A Christmas present that invests in your child’s future…

It’s been documented recently that children’s reading ability, against their age, is on the decline.  Boys especially seem to be struggling to get a grasp on reading fluently and you may have a myriad of reasons why this is.  I’m not going to cast a stone, but what I’d like to propose is that, if there aren’t many books on the market that challenge, excite, rouse or capture a child’s imagination, recovering from this issue may be a steeper hill than initially imagined.

Son of the Ringmaster is a perfectly enchanting tale of good clean fun, directly targeted to its audience – 8-12 year olds.  The content is appropriate yet evocative (not provocative, before anyone gets confused), and the tale allows the escapism and fearless confidence only a good yarn can provide.  Girls will identify with Movena, the shy teen that gets caught up in the world of the inter-planetary circus, and every boy will want to be Sam Travis.  Family issues and separation are topics dealt with sensitively within the book, as is puppy love and loyalty.

Eight year olds will be immersed in the sheer magic of Sam’s inherent skills yet the story also embraces the awkwardness many 12 year olds feel on the cusp of their teens.  Altogether, this book is a real investment into your child’s future – because if they enjoy it half as much as other readers have, books will be their new best friend.

For those that would rather lose a hand than their electronic gadgets, the book is available as an ebook download for less than a pound.  Surely this is a small price to pay when your child’s literary love is in your hands?

So long, Harry Potter, now it’s time we stepped out from your shadows…

So says the characters of Son of the Ringmaster.  Aimed at the same age group and with the word magic appearing in the book maybe a handful of times, it has been unfairly compared to HP by those who haven’t read it and who’ve judged the book by its cover (see what I did there?).

But the tale of Sam Clamcorn and the circus that whips him to alternate worlds as he spends a penny in the portaloo, is as far removed from HP as could be.  Racing to find a volcanic ruby before his tyrannical, evil uncle – who wants him dead – is just par for the course.  Finding long lost relatives, and unknown powers, are as much as surprise to him as seeing women with beards, talking tigers and poodles and shapeshifting circus performers.

Not only does Sam have to contend with being separated from his adopted parents into a world of mystery, fear and enough joy to make his heart burst, but he’s not even able to pick up the phone to tell them he’s safe.  No phone lines go to the places he visits – Populis, Ordana, Clockford, Glacier Gorge and Corpus Menaco.

Along his adventure Sam meets lots of strange people (which is a very loose term when you read of some descriptions), one of which is his first ever crush, Movena.  Having never seen daylight, she’s got her own problems, but she’s taken with Sam enough to follow him around the world(s).

So Harry, you can keep your horcruxes, your Hogwarts and your Quidditch – there’s a new kid on the block.

And his name’s Sam. 

 

 

Chatterbooks rock!!

Thanks to the amazing Chatterbooks group in Airedale for making me feel so at home.  They loved Sarah Parnell’s cover art on the front of the SOTR book and asked loads of questions as to what it’s like being a writer and how the story came to be.  It was very inspiring to be amongst my readers and I also enjoyed losing adult inhibitions to make a clown’s face on a paper plate using chalks.  I think I wore more than I drew.  Great afternoon – hope to see them again soon!

Self-published vs. traditionally-published

I’m no expert, but I am chuffed that my district library has chosen to stock Son of the Ringmaster, and that they’ll also buy copies for all others that come under their jurisdiction.

I’ve always felt that my book is somehow inferior because I chose to self-publish.  That because it hasn’t been judged and sneered at by editors and book buyers (well, actually it did), that it hasn’t gone through ‘the system’.

I actually approached over 40 publishers in a period of around 6 months, who were unanimous that the book was good.  Not one recommended changing it, or removing sections – indeed, anything like that.  But – they didn’t want to buy it.

I could take a multitude of things from that feedback.  I like to think that the book was fine but they were unsure of the marketing – that there wasn’t an already chalked-out space in the book market for Son of the Ringmaster, which made them believe they’d have to work harder to capture customers.

Of course, it could mean far more negative things, but my glass is half full.  What I want to believe, now the book-buying lady from Wakefield libraries has snapped up copies, is that my book IS just as good as all the others that have been traditionally published – that’s it’s worthy of sitting beside them on the library shelves.

Means a lot, to me.

Kids don’t understand commerce!

The Spring Fayre at a local school seemed a good idea for me to sell a few more copies of Son of the Ringmaster; I was invited by the head to sit in the entrance of the school (with the lady doing the raffle) to catch parents as they came to the fayre.  However, before the adults were allowed in, a heartbreaking flurry of kids came to me, asking if they could buy a book.

“How much is it?” they asked, stroking the handful of silver in their hands.  “£7.99,” I replied.  “Have I got enough?” they’d venture.  Looking at the 45p, or whatever they held, meant saying, “No”.  They looked crestfallen, having bought bags full of second-hand, donated items – many of them books at 20p or so, and thinking that the price of my book would be the same.

In hindsight, promoting a book costing £7.99 in a room full of used booty, where the most expensive thing would still run out at less than 50p, was a disaster.  I did sell a couple more copies but it broke my heart that these kids couldn’t have what they wanted in the process.

What’s hard even for adults to understand, is that out of the £7.99 price, the author makes very little.  After printing costs, selling it directly to the kids in schools nets me around £1.99; if I sell it on Amazon, I receive 52p in royalties – hardly unlikely to make me quit my day job.  However much I wanted to drop the price, sat there in the foyer, it would have ended up costing me money.

When compared with other new titles, SOTR is not expensive – it’s about mid-market.  I didn’t write it just to capitalise but as the work took me four months to write, nearly a year to put in print and promote, I think it’s justified that I earn a quid or two from each one – wouldn’t you agree?

I’ve recently enquired about the initiative that brings entrepreneurs into schools who teach kids about commerce in real life.  I think that, together with my experience of running my two businesses, I have a lot of experience and wisdom to pass on to children – far more than I went into when those kids were in front of my table, pushing their coppers.

The first thing I’d tell any class?  Never become a writer if you want to make some money!

“Wow, it’s brilliant!”

These were the words of an excited youngster who’d read Son of the Ringmaster, and had sought me out in the school playground as I collected my daughters.  He’d even said the same to the school’s headmistress who agreed with him, having read it herself.

Most new authors don’t go into writing expecting to be able to retire in a grand mansion (though we can all dream), citing other reasons for their passage into the literary world.  I agree with this; yes, if I could make enough money that means I don’t have to slave as hard in my day job that would be a fine goal, but to have kids like the one mentioned, telling me they thought the book was fantastic, that’s worth much more.

So, little guy, you made my day/week/month.  Thank YOU.

70,000 overnight!

My Amazon ranking for Son of the Ringmaster has jumped up the charts overnight by 70,000 places!  Doesn’t this sound impressive?

Well, I’ll shoot that thought down.  I’ve sold one book!  Not one in total, but one sale over the past couple of months on Amazon – and this amazing feat has tipped me from the mid 2-million mark to the 1.7 million stage.  Groovy.

I don’t expect, at first at least, that any online platform will show great sales, because my book isn’t aimed at the people frequenting these sites. The book is for 8-12 year olds and I know few of these that buy their books from the online retailer – they’re mostly concerned with whether they can sneak an extra biscuit when their mums aren’t looking.  That’s why the school tour I’m embarking on (slowly) is far more effective – dangling the book under the kids’ noses and listening to their pester power certainly makes my sales far more interesting.

So, to you, Amazon book buyer – I salute you.  In fact, I dedicate this blog post to you, whoever you are.  You may have started a trend, you may not, but more importantly, you’ve generated this headline.

God-awful photos

If I thought the one I posted in my last entry was horrific, I’d liken the picture that actually appeared in the paper as an all-out catasrophe.  What the hell was I doing with my face – certainly not a smile.  I can’t even upload it here – I’m that ashamed.

Anyway, my fame is complete.  I went to the corner shop and the shop assistant who has always treated me with nothing more than mild disdain actually smiled and said, “How many books have you sold then?”.  That’s it now – I’ll be getting invited to the Oscars next year; parties at Elton John’s house, holidaying with Simon Cowell, that sort of thing.

In addition, both book signings went better than I thought they would, as I was terrified no one would turn up, but they did.  My ego lives for another day.

Picture of a book signing…and Antiques Roadshow

This is the picture of my very first book signing event in West Yorkshire.  Look how happy (or bewildered) the kids look.  Look at the eagerness in their eyes.  I know what they’re thinking – “Mum, buy me Son of the Ringmaster.  I don’t care if I go without Kitkats for thr week….just buy it.”

If you’d like to have your copy of SOTR signed, please send me a message via the contact form on the book’s dedicated website, http://www.sonoftheringmaster.com and I will fulfil your wish.  First editions are usually worth far more in years to come and if this is the start of my writing career, who knows where I’ll end up at the end of it?  For £7.99 you could take the chance that I’m the next J.K. Rowling and you’ve an absolute treasure of a paperback in your hands.  You never know….one day, on the 10,000th episode of ‘Antiques Roadshow’, up may pop my book.  “What’s it worth?” the owner asks.  There’s a sharp intake of breath from the expert.  “Well,” he says, in awe, “we’ve never seen a first edition of the famous author D. E. Hall’s first works before.  It’s well used, sure; it’s obvious someone has enjoyed reading it over and over again – but it’s also signed, and that’s going to knock the price up to…..”

The audience at home strain to catch the valuation but the auctioneer has barely been able to utter a sum of such magnitude ever before.  The owner has fainted and the whole place is in uproar.  Before the day’s out, an armed guard unit is on the scene along with sniffer dogs and police with guns – just to escort the owner to a safehouse with his valuable book.

Forget the lottery, it’s a mug’s game.  Son of the Ringmaster is where the real money is.

Happy Mock-up

The first book signing day I’m holding for Son of the Ringmaster is taking place next week and as part of my launch into marketing the book, the local rag is coming along to picture me mid-pen.  However, due to the busy schedules of both the photographer and the school – and I – the dates of the book signing is not the date of the photoshoot of the book signing.  Confused?  Yes, I imagine you are!

This means that two days before the real book signing, we’ve to have a ‘fake’ book signing on the school grounds so that the snapper can get his picture.  I’ve to rope in some kids, pals, and kids of pals to be in the photo, happily pretending that they really are buying the book and that I really am signing it for them.  Such fun!