Hey Bookworms!
This week, we have Author Eliza Scott as a guest on our blog! Her book, The Letter, releases soon!
I'm pleased to host her on my blog, but before we begin, let me introduce her to you.
About The Author:
I live in a village in the North Yorkshire Moors with my husband, two daughters and two black Labradors. When I’m not writing, I can usually be found with my nose in a book/glued to my Kindle, or in my garden. I also enjoy bracing walks in the countryside, rounded off with a visit to a teashop where I can indulge in another two of my favourite things: tea and cake.
Website | Twitter | Instagram
Now, I'll let Eliza take over!
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I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember but kept pushing the idea to the back of my mind. That was until, getting on for nearly five years ago, when my eldest daughter had gone to university, and the urge to sit down and make a start took over.
Little did I know then, just what kind of journey it would take me on! And, I have to say, my image of the publishing world was completely outdated. I had no idea about digital only books or imprints from the big publishing houses promoting digital first copies. I didn’t even have a Kindle! I was way behind the times, and it was time to change!
So, my journey to getting published consisted of the following:
1.GETTING TO GRIPS WITH SOCIAL MEDIA:
So, if you want to be an author (particularly an indie author), you need to make a bit of social media interaction part of your daily routine. Who knew? I found this prospect not a little daunting as, at the time, I’d absolutely no experience of it. But, thanks to the help of my eldest daughter, I found myself on Twitter (being a chatterbox meant I took to this straight away!), Facebook (still getting to grips with that) and hosting a blog. Social media turned out to be a real eye-opener for me and the warmth and friendliness of the book–community was so refreshing; I feel honoured to have become a part of it now.
2.ATTENDING THE FESTIVAL OF WRITING IN YORK:
This is a weekend-long event organised by the Jericho Writers and held at York University. It’s an amazing event for budding writers. Three years ago, I booked a ticket for the Sunday and, amongst lots of other things, I attended a seminar with the well–respected, successful self–pub author, Dave Gaughran. Dave’s talk was so compelling it got me thinking about going down this route for my own book. Rather handily, Dave had a couple of books published on exactly how to do this – written in a very reader-friendly way (now updated), both of which I bought, and I really don’t think I could have managed without them.
3.REALISING THAT MY MANUSCRIPT SHOULD BE PROFESSIONALLY EDITED:
If you ask any well–respected self–published author for tips, the first thing they’ll tell you is to get your book professionally edited. My original manuscript was huge (156,000 words!) so, before I sent it off to an editor, I went through it and was really brutal, taking out parts that I thought unnecessary and getting rid of a whole load of adverbs. By doing this, I managed to reduce my m/s to just over 130,000, which meant it was more manageable and would also cost less to have it edited. Luckily, there are professional editors out there who offer services particularly suited to us indie authors, so I booked mine in, sent it off and awaited its return. I have to say that, even though it’s not cheap, I’m so pleased I did it. My editor’s skills and experience, as well as objective eye, was invaluable and I now have a much more streamlined and better set–out novel. It was definitely money well spent.
4.GETTING MY BOOK COVER DESIGNED PROFESSIONALLY:
The second tip you’ll be given by the aforementioned well–respected self–pub authors is to have an eye-catching cover for your book. I’d decided quite early on that I was going to pay to have one done and, as I’d long since been a fan of Berni Stevens’ work, I was absolutely delighted when she agreed to design a cover for my novel. And I was even more delighted when I saw the end result; it’s perfect for the story.
5.FORMATTING MY BOOK:
This was the bit I was most scared of; the very thought of it hurt my head! It sounded a bit techie and a whole lot scary! And, while I know my way around a computer, this formatting lark wasn’t something that sounded particularly thrilling to my ears. Anyway, after reading up on it and channelling my inner nerd, I decided to tackle it head-on. To my surprise, I actually found the process quite rewarding! And that’s most definitely not something I thought I’d hear myself say!
6.COVER REVEALS AND BLOG TOURS:
Once I’d got my cover design I was keen to share it and what better way than to enlist the services of Rachel Gilbey over at Rachel’s Random Reads? In what felt like the blink of an eye, Rachel had a whole host of lovely book bloggers offering to take part in a cover reveal for my new book. Being an unpublished writer, I was absolutely blown away by such generosity – though I suspect it had a lot to do with Rachel being well respected and Berni’s gorgeous cover design! I was really impressed with Rachel’s organisational skills so after the cover reveal, I decided to go for a full-on Premium Package Publication Day special which has involved Q&As, preparing extracts from my book and a whole handful of blog posts (like this one!), which I’ve really enjoyed doing.
So, there you have it, my journey to getting published – none of which I ever expected to do when I first sat down to write my book all those years ago!
Thank you for taking part in my blog tour and for having me on your blog; it’s been a real pleasure.
Eliza xxx
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Your journey is definitely full of knowledge for soon-to-be authors like me! Thanks for sharing your story with us!
Curious about Eliza's book?
Here's some info about it:
Dan senses that his marriage is on shaky ground and knows he needs to win his wife round. He turns on the charm, skilfully using their two children, Lucas and Lily, as bargaining tools. But Kitty’s older brother, Jimby, and her childhood best-friends, Molly and Violet, have decided enough is enough. For years they’ve had to watch from afar as Kitty’s been browbeaten into an unrecognisable version of herself. They vow to make her see Dan for what he really is, but their attempts are no match for his finely-honed courtroom skills and, against her better judgement, Kitty agrees to give her husband one last chance. But, all-too-soon, a series of heart-breaking events and a shocking secret throw her life into turmoil…
Will she stand by Dan, or will Kitty be brave enough to take the leap and follow her heart to Ollie?
Life is anything but peaceful in the chocolate-box pretty village of Lytell Stangdale, where life unravels, and hearts are broken. Full of heart-warming moments, this book with have you crying
tears of joy, laughter and sadness.
Buy The Letter now:
Amazon US. (0.99$ only!)
Amazon UK. (0.99£ only!)
Oh, but that's not all! Don't forget to enter this chocolatey giveaway!
Win a Paperback copy of The Lettter – Kitty’s Story, Chocolate and Neom Hand Cream (Open Internationally)
Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
Good luck for the giveaway! See you tomorrow!
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