Nicola May self-published her first novel Working It Out back in March this year and it came to my attention when I saw that Scott Pack (who works at HarperCollins) said that this novel should be published by a ‘proper’ publisher. So when Nicola contacted us asking if we would like to review it, I jumped at the chance. We’ll be reviewing Working It Out during June and it’s a very enjoyable novel. Today, Nicola tells us how she became a self-published author!
It has taken a lot of blood, sweat and Sauvignon Blanc to get where I am today, and I won’t lie in saying that getting a chick lit book published is easy, because it’s not. You have to be dedicated and allocate time whenever you can. Most importantly, your story has to be compelling.
I actually didn’t start writing until my thirties. I was working in PR at the time, loved a drink and smoked 20 a day and was dared to run a half marathon. I thought it would be quite funny to create a comedy diary of events throughout my tough training. Amazingly, I completed the marathon, but didn’t finish the diary. It did, however, give me the writing bug.
After my stint in PR, I did a lot of contract work in Event Management. Between major contracts I did do the odd temp job. It was when I was in a Portakabin in the middle of a field, with a mad Greek developer who swore and smoked constantly, that the idea struck - for someone to do twelve jobs in twelve months and see if they could find the one of her dreams.
It was actually four years ago that this particular light bulb moment happened; nine years ago that I wrote my first book.
I was lucky enough then to get the attention of a London-based literary agent who had totally believed in both my writing and me. All three of my books did the publishing rounds. The rejection letter pile got higher, even though most of the comments were positive; my writing style was good but the market was hard. I took on board that publishing is a tough business and taking on a debut author is always a risk.
It was when I got a rejection letter from a large publisher saying they hoped it wasn’t a big mistake, turning Working it Out down, that I finally knew the book really was good enough. Another year passed and I parted with my agent. A life-changing personal tragedy flicked my persistence switch again, and encouraged by my copy editor, who has worked with Milly Johnson, Jackie Collins and Emily Barr, to name but a few, I decided to publish myself.
I am so lucky to have a good friend who designed both my cover and my website. And, an excellent local printer who produced a professional-looking finished product.
So by mid-March 2011, I had the first 100 copies of Working it Out in my hands. Now, due to my own marketing push, I have a major UK distributor, a book signing at Windsor Waterstone’s on 14 May and am now on my third, much larger, print run.
Plus, I am already getting reviews beyond my wildest dreams.
Miranda Dickinson: ‘I just wanted to say a massive congratulations on the publication of Working It Out. I was a big fan of your book when it was on Authonomy (the HarperCollins website for new writers), and I loved your writing style and brilliant characters. It now has pride of place on my Kindle as my Bank Holiday treat when I break from editing.’
Waterstones’s Carol Dixon-Smith: ‘Working It Out appears on the surface to be a straightforward romantic comedy, but it is awash with some very unusual, eccentric, and highly entertaining characters, and is filled to the brim with love in all its many and varying forms. Highly entertaining, surprising, hugely funny but very touching, this is the one to take on holiday with you this year. Don’t miss it!’
And from Scott Pack, The Friday Project, an imprint of HarperCollins, this: ‘A self-published chicklit novel that is easily as good as most of the stuff coming out from major publishers. Actually, it is better than some of the books by household names I have read in recent years. Someone needs to sign her up, - and soon.’
Apart from becoming a bestselling author, my other dream is to be able to write the screenplay of Working It Out. I can see it already: Working It Out, a Working Title Film. Mr Curtis, I hope you’re reading this as you would do a much better job.
And finally, I feel very honoured that Leah contacted me, as I feel that self-published authors are not always taken seriously. I am also very excited as I really believe in Working It Out, and just like Ruby, the central character, I think maybe I am about to embark on the job of my dreams…
Thanks so much Nicola & good luck with Working It Out!
Evie Flynn always felt like an outsider in her own family, she sort of floats along in temp jobs, never seeming to get anywhere unlike her sisters who are both settled down with children. Evie isn’t sure her relationship is going anywhere although she adores her step-son Saul. However, Evie is thrown a curveball when she is left The Beach Cafe after the sudden death of her Aunt Jo. With the cafe being in Cornwall and Evie living in Oxford, it seems like a nightmare but Evie starts to wonder if she should start her life again and move somewhere totally new. When she finally makes the break, Evie finds out running a cafe is far harder than she thought, not to mention the fact that she feels totally alone with everyone she knows being 150 miles away. Will Evie be able to make a success of the café and keep her Aunt’s legacy going?
Another celebrity turning her hand to writing fiction is Tess Daly, the woman most famous for presenting Strictly Come Dancing, and of course being married to Vernon Kaye. This is Tess’ first fiction book, although not her first foray into writing as she has previously released “The Baby Diaries: Memories, Milestones and Misadventures”. Will you be looking out for this one or are you getting fed up with celeb’s filling up the fiction market?! The book is due out on October 13th 2011 and here is the synopsis:
