Inside the publishing industry

How do books get from the publisher's hot little hands onto the shelves of bookstores? No, I don't really know either but yesterday it became a little clearer. Traditional publishers are part of a logistical chain. From the sale of each book, every player in the chain takes their cut. However online sales, self-publishing and e-books have increasingly muddied the waters. Still, the typical chain - and the typical cut for each player - looks something like this: How do books get from the publisher's hot little hands onto [...]

2018-03-25T00:38:49+11:00November 10th, 2017|Work in Progress, Writing|17 Comments
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Help me with this paragraph?

To set the scene, I'm reading my manuscript out loud, to test for clarity and sense. The dog seems nonplussed but the cat is appreciative. I'm also beginning to realise how lazy my pronunciation usually is. Govvumen. Govvament. Government. Anyway. I'm reading the part where it is 1790, Elizabeth has just arrived in New South Wales, and is lonely and bored. It's the third paragraph (in the second half) where I'd like your opinion - what am I trying to imply? Is it clear enough? Elizabeth ‘filled up the [...]

2018-04-26T14:44:20+10:00October 13th, 2017|Colonial History, Work in Progress, Writing|22 Comments
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What do publicists do for authors anyway?

This week I met with my publicist, Alice Lewinsky. A few weeks earlier she'd sent me four pages of questions: about me, my career, my writing experience, and about the background to my book. She also wanted to know about the likely readership, my marketing and promotional ideas, and the names of people who might provide praise quotes about the book. Answering it all was fun, and a little bit daunting. So I asked Alice if we could meet, mainly so I could pick her brains about how it was [...]

2018-03-22T01:59:21+11:00September 29th, 2017|Work in Progress, Writing|6 Comments
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Drafting a Blurb – the craft of catching a reader

Once I started thinking about blurbs, it became clear how little I rely on them these days. I usually choose books to read because I've already read or heard about them - on blogs, in reviews, in articles, on podcasts. It's rare for me to pick up a random book, read the blurb on the back and buy it. Even at the library, whether or not a book takes my fancy seems to very much depend on my mood at exactly that point in time. But that said, when I [...]

2018-03-25T00:51:28+11:00September 23rd, 2017|Work in Progress, Writing|15 Comments
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My Writing Day

Her name is Winter. She's a Scottish Deerhound. Yes, she's very tall. Saves bending over to give her pats - she's already at just the right height. One day a week. That's all I have for my own writing. And when I say 'day' I don't mean a whole day, I mean a school day, between about 9:30 and 3:00pm. Also minus the school holidays. And minus time spent hanging out the washing, catching up on my day job, making cups of tea and procrastinating by playing Tetris. [...]

2018-03-23T01:36:22+11:00May 26th, 2017|Elizabeth Macarthur, Life, Work in Progress, Writing|16 Comments
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Done! For now at least…

With apologies to those who already know, via Facebook and Twitter - I sent the draft manuscript to my editor at Text Publishing late last week. Very happy. Subsequently spent a relaxing weekend in the garden, and celebrating Mother's Day with my gorgeous kids. No deadlines, no pressure - bliss. Next steps? The editor edits the manuscript, sends it back covered in comments and I go back to working on it. And in the meantime I keep following up and trying to source all the images I need. And yes, [...]

2018-03-24T01:15:23+11:00May 15th, 2017|Elizabeth Macarthur, Work in Progress, Writing|12 Comments
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How to finish a manuscript

Young Woman Writing a Letter (detail), from a poster for Encre Marquet by Eugene Grasset, 1892. Image courtesy Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Well, by not spending time writing blog posts, obviously. The manuscript must go to the publisher (for editing) in about week, so the last little while has been just a teensy bit frantic. I kind of finished working on the text a few weeks ago, and since then I have: drawn up a Macarthur family tree (thank you PowerPoint), included a list of [...]

2018-03-25T01:09:13+11:00May 8th, 2017|Elizabeth Macarthur, Work in Progress, Writing|14 Comments
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Elizabeth Macarthur died today

Elizabeth Macarthur in old age. Source: https://blogs.hht.net.au/cook/happy-birthday-elizabeth-macarthur/ Not actually today, obviously. Elizabeth Macarthur the woman died almost 167 years ago, on 9 February 1850. She was eighty-three years old. But today I wrote the paragraph in which Elizabeth dies, the final paragraph of the book really, and I felt strangely sad. It’s been my job to make her come to life on the page and I’ve been working to do so for more years than I care to admit. Yet there she was, having a stroke and quietly [...]

2018-03-24T01:53:57+11:00January 29th, 2017|Elizabeth Macarthur, Work in Progress|16 Comments
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Camden Park House

Camden Park House Source: Adventures in Biography Took my family to Sydney for the weekend, ostensibly for a quick sightseeing stopover but actually so that we could attend the annual open day at Camden Park House. We were lucky with the rain, and managed to explore the house and extensive gardens before it poured. * * * * * During the first week of June 1805 the signal was made at Sydney Harbour's South Head and Elizabeth’s prayers were answered. John Macarthur, having left NSW for England in [...]

2018-03-25T13:09:33+11:00September 26th, 2016|Colonial History, Work in Progress|7 Comments
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