My 2013 – the best of times, the worst of times.
- At December 31, 2013
- By Niel
- In Animation, Blog, Events/News, General, Opinion, Writing
2
2013 was my first year as a proper published author, and what a strange, exciting, terrifying, anxious, fun year it’s been! I think Charles Dickens was onto something with his opening line from A Tale of Two Cities: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness.
January
Sorrowline is published! The year is off to a great start! Being published is a great feeling but also strangely anti-climatic. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to for so long that when it finally arrives it seems like just another day. The focus now seems to be on the NEXT book.
February
I have a proper grown-up launch party, thanks to Andersen Press and New Writing North, in Waterstones Newcastle. The doubts floating over me last month evaporate in the excitement of the night. But I’m beginning to realise that the work is never really done. Publication is just the start.
March
I do the first of many school visits! I ease myself in gently by doing local schools but it’s not long before I’m travelling further afield. I begin to enjoy doing them, although I’m learning with every event!
April
More reviews appear online and thankfully I’m not mauled. In fact Sorrowline is very well received. I’m still glowing from this reader’s review on The Guardian website! ‘This book is a terrific, scary time-travel thriller’
May
Editing continues on my second book, Timesmith. I’ve chopped it down to a good fighting weight. It goes back to my publishers for the last round of notes and feedback.
I am taken to the planet Zeist to have parts of my brain reprogrammed. My left foot is accidentally replaced with an umbrella stand. We all laugh about it afterwards.
Timesmith is finished and signed off! It’s heading off to the printers soon and it’s time I started thinking about my next book! I told you it never ends! And this is where the worries for book two being. Will people like it? Will they buy it? I’ll know by March next year.
Finally my work on the animation for the Doctor Who DVD of The Ice Warriors is released. It’s a bitter-sweet time as it also marks the end of my working in animation full time and a new adventure in writing. I’ve been running my own animation studio for 11 years and it’s time to move on. There’s a mix of emotions – everything from relief to anger to anticipation for the next chapter in my life. Change is often painful but necessary. But I can’t really call myself a full-time writer just yet as I’m continuing to do mentoring and consultancy work in animation but I’m getting closer to that dream.
I attend my very first book fair, in Gothenburg, Sweden. I was sent by New Writing North as a sort of ambassador for North-East Writers. Luckily I avoid any major international incidents.
The German & Thai versions of Sorrowline are published. I’m officially an international author translated into two languages. Who would have guessed? Strange that I still don’t feel like I can call myself an author.
I get my hands on a copy of my second novel, Timesmith! It’s not due out until March 2014 but it’s satisfying to be able to place it next to Sorrowline on my bookshelf. Of course there is still one more book to be written before this trilogy is complete…
December
Timesmith wins Mr Ripley’s Book Cover Wars! I receive my first proper fan letter! I’m starting to let myself look forward to next year. I’m letting go of the stress that’s dogged me over the last few months and I feel like I’m ending the year in a better place than I started. That’s something worth celebrating.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the last year, you’ve really made a huge difference! I hope you’ll stay with me during 2014! Have a brilliant New Year! x
Thailand publication
- At December 23, 2013
- By Niel
- In Events/News, Video, Writing
0
Hot on the heals of the German edition of Sorrowline comes the Thailand publication by Class Act Publishing!
Judging a book by its cover
- At December 03, 2013
- By Niel
- In Awards, Events/News
1
We all do it! We’re not supposed to but we DO judge books by their covers. If we didn’t then why would publishers spend money commissioning artists and designers to create works of art to represent the book’s contents? It’s the closest books come to having film-style trailers. They’re there to intrigue you, to make you pick up the book and (hopefully) buy it.
I’m a big fan of classic movie posters of the 70s and 80s, especially the work of Drew Struzan. I love the way his work encapsulates the essence of a movie, its main characters and themes, into one bold image. Stephen Lavis‘ beautiful cover paintings manage the same trick, making you want to read the book immediately. I wanted to capture something similar with the covers for my books and luckily designer James Fraser did exactly that!
You might have heard me mention about Timesmith being in competition in Mr Ripley’s Book Cover Wars this week. Well, I’m delighted to say that it won! Given the excellent competition it was up against it makes it a particularly thrilling victory! The voting went right up to the 12 midnight deadline (far too late for this sleep-loving monkey) and there were only 2 votes in it! It could so easily have gone to the excellent Terminal by Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams. Praise must go to all the finalists and their books:

Alexander Gordon Smith – The Fury – Published by Farrar Straus Giroux – 23, July 2013 – Cover by Christian Fuenfhausen. Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams – Terminal – Published by Chicken House – 2, May 2013 – Cover by David Wyatt. Thomas Taylor – Dan and the Caverns of Bone – Published by A&C Black Children’s – 6th June 2013 – Cover by Thomas Taylor. Ian Johnstone – The Bell Between the Worlds ( The Mirror Chronicles) – Published by HarperCollins – 6 June 2013 – Designed by Blacksheep UK.
Thanks to Mr Ripley and all the other competing covers. The end result for all of us is that we’ve been exposed to covers – and writers – that we might not have seen before, so even a beauty contest like this can be a good thing for the words hidden under the covers.