Hi Gary and welcome
Thanks Richard -- nice to be here.
Your first book, If I Never, is out now and doing very well. Is there anything about the book you want to tell us that’s not in the blurb?
Well, funnily enough, yes! The first thing that struck me when I read the blurb (which I didn't actually write), was how successfully it gave a sense of what the central elements of the plot were. But, of course, given the limited space, it simply couldn't mention the way in which I tried to break a few rules and write the kind of novel that plays with convention. Something that most readers have grasped quite readily is the fact that, in places, I quite deliberately push it as far as I can -- layering plot and character, adding twist after twist and generally having a great deal of fun in the process. In some ways, I have to admit, I was sticking two fingers up at those who had told me in the past that a novel has to be written a certain way. I wanted the plot structure to suggest the unpredictable, unrelenting nature of life and, fortunately, the vast majority have the seemed to understand that.
Whilst this is your first novel, you are no newcomer to the writing world. Can you describe some of the changes you’ve seen in the last twenty years?
I think the thing that strikes me most is the way in which many publishing houses have now been consumed by larger media companies -- the smaller but well thought of publishers I first started submitting to, such as Andre Deutsch, now quite different to the publishing houses they once were. When I first started writing, it was possible to submit to them directly. I had editors I submitted to regularly who would even comment on the work I sent them, always happy to read more. It wasn't a perfect time, of course. Publishing wasn't, even then, an industry run by gentlemen. There was unprofessionalism and, on occasion, even rudeness -- but it most definitely wasn't the agent-dominated industry it is today. It seemed to me that there was more hope, that there was always another publisher (without a corporate brief it had to abide by) who would have a look at your work. Okay, so, ultimately, the work got rejected -- but I think the point I'm making is, it was far easier to get a full manuscript read by an editor rather than an agent.
Of course, things also seem to be changing again. They always do, of course, constantly -- but we seem to be going through a period of fairly significant evolution in publishing. There are more independent publishers like Legend out there, now, and with the advent of print on demand, the industry is becoming very, very different. I like to think that these new approaches -- and especially the new generation of independent publishers like Tom Chalmers of Legend -- really do have a good chance of improving the whole literary climate, for writers and, naturally, for readers. Mistakes, in my humble opinion, have been made in mainstream publishing. The emphasis on the ghost written celebrity "autobiographies" is an obvious example, but this isn't really something new. Thankfully, readers seem to be sending a pretty strong message on this last point, which should help considerably.
Carrying on from that question… I notice from your email signature that you can also download If I Never for the Kindle or other eReaders. How do you think electronic devices will affect the way we read, and ultimately, the way we write?
I can only guess! The whole electronic book thing is something I've discussed many, many times -- as I'm sure we all have -- and time and again the conversation returns to the subject of how it feels to read a book, to have the book in your hands, the sound of the paper as you turn the page, the smell etc. There's more to reading the book than just, it would seem, reading the book! Speaking personally, I always find... I don't know, a book just feels more natural, more alive. I've never actually used a Kindle but I have read on my smart phone and it just isn't as enjoyable. Not for me.
I do, however, think that e-readers will increasingly become a part of our lives. I can certainly see myself using them for reference works, newspapers -- that kind of thing. But when it comes to reading fiction... well, I want the familiar experience I have always had with books, and I can't imagine myself getting that from a Kindle.
How they might affect the way we write, I can't really say. I think technology, in general, has certainly made a huge difference to the way I work. The fact that I have Pocket Word on my smart phone, for example, means that jotting down notes when and where ever I feel the need is a piece of cake. Also, the Internet, computers in general -- they all open up possibilities that weren't there before.
Now, forgive me for asking Gary, but, can you explain to us struggling authors out there the nuts and bolts of commission/royalties and just how works – in your experience as an author.
Well, my contract with Legend is a fairly standard one. I won't, naturally, go into percentages, because these can differ depending on the publisher and the circumstances, but it isn't really that complicated. Royalties are paid twice yearly, which is the case with most publishers. Once you secure a publishing contract, I would advise having The Writers' Guild or some similar organisation take a look at it -- always assuming you don't have an agent. To be honest, though, they're not terribly difficult to understand.
Your second novel, Children of the Resolution, is now complete and you are working on a third. How much of your day would you say you actually spent writing/editing etc?
Actually physically writing (or dictating -- I use voice recognition software), probably about an hour and a half a day, five days a week. I work pretty quickly, writing 1000 words and doing a quick read through in that hour and a half, and then move on to related work -- which, these days, is largely promotional stuff, answering e-mails, doing interviews and, of course, looking for the next novel! (Which, yes, I think I've already found!) The biggest part of writing, as I'm sure we all know, is done away from the computer, playing with ideas, switching things around in our heads whilst doing other things. I could probably write a lot more quickly, get more down in a day, but I find 1000 words is about right for me. Anymore and I start to lose that freshness.
You are an active member of our Author Forum. Can you tell us what kind of subjects/discussions you get involved in?
Well, I haven't been as active as I would like to be over the past couple of weeks (something I intend to rectify), but I enjoy talking about all aspects of writing -- as I see it. When I talk about how I work, I'm always keen to stress that this is just my way, an approach that I've found over the years to work for me. It may work for some but not for others. That's the beauty of writing, I believe. The way we all, if we allow ourselves, can make it our own.
Finally. When we first spoke you mentioned an exciting competition prize – would you care to elaborate for our readers?
Ah, yes -- thanks for reminding me about this, Richard. As you've already mentioned, I'm currently working on what should hopefully be my third Legend Press novel and it occurred to me, whilst working on it, that it might be fun to offer readers of If I Never the chance to have their name used for one of the characters in my fourth novel (it's actually too late to apply this to As Morning Shows the Day, book three.) So, if any of your readers are interested, all they have to do is answer the following question:
Q. In If I Never, what is the name of Tara's mother?
Answers should be submitted using our contact form and a winner will be randomly selected from all those with the correct answer. The closing date for the competition is April 30, 2010 -- so if you haven't yet read If I Never, you have plenty of time to do so!
Many thanks for taking the time to speak to us. Best of luck with the new book and please drop by regularly to see us.
Thank you, Richard. Really appreciate your interest and you can rest assured I'll be dropping by as often as I possibly can. Looking forward to it!