How To Attract Readers - Expert Advice From Jonathan Gunson.

Some time back I invested just over $30 in Jonathan Gunsons' 'BestSellerLabs'. It proved a sound investment. 

Here for once was a practical approach for authors that did not involve hours of watching videos or drowning in social networks. It inspired me to:

1. Remember writing was my main focus.
2. Do a little focused marketing and promoting every day.
3. Try my and evolve my own strategies.

Jonathan also sends regular posts to my inbox. I have enjoyed every one and always found something helpful, encouraging or downright inspirational. I asked if I could reproduce one of his blog posts and he kindly gave me permission to post the first third. You will have to go to his blog to read the rest! Here it is:

How To Attract Readers By Creating A ‘Lighthouse’ Author Brand

By Jonathan Gunson

May 8th 2013

Recently I’ve been watching with increasing dismay as one of my author friends rushes around, relentlessly trying to push her books in every single social media channel on earth, while hassling book bloggers, reviewers and online media to the point of exhaustion.

As well as turning herself into a social media train wreck, she also continues to ignore the most powerful selling force that’s staring her in the face.

You see, hidden behind the covers of your books are features unique to you that can create a memorable Lighthouse Author Brand, making yours the first books that come to mind when readers decide to look for something to read.

The fact is, an author brand is built by readers, not by you.  You cannot push it.

Instead, your brand is built by readers discovering your author identity while reading.  If your books have appeal, they’ll remember you forever, tell all their friends, and increasingly want more of you.

So I’m going to highlight seven tactics based on your writing to help establish a Lighthouse Brand in readers’ minds and grow your long-term readership.

7 Winning Ways To Spotlight Your Author Brand And Grow Readership:

1.  Create an overarching theme-tagline to wrap around your books

If you write individual one-off novels, you’ll have discovered a downside.  Without the addictive power of a series, it can be prove difficult in the early stages of your career to persuade readers to buy another of your books – even though your author name may be prominently displayed.

What to do?

A simple way to keep your novels top of mind is to create a distinctive theme-tagline that draws your books together under a single overarching identity, giving them a memorable point of difference that enhances your Author Brand.

Racy blockbuster author Jackie Collins, for example, has a tagline that I feel is a work of pure genius because of its tongue in cheek simplicity:

Jackie Collins’ winning tagline:  “She’ll keep you up all night”… 

If your tagline is memorable enough, it will capture a reader’s imagination and be quoted by them, adding fuel to the ‘word-of-mouth recommendation’ wildfire.  But it does need to be remarkable, meaning it has to be different, noticeable, and causes people to remark on it.

Examples of places where your tagline and graphic can be featured:

• Emblazoned on your book covers
• On the title page of your books
• In the blurbs about your other books at the end of each book
• In your Amazon descriptions
• As part of your Amazon author profile
• In your blog header
• In your Twitter background
• In your Facebook author page header
• As your email signature
• On paper book-marks that you give away

It can even be used to introduce your books when you speak – as a giant ‘slide image’ projected behind you, along with your latest book cover.

Eventually your author name itself will acquire the same meaning as the ‘tagline’. It’s all part of growing your Lighthouse Author Brand.

You can read the rest of the post here: 

http://bestsellerlabs.com/attract-readers-with-a-lighthouse-author-brand/

DISCLAIMER: I am not on any kind of commission for recommending Jonathan. He is someone well worth listening to if you want start taking responsibility for promoting your book effectively.

ETO Is Now Available In Hard Copy

eto is a collaborative publication by Welsh author Phillip Stephen Rowlands and Ceri Shaw and Gaabriel Becket, the founders of the AmeriCymru Welsh-American social network and the West Coast Eisteddfod Welsh-American performing arts festival. 

Volume 1 includes work by Welsh poets Mike Jenkins, Paul Steffan Jones and Saul Hughes and Welsh and Welsh-American authors Lloyd Jones, Chris Keil, Phil Rowlands, Jude Johnson, Jean Mead, Glyn Scott, Thomas Morris, Gaynor Madoc Leonard, John Good and Gaabriel Becket

Ooops! Billy's Been A Naughty Boy

If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time you will know that I am a writer who:

• Does his best to help and support other authors.

 

• Explores ways of promoting his own books and passes that information on to fellow writers.

Just recently I gave away free copies of my report The Mavis Trott Twitter Campaign otherwise referred to as the Twitter Download Wave. It’s a strategy I find hugely effective in getting extracts of my books into the hands of potential readers/purchasers. If we are honest that’s the most important goal for any writer. Stuff posterity let’s get the bread on the table!

(Anyone interested in obtaining a copy can find out how by reading my last two blogs).

I’m currently trialling a promotional method that has got off to a less than auspicious start. It’s not a new approach but one I hadn’t tried personally until now. I have to say though I loved the concept so much I decided to give it a go. The idea is to set up a fictional account for your character on Twitter or Facebook. In my case for Billy Jenkins the focal character of my work in progress Billy and the Pit of Shadows. My initial mistake was not letting people know up front that Billy was not a real person although as most of you probably know already the characters you create become very real indeed.

Apparently a few people reported me as a spammer and my account was suspended. It proved only temporary as Twitter realised I was not aggressively following other users and reinstated my account in a matter of hours. So the first thing I learnt using this approach is to ensure other Twitter users know you are a fictional character before you start following them!

 

 

 

What would be a great help at this stage is for everyone reading this blog with a Twitter account to follow Billy at @billyangelis.

Follow @BillyAngelis

This is another way we could help with each others promotions. Anyone wishing to try this for themselves simply let me know and I will post it on this blog so we can show our support by following you. This would give us a lot more latitude with Twitter if the number of Followers exceeded the number of Twitter users we are following from the outset.
 

From a purely writing perspective creating a social media account for your characters is also a great way of developing a deeper knowledge and understanding of them. The more real your characters become the more persuasive and believable your writing will be. The easier it becomes for the reader to relate to them and to be drawn into your world.

 

 

Engagement is key.
 

I will keep you posted as to how effective this campaign is but the best way to monitor my progress is to Follow at @billyangelis. Just don’t laugh if I get sent to the Twitter naughty corner again!


Thanks in anticipation to everyone who rallies to the call and follows Billy.

 

Google+ Events - How They Can Help Authors

 Most authors are familiar with Goodreads. One of Goodreads most overused facilities is the Events feature. Once you accumulate a list of Friends you can post them notice of a coming event and request a response. Lots of these events tend to feature free giveaways of books. In fact so many books are given away using this feature that you could well overload your Kindle!

The problem with Goodreads is that most of your friends are also likely to be authors or readers saturated with offers of free books. Google+ can actually support your Goodreads Event by reaching a wider audience with its own Events feature.

Obviously to use this feature you are going to need a Google+ account. If you haven’t already got one I’m giving away a copy of Google+ eXplosion which explains exactly how to open an account plus much more. One of the biggest benefits of Google+ Events is the fact that anyone using Gmail or Google Calendar will easily be able to add the event right onto their calendars. With just the click of a button, all the information and details about that event will populate in their calendars. What a time saver! Furthermore, the event will automatically be added to the Google Calendars of anyone who is already in the Circles you invite.

 

Step 1: Click on the 'Events' Tab

No matter which section of Google+ you're looking at, if you're logged in to your account, you will see a sidebar on the left-hand side of the page. This sidebar includes options to select Home, Profile, Pages, Hangouts, Communities, Events, Photos, and More. In this scenario, you'll want to click on the 'Events' tab, which is listed as the sixth icon from the top.

 

Once you've clicked on the 'Events' tab, you'll be directed to a page that will guide you through creating your event. The images you see are various options for event cover images, and above these you'll see a bold, red button that says 'Create Event.' 

 

Step 2: Click 'Create Event'

Once you've clicked on the 'Events' tab, you'll be directed to a page that will guide you through creating your event. The images you see are various options for event cover images, and above these you'll see a bold, red button that says 'Create Event.'

 

 

 

 

Step 3: Fill in Your Event Information

Once you've clicked on the red, 'Create Event' button, an event template will pop up where you can add your event information. Is this event a Google+ Hangout? Is it a webinar? Be as specific and explicit as possible, and make sure you fill out every form as best you can. 

Tip: It's best to include both a start and end time for your event so people using Google Calendar can add the event to their calendar without any question about the event's end date.

 

 

In this instance I am giving away a copy of my report ‘How To Create A Twitter Download Wave For Your Book’ which explains how I create Twitter promotions with a small account that consistently persuaded an average of 200+ Followers to download extracts from my book or visits to my website each campaign, a total of 1,221 over several weeks.

This particular event will run from Saturday 13^th April until Friday 19^th April.

If you would like a copy of the 11 page report entitled ‘AUTHORS: how To Create Your Own Twitter Download Wave’ please visit:http://tiny.cc/sbidvw 

 

Step 4: Customize Your Event's Cover Photo

To customize your event, click the transparent grey, 'Change Theme' button in the bottom left corner of the current cover image you see (see image above). Once you've clicked this button, you'll be brought to a page that shows you a variety of options for your Google+ Event's cover photo -- all provided by Google.

 

 

 Of course, if you're a DIY design whiz, you'll probably want to upload your own cover photo. Creating a cover image that's unique to you and your specific event or book is a great way to differentiate it from any other created by the people you're following. To upload your own cover photo, choose 'Upload' from the list of theme options:

 

 

 

Some social networks will allow you to choose a photo of any size, and will resize it to fit the dimensions of the cover photo. But because the cover photo for Google+ is so long and narrow, you're going to have a hard time using a pre-existing image without resizing it. Your best bet is to create a custom image that's exactly 940 pixels wide by 280 pixels tall. 

Once you have sizing down pat, upload your image, and test it out. Keep in mind that you should leave some white space open in the bottom left corner, because on the final event page, this space will be taken up by your event's title.

If techie stuff is not your thing use Google’s templates but just think how much better it would be if you could get an image of your book up there.

Here's how you event might look in edit mode up until this point:

 

Step 5: Add More Details Via the 'Advanced' Tab

But wait ... there's more! To add even more information to your event, under 'Event Options,' click 'Advanced.'

 

 

By clicking 'Advanced,' you'll be able to notify people that this is a Google Hangout, an on-air event, or provide a URL where people can learn more about the event. This is particularly important if you want people to register elsewhere or take a specific action. In the case of my event, to join a specific community in order to get access to the information.

To add a URL, click 'Show Additional Fields.'

 

Here, you can add a URL and other details for your event:

Step 6: Invite Guests

Once you're satisfied with your event, you can start inviting guests. Depending on who the target audience for your event is, you can add specific Circles, Communities, email addresses, or simply make the event public on your website or blog. Once you've added the names of the people you think would be most appropriate for this event, click the green 'Invite' button. Remember, the beauty of Google+ Events are that they automatically get added to the Google Calendars of the people in the Circles you invite.

Once you've published your event it will look something like this:

 

 

That’s it! You've successfully created an event for your book on Google+. Once the event is over, you still have the option to communicate with folks who attended through the Event page. This is a great place to upload photos of the event, give any updates about next year's event, etc.

Copies of Google+ eXplosion will be made available on this blog next week. See you then!

Effective Promotion For Aspiring Authors.

 

Question: When do you start marketing and promoting your book?

Answer: As soon as you start writing it.

Building a potential readership will also add momentum to your efforts especially on those days when the blank sheet of paper or computer screen just stares defiantly back at you.

Question: How do I start building a potential readership?

Answer: Social media.

Don’t make the big mistake of trying to engage with every social media channel out there. Take one at a time. Always remember your first priority is to get your book written.

Question: Which should I choose?

Answer: My first choice would be Twitter.

I know I wrote an ebook on why and how authors should engage with Google+ but Twitter is the easiest place to find and build a following who may well be interested in reading your book. Google+ is a great place for communicating with your established followers but your first priority in terms of promotion is to locate that potential fan base.

Question: Why Twitter?

Answer: Because the least amount of effort will produce the greatest results.

Finding followers on Twitter is relatively simple. When you follow people, usually around 30-50% will follow back.

Question: Who should I follow?

Answer: People who might be interested in reading your book.

The more focused you are the more effective your results will be. Don’t take the shotgun approach and follow anyone. Your time spent on social media networks should be limited so make the best use of it. Allocate 30 minutes a day to build your follower base. If you are a writer of Science Fiction type in the names of your favourite authors. Many are sure to have a Twitter account. Once you find one click on their list of Followers and follow them yourself. Obviously don’t follow those who are selling totally unrelated products or offering services of some kind. Don’t ignore other authors though, especially aspiring writers who are always anxious to read and compare the ‘competition’s’ work.

Question: Are there any do’s and don’ts I should know about?

Answer: Most definitely.

Restrict your following to a maximum 50 a day. After a fortnight you may have around 200 followers. You will be following 700. Occasionally you may want to prune back the number you are following but who are not following you back. Tweepi is a free service that allows you to flush those people who have not reciprocated. It is a very useful tool as it indicates just how many tweets they send and how often. For example I tend to ‘flush’ those unfollowers who have not tweeted for a month or over as it suggests they are not very active.

Be warned Twitter takes a dim view of people who ‘aggressively’ follow and unfollow large numbers of people and may well suspend your account. Keep within my guidelines and you should be fine.

 
The biggest DON’T of all is one I commonly see made on Twitter. Please don’t try and sell your book directly from your Twitter account. There is no bigger turn off. 

Question: Once I have built a list of Twitter followers what should I do with them?
Answer: Engage with them.


People join social network sites primarily to interact with others. They like receiving useful information, having comments made on their tweets, being retweeted and being entertained by amusing or thoughtful Tweets.

“But isn’t the whole reason I built a following in the first place to promote my books.?”

Absolutely, but there is a right way and a wrong way of doing it. I recently ran a campaign that took me about twenty minutes to set up. Within a couple of hours over 200 people had downloaded a sample pdf of an extract from my book. The sample included a link to my Google+ Community entitled ‘Billy and The Pit of Shadows. You’ve guessed it! The community is built around the book I am currently writing.

Just think, in a matter of hours my work was being read by a large number of people and this from a relatively new Twitter account with less than 400 Followers! I replicated the campaign with exactly the same results and this was not an account specifically dedicated to my book’s genre. It worked!

“OK so what is this campaign?”

If you want to know the details you have to join my community on Google+. I will be sharing it freely with my members along with any other ideas I discover that work. 

“What’s the catch?


No catch. I believe in being upfront and honest. To me one of the negative aspects of Kindle publishing is that writers are so desperate to get their books into other peoples hands, or Kindle’s, that they give them away for free. Free implies little or no value. Listen people, ‘the workman is worthy of his hire’. Don’t devalue your work. I will never give any of my books away for free. 

“But you just said. . . "

Let me qualify. I will give information away for free but not my novels. Hopefully when I provide information that is genuinely helpful I create a degree of trust with my followers and members. When my book is completed I hope they will have received so much of value from me freely that they will be prepared to invest a little something in return by purchasing my book. Of course I would much prefer that they bought my book because of the buzz I have created via campaigns like the one I am about to share with them.

To join Billy and The Pit of Shadows Community CLICK HERE

 

ETO: Birth Of A Magazine

For writers a new magazine dedicated to fiction is always an exciting event. At the very least it provides another avenue to explore, another possible showcase for our talents. Often however, as with the ETO, the opportunities fall within a specific niche or genre. ETO is primarily Ceri Shaw’s and Gaabriel Becket’s baby. It is the realisation of a long cherished dream of providing a platform for established and emerging Welsh writers the world over. When Ceri moved from Cardiff to Portland, Oregon, he was dismayed to discover how little Americans actually knew about Wales. To help rectify the situation Ceri and Gaabi created Americymru.net, a global social site for Welsh people. It has been a huge success. We hope Eto proves equally successful. I was delighted when Ceri offered me the opportunity to become their partner in Wales. My blog has always been designed at supporting and encouraging aspiring writers the world over. Any opportunity to help further that objective was seized upon eagerly.  “Great, but what’s in it for me?” I hear most of you say. “We’re not Welsh!” No, but my ongoing experience gained with Eto will help me advise others how to set up and launch their own magazines. For example among my 4,000+ Twitter followers there are a very large number whose genre is Science Fiction. It is now possible for individuals to set up a magazine and make it available in digital and hard copy thanks to Amazon and Amazon’s publishing arm Create Space. Other options like Smashwords and Lightning Source are also available. Why not a new Sci Fi and Fantasy magazine?  In future posts I will be showing you how it can be done. For now I would ask as many as you as can to support our new baby and help it grow. So, what can you expect to find in the first edition of Eto?
	When The Yoghurts Run Dry by Phil Rowlands Passion, cannibalism, zombies, jealousy and heroism all within the confines of a malfunctioning lift!
	Elgin Evans and The Summer of Love by Lloyd Jones Lauded by critics but not yet receiving the universal acclaim his writing merits. Elgin Evans will undoubtedly win him more fans and acclaim.
	Number Forty by Jude Johnson A smooth and stylish blend of crime and love.
	After Damnation We Continue To Dream, Briar Times, Guerilla by Paul Steffan Jones It is no exaggeration that Paul Steffan Jones appears destined to inherit the mantle as one of Wales' truly outstanding poets.
	Wedded Bliss by Jean Mead If you like your stories with a wicked twist in the tail then Jean has served up the perfect cocktail.
	Miner's Fortnight by Glyn Scott An evokative, humourus and poignant reminder of bygone days. I loved it! An unmissable read for those of my generation.
	Bus-Station Clinic by Mike Jenkins A contemporary tale woven with pathos and humour. Mike holds up a mirror to our times. Quite brilliant!
	The Diplomats of Refusal by Saul Hughes A cautionary and timely story that confronts one of the most emotive issues of our day.Fox Thoughts, And People Make Love in Nantyglo, Chip Shop, Ebbw Vale poems by Saul Hughes More examples of Saul's versatility and undoubted talent.
	Aston Villa Baby and Terramundi by Thomas Morris Thomas is definitely a rising talent. Quirky humour, sharp dialogue and a risque storyline prove a compulsive mix.
	All For The Best by Gaynor Madoc Leonard Only you can decide whether the events surrounding Edgar are indeed, all for the best!
	Pests by Gaabriel Becket Echoes of The Birds in this vision, or should I say nightmare, of an agricultural future fraught with peril.
	Take Any Shape But That by Chris Keil A dark tale from the acclaimed author of Flirting At The Funeral.
	My Fellow Americymros by John Good John Good provides a masterly, informative and highly engaging account of the deep roots that exist between America and Wales. Thoroughly educational, thoroughly entertaining.

BE A SERIAL KILLER

Perhaps I’d better explain before any SWAT teams or FBI agents break down my door. This is not an incitement to violence of any kind. No, I’ve not been watching too many gory horror movies but if you are a struggling writer who wants to become successful there is one thing you should very seriously consider doing. Create your own series of books.

Let’s be honest writers write because they love writing but that’s not the sole motivation for everyone. Shakespeare and Dickens wrote to make a living and did it very successfully! The majority of us dream of being as successful as J.K.Rowling or Amanda Hocking whatever we might say to the contrary. One thing these writers had in common was they were all pretty good at story telling and they weren’t bad wordsmiths either! I don’t know how you compare but I do know that creating a series and building a brand is almost essential for ongoing success.

When I was a boy the Just William books by Richmal Crompton were my favourites. On every cover there was a picture of a scruffy boy with a striped hat. He was instantly recognisable. Enid Blyton’s Famous Five and Secret Seven series were hugely successful. They were constructed around:

• Distinctive and engaging characters who appeared in each book.
• Story lines within the same genre.
• Story lines that were often progressive or developed a recurring  theme.
• Easily identifiable cover images.

Fast forward and we see these same elements within series like Harry Potter and Lemony Snickett. In both cases the authors have built an easily recognisable and memorable brand. Readers who enjoyed these books would immediately want to read more and this affords authors another opportunity. It is now possible to create links within your eBooks directly back to your authors website where you can create an interest in the next book or refer readers to the complete series. Alternatively why not include a chapter from your next book at the end.

“Hold on!” you cry, “I haven’t finished my first book yet!”

Not a problem. Having decided to embark upon writing a series of books your brain will subconsciously begin to identify:

 

·        Possible future story lines.

·        Characters and their potential for development.

Rather than a hindrance the decision to write a series can provide creative motivation.

I have to mention the possible downside of course.

The authors already referred to happen to be very good authors. The danger is if your first book sucks then the concept of a series becomes counter productive. But isn’t that the risk we all take when we put our work out there? I don’t know if anyone will consider ‘Billy and The Pit ofShadows’ worth reading but it won’t stop me writing it. Even if it doesn’t sell one copy I will have enjoyed the experience tremendously and feel a great sense of satisfaction at having completed it.

The other thing that might be considered a downside is the cost of creating a cover for your book. It is absolutely vital you have a compelling and striking cover. Many people purchase a book because they are attracted by the cover alone. It is also important you find someone right for your book. This is a process I am currently engaged in. Elance provides a list of artists and graphic designers who display a showcase of their work. It is worth taking a good look until you find someone you feel can create the image that reflects your work. A Google search will also throw up a list of graphic designers and artists.

I hope I have encouraged you to get cracking on your killer series.

 

* * *

 

 

ST DAVID’S DAY APOLOGIES

 

We were hoping to launch ETO our new fiction anthology for Welsh writers today on St David’s Day, March 1st. Unfortunately we underestimated the amount of work involved and will now launch in mid March.

 

The good news is it should be well worth waiting for.

Pond Life or Writers Groups?

I must admit the idea of joining a writers group or circle had never really appealed to me. My most recent experience of a writers group on Facebook served only to reinforce my negative attitude. The title of the group was what attracted me as it purported to be authors helping out other authors. It proved a misleading title.

Some, and I hasten to add not all, groups and forums bear a striking resemblance to life in a pond. Every inhabitant has its own place in the social hierarchy and protects their social status jealously. I must have really muddied the waters when I jumped in to this particular pond with both feet blazing. I had the temerity to place a link to a promotional video I had created for Google+ eXplosion a book I had written to help other authors get to grips with Google+. Incidentally it was not long before I was giving it away for free on my blog.

Apparently I had committed a social faux pas akin to breaking wind during the exchange of vows at somebody’s wedding. “Self promotion!” You could hear the communal gasps as the ripples of outrage spread across the communal waters. One author asked what the heck else I had written anyway.  Soon other members of the group entered the fray. My motives for joining were thrown into question and my humorous attempt to defuse the situation only seemed to make matters worse.

XXX, Thanks for the welcome. I feel like a kid who just started a new school. Just hope you are not one of the milk monitors. Hmm. I have participated in this group prior to uploading the infomercial. Posts mainly from my blog.

It didn’t help!

Another member accused me of having a ‘snit fit’. I’m still not sure what that is.

However a certain lady Patricia Reed did rush to my defence and appeared to be as confused as me regarding the groups remit.

I was under the impression that this group was for "authors helping authors". . .

The reason I felt compelled to share this experience is that another writer suffered the same fate at the hands of the same group only this week. (You can visit her blog here.) I was able to reassure her that she was not alone. The groups' response was predictable and at one point I was accused of ‘flouncing’. Anyone who knows me personally knows I do not flounce, have snit fits, or take kindly to bullies of the physical or literary variety.

The point is it can be a demoralising experience to encounter criticism of a personal nature where you expected to find help and support.

It was with certain misgivings therefore that I attended the writers group in my local library this week. My reservation proved groundless.  I spent two hours in the company of some of the most supportive and inspirational people I have met for a long time. The range and quality of their writing left me feeling humbled.

The group is run by Lesley Berry the daughter of that great Welsh author Ron Berry. It is literally two hundred yards from my home. I would never have stumbled upon it if I hadn’t been actively looking for groups so that I could tell them about Eto.

As much as I love the internet for the way it has opened up the world to me and allowed me to make many new friends and acquaintancest there is nothing quite like personal interaction with real people. So my advice would be, if there is a writers group near you, join it!

Commit To Your Community

“This is a blog for Indie writers everywhere, right?” you ask.

“Absolutely!” I reply looking sincere.

“So why is this Eto magazine you seem to be spending so much time on exclusively for Welsh writers and not everyone then?” a hint of accusation in your voice.

“I can best answer that by telling you a true story.” I reply.

So here it is

The story takes place back in the dim distant past when I still had black hair and computers hadn’t begun to roam the earth. I was head teacher of a small village school at the top end of the Rhondda Valley called Blaencwm. Blaencwm nestled snugly among the mountains and if it snowed there was no way in or out. It truly was a very close knit community.

At one time a tunnel had been driven through the mountain at the top end of the village to provide easy access to places like Aberavon, a staggering feat of engineering. When the government instigated cuts to the railway network in the 60’s Blaencwm was left stranded on the economic beach with no hope of the tide ever turning. My years spent in this vibrant community were among the happiest of my life.

“All very nice.” I hear you say. “But what’s the point?”

One day during a drama lesson a little girl said to me. “My Uncle’s a writer.” My response was something condescending like, “That’s nice.” While secretly hoping it wasn’t the school wall he had daubed with graffiti.

The little girl’s name was Elaine Berry. Her uncle was Ron Berry.

Niall Griffiths has described Ron Berry’s novel ‘SO LONG HECTOR BEBB’ as “one of the greatest novels to come out of the twentieth century.” 

Ron Berry was probably living in Blaencwm, or very close by, at the time. It frustrates the hell out of me to think I could have actually met him. Here was a writer ignored by the world at large and relatively unknown in his own community. Having just read his book for the first time I realise what an opportunity was lost. Never in a million years could I hope to write something like that!

Now as a writer myself I feel a responsibility to my own community. Eto is one of the ways in which I hope to discharge that responsibility by providing a platform for local authors so that writer’s of the future will be less likely to suffer the fate that Ron Berry endured. A towering talent that very few people knew existed.

So having answered your question let me ask you one.

“What commitment are you prepared to make to writers within your community wherever you live?”

 

As Ron said through one of his characters:

We’re each and every one of us shaped for muck and glory, thank the Jesus Christ All-bloody-mighty for it an all.

How Do You Climb Your Mountain?

Bernard Cornwall has described writing a book as akin to climbing a mountain. Apparently he gets so far, looks back, sees a better route, retraces his footsteps and begins again. I certainly identify with this analogy even if I never get to the summit anywhere near as many times as he has done. One of his preferred tactics is to throw his main character into a situation in the first chapter and see what happens. A bit like real life really

How do you approach writing a book? Are you methodical and organised or do you lean towards Bernard Cornwall's trial and error method? One thing I must mention about Bernard Cromwell's approach is that at least he knows where he wants to end up. In the case of his current novel a particularly significant historical event, the Battle of Poitiers. As Yogi Berra once memorably said,

"You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there."
 

I think I know what he was trying to say!
Ben Kane, another successful historical novelist takes the opposite view. It has to be said that this was the result of bitter experience when engaged on his second novel which required a major rewrite. Now he plans his work out chapter by chapter.

El Doctorow used this striking analogy.

“Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”

 A meeting I had with that remarkable Welsh artist Nicholas Evans many years ago perhaps best illustrates my particular attitude to writing.

Nicholas Evans began painting when he was in his late sixties. In his obituary in The Guardian newspaper Peter Wakelin wrote:

The art world dreams of discovering the genuine original: the self-made, solitary visionary. In 1978 it found one in the railwayman and painter Nicholas Evans, who has died aged 97.
 

I was afforded the tremendous privilege of being invited by the artist to view a painting he was currently working on. Something, his daughter Rona told me, he had never done before.  We talked and I asked how he planned out his striking paintings. He told me he didn't. They were already there. He simply approached the blank canvas and began to paint and they appeared.

Now I understand what he meant. Although he was a painter bordering on genius and I am a simple storyteller our ideas flowed from within straight onto canvas or paper. In fact Nicholas Evans rarely painted on canvas. He order his material direct from the local hardware store! His wife, particularly unimpressed by his late brush with fame, told me, "I wouldn't mind so much if he'd paint the house!"

Each writer and artist must find his own way. In the end it doesn't really matter how you reach the summit. What really matters is that your writing flows from within. That the route you take is your own. That it is you and not what you believe others want you to be.

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Billy and The Pit of Shadows Community
An experiment in creating a community of readers.

Last week our theme was school assemblies. Thanks to Eiry Rees Thomas for her contribution. I would love to know who the noted academic was but she won't tell me!

"It's an early memory actually and happened at our village junior school where we had a gathering twice weekly before lessons for prayers:
A male classmate, as it transpired, had been desperate to use the outside lavvies, but felt obliged to wait. The appropriate sound alerted us to the fact, wherby the teacher in charge of such things switched to sniff mode and made her way towards the row where I stood next to my embarrased classmate. She wore bangles on one arm from wrist to almost elbow level. These jangled in the silence and I felt rooted to the spot, lest she chose the wrong perpetrator.
The 'culprit' was ceremoniously directed to the lavvies, head bowed and blushing. Such a thing would never happen these days, thankfully.
I'm so pleased that my classmate rose through the ranks to become a prominent academic."
 

 This week our theme is Games.
Are there games you once played that seem to have been lost. We'd love to hear about them. Why not join our community and take part in the experiment that will hopefully provide us with a template we can all work from.

"It had been a sunny day in late September and the conker season was already in full swing. Billy and Ross Tudor, encircled by an expectant crowd of children, were eyeing each other warily. Hector and Achilles preparing for battle before the glistening walls of Troy could not have been studied with more eager anticipation. What Billy remembered most about that morning however was the communal gasp of astonishment that greeted one of the rarest events ever witnessed at Valleys County Primary School."

From Chapter 13: The Great Conker Conflict

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Next Week: Countdown To Launch.