WRITE A BOOK

[Moonraker]

I think Moonraker is saying don't pay someone who is essentially a 'vanity' publisher who will then produce a hard/soft back book by the traditional method but will do little or struggle to get it into the book shops. The worst vanity publishers will take your money for any old rubbish that you have scribbled and produce a book that simply won't sell.

Bernard

So perceptive, so eloquent. Bernard expresses my view far better than I could. Most bookshops won't/don't stock books from vanity publishers.

Moonraker

[pinevista]

I'm looking for a war historian to review my manuscript, "The Grate Promise". The book will be non-fiction based on my grandfather's war journal. Any suggestions?

[AdamHOLLOWAY]

Hi,

I'm new to the forum, but have been a keen follower of military history for over 20 years (since I was 13). I am in the process of (just started) writing a book about my family and their involvement in WWI. As an Aussie I am extremely proud of my country and it's achievements in the Great War. I learned that my Great-Grandfather of the 9th Bn. AIF, was wounded at Pozieres in July 1916, spent time in Flers, and was at Hill 60 outside Ypres, before being badly wounded the other side of 'The Maze' in February 1917 near the Butte de Warlencourt. Up until 2 years ago, that was all I knew. Then my Dad started doing our family tree and came across a few other fellas that also went to the Great War. All told there are 12 of them (8 share my surname, and 4 are their maternal cousins with different surnames). There are 5 sets of brothers in that lot (3, 2, 2, 2, 2) and one left over. 3 were killed (2 of which were brothers - a sad loss for their mother), 5 wounded (of which 2 were wounded 3 times), and 2 were decorated for bravery (MM & Bar and MID). They all joined at different times, and were in different units for the most part, but their paths crossed several times. I have researched each of them and their movements individually using unit war diaries, unit histories, and trench maps. I started researching them in this detail because in September, I am going to France to literally walk in their footsteps, and place a wreath at the Menin Gate during the Last Post.

It was recently that I realised, I have to write their story. A post in this thread said that for it to have appeal there has to be a unique theme. I think that 12 boys from one family dispersed among the Bns. fighting in France, 12000 miles from home would make a good story. I want to write something for my family, but would be thrilled to see my family honoured for such a huge commitment and sacrifice in time for our 100th Anniversary of Gallipoli. Unfortunately, letters, diaries and photos are lacking at this stage, but I am making inquiries with family.

What do you think of my idea? Any tips on how to progress or approach this story? This will be my first attempt at a book, which is something I have always wanted to do.

Any help or comments would be appreciated.

Cheers,

Adam

[seaJane]

Adam,

It sounds good to me! I'd start by suggesting that you look at similar books to see what you like about how they have done it - or what you don't, as the case may be. Not that I'm suggesting you copy them, but it will give you some idea of what works, and of what publishers go for if you are looking for mainstream publishing.

Let me mull it over and I should be able to have a few more ideas.

sJ

PS Maybe there's a local writing group you could join - public library should have details.

[AdamHOLLOWAY]

Thanks SJ, appreciate the advice, I have recently read a few personal accounts and found them quite well written engaging.

Cheers,

Adam

[AdamHOLLOWAY]

No one else?

[WhiteStarLine]

Hi Adam, welcome to the forum. I did the same as you and wrote an (unpublished) account which quickly grew to 100,000 words. I was lucky enough to have diaries, photographs and other artefacts to guide me. Like you I am walking the battlefields in September, where my theme will be "then and now" with 35 photographs of France and 10 of England where I believe I can line up exactly the same camera angle.

You may have done this already, but have you quizzed every living relative and have you followed the family day to day in Trove?

When you have 5 posts, PM (private message me) and we can compare notes.

Cheers, Bill

[seaJane]

Hi Adam, I'm waiting for a friend to let me know her e-mail address - then I'll put you in touch.

[Waddell]

What do you think of my idea? Any tips on how to progress or approach this story? This will be my first attempt at a book, which is something I have always wanted to do.

Any help or comments would be appreciated.

Welcome Adam,

As there are plenty of respected authors on the forum I was a bit hesitant to reply, however as I have been working on a similar project concerning largely AIF soldiers for several years I thought I might as well throw a few thoughts into the ring.

Firstly if there are letters or postcards within the family or possibly even souvenirs then they will be of great benefit in tying the stories of the twelve men together. On the flip side they could also complicate your stories considerably more. I am working through a large collection of family letters in which around 170 people are named, of which there are 120 I can identify. To add context to the collection of letters I have been identifying and researching their individual stories, which adds considerably to the amount of time the book absorbs. For myself this means that I can’t foresee that book being finished for the centenary. Not that it concerns me, as like you it is an important record for the family, however you need to be aware of the amount of time these projects can absorb.

If you cannot find letters I would not be overly concerned. I have also been working on a War Memorial book that I find easier to work on as I can simply write a story about each individual. You may find that this approach could work for your book where you write a separate story for each family member. Just a thought!

With individual stories you may find local papers or local history groups interested and may print them for you. This can raise some interest in your project. It is also rewarding and motivating to see your own work published.

Bill’s advice about searching Trove is very sound. Extracts of letters were often published in local papers during the war, as was news of local men enlisting and serving at the front. Read voraciously and gather all the information you can.

It is also worth identifying where the twelve boys went to school, where they were employed and the communities where they lived. School magazines, trade journals and local history societies often may provide snippets of the men’s lives that add to their story.

Listen to the family stories but don’t take them as gospel. Often the documents tell a different story than is being passed down. Also be aware that sometimes the facts can also be a little sensitive.

Is writing a book a good idea? Only you can answer that. In my own case I have found it rewarding but also terribly sad at times. The greatest thing I have gained is an insight into Australian society at the time that differs greatly from what we are today.

I can't offer any advice as yet on how to go about publishing, but as you will have read there is a lot of good advice on this particular thread and several others if you search around.

Most importantly- enjoy your research!

From a writer in learning.

Scott

[johnreed]

I have compiled "A Gazetteer of the Western Front" which lists Farms, Hamlets, Villages, Towns, Cities and prominent Features on Trench Maps 1914 to 1918. It runs to 241 pages with 60 lines per page.

John

[John_Hartley]

Any tips on how to progress or approach this story?

Decide who you think might want to read the book and make sure you write it for them as well as writing it for yourself (although don't discount the writing for self bit - it's important).

[Moonraker]

Or to put it another way, research and write a book (that may or may not get published) for your own pleasure, but bear in mind that it may (hopefully, will) be read by others who may not be familiar as you with your subject. As I've said so many times, get someone to read what you've written before you start submitting to publishers.

Moonraker

[WhiteStarLine]

I have compiled "A Gazetteer of the Western Front" which lists Farms, Hamlets, Villages, Towns, Cities and prominent Features on Trench Maps 1914 to 1918. It runs to 241 pages with 60 lines per page. John

John, just tried to PM you but your message box must be full. Do you have trench map references with each feature? (Eg 62dJ19b30.30) Cheers, Bill

[AdamHOLLOWAY]

Wow, thanks so much for the welcome and all the great advice. I am very excited/daunted at the prospect of researching and writing about these boys, but your collective input has given me further insight into how to tackle this project a little better. I will take you up on your respective offers for further guidance and input. As you say, its important to do this right and research properly, not only for family history but a possible wider audience.

Bill & Wadell, thanks for jumping in, I may need to contact you when I get going, your project sounds quite involved,

Many thanks to all again for taking the time.

Cheers,

Ad

[pinevista]

I agree with moonraker that you must select friends or relatives that are well read and trusted to give you an honest critique of your work. Like you I'm a first time writer and decided to self-publish rather than try to find a publisher. When I finished my manuscript I gave it to a variety of friends with various backgrounds so that I would receive a good cross-section of opinions. Moonracker is also correct in his suggestion that you write because you believe in your story and hope that you might sell a few books. I pray that when my book, "The Great Promise" is released in August that it catches on. However, I wrote it to tell my grandfather's story and to keep a promise he was unable to fulfill, and I accomplished that goal. So if you truly believe in your story and want to tell it to others VIA a book, then do it!

[AdamHOLLOWAY]

Hi RFA,

Thanks for your input, I totally agree. I believe these boys deserve to be honoured in this way. All the best with your book mate. What's it about?

Cheers

Adam

[pinevista]

My grandfather served in the RFA and was involved in most of the early battles of the war from Mons to the second battle of Ypres.

My book is about a promise that he made with three of his chums before the Battle of Mons. They agreed that if any of them survived the war, that he or they would look-up the families of those that didn't and tell them when and where their loved one died. My grandfather was the only survivor and he failed to keep his promise. Using this story line I was able to include all of the journal's detailed and compelling entries, which included the details of two of the three chums. With this information in hand, I decided to try to complete the promise made almost 100 years ago.

Three years were spent on trying to find information about each of the chums in an attempt to locate a living relative. To find out the outcome you'll have to wait until August for the book, "The Great Promise" is released on Amazon.

Thank you for your interest and I wish you the best in your efforts in telling your story.

[Moonraker]

I was quite chuffed when, shortly after their publication, I Googled the titles of both my books and found that Internet booksellers all over the world were offering it, often at cut prices. I didn't think that they actually had any in stock, but guessed that if they got an order would arrange for a copy to be sent direct from the wholesalers. Now two or three months later, many of the same booksellers are saying one or both titles are "out of stock" or "unavailable". This confirms my suspicions that they automatically list new titles in the hope of a few immediate sales, then lose interest.

It's still reasonably easily to buy the Wiltshire title on-line, but nearly all the Google hits for the Canadian one lead to sites that list it but now can't supply it. The exception is an eBay vendor in Dorset who claims to have five copies. The most disturbing aspect is that Amazon both in the UK and Canada say it's out of stock or unavailable, which has disappointed a few members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Study Group Forum. The book is available direct from the publishers, though this is not apparent to people searching the Web. Luckily I got 20 free copies from the publisher so have offered these at a substantial discount off cover price to CEFSGF members. But surface postage is £9.41 and airmail costs £16.52, which hardly encourages sales.

And then there's the matter of the mandatory customs declaration that has to be fixed to the parcel. Consulting the Canadian Post Office website gives me a headache, and my post office merely applied form CN22.

The point of all this is to advise anyone perhaps writing about their Australian granddad's experiences in England or the Canadians' activities in parts of Britain other than Salisbury Plain with a view to sales in more than one country.

Moonraker

[AdamHOLLOWAY]

Many thanks for the heads up Moonraker.

If, and when this book is published, I would be hoping for a few sales here in Oz

[toto123]

Hi

I am in the process of completing a novel written in dairy format of an Indain soldier who fought in Flanders and France from October 1914 to November 1915. I am hoping to have the manuscript completed by the end of this year so it is ready for the 100th annivesary in 2014. I have never published before and a few agents I have approached show no interest in work. The novel also takes a detour to the Brigthon Pavillion Hospital from June to September 1915 where the injured character ends up working as a translator and has a brief love-affair with a QAIMNS sister before being sent back to the Front. There is a Big Push on (Battle of LOOS) and all soldiers are needed to win the war! One of the themes of my novel is to give a voice to the thousands of Indian soliders (my ancestors) who fought and died for the Empire on the Western Front.

That is a synopsis of my work. Is there anyone out there who can help me to get published or give me pointers as to who would be interested in looking at my work. I think there is the potential for a lot of itnerest today and in 2014 by all British people to the contribution made by Indians and others to the Great War effort.

Thank You

Interesting. I was taken aback when i saw how Indian regiments were deployed in the horrors of trench warfare. I would go down self publishing and ebook route perhaps in the first instance. I am going to publish a book on my family in WW1-some left letters/memoirs etc. I do my own artwork and deploy printers-i have published books for clients. My aim is to simply produce a well printed/designed book of high quality. I produce small runs. A publisher probably doesn't pay much and i prefer to produce a high quality book-they will cut corners because they seek to make a profit. For me its important my book does justice to those that are remembered.

[toto123]

Anyone wishing to decide whether their book idea and ability to attract a publisher could benefit from listening to this podcast which is succinct and to the point-just click on the play option at the bottom of the page:

http://www.getpublished.tv/how-do-publishers-decide-whether-to-take-you-on-or-not/

[Moonraker]

Just had details of the sales of my Wiltshire book that was published last May. A bit disappointing, considering that in three years my self-published first edition of 1999 sold almost three times the first ten months' sales of the second edition produced by a reputable small publisher. Come to think of it, these results are roughly the same, but in 1999 I did all the marketing myself when l launched the book, and then just made a few phone calls to bookshops to see if they needed fresh copies. The Web was in its infancy then (or, put it another way, my knowledge of it was non-existent) so marketing wall all phone calls and mailshots.

There are several factors: in 1999 Wiltshire libraries took 20 copies, as did a national military bookseller. Since then, three independent local bookshops - one exclusively dealing in military books - have disappeared. And if they've got the first edition people are unlikely to want to buy the second (though it has been much re-written, with nearly all different illustrations). In these cash-strapped times Wiltshire libraries took just six. But I liked to think that publicity on the Web - it's mentioned on quite a few websites, including Amazon and eBay - and an article in the county magazine would have prompted a few more sales.

Or perhaps my marketing efforts back in 1999 weren't too bad?

Still, I hope for a steady trickle of sales over the next couple of years, as the centenary stimulates interest in the war.

Moonraker

[alougheed]

From my own experience, if you want to go with the print on demand route, try to find a publisher with print facilities in North America and Europe. If you want to sell in book stores it helps to avoid overseas shipping and import taxes/tarrifs, which takes too much out of the store's margins.

Availability of your book on amazon is not as good as it sounds. There are thousands of titles available and nobody I know sifts through all of those. The buyer needs to know that your book exists and where to find it. I've found the majority of sales are still made in person at forums and book signings.

On the other hand, print on demand does eliminate the need to buy several hundred at once, which you may or may not sell.

[dycer]

"There is a book to be written by all of us",I was once told.

Therefore, serious WW1 "Books" still have their place,on the shelves,of independent or studious Bookshops assuming there are any left

But who buys "serious" Books,in UK ,nowadays?

They buy their books ,from Supermarkets,,e.g,.I've got a Cussler,on the go,plus an" ex-SAS' new one.

The Cussler ,is set pre-WW1, on a British Liner,and.I'm finding it hard going..

The "SAS" novel,is set in modern Afghanistan and its subsequent reading I find uncomfortable plus its "truth" to modern reality.

Do I wish to know the 15th "Blankshire's"did this and that during WW1?,No!,although,I will defend the author.

By all means set out your WW1 tomes,in print,but please "look" at your potential ,Supermarket "Housewife" sales.

George

[alougheed]

Hi George! Nah, I don't think you need to look at sales potential unless a mass market really is your objective. That said, a niche topic is only going to sell to a niche market and you need to be realistic about that and in that respect, your point is well taken! If you just want to get your unique research in print there are some inexpensive ways to do it now and you may recover some of your research costs. I'm not making that sound appealing am I lol!