it's a risk I had to take to ensure I didn't find myself in shark infested waters. 

3. Enjoy a detour on Hybrid Haven 

Hybrid Haven is a small cruise ship (have you tired of my shipping metaphors yet? Good, because I haven't!). It's sailing alongside the bloody mammoth Self-Publishing Cruise Ship which is reallllly busy and very confusing. There are lots and lots of authors shouting very loudly around this ship as they flail those shark infested waters. But those on the ship are working diligently and doing good stuff, just like on Hybrid Haven and many of them are over on Highlist Island already, doing their best to help other authors, especially those on the Lowlist paddle boat and Midlist boat too. 

I plan to jump on Hybrid Haven later in the year. Once all my work is done for my second book with A-Pub (due out next year) my focus will turn to a dystopian series I’m planning to write, a dystopian series I will self-publish.

What it means is that I don't have all my eggs in the traditional publishing basket (or should I say all my ducks in the traditional publishing tanker). It gives me control, it allows me to see beyond the traditional tiers of the publishing world. Plus, after a few years in the business now (nine years since my first book was published), I've come to the conclusion a hybrid career can be the most beneficial one for authors.

I'll be sharing my progress with you here with a very specific focus on how I manage to juggle being published by A-Pub and being published by moi. There really are more fish (boats, ships, islands) in the sea.

Okay, enough with the  oceanic metaphors! Time to sign out. I have a deadline after all. 

​I hope this is useful and see you again when I share more about my decision to go hybrid... 

Frankfurt Book Fair is taking place this week. It’s one of a handful of fairs, like the London Book Fair, where editors and agents from around world meet up to chat books. And yep, that could include your book too.
 
The ultimate aim of these fairs is to sow the seeds of a book deal in territories where you haven’t yet sold your rights. This is exciting for us authors as it means there's potential we might see our books published in another country, which in turn means gorgeous new covers and lovely new emails from readers around the world! And, of course, the chance for extra streams of income.
 
So what are the ins and outs of rights deals? Let’s delve in…
 
Do I even have rights to sell?
 
To find out, look at your contract with your publisher. So if you’re a UK author, that could be a UK & Commonwealth deal, World English Language or World All Languages.
 
If it’s a UK & Commonwealth deal, that means you’ve retained a lot of rights, meaning you or your agent can negotiate deals around the world in different languages, including English in territories like the US.
 
If your deal is World English Language, while your publisher will have the rights to any English language editions of your novel (eg, US), you will have retained the translation rights so could get translation deals overseas in different languages.
 
If you have a World All Language deal, you’ve handed all your rights over. Your experience will depend which publisher you're with. Some will have a great dedicated rights team, others will just let your rights sink without a trace. 
 
What kind of advance can I get if my rights are sold overseas?
 
Advances can range from the hundreds to the hundreds of thousands. The smallest deal I got was three figures. The biggest deal I got was a good five figures.
 
How much will I see of that advance?
 
If your agent has negotiated a deal, then they will need to take their commission for their work, usually 20% (the standard for US, translation and film rights).
 
If your publisher sells rights, your share of the advance from those deals will firstly go towards earning out the advance they paid you. Once that’s earned out, your share will be paid to you, with your publisher taking 15%-25%, and your agency taking their commission too. 
 
It's usually recommended you try to retain as many rights as you can because some (maybe most?) publishers just don't do much at all with all the rights they have. It will depend on which publisher you go with. If you have an agent, this is something they can advise on. Sometimes it's hard to turn a worldwide rights deals down though, especially with the larger publishers who will offer World All Language or nothing. So it’s something you need to consider and discuss with your agent if you have one before you accept an offer.

If you don't have an agent, contact the publisher's other authors to learn about their experiences when it comes to world rights. Ask the offering publisher pertinent questions too: do they have a rights team? Will they do all they can to sell your worldwide rights? Will your book be taken to the main book fairs? Can they point you in the direction of one of their authors who did really well when it came to those world rights? 
 
On top of all of this, you have to think about taxes. It’s a complicated beast and there are many considerations to take into account when it comes to overseas tax. But an agent will always do their best to help you navigate all that!
 
​
What about royalties if I earn my advance out? 
 
Your share of royalties for print editions will usually be lower than what you are used to. For example, you could get as low as 5% on trade edition royalties. But often, these deals will be negotiated in a way that the more books you sell in that country, the higher that percentage gets.
 
Ebook royalty share tends to be the same as what you’re used to: 25-35%. Like here in the UK, there are some publishers who follow a low advance / high royalty model, especially in the US (having said that, digital publishers are wanting at least World English rights more and more so you might not have US rights to sell).
 



​

​I don’t have an agent. Can I sell my rights to overseas territories?
 
Sure, you can submit to publishers if they take direct submissions. But this becomes difficult when there are other languages involved. Do you speak that language? Do you know the laws of that country so you can expertly glance over the contracts? What about tax issues in those countries? For me, this is one of the many reasons why agents are an essential part of the process, presuming the agent you have has a solid track record in selling translations rights.
 
If you’ve already got a deal in your home country yourself, then you might find an agent willing to help with translation deals. But it can be tough to find one who will only deal with this side of the business.
 
What happens if my book is ‘taken’ to a fair?
 
I asked Thérèse Coen, the rights director at my agency Hardman & Swainson, about this. She said:

'The main focus of fairs like the Frankfurt Book Fair are an opportunity for agents to meet new editors, and to catch up with editors they already share authors with. They’re a great chance for agents in particular to get a sense of a publisher’s plans, plus what is and what isn’t doing well in certain markets. While there is still plenty of pitching going on for existing and future submissions, deals nowadays are rarely made at the actual fair. ‘Hot new debuts’ for example will usually sell before and after the fair.' 
 
If your book is featured in some way, first it will appear in your agent or publisher’s rights guide, a magazine-type guide to all the rights they’re selling. Your representative, whether that be your agent, your agent’s rights director, an agency dedicated to selling translation rights or your publisher, will then attend a series of thirty-minute meetings.
 
Thérèse gave me a great insight into these meetings:
 
‘We fill our schedules from Tuesday to Friday with back-to-back meetings. If we’re meeting an editor we’ve not met before, they will talk us through their list, tell us what kind of books they publish, what has been working well for them and what kind of books they are looking to buy. We will then pitch the books to them which we think could be suitable for their lists.
 
We will meet with editors who publish all sorts of genres so will be pushing the books which we think will work for them. There’s no point pushing a successful romcom to an editor who focuses on crime. So really, our job is to tailor our meetings to make sure we pitch the right books to the right editors.
 
If we know the editor we are meeting already, then we might catch up on publication plans for existing shared authors, talk about books we’ve already submitted to them and get their feedback on those. They will also tell us which books or genres have or haven’t been working in their country, and what they have been buying.’
 
How long after a fair will I hear if I’ve got a deal?
 
Deals can happen any time of the year, regardless of book fairs. But Thérèse did give some insight into what happens after the fair: ‘We submit books to editors in the form of pdfs (or occasionally hard copies) along with any other useful information, such as reviews, sales figures, author bio, prize wins and so on. The hope is that all this work will then lead to an offer from the publisher. It can take days, weeks, months or even years to hear back from editors proving book fairs are really just the sowing of the seeds.’
 
It's true! My second novel My Sister’s Secret was taken to fairs before it published, some nearlys but no bites. Then it hit the number one spot on Kindle, and sold really well, giving my agent a selling point at FBF that October. A few days later, I got an offer from Germany and then one from Italy, with even more since including a Portuguese deal over two years later.
 
Is there any way I can improve my chances of getting a deal?
 
The same as any deal really: write a bloody good book and don’t put editors off with any nasty skeletons in the Google closet (by that, I mean no politically incorrect blog posts and so on). Good sales figures, endorsements, positive reviews, and winning prizes all help. 
 
But even these can’t guarantee deals overseas. In fact, I know some amazing novels which haven’t had much luck getting deals abroad, even ones that have attracted big advances and sales in their home territories. Some of my novels haven't had any overseas deals! It’ a strange old business.
 
It doesn’t harm to be proactive with your agent though, if you have one. If your novel sells really well or you’ve won a prize, for example, it’s certainly worth asking your agent if they’re going to use that fact to chase editors or pitch your novel to overseas editors.
 
Thérèse has some advice on this: ‘It’s important to see it in this way: translation rights is a bonus, it’s a wonderful thing to have and a lovely surprise when it comes through, but given the slightly random nature of it, it’s not worth beating yourself up if you don’t get a translation deal.’
 
This is so true. It’s always a lovely surprise when I get an email from Thérèse, not just because she’s a lovely person but it might mean news of a new deal I never expected. So the seeds may be sown at the fairs, but it could be a while before you see them grow into beautiful fragrant deals!

Here’s hoping…

When people dream of becoming an author, one of the images that springs to mind is that lauded book signing. Imagine the scene: you’re greeted by a bookshop manager who leads you to a mahogany table as she gushes about your novel. As soon as you sit down, a queue of readers will form and you’ll barely notice when people you know pop by, beaming in proud at how very popular and authorly their friend is.
 
Then comes the book talk at your local library. They think you’re so ace, they’re even going to charge for tickets and put some nibbles on! Naturally, those tickets sell out within just a few days of being advertised on the library noticeboard and when the day itself arrives, you’re greeted by a room of readers eager to hear all about your road to literary success.
 
Yes, this exactly how it happens… right?
 
Hate to burst the bubble but na, sorry. Unless you’ve just won Love Island or your initials consist of a J and a K, then chances are, the main emotions you’ll feel as you look back to your book signing or talk will be complete humiliation.
 
Sure, there are exceptions but for most authors, not just debut authors but established authors too, events like these are usually a humiliating and lonely experience. I hear this again and again. It’s the norm, a rite of passage in a way. A little hint of the anti-climatic moments that will sometimes dominate your writing career.
 
Like one author who had a minus one attendance at their library talk as the librarian couldn’t even make it. Or another author who had a delivery of random books plonked in front of their signing desk so hardly anyone could see them.  
 
The truth is, most authors will be lucky if more than a couple of people turn up. Often the book staff aren’t prepared for your arrival. In fact, your books may not even have arrived! As for selling actual books to anyone but friends and family? You’re having a laugh, right?
 
Talks at libraries can be worse. Even publicising it for weeks in advance or including wine and nibbles don’t shift many tickets.
 
My advice? Don’t bother with events like these. They’re not worth the preparation time, the nerves in the lead-up and the dent to your fragile literary ego.
 
But if you must, here’s some advice…

1. Have the right mindset

 
I always bang on about mindset, don’t I? But what I mean in this case is don’t see your signing as a chance to sell lots of books or introduce your ‘author brand’ to a bunch of new readers. Instead, see it as an opportunity to meet bookshop staff and get some great pictures for social media. Even better, bribe family and friends to come along to create the illusion of a crowd around you for said pictures. This is what I did! Thank god for large families. I also invited a friend and my mum to take it in turns to sit with me so I wasn’t there alone.

1. Join forces with other authors

 
Contact other authors who have a book out the same month as and do it as a joint event. I’m not saying this will attract more people but what it’ll definitely do is help you connect with other authors and have a laugh with them in the process (addition of wine always helps with this too). Plus you have the advantage of appearing on your author pals’ social media timelines and therefore, get the attention of their followers too.

1. Create a live event from it

 
If you’re doing a talk, then have someone film it so you can live stream it or make a recording of it for future use on social media… making sure you don’t show the empty seats! This way, it doesn’t feel it’s a waste of time and you’re actually creating some content from it, like with the photos of your signing.

1. Find a ready-made audience

 
If you’re desperate to hold an event, I find that reading groups and clubs like the Women’s Institute can be a different story as you won’t be the whole event, but you’ll be part of a bigger meeting so people will be there already. Again, as long as you don’t see it as a book selling exercise, simply sitting in a room drinking wine and talking about books can be reason enough to do something like this. Same goes for appearing at literary festivals.. Many people will have already brought a day ticket so might be more likely to pop into your talk. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend doing an event on your own at a festival though and instead, ask to be part of a panel.

1. Charge fees

 
This is a tricky one, I know. Bookshops won’t pay you in most cases, and it’s tough with libraries as they’re not making much money. But you should definitely charge for your time at a literary festival (fee plus travel expenses). Going rate is about £175. A token fee for groups like the WI doesn’t harm either, so around £50? At least this means if you don’t sell many books or get much of an audience from an event, you’re being paid for your humiliation.
 
I hope this helps! If anything, it’ll make you realise you’re not alone in attracting nothing but tumbleweed to events.
 
In fact, there’s a whole book dedicated to other authors’ awful event experiences featuring a collection of stories from some of the world’s greatest writers about their public humiliations!
 
Got your own stories of mortification? Share them in the comments or come join the Savvy Authors’ Snug on Facebook. 

​Tumbleweed pic by schnoogg

In my first blog post about Facebook groups, I shared the basics of how to set a Facebook group up using my learnings from creating The Reading Snug group with the fabulous Kerry Fisher and Kelly Rummer. Now I'm sharing what to do once you set your group up to engage members and attract more. ​
​

1. Forward-plan: Create a regular schedule of what content you are going to share. I do this as part of my monthly social media planning which you can read more about here.  Once you have a content plan in place, you can use the Facebook scheduling tool (or one of the many social media scheduling tools) to put all your planned posts together in one sitting, minimising the time required to manage your group whilst still building trust with the audience. ​
2. Engage: The same rules that apply to your Facebook page apply to groups. Make time to look at the insights page for your group (available after your group reaches 250 members) to see valuable data on when your members are most engaged, who the most engaged members are, age and gender information and also top contributors. Once you have that data, make sure you use it. Schedule your posts to appear during the times your members are most engaged, include more posts of the types that got great engagement, send messages to your top contributors to thank them and lastly look at the demographic data and use that within your Facebook page to create target ads if you decide to run ads. I’ve learnt the unique selling point of a group like this is you are promising exclusive content people will not find on your other social media platforms. Photos of your office as it is in that moment. An exclusive extract from a work in progress. An insight into a new idea. Giveaways and live videos always work well too. Do not forget the simple things like polls too to gain reader feedback. Show your personality so group members feel they are getting to know you as well.  
3. Interact: Make time each day to interact with your group members. It’s not enough to just post and leave. Respond and like.
4. Ask: Understand what you want from the audience – do you want them to write reviews? Be your loudspeakers? Read early copies of your novel? Do not ask for these things immediately as you need to build trust and make them feel valued. But don’t be afraid to ask once you do. Also, use your group to help write your novels. Ask them for ideas for character names, thoughts on a setting. They love feeling involved.
5. Publicise: It’s important to shout loud about your page with regular shout-outs from your social media platforms with the promise of a ‘launch week giveaway’ (a book giveaway is fine!). Add the link to the group to your website, your enewsletter and any other places you can. Eventually, add it to the back of your books too. Make sure you link your group to you Facebook author page too. Your author page can be used for advertising to get people to it if you wish.

​Good luck and if you have any questions, just let me know!

I have a super busy year ahead with two novels to hand in (I know, I know, I must be crazy but I love the adrenaline rush!). This doesn't mean I step away from social media though. It just takes a little more planning. So once a month, I'll dedicate a morning (usually in the last week of the month) to plan my social media for the following month. 

That morning will consist of brainstorming and writing content tweets, Instagram posts and Facebook posts. I'll then schedule them using Tweetdeck (there are other tools you can use like Hootsuite and Buffer). 

But how to do all this quickly? Here are some tips... 

1. Repeat engaging content: Nothing wrong with repeating content you’ve posted in the past. Twitter timelines in particular move so fast, it really doesn’t harm re-posting engaging content as long as there’s a decent amount of time between items (eg. a couple of weeks). How to find that content? Just look at your stats to see which content has been the most effective (visit the resources section of This Author Can to find out how).  

2. Do an audit of available content: Make a list of all the blog posts and articles you’ve done (simply googling yourself should bring them all up if you have any). Use this list to mine for content and as above, remember you can use it more than once. 

3. Find out what is and might be trending: I use Google trends to see exactly what the world is searching for. You can change the location to where your target audience is based and even search by keyword. Buzzumo is also a great tool which can be used to look at trends as well as looking up specific themes/keywords. It allows you to see what is trending by platform such as Facebook engagements and Twitter shares. And Awarenessdays.com is a great website for looking at the weird and wacky national days. OK so maybe International Talk Like a Pirate Day does not exactly fit with your theme or campaign but it can be used to add personality to your social media posts. Remember though, the key with all of these tools is not to use them to shoehorn your latest release into a trend that it actually doesn’t quite fit into (if it does – great!)! 

4. Excel is your friend: To maximise my time management, I prepare all my content in Excel first and then just copy and paste into the appropriate scheduling tool. Although this may feel that you are duplicating effort, by focusing on just the content I limit the chances of being distracted by cute puppies riding skateboards when I should be posting a poll on my Facebook reader group. Excel also allows you to set up character counts for things such as Twitter so you can quickly edit your tweet to make it fit the 280 characters.  You can also use it to help you to decide what images to source, whether that be images you’ve taken, that you have or which you have sourced from free image websites like www.Pixabay.com Once you’ve written it all in your planner, cast a careful eye over it for any errors or broken links. 

5. Now it's time to schedule: There are a plethora of social media management tools out there and it is important to find what works for you. Great tools offering free versions include Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, Social Oomph, and Buffer. These free accounts can be limited in the number of social platforms supported or the number of posts per social platform. For Facebook, I actually quite like the built-in scheduler. It is simple and effective and allows you to edit posts quickly and easily.

So that’s it. In just one morning you can create the content and schedule the majority of your marketing for the month leaving you to focus on your writing. I think that deserves a coffee!

Christmas can be an interesting time for authors, whether writing novels is a full-time job for us or we fit the writing in with another job. It often means the festive break is anything but a break. Either editors send their revision notes in just before the Christmas break to (understandably) clear their desks, or Christmas is an author's only chance to actually get some solid writing done with some offices closing for the festive period. And for those of us who don’t have any deadlines and are looking to take a break, we’re conflicted because while we know we need to rest, our brains won't stop returning to the ideas swirling around them. 

For me, I’ve tried to clear the ‘decks’ (like what I did there?!) so I can focus on family and friends for two weeks. Proofs are all signed off for the US and UK release of my next novel, The Family Secret (The Girl on the Beach in the US) and publicity plans are underway. Next on my list is to begin work on a brand new novel. So while officially I’ve cleared the decks, truth is, that novel will be on my mind a lot. So now doubt I’ll use the break as a chance to mull it over during some festive walks and mulled wine musings in front of the fire. 

What about other authors? I thought I'd ask authors I know what Christmas means for them this year. Here’s what they said… 

Psychological thriller author Charlotte Duckworth: For me it means a massive break from my first draft! For the past three years I've tried to write my first draft between September - December, which has worked really well (got about 6k left for this year - limping towards the finish line!). I love Christmas and so it's really important for me to have a proper break and I usually take at least three weeks off, with NO writing, probably not even any reading, nothing book related at all - and then start my second draft in January, aiming to have a readable MS by Easter. It's especially important to me I think because we are a freelance family so we so rarely have holidays - one week in May when we go away but that's it - the rest of the year we've both always got something going on as home and work life is so blurred. Also, my birthday is on January 3 so I like to have a restful lead up to that too!

Writer of escapist romantic fiction Isabelle Broom: My structural edit has landed with Christmas this year – and it's a beast. Despite this, however, I am allowing myself from 24th-29th off (well, sort of, I'll still be reading heaps of March books to review), because I need it. Hell, the book needs it. I have such a small window between hand-in of first draft and beginning of second these days that I can't help but be thrown into a fit of turmoil. I need a bit of distance in order to do a better edit. That said, I will probably cave and start plotting the next book instead in those few days. If I don't write, it sends me just as bananas as the edit.

USA Today bestseller Janelle Harris: I literally had an email two hours ago detailing my editing schedule. Structural (a monster) and copy all to be complete by Jan 3rd. Oh and I have end of Jan deadline for first draft for different publisher. Along with managing five kids, school runs and xmas shopping that I've barely started. I'm completely panicking 😲

Women’s fiction author Kerry Fisher: Like Charlotte, we're also a freelance family and I take a break. My editor is very organised and we agree a schedule for edits several weeks, if not months, before they arrive so they never just turn up out of the blue.

Mystery author Terry Lynn Thomas: My edits are due on the 2nd and I've got tons to do. Going to try to turn the next book in by June so I don't have to do this over Christmas. This has been my routine for the past three years. Kind of over it.

Debut crime writer Victoria Selman: Excitement that the holidays are here. Dread that I’m not going to get any work done. 

I hear ya, Victoria! If you're an author reading this, let me know what your plans are in the comments. In the meantime, have a wonderful break whatever it is you're doing and a fruitful New Year! 
​
Pic by Marco Verch. 

When I meet aspiring authors who haven’t yet dipped their toes into the publishing world, or have but it was yonks ago, a question I often get asked is: how does a writer get published nowadays?

So this one’s for you, folks! Let’s assume you’ve written a novel (maybe with the help of one of my workshops? Click here for more information), made it as perfect as you can with several rounds of revisions and now it’s ready to be read by more then you, your mum and your writing group. In fact, it’s ready to potentially make you some money. What do you do next?

There are three roads you can go down which I've briefly laid out. I then delve into them in a bit more detail below:

1. The literary agent route: Many of the big publishers will only take submissions via a literary agent. So this means you need to submit your novel first to a literary agent. If one takes you on as a client, they will then send your novel out to several publishers on your behalf. If you get a book deal, your novel will then have a great chance of getting onto the shelves of high street retailers like Waterstones and the supermarkets, and online retailers like Amazon, Kobo, Apple Books and Google Books. Income potential:  Most larger publishers will offer an advance, paid in instalments such as signing of contract, submitting of final draft and publication of novel. Debut advances range from the low thousands to the hundreds of thousands (rare!). The average is about £5-10k. Once sales of your books have made your publisher enough to cover your advance, you will receive a percentage of the income your publisher receives for each copy sold of your book (known as royalties). This is usually about 11% on print, 25% on digital. An agent will then take commission, usually about 15%. This is why a lot of writers are poor, ha ha. No, I kid, I'm doing this full-time now making more money I did working my full-time office job, so it can be done and is by many authors.   

2. The direct submission route: Some publishers have what is called an ‘open submissions policy’ which means you can submit your novel via their website or email. Your submission will then be read to see if it's the right fit for the publisher. With this route, there is no need for a literary agent. Many of the publishers who accept unagented submissions are digital-first, meaning your novel will first come out as an ebook via websites like Amazon. If it does well, then it might be printed too. Some of the large publishers will have ‘open submission’ periods too, usually lasting a month or more, where you can submit directly to them. Income potential:  A lot of open submission publishers won’t pay an advance but you will get a higher percentage in terms of royalties, eg. 40% on digital copies. As you're not using a literary agent, you won’t have to pay any commission on this.   

3. The indie publishing route: This is where you are in charge of publishing your novel yourself, forking out for elements ranging from book cover design to editing. But the return in terms of royalty percentage is much higher. Eg. 70%. But you won’t have the backing and support of a publisher. 

Right, let’s delve deeper…

The literary agent route

If you want to see your books on shelves at places like Waterstones and WH Smith, then the literary agent route is your best bet as the big publishers (the ‘Big 5’ as they're known, so HarperCollins, Hachette, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster and Macmillan) will only take submissions via literary agents.

I'd argue the 'Big 5' is now the 'big 6' if you include Amazon, which has its own in-house imprints like Lake Union and Thomas & Mercer, and operate in a similar way to the 'Big 5' when it comes to submissions, usually only accepting submissions from agents. Or they've been known to approach authors, often indie authors, who are setting the Amazon charts alight. While you won't see your books in places like Waterstones, you will get the might of Amazon's epic influence and marketing clout behind you. They also pay advances unlike other digital-first imprints but will also offer competitive royalty percentage. 

So, what does getting a literary agent involve? It’s a bit like applying for a job: a short covering letter giving some details about your background, your book and why you think they’d be a good fit for you, then a sample of your work and often a synopsis which is an overview of the novel. If they love the sound of you and your book, and think editors at publishing houses will too, they will offer to represent you. Often, they will then work with you to fine-tune your novel with their expertise and knowledge of the market in mind, then they will submit it to editors at the imprints of various publishing houses. Each publishing house has an ‘imprint’ which focuses on particular types of books. So my UK publisher is HarperCollins, and I am published by one of their imprints, Avon Books, which focuses on commercial women’s fiction and crime. A good agent will know the editors at these imprints and will compile a list to submit to. They won’t necessarily just submit to the big publishers. They may also submit to smaller independent publishers who are often just as great to work with.

Your agent will also be able to negotiate translation deals and more for you. Mine advised me to retain translation and world rights, meaning I've made a really good income from getting book deals in in the US and translation deals around the world. This is more than what I might have done if I'd sold world translation rights to my publisher as publishers will often sit on these rights and not do much with them. 

Getting an agent doesn’t guarantee you a book deal straight away. But a good agent is in for the long-term and will advise you what to write next then submit that novel for you too. If you do get a deal, then your agent will then take a cut of any advances and royalties you receive. You should NEVER pay an agent upfront. In my view, a good agent is worth this cut. This is not only because it's the only way to get your novel read by editors at most publishing houses but many agents will edit your novel with you before it goes out out on submission. They can also help you make a lot of money via translation deals. Plus they can offer amazing advice and be a brilliant sounding board. Honestly, my agent Caroline Hardman is a bloody godsend!

Is it hard to get a literary agent? Yes but then it’s not exactly easy to get published. Many authors will get dozens of rejections before they land an agent. Rejection is part of this business. 

For more information on the process of querying agents, I think this article is pretty useful.

The direct submission route

There’s not a great deal to add here on top of what I talk about above. The process of submitting your novel direct to a publisher is much the same as querying an agent. Just know that without an agent, you won’t have help deciphering contracts and it will be difficult to make money with translations deals and more. Of course, there are advantages of submitting direct though: one less hurdle to jump over and also, no 15% commission to pay to an agent.

However, it’s worth noting that publishers who take direct submissions will often not pay advances and are digital-first publishers, meaning your book will be out as an ebook first unless is sells brilliantly. But your royalty cut will generally be higher, more like 40% for digital sales instead of 25%.

The same word of warning applies here too: you should NEVER have to pay anything up front for a reputable publisher to publish your work. There are publishers out there who will ask for payment for things like editing and so on, but usually these are vanity presses who you should avoid at all costs. Some authors who can’t get an agent or a publishing deal but hate the idea of doing it all themselves through indie publishing could seek out a reputable business who can help them get their book out there. But I think you're better off publishing it yourself… or writing another book. Sometimes, it takes a few books to hone your craft and finally hit the jackpot.

For a list of publishers who take submissions, see this website. My publishers take submissions for their digital-first imprint, click here for more information. Bookouture, who publish me in the US, also take open submissions. Click here for more information. 

The indie publishing route

Hands-up, I used to be a bit of a snob when it comes to indie publishing, or self-publishing as it’s known. But the world has changed and authors are doing some seriously exciting stuff in this area. In fact, JK Rowling is an indie author in many ways. She retained the digital rights of her novels and is publishing them herself via Pottermore, after all.

If this option appeals to you, you need several things: a business mind, a bit of money for the initial outlay (I really wouldn't recommend designing your cover yourself and getting a professional editor is key) and some savvy when it comes to marketing. You also need to accept it’s very unlikely you’ll see your books on the shelves of high street stores. The outlay of getting books printed can be high, and then convincing stores to stock your novels near on impossible. So this route really suits those happy to publish digitally.

Don’t assume your novel will get noticed if you publish it yourself. You need to put a lot of effort in without a publisher helping you with their contacts at the retailers, their knowledge and support. But if you do manage to get heard above the noise, the benefits can be amazing, not least because you get a much higher % of the profit. However, you really need to weigh this up against the fact the trad publishing route gives you a better chance of being heard above the noise. People may argue this isn’t the case but in my experience, I really believe it is.

To start exploring this area, visit the guru of indie publishing Mark Dawson’s website at https://selfpublishingformula.com/spf-resources/ and the Creative Penn is fab too: https://www.thecreativepenn.com/resources/

To sum up, the market can be a tough one to crack, regardless of what route you go down. But talent, grit and perseverance is key and whatever route you choose, the rewards can be wonderful. ​If you live in the UK then I am running workshops to help with all this. Click here for more information.