For Booksellers / Retailers
Q. Where can I order your physical books?
A. If you are in the U.S., please check the KDP distribution channel for all of my books in the first instance. If you are in the UK, distribution is mixed: check the KDP distribution channel first and if you don't find it there, you'll be able to order from Bitten Fruit Books through Pubeasy or directly. If you are in Europe or the rest of the world, you can still order through the KDP channels above. In all cases, please contact Bitten Fruit Books if you encounter problems finding my books.
A. If you are in the U.S., please check the KDP distribution channel for all of my books in the first instance. If you are in the UK, distribution is mixed: check the KDP distribution channel first and if you don't find it there, you'll be able to order from Bitten Fruit Books through Pubeasy or directly. If you are in Europe or the rest of the world, you can still order through the KDP channels above. In all cases, please contact Bitten Fruit Books if you encounter problems finding my books.
For Readers / Fans
Q. Where is the best place to keep up to date with your books.
A. My newsletter is the absolute best place - you will be emailed about all pre-orders and new releases, and any book events if I am doing them. If you are a Kindle reader, follow my page on Amazon to be pinged about my new releases. Lastly, I am on Facebook more than any other social media platform.
Q. Can I be a reviewer for your books?
A. I keep a list of those interested in being Advanced Review Readers. Email me directly to express your interest. I can't promise I'll contact you, but if I need more reviewers, this list is where I go. You must be able to leave your review on either Amazon or Apple Books, and ideally, Google Play as well. Please note there is NO compensation for reviewing my books and you will be given a free eBook version (not a paperback) which is not the final version.
Q. Do you sell signed books?
A. Since I've taken a break from book signings, I have decided to sell signed books through Bitten Fruit Books. Please note that I may withdraw these from sale at any time, or the prices may go up at any time.
Q. Where is the best place to buy your paperbacks?
A. Amazon stores for all in-print titles, and Barnes & Noble for most titles. All of my in-print titles can also be ordered into Waterstones and Foyles; and most into Blackwells. You can also order some titles into your local library - all of my titles should be available to the U.K. library system by the end of 2024.
A. My newsletter is the absolute best place - you will be emailed about all pre-orders and new releases, and any book events if I am doing them. If you are a Kindle reader, follow my page on Amazon to be pinged about my new releases. Lastly, I am on Facebook more than any other social media platform.
Q. Can I be a reviewer for your books?
A. I keep a list of those interested in being Advanced Review Readers. Email me directly to express your interest. I can't promise I'll contact you, but if I need more reviewers, this list is where I go. You must be able to leave your review on either Amazon or Apple Books, and ideally, Google Play as well. Please note there is NO compensation for reviewing my books and you will be given a free eBook version (not a paperback) which is not the final version.
Q. Do you sell signed books?
A. Since I've taken a break from book signings, I have decided to sell signed books through Bitten Fruit Books. Please note that I may withdraw these from sale at any time, or the prices may go up at any time.
Q. Where is the best place to buy your paperbacks?
A. Amazon stores for all in-print titles, and Barnes & Noble for most titles. All of my in-print titles can also be ordered into Waterstones and Foyles; and most into Blackwells. You can also order some titles into your local library - all of my titles should be available to the U.K. library system by the end of 2024.
For Authors
Q. Will you review my book?
A. Time-wise, I've had to stop taking requests for review. It was something I used to do from 2010 until 2013, but I can, sadly, no longer commit to it. Sorry. I suggest researching book blogging sites for you to send your book to for possible review. I wish you the best of luck with your writing :)
Q. Will you give me feedback on the story I'm writing?
A. Again, time-wise, I can't. And it's also best that I don't from a legal perspective. Any emails sent to me with your work to comment on will be automatically deleted. Sorry. I suggest researching local and online critique groups for this. It can take time to find the right one, but once you do, you'll find people you click with, and can then form alliances with beta-readers and critique partners. I wish you the best of luck with your writing :)
Q. Do you have an editor?
A. Yes, I use The Picky Bitch (Amanda Pederick) - she's fantastic! I also go through my own work with my editor hat on before it goes to her, and my Beta readers (a handful of trusted people) check it out too, before Amanda gets her hands on it. I do not recommend that an author puts work out there without having at least three other sets of grammatically competent eyes looking through the manuscript for 1) story flow and continuity, 2) whether the story actually makes sense both as a whole and in parts, 3) grammatical errors and typos. I have made this mistake before when I was starting out. You will not be able to see all your own errors, and it's not because you're stupid - you could be the most intelligent person in the world - it's because your mind already knows the story inside out and backwards. You know exactly which words each line should contain, therefore, your brain will automatically substitute your mistakes with corrections before you've even noticed them - brains are awesome like that! But it does mean self-editing doesn't work, or is at the very least so damn hard you'll want to rip that awesome brain right out of your skull. Also check out Hot Tree Editing and Lynn Worton. I have worked with all of them in some capacity or another, and can highly recommend them!
Q. I'm scared a [freelance] editor will change my voice - how do I make sure this doesn't happen?
A. A good editor should never change your voice, but they should help you make your natural voice sound better. Always look at the type of fiction they have already edited to see what kinds of genres and writing styles they work best with. If it matches yours, then contact them to see if they will take a reading sample of your book first (which they should do) to determine whether they can work with it. They need to understand your writing style, your personal voice and "get" what you are trying to put across in your book. If they do, and they're amiable, then you may have just discovered an invaluable relationship. Do also purchase a couple of books they have edited to check the results - it'll give you an idea of their proficiency. I don't mean this to sound harsh, but at the end of the day, you could be paying anything from £300 to £1000 (depending on the kind of edits you're after) for a novel to be edited. That's a lot of money to hand over without doing your research first, so don't be afraid to ask them questions.
Q. Is it okay for a publisher or agent to ask me for money upfront to publish my book?
A. NO! No, no, no. Let's try to break this down into types of publishers out there: (please note this answer was written in 2014)
Q. Do you think it's better to be self-published, or commercially published?
A. I have never been commercially published (although I was published with Noble Romance Publishing under a pseudonym for a couple of years before they closed down) so I don't know if my answer is valid. My answer at the moment is this: they are two completely different beasts, and I don't believe that one way is better than another. There are pros and cons to both. You have to go your own way, and trust that you make the right decision for you. Always stay flexible and open to opportunities. And never, ever give up.
A. Time-wise, I've had to stop taking requests for review. It was something I used to do from 2010 until 2013, but I can, sadly, no longer commit to it. Sorry. I suggest researching book blogging sites for you to send your book to for possible review. I wish you the best of luck with your writing :)
Q. Will you give me feedback on the story I'm writing?
A. Again, time-wise, I can't. And it's also best that I don't from a legal perspective. Any emails sent to me with your work to comment on will be automatically deleted. Sorry. I suggest researching local and online critique groups for this. It can take time to find the right one, but once you do, you'll find people you click with, and can then form alliances with beta-readers and critique partners. I wish you the best of luck with your writing :)
Q. Do you have an editor?
A. Yes, I use The Picky Bitch (Amanda Pederick) - she's fantastic! I also go through my own work with my editor hat on before it goes to her, and my Beta readers (a handful of trusted people) check it out too, before Amanda gets her hands on it. I do not recommend that an author puts work out there without having at least three other sets of grammatically competent eyes looking through the manuscript for 1) story flow and continuity, 2) whether the story actually makes sense both as a whole and in parts, 3) grammatical errors and typos. I have made this mistake before when I was starting out. You will not be able to see all your own errors, and it's not because you're stupid - you could be the most intelligent person in the world - it's because your mind already knows the story inside out and backwards. You know exactly which words each line should contain, therefore, your brain will automatically substitute your mistakes with corrections before you've even noticed them - brains are awesome like that! But it does mean self-editing doesn't work, or is at the very least so damn hard you'll want to rip that awesome brain right out of your skull. Also check out Hot Tree Editing and Lynn Worton. I have worked with all of them in some capacity or another, and can highly recommend them!
Q. I'm scared a [freelance] editor will change my voice - how do I make sure this doesn't happen?
A. A good editor should never change your voice, but they should help you make your natural voice sound better. Always look at the type of fiction they have already edited to see what kinds of genres and writing styles they work best with. If it matches yours, then contact them to see if they will take a reading sample of your book first (which they should do) to determine whether they can work with it. They need to understand your writing style, your personal voice and "get" what you are trying to put across in your book. If they do, and they're amiable, then you may have just discovered an invaluable relationship. Do also purchase a couple of books they have edited to check the results - it'll give you an idea of their proficiency. I don't mean this to sound harsh, but at the end of the day, you could be paying anything from £300 to £1000 (depending on the kind of edits you're after) for a novel to be edited. That's a lot of money to hand over without doing your research first, so don't be afraid to ask them questions.
Q. Is it okay for a publisher or agent to ask me for money upfront to publish my book?
A. NO! No, no, no. Let's try to break this down into types of publishers out there: (please note this answer was written in 2014)
- Vanity publisher - these are the ones that tell you how wonderful your manuscript is and then will say they can publish it and give it the whole works, including promotion for a sum of ... let's call it $5000, although it could be anything. Your book will not get promoted in any way that you cannot do yourself and better, and you will likely never see that money in royalties.
- Self-publishing service - In recent years, I have found that vanity publishers are disappearing, and self-publishing services are stepping in to the space they leave. These are publishers that essentially self-publish your book for you. If you choose to use one of their services (from creating book covers, to editing, to formatting, etc) they'll charge a fee for it. They'll often also give you an option to do it all yourself (so, there's no fee), but will keep 70% of eBook royalties (for example), which is a lot. If you self-published, you would be the one keeping 70%. They will not distribute or promote your book in any way different to how you can do it yourself. They are essentially offering to self-publish your book for you and keep a higher cut of the royalties for doing so. If that suits you, then great, but you may as well go the whole hog with the self-publishing, do it yourself and keep most of the royalties - you'll learn a hell of a lot more about the industry too.
- Small press publisher - most small press publishers deal with eBooks and not paperbacks, although many of them are now publishing paperbacks with the ease of POD (print-on-demand) publishing. Many small presses are awesome and can provide you with a way to meet other authors, gain new readers, and get your foot in the door, but many small presses also do not last very long as it's a hard business to break into (for a profit) unless you're 100% devoted to it and are prepared to put your own finances into it to start with. I know this because I started off with the intention of being a small press publisher, never believing I would be able to make any money from writing. Maybe I could have gone that way, but I did end up making money from writing and gaining fans, and something had to give - it was publishing the works of others. Small presses should never charge you money to publish your book, although you will most likely have to fork out for your own promotional materials (swag) and some author copies of your book (usually at a discount). Nowadays, you would have to do this anyway if you signed on with a commercial publisher.
- Commercial publisher - Also known as one of the Big Six (or Big Five) - Penguin, Random House, Simon & Schuster, etc. You pretty much need an agent to have any hope of getting your foot in the doorway here. Neither the agent nor the publisher should ever charge you for getting you a contract. The agent takes a cut of your earnings (around 15% or 20%) from the publisher. The publisher will likely pay you an advance upfront (although some don't do this any more), from which your royalties are initially deducted until your advance is paid off, and then you just get the ongoing royalties for that book.
- Self-publisher - you do it all yourself via platforms like Smashwords, Kindle Direct Publishing, Lulu, etc. The cost can range from free, to a small fee of $50 or so for distribution (of paperbacks). You'll have to pay for promo and so on, as you would do anyway. You'll have to pay for proof copies of your paperback books, but if you only publish eBooks, then self-publishing is pretty much free - completely free. Apart from your sweat and blood of course, but no good story was ever complete without those. If you are a brand new author, forget paperbacks for the moment, and look to self-publish your story in eBook format via Smashwords and / or Kindle. There is no outlay (or very little outlay) and you will keep most of your royalties. You need to make money and build an audience. That needs to be your focus. Give it a year - get at least three digital books out in that year if you can, and take it from there.
Q. Do you think it's better to be self-published, or commercially published?
A. I have never been commercially published (although I was published with Noble Romance Publishing under a pseudonym for a couple of years before they closed down) so I don't know if my answer is valid. My answer at the moment is this: they are two completely different beasts, and I don't believe that one way is better than another. There are pros and cons to both. You have to go your own way, and trust that you make the right decision for you. Always stay flexible and open to opportunities. And never, ever give up.