Saturday 17 November 2012

Dead Bastards (A Scottish zombie novel) is coming soon

----------Publication date to be announced------
Delighted to announce that my zombie novel set in Glasgow, will be published by TWB Press as an ebook. To find out more, please click on the book cover and while you're at it why not check out the other great books available.
I'm so pleased to be working with Terry Wright, proprieter of TWB Press, author, screenwriter and all round good guy who is one of the most enthusiastic people I've ever met.

Anyone who knows me will know I'm obsessed with zombies. In fact, I even keep one in my closet (okay, he's about 8 inches tall, is made of plastic and is battery operated, but Fester still tries to eat me).
P.S. No, that's not a picture of me on the cover. I'm much zombier looking.

UPDATE - IN December 2014, the book was renamed The Restless Dead and given a brand new cover. Check it out on Amazon. 

Sunday 4 November 2012

Authors with small publishers to lose out as Amazon takes down reviews by other authors


Bet he doesn't need to worry about getting reviews:)
 

As an author I like to see reviews anyone has done of my books. I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read my books. Last night, I noticed some reviews had absconded.

I did a bit of checking and I found out that in response to a petition by 400 authors, Amazon had decided to remove any reviews from customers who were registered with Amazon Author Central - anyone who has a book published, whether it's traditionally published or self-published can set up an account so people can click on an author's name and see a list of their books.

I think this unfairly penalises authors like me who are with small publishers and those who are self-published.

This is unfair for a number of reasons -

1. Authors rely on peer reviews from other authors to get reviews. Readers say they'll do reviews, but they don't always find the time.

2.Authors read books too. They also buy books from Amazon. Why shouldn't they be allowed to leave reviews like anyone who's not an author can?

3.The reviews I did for books by the big publishers were left alone. In other words, Amazon operate a two tier system - if you're an author with a big publishing house you appear to be protected from review removal, but if you're not stuff you. Amazon can do what they like. 

At the moment, I don't think the same applies to the UK Amazon, but it's only a matter of time. So, if your reviews start to go missing you know what's happened. You could always complain to Amazon, but I've heard about people who have who've been warned that if they don't shut up and go away they're books will be taken off the site.

Better go now, off to see if Stephen King will endorse Hell To Pay I already have some amazing authors who've read it and agreed to endorse it. Watch this space...

Friday 2 November 2012

So, you've written the book, here comes the doubt





You've got the publisher, written the book and now it's done.

There's no room for doubt.

You've done it.

You're an author.


WRONG


You sent it to other authors for endorsements, your finger hovering over the 'send' button, heart beating like a klaxon because you're worried they'll say 'this is utter garbage, please don't write another word, readers need to be protected from your woeful writing.'


Ditto your publisher.


This is perfectly normal. Most writers have doubts.
For a number of reasons -


1. You're too close to your book. You've read it and edited it many, many times, analysed it, dissected it. No wonder you have doubts whether it's any good or not. Imagine if you did that with someone else's book that you were reading. Would you still like it as much?


2. When you read your book, you're reading it as an editor who's close to the work. You don't read it in the same way as you read other people's books or that people will read yours.


3. You're exhausted. All those hours working away into the wee small hours, of thinking about nothing but your book have drained you. You're not thinking straight.

Now you've written that book, take a rest. Read a good book. Relax. Chill out. You've earned it. 

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