Book Fairs - a great opportunity to network

Earlier this year, at the book launch of an author that I was publishing, I met another independent publisher who suggested that we pool resources and share a table at the Manchester Independent Book Fair. Unfortunately, we missed out this year on being able to get a stall, but I went down to the city centre at the weekend to see for myself what other were doing.

As well as a handful of book stalls, there were more arts and craft type of businesses there. Being the hottest day of the year so far, the square was buzzing with browsers.

I took the opportunity to introduce myself to a number of the book stall holders and was surprised and delighted with how candid they were about the success (or otherwise) of their stall and their willingness to answer questions about how they prepare for such events. I came away full of ideas and am now greatly looking forward to attending the Sefton Book Fair in November.

Busy, Busy....

Admittedly, I haven't blogged for a while, but that doesn't mean I've been idle - oh, no! Tabby Cat Press is due to publish two new picture books in late August. Right now, authors Giovanna Lagana and Lynn Taylor are eagerly/ anxiously awaiting the proof copies and I'm just as anxiously awaiting their reactions and hoping that I got the layout right and that there are no typos this time around. Both writers are a joy to work with. Giovanna gave me full artistic control in creating the illustrations for her Rickie Raccoon books. Those who read "Rickie the Raccoon Learns about Recycling" will notice that in "Rickie Raccoon Takes a Tour of the City", Rickie has developed much more of a bandit's mask. My first Rickie was based on images found from google searches, but by chance, I caught the last 10 minutes of a documentary and discovered a raccoon living in an animal sanctuary just 20 miles away. A phone call and a visit on the wettest windiest day imaginable, resulted in some blurry photos of 'Ben', a 17 year old grumpy raccoon with a definite mask!

"Gary, Charlotte's Goose" is Lynn Taylor's second book, this time aimed at a very young audience. It is a product of love and written especially for her niece, Charlotte, who is featured in the book. Lynn has also recorded a very catchy, sing-a-long song to accompany this short story.

As for me, summer means exhibitions. I have for once, completed my submission pieces for the UK Coloured Pencil Society well ahead of the deadline and even got them framed! I am now putting the finishing touches to my second offering for the Society of Feline Artists. After that, I can get back to producing some new greeting card designs, and working on two new books that I have planned for next Spring. Watch this space!

Meet the star of my new book

At the beginning of December, someone abandonned this little grey and white cat on my doorstep. He was suffering from pneumonia, and was initially suspected to also have heart disease. For a few days, I didn't expect him to survive, but with a whole month of vet visits, rest and care, he pulled through. Almost immediately, he then got an eye infection and we are now battling an allergy! But despite the stress and the expense, I can't thank the scum who dumped him enough. He's the best Christmas present I've ever had, the most adorable, loving personality and full of fun and joy. With his flat head and large Roman nose, I sought a Latin name, and my friend came up with 'Pablo'. Somehow it suits him.

It's not the first time that I've found and saved a dying cat. St Patrick's Day 1996, I found an old stray in the snow behind the dustbin. I carried him inside, laid him in front of the fire and soon the room was filled with the loudest purrs and snores. At that time, we already had three cats but our next-door-but-one neighbours/friends only had two. We pooled resources for his vet bills and agreed that he would live with them. 'Bruiser' however had other ideas and has soon as he was well enough, marched straight back round to me. He was forever grateful that I had saved his life and always keen to please. He was rather like the Corporal Jones (Dad's Army) of the cat world. If I shouted, "anyone for a flea-spray?", he would be the first in the queue, even though he'd be trembling with fear.

I have reason to thank Bruiser for saving me too. I went through a phase of having blackouts, absences and seizures, and more than once, it was Bruiser persistently headbutting me in the face that brought me back to consciousness.

"Brogan's Good Turns" (unless someone comes up with a better title for me) will be loosely based on these experiences. It tells the story of a cat who vows to repay his young mistress for saving his life. But what a cat considers a good turn is not necessarily what its owners would wish for ....

Earning without selling

Just before Christmas, I received a very nice cheque for £168. This came from an organisation called DACS who look after the interests of UK artists, illustrators and photographers.

If you are an artist or visual creator in the UK, you may qualify for a share of Payback royalties if your work has been published in books or magazines published in the UK or has been broadcast on certain UK television channels.

Payback royalties come from revenue generated through collective licensing schemes for example, when someone wishes to photocopy a page of a book which features your work.

To sign up for Payback, visit DACS

"Miss Mousey" meets her public

L-R: Angela, Lynn, Heather, Sue

When I met Lynn Taylor through a women's walking group last autumn, I could not have imagined that barely a year later, we would be standing together at the launch of her first children's picture book, "The Adventures of Miss Mousey", held at Urmston Library. Retirement has enabled Lynn to put her energy into creating, and what energy that is!

Having already taught myself how to publish a book, I was delighted to help Lynn in making Miss Mousey 'print ready'. The speed with which Heather Dickinson produced the delightful illustrations was breathtaking. I spent almost a week formatting the book and putting it together, and a fortnight later, we held the proof copy in our hands. Lynn also has narrated the story onto CD and composed a number of songs of songs to go with it, co-sung by another friend, Sue who she met through her choir.

More of Lynn's energy went into the organisation of a wonderful book launch. The library was thrilled to be packed out with families and children. More friends had been recruited to serve drinks and to sell books and other merchandise. Lynn was kept busy signing her autography, reading exerpts, singing songs - and Miss Mousey and the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress all put in an appearance.

It was a very exciting event for all of us that were involved in making Lynn's dream of producing a book reality. It was lovely to see so many children going away with a copy in their hand. For me, it was also an opportunity to make some new contacts who will hopefully help me get my books into schools and my stories better known. I've discovered though that too much excitement can make you very sleepy!

Finding the right audience - one hit and miss experience!

As writers, when we start out in drafting a book, we should have a clear idea of the age group and audience we are writing for, and tailor the language and content accordingly. Our marketing efforts are also targeted according to the ideal customer that we have in mind. However, I found that this can go completely awry when accepting invitations to read!

I was thrilled to be invited to do a reading at my local library during half term. It is close to Platt Fields park, where my character Mrs Mallard and her family live and I hoped therefore, that the audience would known and identify with many of the characters. I arrived early (only to find myself locked out along with the rest of the public, as it was lunchtime), armed with a box of autographed books and badges and bookmarks that I had made.

My story is aimed at a readership of 6-8 years old. Alas, the time came to do my reading and I was surrounded on the mat by a crowd of 3-5 year olds. The mothers all listened attentively with fixed smiles on their faces, cooing and ahhing at the pictures, whilst their youngsters wriggled and squirmed about on the mat, refusing to so much as look at me. And as for engaging them in conversation... forget it!

I was just starting to clear away to leave, when I was approached by another family with a couple of older children who asked if they were too late to hear the story. The mother told me that they breed ducks. Having little else to do on such a wet afternoon, I thought 'what the hell?' and sat down once more, the oldest daughter right beside me. For the next half hour, I told my story whilst the girl asked me numerous questions about ducks and other birds she sees in the park, and we both went away much richer for the experience.

Trying to Conquer the World - How to get your book out there

Once you've published your book, you face the problem of how to get it out there to the customer. We all know the stereotypical image of the author with boxes of their own books under the bed gathering dust. Distributing your book yourself takes a considerable amount of time and effort (time which I would prefer to spend illustrating) and you also need a lot of nerve. One of my friends recently bought 300 copies of her own book. She's retired so has the time to do the footwork around bookshops and libraries, and she has had some success. It seems that my grandma's mantra of "if you don't ask, you don't get" is really true, but much of the time I don't have the nerve to ask.

The problem of distribution is largely solved by using a 'self-publishing' company but unless you have a magic porridge pot of money, these vanity presses are best avoided.

When it comes to true self-publishing and print on demand, Lulu, CafePress and CreateSpace are making it more and more viable for authors to publish their own books. It is worth looking at all of these, comparing costs and considering how they fit in with your needs. If all you want is to produce a few copies of your book for friends, family or your community group, then they may well be your best bet. Both Lulu and CreateSpace now offer a free ISBN and selling via Amazon.com, great if you are US based.

As a UK writer and illustrator though, it was important to me that my books were readily available in the UK and through the UK Amazon. By chance, I learnt that many POD books in the UK are produced by Lighting Source, who also have branches in the States and in Europe. I contacted them and they confirmed that they would be willing to work with me, providing I could create print-ready files to their very specific requirements (what a learning curve that was!). Lightning Source has set-up fees which can make it more expensive if you only want a few copies of your book, but if you are aiming high and UK sales are important, then it comes into its own, printing costs are very low and the quality high. Your books will be sold not just through Amazon, but Ingrams, Barnes and Noble and many more. I'm often surprised just where my books appear! You never need to worry about handling stock or shipping charges, will receive royalties on a monthly basis, and best of all it frees you up to concentrate on promoting your book and on creating more.

Normal service will be resumed shortly, folks

Apologies to all following my blog that it has been taking a back burner during the last two weeks. My oldest two cats (almost 18) went quickly into decline together and had to be put to sleep last weekend. To lose two of my feline models in one blow has taken some getting my head around!

Then one of my younger cats began moping and refusing to get out of bed and a visit to the vet revealed a sky-high temperature. Thankfully after a few injections, he's back out terrorising the neighbourhood, but all in all it hasn't been a good week for cats.

My home is now under invasion from various opportunists who realise there is a couple of vacancies, and I'm photographing them all on the lookout for a star in the making.

A Week of Challenges

When I first started self-publishing, it was more a means of getting my books into print without the fear of being cheated or disappointed again. I never really saw myself as s publisher, so I surprised myself late last year by agreeing to publish a children's book for a retired woman who I met through my women's walking group.

It is impossible not to get carried away by Lynn Taylor's enthusiasm. She has a wealth of ideas and great stories for children. In addition to penning the charming tales of her character "Miss Mousey", Lynn has also narrated the story to CD and composed songs to go with it. The book has been whimsically and delightfully illustrated by Heather Dickinson. It fits perfectly into the 'Tabby Cat Press' camp.

I've spent many hours over the past few weeks formatting and designing the book. It is well documented that I got so stressed out by trying to get the cover right for my first book, "The Adventures of Sailor Sam", that I gave myself shingles. It's a wonder that I haven't done the same again. When I went to download a cover template from my distributor, LightningSource, I discovered that they are no longer available in Indesign CS2 (the software that I use). Unable to afford to upgrade at the moment, I've wasted hours and hours in forums and engaging in all sorts of diggery-pokery before hopefully creating a cover in the format required. I will now be on tenterhooks for the next few days waiting to see whether it is accepted. Each revision is a costly mistake.

As if this wasn't enough, I've completely revamped my book website and added a fantastic widget for each book so that potential readers can look inside. You can get your own book widget for free from Bookbuzzr. I am also having to start building a new website from scratch for my artwork as my current host is closing down next month.

Tomorrow, I will escape the computer screen. I shall be rising before 6.00am to travel down to Birmingham to deliver a painting to the RBSA Gallery, before later going to the private view of the 8th International UK Coloured Pencil Society exhibition.

The Essential Barcode - where to get one for nothing

You’ve now got your ISBNs, now you need their inseparable companion, the barcode.

Beware of barcode generating software that you buy cheap on Ebay. I fell prey to one of these, which I bought in good faith believing it to be bonafide full software. I produced a beautiful barcode only to discover that I couldn’t save or copy it unless I registered for the full software at a further cost of around £50. No thank you, Mr Con-Artist!

A genuine free barcode generator can be found at http://www.tux.org/~milgram/bookland/ - best of luck understanding the instructions!

To date my attempts at producing my own barcode have failed miserably, but luckily for me, my printer/distributor can provide a generic, if rather unsexy, barcode for the back cover. Alternatively, google for an expert. Barcodes should cost you no more than £10-£15 and you should make sure that they are provided in a format that you can work with and that is compatible with your software.