Tracy Bloom: I learned a huge amount from self-publishing
Why did you decide to self-publish your book?
I wrote my novel, No-one Ever Has Sex on a Tuesday, while living in Connecticut, US having moved there temporarily with my husband's job. I left behind a dream career developing rides for theme parks and found myself in a foreign country with a new baby and a desire to make the most of my dramatic change in circumstances. I joined an evening class in creative writing and about a year later I had completed my first romantic comedy, written mostly during my son's afternoon naps. To my utter shock an agent and foreign-rights deals came quickly afterwards, but although I had some very positive comments no UK publisher stepped forward. Having watched the self-publishing industry evolve to become a valid gateway to reach an audience I decided that the time was right to go it alone.
Tell us a bit about it.
No-one Ever Has Sex on a Tuesday is about a one-night stand that leads to utter chaos. Childhood sweethearts Matthew and Katy agree they must never see each other again after they end up in bed together following a school reunion. So all is forgotten … until eight months later when a shock meeting at an antenatal class forces them to confront the fact that Matthew could be the father of Katy's baby.
Oblivious to the mayhem unfolding, Matthew's highly strung wife frets over giving birth to twins and Katy's much younger boyfriend refuses to take fatherhood seriously. Deep emotions begin to resurface and hormones run riot. How will they navigate their way through this almighty cock-up?
My book is a romantic comedy for both sexes, given that is written from both a male and female point of view. I was hugely inspired by Gavin and Stacey when I was writing and aim to create big, bold characters who are genuinely funny doing their best to muddle through very real situations.
Have you worked with an editor or designer on the novel?
I have worked with an editor and believe it is essential as they help you to see your book as a reader, not as a writer. However, it is a skill in itself to decipher constructive advice that you feel contradicts what you are trying to communicate as a writer. Part of the joy of self-publishing is being in control of the design of your book jacket. I have a longstanding phobia of the pastel shades and cheesy illustrations that dominate the women's fiction market and was determined not to go down that route.
I chose to work with The One Off design agency based in Derbyshire deliberately because they had no experience in this field and therefore no preconceptions. I needed someone who would understand that given I was publishing through Amazon, they were not designing a book cover, they were actually designing a small thumbnail icon competing in an extremely busy market place. The result was a cover that really stood out while still communicating clearly the type of book it was. I think one of the opportunities in self-publishing is that you can take more risks and break moulds which perhaps constrain some established publishers.
Can you talk us through how you are publishing?
I did a lot of research and originally decided to use Amazon as well as Smashwords to cover other distributors. I then chose to go exclusively with Amazon, in order to have more access to their marketing and promotional tools.
Their offer of greater visibility and exposure I hoped would lead to better rankings and make my book more accessible to readers. Given what happened I feel this was definitely the right decision for me. No-one Ever Has Sex on a Tuesday got to No 1 on the Amazon Kindle chart within nine weeks of launch and stayed there for more than three weeks.
Has it been an eye-opener making all these decision by yourself?
Yes. The whole process has. I spent three months doing research and preparing my book before I published and I'm glad I did. I now understand the ins and outs of how it works and I have to say I have a much greater appreciation of what a publisher actually does.
Making decisions on title, book cover, book description, pricing, timing and marketing can feel overwhelming, especially if you decided to become a writer because you love to write, not because you wanted to be an expert on launching a brand new product into an enormous market place.
You feel as though you are in an episode of The Apprentice at times, but watching my novel zoom to No 1 on the Amazon Kindle chart and stay there knowing a lot of it was down to the key decisions I made is massively satisfying. I won't be firing myself just yet!
What are the positives of self-publishing?
I feel I learned a huge amount about the industry that has given me skills and knowledge that can only help strengthen my future career. I'm not sure this would have happened had I been traditionally published. I also believe that self-publishing gives debut authors opportunities that are increasingly scarce within mainstream publishing. Without it my career in the UK may never have got off the ground. Having a route to get new work out there without relying on a small number of gatekeepers has to be a good thing for everyone, including the large publishers.
And the negatives
It is hugely time-consuming. If you are going to do it properly you cannot rush it, and implementing an effective marketing plan just drains time away from the actual writing. A substantial support industry is now forming around self-publishing which will help anyone considering this route – but this costs money as well as time, as you research who can provide you with the best service. I personally felt that I wanted to be in control and understand for myself how to make it happen. I am, however, looking forward to devoting my time to writing now that I have set a foundation for future success.
Would you do it again?
Yes, and I am. Given the success of No-one Ever Has Sex on a Tuesday I have just released my second novel Single Woman Seeks Revenge. Another positive aspect of self-publishing is that it is as quick as you want it to be. Right now, with my debut riding high at the top of the charts, my name is in the forefront of readers' minds, making it an ideal time to follow up with another book.
Give us a taster …
There are those who get to choose the father of their child and those who don't. Those who spend years sifting through the giant haystack that is the male population and those who get unexpectedly ambushed.
Katy never thought that she would be one of those who got ambushed. She certainly never thought that at 36 she would be pregnant, unmarried and with a boyfriend eight years younger than herself.
A boyfriend who was now sitting beside her dressed in his football kit, as they drove off for their first antenatal class. She felt sick. She put this down to pre-class nerves and the fact that Ben had come straight from school, where he was a PE teacher, smelling unpleasantly of gym shoes, teenage-boy sweat and mashed potato.
As she stared across at him she comforted herself with the knowledge that at least she could rely on him to offer up some well-thought-out words of wisdom to help calm her fears. "So this guy at work says that all you do in these classes is talk about tits and fannies for two hours. How good is that?" Katy continued to stare at Ben for a moment then sighed and put the car into gear.
What other self-published titles would you could recommend?
I would like to nominate Mel Sherratt, author of Taunting The Dead and The Estate Series. Mel is someone who I believe has blazed the trail for other authors considering self-publishing by setting a very high standard in terms of the quality of her writing and her commitment to finding and engaging with her audience.
Next week, Mel Sherratt
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