His romantic comedies Love... From Both Sides and Love... And
Sleepless Nights were the first and third-best selling self-published
e-books in 2012.
With Amazon saying 15% of Kindle sales come from authors with
no book deal, here are his top 10 tips to succeeding in a crowded
field.
1. Don't give up the day job
I was a media officer for the police. It did help a bit -
knowing how to write a press release, but it didn't help so much with
writing the book! I didn't give up my day job until I'd signed a
contract with Hodder & Stoughton.
It is such an up and down industry - you can be flavour of
the month one minute and nothing the next, even when you have had a
certain level of success. Until you've got enough money coming in to be
able to justify it to yourself, don't give up the day job.
Everyone wants to live the dream and write full time, but it
is a very difficult industry to get into and a very difficult industry
to stay in. Learn to write around your day job in the beginning, that's
what I did. Frankly it's what almost every successful author in history
had to do with only a few exceptions.
2. Be yourself
You have to be yourself in your writing. You have to pick a
genre that suits you as a person and you as a writer. If you are a happy
go lucky person it might not be best to write about a serial killer or
vice versa.
There are enough obstacles for a new author, don't create
more for yourself, write in a style you are comfortable with. If you are
not enjoying writing it, if you are not comfortable writing it, nobody
is going to enjoy reading it.
3. Find a muse
My partner is my first reader, she reads everything. She has
encouraged me and is the inspiration for some of the stories I write. I
think everyone needs that, it doesn't have to be a partner, it can be a
relative or a friend but you've got to have that one person in mind.
When I'm writing, I'm always thinking about which things she
will laugh at, so she is my muse in that manner. It's important to have
someone you can give your manuscript to first because it is still quite
an intimate thing at that stage.
It's probably a bit clunky and awkward and wrong and it is
not ready to be shown to an agent or the world at large. That's when you
need your first reader, because you know each other so well and their
feedback is what helps you to create a better product that you can then
show to others.
4. Read On Writing by Stephen King
On Writing by Stephen King is, for me at least, the best book
there is on writing. He gives lots of advice. The tone of it, the style
of it, the things he says about how much he writes every day and his
attitude towards the job are great. I would recommend it to anyone who
wants to be a writer.
5. Promote your work
I have never been called on to sign copies of my book in a
shop. If the opportunity arises, I say take it. I don't think you are
going to do any harm by going along to your local Waterstones and
signing a few copies. Well, unless nobody turns up - then you will feel
terrible about yourself and probably never write again.
You should certainly have a social media presence, you should tweet, blog and Facebook, but you don't want to irritate readers.
Nobody wants to see "buy my book, buy my book" over and over
again. Tweet about your life, tweet about things you find interesting
and mix it up.
6. Remember that books aren't burgers
Self-publishing has given lots of people the ability to write
lots of books and get them out there. People need to remember that just
because you can, doesn't mean you should.
The most important thing to remember when you write a book
and release it, that you are entering into a relationship with the
reader and you owe it to them to provide a product that is as
professional as possible.
Books aren't burgers - they are not instantly consumable
things and they shouldn't be rushed. Always respect your reader and put
100% into every book that you write.
7. Try every possible avenue
I've got a great agent now. He's got me some great deals and,
in that respect, I think an agent is still a good commodity to have.
I've got a traditional publishing contract now, too, but it doesn't stop
me from self-publishing.
I love that because it's how I started and it's not something
I'm ashamed of. What the self-publishing thing does is give you another
avenue. There is no need to go down one avenue and not the other these
days, you can do both.
Every writer wants their book to be read. It doesn't really
matter anymore how you go about achieving that as long as two things
happen: You get your book read by as many people as possible and you get
paid for writing it. Whatever avenues get you that result should be
explored.
8. Don't get bummed out by bad reviews
I do read the bad reviews, I sort of sit there reading them and
rock back and forth. Try and remember the old cliches - 'one man's meat
is another man's poison' and 'you're never going to please all of the
people all of the time'.
It's what you get on average that really counts. If you put a
book out there and six months later you've got a hundred one star
reviews, chances are you might be doing something wrong.
That said, one five star review does not mean you are the
next big thing. Stay on a level, don't get bummed out by one bad
review... and certainly don't reply to the people who write them!
9. Don't take it all too seriously
I tend to write in the mornings and I generally do at least
2,000 words a day. Sometimes that takes hours, sometimes it takes an
hour depending on what kind of mood I'm in.
I write in the spare room. It's not a study, it's a room with
a desk, a bog standard PC and a clothes airer. My routine is basically
to make myself a cup of coffee, sit down and try to churn out 2,000
words.
It's also important to be comfortable when you write. I've got a great pair of Batman lounge pants.
10. Read comic books
I'd like to say I have a great diet and that my body is a
temple but that would be a complete lie. I do go for lots of walks
though, they help me think about storylines and stop my rapidly
expanding waist getting any bigger. We want to get a dog at some point.
Exercise is important when you are a writer otherwise give it two years and you'll just be a potato.
Make sure you have a good social circle around you too,
people you see on a regular basis, otherwise you will just stay indoors
all day every day and become weird. And if you don't like Batman you
won't get anywhere. Liking Batman is absolutely vital to being a
successful author.
Nick Spalding's new novella, Blue Christmas Balls, is self-published and out now.
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