Adventurous Publishing – Sam Jordison

‘I have mixed feelings with social media… I hope there is still a place for the writers that want to close themselves in the garage and write books.’

Sam Jordison knows well how to communicate with readers. He reviews books for The Guardian (what many would consider this a dream-job) and has set the famous Not The Booker Prize, which gives awards to books based on the preferences of the audience.  He also enjoys promotting unique talent through his own indie publishing house, Galley Beggar Press.

If you want advice on how to reach a larger audience or are curious about the secrets of the publishing world (have you ever thought about setting your own publishing house?) this is for you!

 

What can you find in this interview?

-Reviewing books.

-Using social media to promote your writing.

-Setting your own publishing house.

 

Do you want to know more about Sam Jordison?

-Check out his twitter.

-Check out his publishing house, Galley Beggar Press. (They have a short story competition!)

 

Many thanks to our meticulous editor, Terry Garanhel and to the founder and sponsor of the programme, Yvonne Battle-Felton. And, of course, to Sam Jordison, who kindly agreed to do this interview. He gave us a great insight into the publishinh world and also has put us in contact with many cool writers – you’ll hear about them soon! So thank you very much and we hope you keep discovering and publishing amazing authors!

 

 

Writer on a boat – Sarah Jasmon

 

‘I can see why people might consider writing a lonely activity, but I don’t find it that way. There’s twitter… I don’t think writers can be lonely again.’

Sarah Jasmon lives on a boat in the Liverpool canal and writes novels. She always wanted to be an author. By obtaining an MA in Creative Writing and opening her blog she got fully involved in the literary world and found an agent and a publisher… She’s a fresh, positive writer always approachable via Twitter. Do you want to listen to the inspiring story of her debut novel?

 

 

What can you find in this interview?

-Pursuing a career in writing – no matter your age!

-Blogging as a writer.

-Finding agents ad publishers.

-Being part of a writing community.

-Doing an MA in Creative Writing.

-Writing and parenting.

 

Texts Read:

– Extract from The summer of secrets (novel).

 

Do you want to know more about Sarah Jasmon?

-Check out her website.

-Check out her twitter.

 

Many thanks to our meticulous editor, Terry Garanhel, and the founder and sponsor of the programme, Yvonne Battle-Felton. And, of course, to Sarah Jasmon, who shared with us her inspiring story about publishing her debut novel… we hope you publish many more!

Writer and sailor – Paul Atherton

Paul Atherton is a writer and a sailor. Do these two things have something in common? ‘On the water, there’s always something different happening,’ he admits. Also, his experiences on sailing helped him shape his first novel, Viking Voices, where he describes ‘a lot of movements of the vikings around the Irish Sea.’

Some authors find the promotion of their work especially challenging, but Paul has very good experiences. ‘I quite enjoy the commercial aspect of writing, I’ve built a good relationship with castles and Northwest libraries.’ He had book launches in bookshops such as Waterstones, and has also attended the York Viking Festival, where he was particularly succesful.

Paul feels a strong connection with History as a genre – Vikings and also the Second World War. Although he has travelled all over the world, he confesses that ‘I do my research by reading and speaking to people.’ His main tip to write Historical novels? ‘Reality can be stranger than fiction… if you’re writing something that is real but not believable you have to change it.’

What can you find in this interview?

-Experiences from doing a Creative Writing MA.

-Historical Fiction.

-Experiences with promoting books.

-Self-publishing.

-Sailing and writing.

Texts Read:

–Billy’s War (novel).

Many thanks to our meticulous editor, Terry Garanhel, and the founder of the programme, Yvonne Battle-Felton. And, of course, to our friend Paul Atherton, who was so kind that he even took us on a trip on his boat. You’re a wonderful writer and sailor.

Don’t forget to check our next interview on Sunday 22nd of November in 87.7 Bailrigg FM at 6pm with the Portuguese writer Leonor Macedo!

Feeling and writing – Yamuna Venugopal

‘I grew up in a household where female members of the neighbourhood came to talk with my parents about injustices,’ Yamuna Venugopal said. She’s an courageous writer who left a stable job as a software engineer to come to Lancaster and study a Creative Writing MA. She hasn’t regretted this decision, though: ‘Being away from India gave me a broad-minded view of the things I’m writing about.’

Yamuna is a skilled writer who likes to address Indian social reality through her short stories, often told from a female perspective. ‘I like to write about something that affects me.’ For her, the most important thing in writing is to depict believable characters: ‘I try to be in someone else’s skin when I write, it keeps me emotionally close to the character.’ One of her short stories was published in Pif Magazine. After completing her MA, Yamuna returned to India, where she’s currently pursuing a career in writing. ‘I’d love to have an international audience,’ she confesses.

What can you find in this interview?

-Experiences from doing a Creative Writing MA.

-Socially engaged writing.

-Experiences with publishing in online magazines.

-Blogging.

-Writing in a second language.

Texts Read:

–Abstract Art (short story).

Do you want to know more about Yamuna Venugopal?

-Check out her blog.

Many thanks to our meticulous editor, Terry Garanhel, and the founder of the programme, Yvonne Battle-Felton. And, of course, to our talented writer and friend Yamuna Venugopal. We’re sure your books are going to reach an audience from all over the world!

Don’t forget to check our next interview on Sunday 15th of November in 87.7 Bailrigg FM at 6pm with sailor and writer Paul Atherton!

The NaNoWriMo Experience – Anne Cleasby

‘You’ve published, your book is out there, but nobody buys it, it’s all about marketing.’ Anne Cleasby has already published the second book from a trilogy of Paranormal Romance – under her pseudonym, Annalisa Carr – and yet she’s very aware of the challenges that every published writer must face. She had been working as a crystallographer for thirty years before she decided to leave this job and move to the northwest of England to do a Creative Writing MA at Lancaster University. Although she admits that her professional career has also contributed to her writing: ‘I think Science can be quite inspiring for someone like me who wants to write Speculative Fiction and Sci-Fi.’

When Anne is not writing or petting her three lovely cats, she likes attending literary events or practice sports. ‘Running in the morning wakes me up and gets me ready to start other things.’ Going through NaNoWriMo encouraged her to get her writing out there. ‘It gives you deadlines and motivation and something to aim towards.’ There, she wrote what would turn into her first published book, and now she is seriously considering the possibility of making a living from her words.

What can you find in this interview?
-Experiences on working and writing at the same time.
-Tips about how to find an agent and publish.
-Speculative Fiction and Science-Fiction.
–NaNoWriMo.
-Literary life in the Northwest

Texts read:
Living and Loving dangerously. (Short story).

Writing resources mentioned:
–NaNoWriMo.

Do you want to know more about Anne Cleasby?
-Check out his book collection Children of Poseidon.

Many thanks to our meticulous editor, Terry Garanhel, and the founder of the programme, Yvonne Battle-Felton. And, of course, to our lovely friend Anne Cleasby with whom we had the privilege to do the Creative Writing MA at Lancaster University. We are eagerly waiting for your Sci-Fi novel to be published!

Don’t forget to check our next interview on Sunday 8th of November in 87.7 Bailrigg FM at 6pm with Yamuna Venugopal!

200 words a day – Gabriella Campbell

‘It took me two or three months to get to the point where I just had to write every day.’ Three years ago, Gabriella Campbell started what can be seen as a little challenge: writing 200 words daily. Now, this Spanish writer with Irish ancestry has her first Fantasy novel published, a collection of Fantasy and Sci-Fi short stories that she self-published in Amazon and one of the most famous literary blogs in Spain. She has been a publisher, a poet, a content writer… being so versatile seems to be the secret of her success, although she confesses that having a degree in Literature ‘also gave me perspective.’

Gabriella is very active on social media: ‘there’s this saying  that to market a product properly you’ve to give marketing 80% of the time and 20% to the creation.’ She is also an ebook enthusiast, and she believes they ‘are the easiest way to polish a book and to share my writing.’ She started writing poetry but her curiosity and love of reading made her consider short stories first and then novels. ‘It was kind of a natural progression to me,’ she admits.