In Fear of Feedback

When we send our works of art out into the world we do it in the hope that everyone will love what we’ve slaved over.  But that’s not terribly realistic is it?  We do need feedback for lots of reasons.  It can help us to make our work better, as although it’s often hard to receive criticism, if it’s well thought out, it can really help you to improve your work.

Good feedback is lovely, and is worthy of celebration if it comes from a trusted source.  If it comes from your mum, or another devoted fan it’s still nice, but not quite so useful.

Bad feedback makes you feel horrible.  Rule one – do not call the person an ignorant numpty, even if you think they are.  Shout and scream in private, but then calm down and try to see if there’s anything that rings true about the negative criticism that you can then use to make your work better.    

Conflicting feedback when one person says they really like the death scene in chapter four, but another person says you can’t possibly keep that death scene in chapter four.  Hurrah, you’ve got the best of both worlds here.  Choose which opinion you trust most and act accordingly.  Everyone has opinions, and you need to decide if what they’re saying is useful, or if it’s just something that’s peculiar to them.

Structural feedback, when people criticize spelling, grammar, or technical details about the presentation of your work is really valuable.  Thank them and make corrections immediately.

Golden Rule:  Don’t let it get to you.  How important is the person who has given you feedback?  Are they in a position to help or hinder your work?  Let’s say Richard & Judy announce on national telly that your book is the biggest pile of tosh they’ve ever seen.  Well at least they’ve noticed you, and let’s face it your sales would probably rocket!  

Just to make you feel better, the review below is for George Orwell’s 1984

‘Give me a break. The writing was lousy, the concepts and ideas were questionable’.

Amazon Reviews.  Yes if we’re on there we need them, but if your book is clearly described, and if you offer a ‘try before you buy’ then the people reading your book should already be on your side.  So be brave, ask for feedback and use it well!

If you've read my book 'Brighton Sucks' I'd really love to hear what you think, and if you really like it I truly value your opinion and would really appreciate a review on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brighton-Sucks-ebook/dp/B005YE1Q14/

Halloween Hijinx

OK so last night was the launch of Brighton Sucks as an e-book on Amazon.  Here’s what happened for those of you who weren’t able to follow me on Facebook.

My last book, Bitter Roots started in the charts at around 64,000, but Brighton Sucks started at about 20,000 as there was a shorter period between publishing it and launching it.  That felt like less of a challenge, but the pressure to do well was weighing heavy on my shoulders as it was only a week since I ran an e-publishing course and really needed to show that what I taught was right.  Failure was not an option!

The charts are usually updated every hour so if all goes to plan you can watch your book steadily climbing up.  But for a very long time last night nothing happened.  I really mean nothing – no numbers changed at all.  That was worrying.

But then my book suddenly lurched down the rankings by a couple of thousand places.  Time to panic?  Well, strangely this happened with my last book, so I didn’t crumple into a sobbing heap, I just held on until the next chart update.  And phew, it jumped straight into the top 50 at No.46!  That was higher than my last book’s final placing (49), and already high enough in the charts to call it a best seller!  But through the next few hours it kept climbing steadily to No.30, and finally peaking at No.26 in the Paranormal Fantasy chart.  As a tiny independent publisher that’s a really great achievement! 

This morning it is still in the top 50, and I now need to keep spreading the word to keep up those sales figures. 

Thank you to everyone who bought it.  Thank you to everyone who hasn’t bought it yet, but is going to – please don’t forget!  And to anyone still not sure – don’t you want to read a quirky book that wouldn’t quite fit on a mainstream publisher’s list, but is a best seller anyway?!!

Here’s the link one more time

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brighton-Sucks-ebook/dp/B005YE1Q14

And at £1.71 it’s cheaper than a cup of coffee, but will keep your little brain cells sparking for many hours longer than a simple jolt of caffeine.

         

Why Wage War on Writers?

The attacks seem to be coming thick and fast, and the propaganda has started.

What am I talking about?  Writers becoming divided by changes in the publishing world, and viewing emerging technologies as threats instead of opportunities.

I saw a comment thread on Facebook started by the Arvon Foundation where a string of established authors bemoaned the fact that more and more authors want to learn about how to get published instead of tirelessly honing their craft.  As someone who has just taught a course about how to get e-published I worry that established authors feel they have to guard the doors to their exclusive club, and to keep out the unwashed masses.

If it were true that all books that make it into print were of an exceptional quality the argument would be stronger.  But any wander around Waterstone’s will turn up mountains of dreadful books that have made it into print, just as any hour spent with a group of unpublished authors will unearth exceptional pieces of writing that may never reach beyond the odd competition win or inclusion in a small press anthology.

Perhaps this is just fear of change? 

But for readers the myriad of emerging technologies offers the chance to select what they want to read, not what has been selected for them.  And from these previously ignored gems hopefully will emerge new authors with new things to say.  No longer will a book have to be deemed suitable for a 10,000 print run before being considered for publication.  Readers will be able to find quirky and unique books, while books with mass appeal will still sell in droves.  And even established authors can benefit from the opportunity to e-publish back catalogues of work that their publishers can’t see the benefit of reprinting. 

So what’s all the fuss about?  The music industry has survived the transition from vinyl and CDs to people downloading tracks.  Once upon a time all books were hand written by monks, but then the printing press was invented.  No doubt there were people then bemoaning the end of literature, but was it really such a bad move, making the written word available to the masses?

The story circulating this week has been that people with e-readers are choosing to read low-brow works as without book covers on view they feel free to read what they want to read and not what they feel they should be reading.  What’s so wrong with that? 

I’ve never been particularly political, but this is one revolution that I’m happy to be a part of.  I will proudly be promoting my e-book tomorrow when I launch it on Halloween evening.  Is it a great tome of significant literary merit?  Probably not.  But do I think readers will enjoy it?  Of course that’s what I hope, and as readers are who I write for, I feel justified in using any means I can of reaching them with my work.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brighton-Sucks-ebook/dp/B005YE1Q14

I wish the best of luck to all authors at any stage of their careers, and hope the idiotic skirmishes soon die down as we all move forwards into a brighter future for anyone with talent and determination.

        

New Book Launch

Back in March I was lucky enough to get my first novel ‘Bitter Roots’ into the top 50 of the Amazon Kindle charts, making it an instant best seller!  But I was only able to do that with the amazing support from all my friends and people I’ve met through various writing and networking activities.  The book sold really well to begin with, but as I was waiting for a publisher to make a decision about producing a print version I stopped promoting it and sales have now dwindled – the publisher is still in the process of making a decision!

So, as I now have a new book all ready to go I have decided to go with indie publishing and to take on the hard task of marketing the book myself.  I will make a print version available in November, but getting the Kindle version into the charts is the first step.  In order to do that I will need as many

people as possible to buy it on the same night, and the date I’ve chosen is Monday 31^st October – Halloween!  That’s where you come in.

Every single sale will help push my book up the charts!

But do you want to read it?  Brighton Sucks is an Urban Fantasy with plenty of action, some tongue-in-cheek ideas on vampirism, and a healthy smattering of steamy sex.  Oh, and it only costs £1.71   You can find it by clicking on the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brighton-Sucks-ebook/dp/B005YE1Q14

Not convinced yet?  To see if it’s your sort of thing, you can read the first chapter on my website www.jarekadams.com

I’ll update everyone on the sales results on my Facebook page throughout Halloween night, or here on my blog

Why help me?  Getting my book read is my primary goal, but I’ve also been sharing my knowledge about e-publishing by running a course to help other writers get success as Indie Authors.  So I’m trying to support others in return for the support I’ve been given.

Please tell anyone who you think may be interested in a cracking read for the dark winter evenings.  If you don’t have any kind of e-reader you can easily download a free kindle app from Amazon, and then there are loads of books you can buy cheaply or even download for free onto your computer, so it’s worth doing even if you decide not to buy my book.

And finally, if you do buy it and you do like it, please leave feedback on the Amazon site as this can also help to build those all important sales. 

Many thanks, Jarek Adams

Supporting Other Writers

OK, I’m not exactly a millionaire author just yet, but over the past few years I have been lucky enough to learn a lot about writing, and publishing, and especially e-publishing.  Which is why, along with my husband Andrew Thorn, I ran a course last Saturday called ‘e-Publishing Know-how’.

A group of eager students gathered with us in the historic Gloucester Guildhall where we spent the day whizzing through everything from setting yourself up on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), to formatting your work, as well as writing blurbs and designing book covers.  We also looked at some of the marketing techniques I’ve picked up from the many other generous Kindle authors out there.

As an added bit of excitement we also we also e-published my latest novel ‘Brighton Sucks’ during the day as a demonstration of how easy it is for writers to get their work out to readers via KDP.  I’ll be launching it in the UK on Halloween, and will keep the people who attended the course informed about this as an ongoing part of sharing my experience. 

The most gratifying piece of feedback I’ve received so far about the course is this:  ‘You did exactly what it said on the box:  I feel excited, informed and confident about moving forward into my venture in epublishing.  Today I am working on a new blogspot, and have already prepared stuff for my new website.  I have chosen a name to write under, got two new ideas for stories, planned a press release and planned a marketing initiative that I'm really excited about - and only 24 hours have passed.  Thank you both so much for having enabled me in this way.  I'll finish with just three words - FAN-BLOODY-TASTIC!’

As ever when a group of writers come together I am always pleased to see how helpful and supportive they are.  Email addresses were swapped so that people could continue the writing friendships they made on the day, and so I’m sure the knowledge and experience we all shared will pass on to other writers out there.

It’s an incredibly difficult time for writers at all stages of their career, but it’s also an amazingly exciting time, with new technologies offering writers access to readers that they’ve never had before.  The whiff of snobbery about self-published authors is being gradually replaced with amazing success stories of Indie Authors who are sidestepping the gatekeepers and building their own publishing empires.

Good luck to all of you!

My First Love

Apologies if you’ve come expecting torrid tales of teenage romance.  But trust me, that would be a very dull tale about several duds who I thought I loved followed by one truly perfect fit who makes me very happy – a simple tale that would never be a best seller!

No, the first love I’m talking about is writing, and specifically writing plays.  I was lucky enough to go to a primary school that encouraged us to use our imaginations, and as it was in Wales we had an eisteddfod every year where we were awarded prizes for writing stories and poems.  But I do remember also being allowed to put on short plays that were written and directed by me, and usually also starred me in the leading role.  They were probably excruciatingly awful, but the seeds were sewn at an early age for a career of writing for theatre.

My secondary school did all they could to crush the creativity out of their students, but I was lucky enough to discover a youth arts centre where I was able to rise through the ranks in the youth theatre, and eventually ended up running one of their groups.  It also gave me the opportunity to put on a few of my own plays, but I still had no idea how to make a career from writing.  So I went to drama school where I quickly realised I didn’t want to be an actor, but I was lucky enough to be given an altered course, which enabled me to write for my fellow students.  The play I wrote for my final project was a piece of Theatre-in-education about pregnancy and sexual responsibility, which toured schools and youth clubs for several years and brought in a nice income for a while.  But as the first half was based around a pregnancy test, which in the 1980s took half and hour, the introduction of the five minute test eventually made the play obsolete.

Then twenty years ago I started writing science theatre for schools, and it sort of stuck.  And although the work I’ve produced has been extremely well received, I think that making a comfortable living meant the death of that little spark of creativity that made me so excited about the possibilities of each new day.  So when earlier this year the government cut all the funding to the organisations that booked our work into schools I had a huge panic about money, but creatively I haven’t had such a good year for ages.

Now here’s the teaser.  I have some really exciting things in the pipeline, and promise faithfully to blog regularly as each project unfolds.  But for starters I can announce that I have two short plays going on at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham during November, and I’ll be teaching a course at the Guildhall Gloucester on play writing for beginners on 5^th November. 

Does this mean I’ve given up on the novels?  Absolutely not!  But I am thoroughly enjoying this torrid affair with my first love.              

Safe Sex and the Romantic Novel

Romance novels are all full of idealised relationships, which give women an unrealistic idea of sex and get them into trouble.  That’s the impression of many people who love to knock the very idea of the romance novel, and much as I’d love to leap in to defend the genre I write in, I have spent some time this week thinking about both sides of the argument.

I followed a comment thread on Facebook, which had been stimulated by an article in the Sunday Observer by Catherine Bennett (10^th July).  Her article was responding to an article by Susan Quilliam in the Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care.  The gist of the whole debate was about Romance novels making women sexually irresponsible.

I agreed with most of the Facebook comments about women needing to take personal responsibility, and that policing romantic fiction to make sure the safe sex message gets across would be ridiculous.  But putting aside the idea that women reading endless idealised love stories would emulate their heroines and fail to use a condom, another idea struck me when following the debate.

Romantic novels sell.  They are hugely popular and account for a massive share of the book market, and yet they are constantly attacked as being a lower form of literature.  It’s no wonder romance authors leap to defend their genre when attacked, but criticism can often offer an opportunity to improve, and this week’s debate is offering just that.

Like any good writer I read widely in the genre I am working in, but find far more books to hate than to love.  The problem I have with many is that I just don’t believe what I’m reading could actually happen.  For me to get a thrill I need to believe the possibility that what’s happening in the book could happen to me.  Safe sex is something we all have to think about, and although we’d all like to give into our passions, there comes a moment in every relationship when the condom discussion has to be done.  Many romantic novels do tend to gloss over this awkward moment, but putting aside the responsibility argument, what about the literary argument.  Isn’t it more interesting to read about the complexities of starting a sexual relationship than to have the bedroom door closed in our faces?  And taking two possible heroes: the one who ruthlessly takes what he wants, or the man who cares enough to buy and use a packet of condoms, I know which one would make my heart race.

I have worked with young women trying to teach them about safe sex, and although it is wrong to say that they were never influenced by romantic books or films, it is too simplistic to say that sticking a condom on our romantic heroes would eliminate STDs and unplanned pregnancies in an instant.  But making our books more realistic could make them more readable.

The times have changed.  Women have changed.  Contemporary romantic fiction needs to constantly evolve to reflect the reality of sexual relationships, and in doing so it may satisfy our readers in ways we never thought possible!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bitter-Roots/dp/B004RPWJEE    My contemporary romance novel in which I have tried to adhere to my argument above.

Dealing with Rejection

This blog is aimed at writers, but everyone faces rejection now and then, and the emotions experienced are likely to be the same, but in varying degrees, so I hope this will prove useful to all who read it.  But every writer will have to deal with rejections, and it can be hard to handle.  This is meant to be a positive guide to handling rejection.

The chain of rejection

Agents will reject you:  If you’re going down the traditional route of trying to get an agent there will be that first battle to find one who likes you and your work.  You’ll probably collect a nice pile of standard rejection letters, but if you’re very lucky you might even get a few words of encouragement.  Hold on to these! 

Publishers will reject you:  Even if you’ve managed to get an agent on your side, you will still probably have to deal a lack of enthusiasm from a number of publishers, until you hit on the one who’s going to make your dream into reality.  It does happen!

Readers will reject you:  Once your work has made it to publication, there are then the reviews to handle.  It’s unlikely that everyone will love your beautifully crafted work, and this can often be the hardest rejection to handle.  But you really can’t please everyone!

THE GOLDEN RULE!  Do not take any rejection of your work personally.  All opinions are subjective, and you have to learn as you go through the process, taking any useful advice you’re given and accepting criticism gracefully.

So, how does rejection affect people?  There is a theory that people go through 5 stages of grief.  This is usually applied to bereavement, but knowing these stages can be a useful aid to help deal with rejections, which in a small way are the death of a hope or desire.

The Five Stages

DENIAL: How can they reject my work; it’s brilliant!  Well, maybe it is brilliant, but just isn’t right for them.  Take on board any useful comments, but accept the rejection and move on.

ANGER: What does that arsehole know?  At this stage DO NOT under any circumstances communicate with the person rejecting you.  Remember, it’s not personal it’s just one person’s opinion.  Do whatever non-harmful thing you need to do to release the anger then let it go.

BARGAINING: I don’t think you read it properly, if you’d just take another look.  Unfortunately, unless they’ve asked you to make revisions and resubmit, no means no.  Find someone else to send to.

DEPRESSION: Everybody hates my work!  I’m a failure!  When you’ve received nothing but rejection you’re bound to start feeling like this, but look at it as a process.  You’re just trying to find one person amongst hundreds who will value and champion your work.  YOU need to have faith in your work, so it can help to collect any positive comments you receive from anyone then to type them up and stick then on your wall where you can see them.  If you’ve not received any positive comments then look at the criticisms – is there a pattern?  Is there anything you can do to make your work better?  Constantly look for anything useful that will help you to move forwards.  And if you really need it, there is lots of professional help out there.  It can cost lots of money to go through a literary consultancy, but you could go on courses, you could network with other writers, go to talks, read writer’s magazines.  You don’t have to do this alone.

ACCEPTANCE:  If you get a rejection, or even a pile of rejections, feel free to pass through the four stages above, but then pick yourself up and move on.  Think of the stories you’ll tell at Literary Festivals in the years to come of how you struggled to achieve your goal.  And if you don’t ever achieve your goal, perhaps it wasn’t the right goal for you.  But at least you can be happy that you put yourself out there and tried.  Think of another goal and start all over again.

Try, try again, try harder, and then maybe try something different. 

Good luck!

  

E-publish and/or be damned!

When you start writing a novel the first piece of advice you’re often given is to write for yourself.  But once you’ve toiled for what may be years on this mighty tome, the next question you’ll be asked is, ‘who is it for?’  And apparently the answer, ‘well it’s for me’ does not lead to publication.  New authors seem to be expected to slot neatly into fairly exact categories.  The advice when submitting to agents or publishers is to state clearly what genre, and which authors it would sit next to on a bookseller’s shelf.  For example, it is an Urban Fantasy aimed at the Young Adult market, and would sit next to Neil Gaiman or China Mieville (you hope).

My first novel, a thrilling story about a female wrestler battling to keep her past under wraps when fame finds her, was un-publishable because there was no category that it easily slipped in to.  So when I started writing ‘Bitter Roots’ I decided that I would aim it at the Romance market because at the heart of the story there is a couple who are clearly destined to be together.  But ‘Bitter Roots’ is a dark novel, inspired by gothic writers, although it is set in the present.  There is also a thriller element, and a hint of the paranormal.  Thinking of a classic novel such as ‘Rebecca’ would you class that as romance, thriller or paranormal?  Lucky old Daphne DuMaurier didn’t have that hurdle to jump.  And even within the romance category there are many sub-genres: historical, contemporary, paranormal, and chick-lit to name but a few. 

So after categorizing my book as Modern Gothic Romance I started sending it out to agents and publishers, and quickly gathered a pile of satisfyingly encouraging rejection letters.  All said that ‘Bitter Roots’ was a well written book with a strong story BUT that there is no place for it in the current market.

So e-publishing seemed the only way to go.  It was extremely easy.  With only moderate computer skills I was able to get a Kindle version onto Amazon both in the UK and US, and by using social networking to get as many people to buy it at the same time I was able to propel ‘Bitter Roots’ into the top 50 on the Contemporary Romance chart.  So with a best seller on my hands I embarked on a publicity campaign.  After one simple press release to the local paper I had one article printed, followed by a full-page spread, and then an interview on local radio. 

I feel very proud of myself.

But I’ve been following many online discussions about e-publishing, and there is a very clear split between the US and the UK.  In the US there is a thriving network of Indie authors pumping new and exciting work into the market, and more importantly supporting each other with many ways to develop readers and build sales.  In the UK there is a much more cautious approach, with many negative comments directed at e-published authors.  I won’t bore you with the arguments; you can find them easily enough online.  But I simply looked at how the music industry has evolved and thrived with online sales and I decided to be a part of this exciting new opportunity.

I am very happy to share information on any part of the process I’ve mentioned above, and I am always happy to meet or communicate with other authors.

My website has contact my details as well as more information about 'Bitter Roots' and how to download it from Amazon www.jarekadams.com

And you can find me all over the web by simply Googling my name.  It seems that there is only one Jarek Adams!

Citizen and Echo Weekend feature

I've searched for a link to the article about me featured in the Gloucestershire Citizen and Echo's Weekend supplement but there doesn't seem to be one, so here is the text, along with something nice that happened as a result of this article being published.

It was an interesting way of promoting Bitter Roots, and did help to boost my sales.  By asking me about my reading habits it seemed like an opportunity to promote my book without being pushy about me, me, me.

Here is the interview:

What books do you remember reading as a young child?
I loved reading about magic and witches. I remember one called Late for
Halloween about a witch who had to live in a girl's garden for a whole year
as she'd missed the big Halloween party. I imagined I was that little girl
and shared her adventures as I read the book. I also loved ghost stories as
my mother was always telling me what the ghosts in our loft were getting
up to.

What books shaped your childhood/teenage years?
I read anything I could lay my hands on by Joan Aiken.  She died a few
years back, but I still think she is one of the best children's authors I've
ever read.  She shifts events in our past creating an alternative history, and
invents a world that is so incredibly vivid.  I wanted to be my favourite
character from the Wolves of Willoughby Chase series, Dido Twite.  If you
love Philip Pullman's books, you would love Joan Aiken. She's the one
author from my childhood I still go back to and re-read.

What are the most memorable book(s) you've ever read and why?
Without a doubt, that would be The Colour Purple by Alice Walker.  I read
it in my early twenties and it has lingered in my mind ever since. I love the
story of strong women battling to break free of their dreadful lives, and
without giving the end away, I cried buckets of happy tears.

How many books do you have?
Walls covered with them in every room, which is why I bought a Kindle.

Do you have a favourite author(s)?
Anita Shreve and Alice Hoffman, who are both are both amazing
storytellers.  They're both American, but I am always on the look out for
UK authors I can love as much.  I did love Mad Joy by Jane Bailey who I
think is from somewhere in Gloucestershire.

What are you reading at the moment?
I'm re-reading Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, which I downloaded for free
onto my Kindle.  As you may be able to tell, I have a bit of a thing for
Gothic.

Where do you like to read?
I like to read in bed, just before I go to sleep.  That way my dreams are
often coloured by whichever story I'm currently wallowing in. Tonight I'll be
going back to Thornfield Hall to find Mr Rochester.

Do you think the way we read is changing for the better with e-books?
E-books are certainly better for the environment as there's no paper used,
but they will also open up publishing to new authors as publishers will not
have to risk the cost of a huge print run.  I am a committed book lover, and
I was resistant at first, but I've had my Kindle for a couple of months now
and I am a complete convert.

Why do you think reading is so important?
It expands our minds opening us up to new ideas and ways of looking at
the world.  We get to meet people we might otherwise never meet, and to
travel places we may never be able to go to.  In a word - escapism.

And the nice thing that happened?
A few days after the article was published I was contacted by Jane Baliey who I mentioned in the feature.  She was very happy for the plug and generously offered me advice that will help to get Bitter Roots out there to more readers. 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bitter-Roots/dp/B004RPWJEE

Wild excitement!

It’s been two weeks since I launched my novel Bitter Roots on Amazon as an ebook.  It shot up the charts from 64,000 to 49 and stayed in the top 100 all over the weekend making it an instant best seller.  Although it has dropped down quite a bit now, I have been using that huge leap up the charts to get some publicity.

So far that’s working.  I was in the local paper yesterday, and now BBC local radio want to interview me on their afternoon show next week.  I’m really looking forward to that, and hope I can get some more sales from it.  I’ve also been asked to talk to a writer’s group about my experience of writing and publishing Bitter Roots, which is really good as I am very happy sharing the tips and knowledge I’ve picked up so far. 

This all goes to show that having a support network of friends and social networking with other writers can really help to get a new author’s work out to a wider audience.  But I now need to ask one of two things from all of you –

If you’ve bought my book, first of all THANK YOU!  But once you’ve read it please let me know what you think of it.  I’ve already had excellent feedback on Amazon and Bitter Roots is currently rated at 4½ stars, which is amazing.

If you didn’t get round to buying it two weeks ago, then thank you also.  If all my sales had come at once then I’d have no where to go but down the charts.  So if you haven’t bought Bitter Roots yet, please do.  Climbing back up the charts would be a huge help to me, but would only cost you £1.71

and with the Easter break coming up, what better time to have a dark, modern Gothic romance to wallow in?

To buy a copy just follow this link   http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bitter-Roots/dp/B004RPWJEE

No eReader, No Problem - If you don’t have an eReader you can download a kindle app from Amazon for free, and then as well as downloading my book you can download many others cheaply or even for free.  If you’re not sure about how you would enjoy reading a book on your computer, I’ve spoken to a few friends who downloaded my book to their computers and the consensus is that it’s fine.  One writer friend said that she works at her computer all day then she reads my book for half an hour to wind down before facing the world!  

News next week of how I plan to build my sales in the US.

Help I'm slipping away!

First of all I have to say that last night was really good fun.  It is so gratifying seeing your work rocketing up the charts, and knowing that it’s all down to the support of your friends.

But now the hard work really starts.   Bitter Roots is already slipping down the charts, so I need to ask more of everyone out there.  If you haven’t yet bought a copy, please do so.  It’s only £1.71, and I think the last time I bought a book that cheaply it was from the Puffin book club in my Junior school.

If you have bought a copy, once you’ve had the chance to read it, please let me know what you think of it.  Leave feedback on Amazon, and I will humbly accept any words of criticism.  Love it or loathe it, I need to know what you think.

A number of people have asked me why I decided to e-publish.  Why not get it published through the usual channels?  I know there is a certain level of snobbery against authors who self publish.  If it’s good enough to be published it would be, right?  But how many books have you read and cried out loud – how the hell did this get published?

I’ve had really good feedback from the RNA, and from other people who know what they’re talking about, but Bitter Roots just hasn’t managed to break through the agent/publisher barrier yet.  I will keep trying, but a part of me thinks that the whole world of publishing is changing, and it feels good to be a part of this revolution.   

jarek Adams, Bitter Roots  www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B004TF37ZW

Jarek Adams: Please buy my book!

Jarek Adams: Please buy my book!: " The world of publishing is changing fast, and in an effort to be at the front of the changes I’ve decided to e-publish my novel ‘Bitte..."

Please buy my book!

 The world of publishing is changing fast, and in an effort to be at the front of the changes I’ve decided to e-publish my novel ‘Bitter Roots’.  That was the easy part.  Now comes the difficult part – building sales!

When my husband, Andy’s book ‘Killjoy’ came out in paperback we asked as many people as possible to buy it from Amazon at the same time.  Loads of you did, and we can’t thank you enough, because it meant that for a short while at least he was in the top 50 of the Amazon charts, which means that he can call his book a best seller!

We’d like to repeat the experiment this week with ‘Bitter Roots’ so will be asking anyone interested in buying a copy, to buy it on Thursday evening this week - 31^st March.

If you don’t have any kind of e-reader you can easily download a free kindle app from Amazon, and then there are loads of books you can buy cheaply or even download for free, so it’s worth doing even if you decide not to buy my book.

BITTER ROOTS is a Modern Gothic Romance. Growing up in a sinister commune in West Wales, Beth Skye’s only comfort is Matt, her childhood sweetheart. But catastrophic events tear them apart, and she finds herself on the Island of Corfu with her sickly sister and their obsessively controlling mother. She escapes from her mother’s clutches, only to exchange one unhappy relationship for another. But eleven years later she returns to the island and battles to escape her past of mysterious occult practices and tragic deaths. Only then will she be able to move on and seize the chance for happiness with her one true love. But will the past let her go? Or will her twisted family roots drag her back into the darkness?

It costs £1.71 which was the cheapest I could make it using Amazon’s system, and you can find it by clicking on the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bitter-Roots/dp/B004RPWJEE

OR $2.78 outside the UK at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004RPWJEE

To see if it’s your sort of thing, you can read the first chapter on my website www.jarekadams.com

I’ll update everyone on the sales results on my Facebook page, or you can look at my blog on Friday  http://jarekadams.blogspot.com/

Please forward this to anyone else you think may be interested in a cracking read for the Easter holidays. 

And finally, if you do buy it and you do like it, please leave feedback on the Amazon site as this can also help to build those all important sales.  Many thanks, Jarek/Jan

Impatience is a virtue!

OK, if patience is a virtue then I’m certainly not a virtuous woman.  My book ‘Bitter Roots’ has been doing the rounds of agents and getting good feedback, as well as high praise from the Romantic Novelist’s Association, and there is some possibility of a paper edition coming out later this year, but I’m keeping details of that under wraps so that I don’t jinx it.

But, in the meantime I’ve decided to e-publish it on Amazon. 

Doing that is not the most straightforward process, and my page on the US site doesn’t seem to show the price of the book $2.78 unless you follow a couple of links to my author page – but who’s going to do that – so will get that sorted as soon as possible.  But for anyone in the UK it is now available as an e-book download for the very good price of £1.71 which was as cheap as I could make it using their system.

Anyone who’s been to my house knows that I’m a bit of a book collector, but when I decided to e-publish I thought I’d better get to know the technology, so I bought a Kindle, and I swear that I am not being paid to say this, but in just a couple of weeks I am a true convert.  It takes up hardly any space, is easy to use, and I can download books really cheaply without having to wait for the post office to lose/deliver them.  And as I said, I am not a patient woman, so for me it is perfect.

I know that not everyone has the kit to read e-books yet, but I’m going to do the same as Andy did and ask anyone who does want to read ‘Bitter Roots’ to download it on the same day.  Probably will go for next Thursday 31^st, but will post more about that next week.  If you don’t have any kind of e-reader you can download a free kindle reading app from Amazon to see if you like it – or just to read my book!

I’ve rewritten the opening of the book, and will update my website this weekend, so if you want to read the start before committing to the whole book then have a look after Saturday, and at the new opening to ‘Brighton Sucks’, which I am hoping to have finished in a couple of months.

I’ll put up links to the book next week, but you can have a look at it by just putting Jarek Adams into search on Amazon, and you can also follow the link from ‘Bitter Roots’ to my author page.  But by next week, all will be clear and all should be linked everywhere.

Busy, busy, busy.

After attending a World Book Day event with a group of local writers, I spent the whole of last week concentrating on moving forwards with my writing, and I am really excited now.  I was feeling the need to broaden my portfolio, so I sent three poems off to a local writer’s magazine, found a competition to send my play to, and did exciting stuff on the novels.

The play ‘A Grey Area’ is a comedy about an older couple, and their daughter who arrives home early from a gap year with a man in tow.  To the horror of their daughter the older couple are outrageously open about their unusual sexual activities, but the boyfriend has a few surprises of his own in store.  I had a read through with my writer’s group and got really good feedback.  But more importantly there was laughter as we read it out, and when I suggested we should stop reading, there was a unanimous Nooooo!    

And now the novels - Brighton Sucks.  I spent a day in Brighton this week, visiting all the areas it’s set in, and writing copious notes about the plot and characters.  I wanted to attempt a new take on vampires, and to set them in a very English seaside town.  I’ve loved writing it as it’s got lots of sex and violence, which I really do enjoy writing.  I’m not even going to think what that says about me.  But anyway, it’s nearly finished and I aim to get a first draft completed by the end of the Easter hols.  I’ll put the new opening on my website as soon as that’s done.

And there will be exciting news in my next blog about Bitter Roots.  An interesting development will hopefully move things forward.

Jarek Adams: A Friday Fable - This could be...

Jarek Adams: A Friday Fable - This could be...: "Brenda was not dying. At least not in any diagnosed way. She was growing older and creeping ever closer to her eventual demise, ..."

A Friday Fable - This could be...

Brenda was not dying.  At least not in any diagnosed way.  She was growing older and creeping ever closer to her eventual demise, but she had no solid reason to believe that her end was imminent.

     Sitting in the café she sipped her macchiato.  She savoured the aroma, the flavour, even the idea of being able to enjoy intense pleasure.  Brenda experienced it as if it was her last because she was hyper aware that any moment could be just that, and she didn’t want it to go uncelebrated.

    

     Throughout her life there had been so many lasts that she hadn’t acknowledged, moments she couldn’t recapture - things that at the time had seemed so unimportant, but in hindsight had altered the course of her life for ever.  Like the last time she’d seen her friend Mandy.  They’d been eleven years old, and had gone to different high schools.  They’d promised to keep in touch, but one day they simply hadn’t bothered.  And yet at their final meeting neither of them had been aware of the end of their friendship.  There had been no falling out, simply no getting together again – ever. 

     Brenda knew there was always the internet to rediscover lost friendships, but that wasn’t the point.  The point was that every day she did a thousand things, and amongst those things were hidden so many things that she may never do again. 

     She’d gone several years without tasting horseradish.  She hadn’t gone off it.  She simply hadn’t thought to eat it.  So at some point there had been a last time.  Of course that was an easy one to remedy.  She could simply order a beef and horseradish sandwich and eradicate that last, but what about all the other things she hadn’t eaten for a while?  She would have to constantly eat everything, or simply work her way through every flavour she wanted to treasure and savour each mouthful, filling her sensory memory with lasts. 

     Brenda knew she was spiralling into a dangerously impossible area.

     Looking along the street, she glanced at all the buildings of her home town.  There had been so many changes over the years.  Could she remember the last time she’d bought a bag of pick and mix from Woolworths?  If she’d known it was the last time she’d have taken more time to lock the moment away in her ‘last moments’ file, but it had seemed like any other day where she just wanted a cheap sugar rush and a packet of self-stick Velcro.

    

     Brenda was exhausted.  If she had a shrink she knew he’d have told her to stop obsessing about the past and to get on with living, but she didn’t believe in therapy – that was for mad people.

     Picking up her bag, she stepped out onto the street.  And then came a first for Brenda - she was hit by a bus.  An orgasm of past experiences rushed through her mind.  All her lasts came back to her in a wave of beautiful clarity.  Brenda’s last moment of life was her happiest.

A satisfyingly successful experiment

OK so it's now the middle of February and not the middle of January, but my experiment was a pretty ambitious one.  I did write my play, and I'm really happy with it.  It feels really good to have a completed project under my belt.

So what now?  

Well, I found that writing just dialogue helped to clear my brain, and allowed me to develop a story really quickly.  It also gave me a set of really interesting characters, and I now realise that what I've got is a story that I could develop into another novel.  

So now I've got four novels on the go!

Bitter Roots has just been sent back from the RNA with the comment that is would be publishable as a third novel, but not a first.  I'm still trying to work that one out.  Aaargh!  But some suggestions for revisions that I'll have to mull over.  

No news from M&B, but I'm taking that as a good sign - it helps to be positive.

So it's back to Brighton Sucks.  My goal is to get that finished by the summer.  Wish me luck.