When you ‘Keep on Keeping on’

Ah lads. Can hardly believe it. I’m to be published!

And yes, what they all said. It’s true. Don’t give up. If you want to get published, you have to put in the time and effort. And lordy there is a lot of time and effort needed. But it can, and does, pay off.

I just need to say it again. I am going to be published! Whoop whoop – and Phew!

There it is.

Independent Publishers, Sweeney & O’Donovan will publish this Spring ’22, my non-fiction book, ‘Overload: A Brother, a Wake, and a Secret’

Getting this far was a long road. Two years of writing/editing the book (2017/18) and another three years of self-doubt and researching publishers and agents. Throw in some more self doubt, submissions and query letters and then the rejections started coming in (I think I counted 50 before I stopped counting) So I am truly delighted to announce that the memoir I wrote after my brother died (mentioned in a previous blog here), has been taken up and is to be published – by an actual publisher!

Lydia Little, author – Mary O’Donovan and Maurice Sweeney of SWOD Publishers

I say actual publisher, ‘cos technically I have been published before, self-publlished that is, for my teen series K-Girls but this is different. This is publishing in the traditional sense.

I am so excited that someone has liked Overload (and my writing) enough to invest and take it on commercially. ‘Cos after all, that is what getting published in the traditional sense IS (and we forget that sometimes). Someone is willing to take a financial gamble on my words written down on paper, in the hope that the world at large (or at least a lump of readers in it) will pay to read those same words.

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You might ask what tips to getting published – there are thousands of websites that go into all that. But the key I think is to keep reminding yourself to:

approach getting published like you are applying for a job (cos that is what it is – you are applying for the job as author for an agency and you are going to be working together and it is important you like them as much as they like you)

research your agent/publisher by making sure you are a match for genre

check their submissions guidelines and adjust your query letter/synopsis accordingly

keep a track of who you are contacting (I used Query Tracker and found it great)

submit submit submit – remember rejections are part of the process – and it is ok to feel not ok, but you still gotta keep on keeping on.

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Some folk ask why did I choose to go down this tradional route as opposed to self-publishing like I did before? It is a question I often asked myself (especially when the rejection emails kept coming in) and I debated should I just self-publish and get it ‘out there’. However, there was that part of me that also wanted to prove to the world/myself that Overload is worthy of being published (where someone thinks the writing deserving of investment) and for my story to get out there more than I could ever do (publishers have a lot more clout when it comes to distributing books to bookshops/stores)

And get this! As a result of Overload being published, and because I have also self-publlished my teen fiction, this also means that very soon I will be a hybrid author that is with one foot in the indie world and the other in the traditional publshed world. How cool is that!

I know I will still have a lot of work to do (edits/pr/marketing etc) but I have to say I am relieved and chuffed that I have the backing and support of someone along side me.

As for my teen fiction, I am still working on book 3 in my K-Girl series. Albeit Overload will probably take a priority as we get ready for launching later in the Spring ’22.

Cheers to that!

A Fresh New Look for K-Girls

Sincere apologies!  It has taken me much longer than expected.  I am delighted to report that book two, in my ‘Kylemore Abbey School’ series, is finally launched.

I find it hard to believe that book one, ‘K-Girls‘, was launched in 2013 and in today’s impulsive and impatient society, it has been a long wait for book two, ‘K-Girls Plus One‘.  Thank you all for your patience.

You might find it as interesting as I did, to see what famous authors took years or more to follow up with their sequels.  Not that I am not claiming to be famous by any means, but it is reassuring to know that I am not the worst when it comes to following up with the next book in a series!

To be honest, the loss of my brother did throw me for six, and I took two years to really recover from that (having written a memoir in between).  So I am only thrilled to hoot my own horn and announce that K-Girls Plus One is now available on Amazon.

You can download ‘K-Girls Plus One’ here.  For those that have yet to read book one, ‘K-Girls’, you can find it here

What I am most excited about are my new covers.

While I love, and appreciate, the work that Jonathon Parsons did on my original K-Girls  cover when launched back in 2013 (possibly now a collectors item??) , feedback from readers made me re-think the cover and it was decided that, I should take a different approach.

KGirls book cover

scintillating good read

 

As a result, I did my research and discovered  Irish illustrator, Fergal O’Connor

I asked Fergal to come up with a new cover for both, ‘K-Girls’, and ‘K-Girls Plus One’ so that they would be similarly themed and reflect the different plots.  Fair play to the young man as he took on reading both to get the ‘jist’ of the story line and then it was easy sailing for him to come up with these gems!  I have to say he went above and beyond though when it came to uploading covers for Amazon KDP/Create Space for self publishing as an e-book and paperback.  Both versions take a different format and tool and Fergal was super in taking that on too.

Thank you Fergal!

So at last, both books are available as ebooks AND as paperback with their fab new covers. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

It is worth saying here that I don’t plan to do a big media push on this as I have discovered that there are often snags that need to be sorted re Amazon and the product detail pages/promotions etc.  I am choosing instead to have a ‘soft’ launch and share the news with my existing fans and followers.  Next job then is to get my head around, and set up, some promotions on Amazon.  I think it is only fair that there is something in it for the readers that have been so patient to date!

By the way, some followers have asked me why the title ‘K-Girls Plus One’?

Let’s just say it all becomes clear on reading it!

Enjoy and of course, please please leave a book review.  They are gold when it comes to getting the book out there on Amazon. Thank you in advance!