Should Authors Be Readers Too?

​This seems to be a question that comes up quite a lot when I'm chatting with fellow authors. How much do you read? What's the last book you read? Would you like to read mine? etc. etc.

I can answer the question simply and easily? YES!

Right, well I guess that's probably the shortest blog in history, so perhaps I should give my personal reasons for reading and see if they correspond to yours.

When I was younger, I was certainly a voracious reader, but as time moved on and other "entertainments" offered a different experience, I slowly drifted away from reading. It was only when I began seriously writing, myself, that I rediscovered the absolute joy and pleasure of the written word.

In the last six months I have read close to forty full-length novels, from a dazzling array of authors and I can honestly say I am richer, wiser and more fulfilled as a person for having done so. To put a why to the YES, authors should be readers too, I will just offer a few words as to why I believe this so vehemently.

1/ Reading other author's works has improved my own writing dramatically. I don't mean by stealing their ideas or anything nefarious like that but what I mean is by exposing myself to so many author's styles, their use of colour in their language and their ability to weave intricate plot scenarios and twists, I have gained immeasurably in my own ability to do the same.

​In the same way, I have realised my own failures in grammar, punctuation and style that can be the downfall, especially of a self-published novel. I believe I have grown as a writer by being exposed to so many different works, many written by people just like me - "newbies" trying to make it in the cut-throat publishing world.

2/ Reading and being able to interact, especially on Social Media, with other self-published or small-press authors has been incredibly rewarding for me personally. I have met some outstanding writers, some incredibly talented story-tellers and most important of all some wonderfully, friendly, caring and helpful people. Don't get me wrong - there's still a few arrogant arseholes out there, but in my experience, in the "indie" author world, they are few and far between. I am constantly amazed at the lengths my "author friends" will often go to help out a fellow author with a question. It is both humbling and incredibly satisfying to see. 

 In that vein of helpfulness and friendliness, I've decided to use this blog (at least for the next couple of weeks, or so) to introduce you to some of the wonderful authors I've met and read recently. I hope you will buy their books, read and enjoy their particular touch on life and most importantly of all, I hope you will review their books at the place you bought them. Reviews are an "indie" author's bread and butter. So, let me introduce you to some of the authors I've loved.

You can absolutely check out my reviews of all these people's books and many, many more here on my website, just click on the link: http://www.grantleishman.com/book-reviews1.html 

I will try to cover four "indie" authors each week, so hope you will check back regularly and follow them up.   

1/ Hayden Bradford: 

Now Hayden is an Aussie (Australian to the more civilised amongst us) and his book Travesty is a delight to read. 

If you like fun being poked at the establishment and its institutions, then Travesty is absolutely right up your alley. Politically incorrect and laced with profanity it is not for the faint-hearted, but what it is, is uproariously funny. I haven't belly-laughed so much for years, reading a book, as I did with Travesty. I was drawn to this book by the Author's promise that "I'd laugh so much, I'd wet my pants." Thankfully that didn't quite happen, but he was right, I did laugh - a lot.

Hayden's an interesting character in that he has had a long battle with debilitating depression. As he himself said, when he wrote Travesty he wrote it more than anything else, to make himself laugh. In doing so, he has given us a gem to share, with his incredible humour and satirical insight.

I'm not quite sure what Hayden's next project will be, or when it will be out, but I guarantee, if you have an open mind, you will absolutely love Travesty!

You can purchase Travesty on Amazon in either Kindle format or paperback. Just follow this link and you are there:
http://www.amazon.com/Travesty-Hayden-Bradford-ebook/dp/B00M3F7HTW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1443236766&sr=8-2&keywords=Travesty

While you are there, you can check out his Author page also and find out just a bit more about the man himself:
​http://www.amazon.com/Hayden-Bradford/e/B00BE9W0UE/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1 

2/ Colin Griffiths: 

I first came across Colin on Social Media and to be frank I was intrigued. Here was a man, about my own age, who also had come to writing late, yet he seemed so prolific - he'd already written and published three novels within six months of starting to write seriously. How did he do it?

I'm pleased to say that I've read two of Colin's books now; Never Say Goodbye and Underwood, plus I am really excited to read the sequel to Never Say Goodbye; There Was No Body, in the not too distant future.

Colin is Welsh, and a consummate story-teller. I have no doubt there is a touch of the Celtic in him, which comes through in the richness of his tales. 

By no means is Colin a perfect writer - that's a work in progress. Some of his early work was rough around the edges, especially when it came to punctuation and grammar, but I am pleased to say he has worked hard at this aspect of his craft and the improvement is exponential. He was not too proud to seek help and his earlier books have now been re-edited and reissued, making them even more readable and enjoyable. What Colin does do is produce fantastic stories, with intricate plots and a seemingly never-ending series of twists and turns. He is truly a writer who loves what he does and loves telling stories. I can say - I love reading them! 

Colin's preferred genre is the paranormal and he sucks the readers into weird and wonderful happenings and events, with ordinary people, that defy the imagination. His novel Underwood is a perfect example of this ability. As a reader I was totally involved in everything he was putting down on paper and the final twist was so far out of left-field, I never saw it coming. A great story!

You can check out Colin Griffiths the author and all his books to date by following this link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Colin-Griffiths/e/B00UEQFN0W/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1443237675&sr=8-1   

Truly an author to watch develop over the next few years. 

3/ Rachel McGrath: 

Amongst the "indie" authors I have met, Rachel stands tall as one of the friendliest, most helpful and most supportive that I have come across. I'm not sure what her "day job" is, but I'm glad she decided to join the ranks of us "indies", at least part-time for now. She is a blessing in many ways. 

Her first book was a work of non-fiction, a memoir in fact. It was her own harrowing tale of a period in her life when she and her husband were trying to create a family. Finding The Rainbow is Rachel's own story of the excitement, the fear, the sorrow and the anguish of early miscarriage. 

As a reader, and perhaps also as a man, it certainly wasn't something I'd ever given much thought to. My first wife had suffered such a miscarriage, and I'd written it off at the time as "just one of those things". What I learnt from Finding The Rainbow was a very personal insight into how early miscarriages (four in Rachel's case) can totally dominate every living moment of your life. It was a beautifully told story that evoked immense empathy within me as I rode each exciting pregnancy with her, only to be thrust into despair when yet another one miscarried. It is a heart-felt and poignant story that will tug at your heartstrings.

For me anyway, Finding The Rainbow is my non-fiction book of the year. It's beautifully written and wonderfully told. I truly loved it. The great news is that Rachel has followed this debut literary effort with something completely different - a children's book. She has just published a book called Mud on Your Face, which I have no doubt will be a wonderful tale for the younger set.

This young lady (not so young actually) really deserves to succeed on the literary stage and I firmly believe she will. My only hope is that she keeps writing, she has such real talent.

​You can check out Finding The Rainbow by following this link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Finding-Rainbow-Rachel-McGrath/dp/1784650447/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443238582&sr=8-1&keywords=Rachel+McGrath 

and you can read all about Rachel McGrath Author here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rachel-McGrath/e/B00X7JLSDO/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1    

4/ Angela Gascoigne: 

I first came across Angela when I offered to read one of her books, Angel of the Willows, and review it for her. I can say that Angel of the Willows is still one of my favourite reads of 2015.

I just love the whimsical, almost humorous style that Angela puts into her works. She has written a number of books, both novels and short-story anthologies and it is very much in my plans to read all of them in due course. The gentle, yet fascinating story that she wove around the inhabitants of Willow Close was just endearing and dragged me into the story completely. It was one of those books that you just don't want to put down, because you always know something really exciting is about to happen.

Her characters, even an Angel, are readily believable and easy to fall in love with. I particularly liked the old fellow with a penchant for cross-dressing.

Her latest offering is written under a pen name, but you definitely want to check that one out too. It's called the Caravan of Love - Annie's Journal and is written by Annie Lancaster. 

I know Angela has self-doubts about her writing and whether or not she should continue sometimes, but I for one hope she does. She adds immeasurably to the quality "indie" author market.

You can check out Angel of the Willows here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Angel-Willows-Angela-Gascoigne-ebook/dp/B00IEHQ316/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1443239990&sr=1-2&keywords=Angel+of+the+Willows

Angela's other works here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Angela%20Gascoigne&search-alias=books-uk&sort=relevancerank and 

Caravan of Love here:
​http://www.amazon.co.uk/Caravan-Love-Annies-Journal-ebook/dp/B012OGPB24/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1443240106&sr=1-1&keywords=Caravan+of+Love+Annies+Journal

Well, that's my first four fantastic "indie" authors for this week. Please do check them out, follow them, read their books and most importantly of all; REVIEW THEM! 

Four new authors next week, so keep an eye out for that. 

​Till next week:

I thought today I would spend just a little bit of time to tell you about something special that's happening in publishing. In fact, I want to introduce you to MY publisher - Pentian Publishing! 

Pentian, you say. "I've never heard of them!" Well, until about a year ago, neither had I. 

When I initially went about trying to figure out how to get my first book, The Second Coming, published, I was lost in a morass of internet search information, some of which was useful, but most of which was dross - people seeking my non-existent money to publish my book for me. I was rapidly losing hope of ever seeing my creation published...and then I stumbled across Pentian. 

So, who are Pentian and how do they work? 

Have you heard of crowd-funding before? Basically put, crowd-funding platforms allow you to put your project up in front of the public (although more often than not, just your family and friends) and asking them to back your project with their money. 

Pentian is a crowd-funding publisher - but they do it with a twist.  

When I first stumbled across Pentian, it appeared to be totally focused on Spanish speaking books (it is after all based in Spain). I did, however, notice one English title on their list and I wondered if they would consider mine. I duly submitted The Second Coming, and was shocked to receive a positive response from them. Not only, did they like my book, but they were in the process of expanding their platform to the English speaking world - good timing ha! Thank you Universe!

I remember the utter excitement I felt when I realised I now had a chance to see my work published. There are not many better feelings in life than that. 

How does Pentian work. Once your book has been accepted into their programme, it is a fairly straight-forward process to achieve your dream. 

1/ Pentian design a proposed cover for you.
2/ They advise you what they believe it will cost to produce your book in ebook format, as well as the set-up for POD (Print On Demand) sales for a paperback (or hardcover) version. In the case of The Second Coming, I think the cost was something like US$2,600. 
3/ They then set your book up on their website - as a promotional campaign, seeking backers for the required sum. 
4/ You have 60 days to convince your family, friends, neighbours, colleagues...anyone you can possibly think of, to back you project. 
5/ If the required amount is raised on your book - then you're home free and Pentian will go ahead a produce an ebook, as well as the capability to POD. 
6/ They will place your ebook and paperback in all the usual places e.g. Amazon, Google Play and iBooks. 
7/ They will also produce an agreed number of hard-copy books to send to you, for your own promotional activities.

So, what makes Pentian different from all the other crowd-funders in the marketplace, even those specialising in funding book projects? Why do they boldly proclaim that they are leading "The Publishing Revolution"? 

To me, this is the key to their success and it is the reason I love them as a publisher and more importantly why I was prepared to give them my second book, the sequel to The Second Coming; Rise of the AntiChrist. 

People who back your book are not just supporting you and your baby..."They are actually investing in the Publishing Industry - they are becoming active investors in your success."

Just like other crowd-funding platforms, people who back your project, get rewards for doing so. A typical campaign might offer the following incentives:

1/ $15 Investment - You receive an ebook of the book before it is definitely published. Your name appears in the book's credits.
2/ $30 Investment - You receive the book once it is published. Your name appears in the book's credits.
3/ $70 Investment - You receive the book before it is definitely published, as well as an ebook version of it and your name appears in the book's credits. 
4/ $150 Investment - If you finally chose this option, there is no doubt you are a true backer! You receive 5 copies of the book,with your name in the credits.

The amounts will vary from book to book and campaign to campaign, but that will give you some idea of the benefits you can offer. The author is also able to add other benefits to these standard ones. For example, the copies could be signed, or some other inducement offered. It's totally up to you.

Seems the same as other crowd-funding ideas, I hear you say. Yes...up to this point, but here's the revolutionary part!

Your backers will become investors in your book. Yes, every single person who contributes to your campaign, becomes a part-owner of your success. The backer will receive a percentage of EVERY sale of your book, typically for a three-year period.  

The arrangements vary between books and campaigns, but to give you some indication of how it works, I'll outline the agreed split with Pentian for my first book, The Second Coming. 

1/ Pentian receive 20% of net sales income.

2/ I receive 40% of net sales income. 

3/ The backers of The Second Coming split 40% of net sales income between themselves based on their pro-rata contribution to the project. 

This is the biggest incentive of all when convincing people to back your project. If they believe in you and believe you will succeed, then their investment will surely return to them. You are not asking them to just blindly support you, because they love you. You are offering them the chance to participate and be rewarded from your success as a writer. 

I'm not currently aware of any one else using this particular method of crowd-funding, although there might well be, but what I am saying is that this works and it is a possible alternative to other ways of getting your book published.

Now, you may well be asking yourself; "what if I don't have enough friends, family, etc who can back my project? What do I do then?" 

Firstly, as an aspiring author you should be building your Social Media following. You may be surprised who backs you...if you ask them, and ask them often enough. I certainly was surprised at some of the people that backed my first book. 

You have 60 days to raise the funds and you need to use every method at your disposal to do that. Twitter, FaceBook, YouTube, Bingbing, Instragram et al. Most of importantly of all, go the personal route. Email directly, personal message people, speak directly to them. As I said, you may be surprised and humbled by who supports you; as I was. 

Even if you don't reach the funding level - all is not lost. Pentian themselves have their own investors who look at their books and decide to invest. I was fortunate enough to receive a top-up from one of their investors, otherwise The Second Coming might never have seen the light of day. I am forever grateful for the support they have given me as an newbie author, struggling to find his way in the morass of an unfamiliar publishing world. Perhaps it will work for you also.      

This is not for everyone, I understand that. Self-publishing, say on Amazon or Smashwords, will give you greater control and more of the income, but if like me, you just want to write, then Pentian could be the panacea you are looking for. 

If you are tired of the endless search for a literary agent to represent you, the constant rejection letters and the hours spend applying, why not check out Pentian and see if they maybe could be for you. You can check out everything you need to know here on their website: http://pentian.com/

While you are there, you might like to consider backing Rise of the AntiChrist, which you can do here: http://pentian.com/book/fund/1339 I would love to welcome some investors in my sequel to The Second Coming.

If you want to view The Second Coming and read some of the wonderful reviews it has already garnered on Amazon, then please do head over and check it out. Consider buying it, reading it and of course reviewing it. You know that Authors need reviews to promote their work. I would love to welcome you into the very exclusive "Second Coming Series Fan Club!" Check the book out here:
http://www.amazon.com/Second-Coming-Grant-Leishman-ebook/dp/B00ZR4IP0G/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1434933497

I hope this little article has given you some food for thought and if nothing else I hope it has confirmed the old truism that; "there's more ways to skin a cat". 

Pentian offer something just a little bit different and for this lost and confused author they were a beacon of hope in a choppy sea. Maybe they can be for you also. 

Till next week!   

SOME OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS! 

I thought this week I might try something a little different for my blog - an author interview. These seem to be all the rage these days, along with guest bloggers (which I hope to try in the not too distant future), so I thought why not? Jump on the bandwagon, give it a go and see what comes up. 

I gave much consideration as to who I could interview for this exciting task and after being turned down by such literary giants as; Stephen King, Lee Child and James Patterson, I decided I'd better set my sights lower (much lower) and interview the only Author I know really well - me! I figured I would have some editorial control over the answers if I did that. So, for your enlightenment and edification I humbly present Grant Leishman's enthralling interview with Grant Leishman Author. 

Question: Well, good morning Mr Leishman, thank you for agreeing to this interview at such short notice, I'd like to start by asking you when you first realised you wanted to be a writer? 

Answer: Why thank you Grant, it's an absolute pleasure to be here and I'd just like to say Hi to all the many readers of your blog out there and urge them to visit Amazon right now and purchase my wonderful book; The Second Coming.
http://www.amazon.com/Second-Coming-Grant-Leishman-ebook/dp/B00ZR4IP0G/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1434933497 

Ah, now, there's an excellent question indeed. When did I realise I wanted to write? Well, in truth it happened when I was eight year's old. I had an awful case of the flu and was confined to bed for a number of days. Now my mother was incredibly strict when it came to sickness. If you were too sick to go to school, you were way too sick to even be allowed out of bed to watch television. Of course we didn't have cellphones, laptops, tablets or pc's way back then and there was absolutely no way Mum would ever let me go outside and play with the dinosaurs, or anything like that, so it was four days in bed with nothing to do except stare at the four walls or read a book. 

I chose a very large book that was sitting on the bookshelf calling to me to read it - The Swiss Family Robinson it was. Over the course of the next four days I read the book from cover to cover and by the time I finished it I knew with an absolute certainty that I would write novels when I grew up. When I conveyed this to my mother, she smiled sweetly, as mother's do, patted me patronisingly on the head and said; "Of course you will dear....of course you will." 

Well Mummy, it may have taken me another 46 years to grow up and make my dream a reality - but; "Hey! I did it!" Sadly Mum's not with us anymore, but I do hope she's looking down at her little eight year old with big dreams and saying; "you did son, you did...well done that boy!"   

Question: I notice you set your first novel; The Second Coming, in The Philippines. Why was that? It seems just a bit of an obscure place for Jesus to return to? 

Answer: Ah Grant, I was hoping you would ask me that. Don't forget though you can buy The Second Coming right now at Amazon, Google Play or iBooks http://www.amazon.com/Second-Coming-Grant-Leishman-ebook/dp/B00ZR4IP0G/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1434933497 

Ah yes, The Philippines. What a beautiful country it is. Well Grant, I guess first of all I set the story here because it's my home now and I wanted people to realise that this country is a wonderfully beautiful place populated by an incredibly warm and giving people. I certainly hope I was able to convey some of that in my book. 

I actually answered the question to some extent in the book. It was a question that JC asked the Archangel Michael at one point: Why The Philippines? Michael's answer was essentially my answer: 
1/ The Filipino people are inherently a deeply religious people and God felt that if any society, anywhere in the world would be receptive to JC's message of peace, love and community, it would be the Filipino's. 
2/ I was reminded of a line, sung by Judas from Jesus Christ Superstar - "If you'd come today you could have saved a whole nation - Jerusalem in 10BC had no mass communication." I felt that with technology today there was absolutely no need for Jesus to return anywhere in particular. The Philippines was as good a place as any, I felt. and; 
3/ There was a task to be undertaken in The Philippines. JC had to unmask a usurper to the title of "Son of God", which he and his disciples duly did in the story.    

Question: Is The Second Coming a stand-alone novel? 

Answer: Well it can certainly be read as a stand-alone story. It is a wonderful tale of fun, adventure, humanity and hope all on its own and it can be purchased right now on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Second-Coming-Grant-Leishman-ebook/dp/B00ZR4IP0G/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1434933497 

In answer to your question; The Second Coming is actually the first of a trilogy that deals with this topic of Jesus' return to save the earth. The second book is titled "Rise of the AntiChrist" and is complete and with the publishers as we speak. I don't have a release date for it yet, but I am picking late October or early November, just in time for Christmas presents (yay!) The third book in the series is called "Holy War" and I have only just started writing that - about 7,000 words thus far. My plan is to have it finished by December and edited by the end of January next year.     

Question: What authors have influenced you the most and who are your favourite authors? 

Answer: If you had asked me that question a few years ago, I would probably have trotted out the pat answers; Ludlum, Clancy, Child, Cussler and perhaps Patterson, but today I would have to say that what I read now and my favourite authors are very definitely the independent published authors. Since I began writing I have rediscovered my love for reading, which was sadly sapped away over the years by the evils of television and the internet. I can proudly say that since March this year I have read (and reviewed) no less than thirty-two books. Every spare minute that I have is spent reading. This has a two-fold purpose for me. It gives me style ideas and even plot ideas sometimes, but more importantly it allows me to read some of the very best fiction and non-fiction that is on the market today. Some of these new independent published authors are as good as, if not better than the much trumpeted, much feted and dare I say it, overhyped legacy published authors. 

Just to try and answer your question Grant, Authors today that impress me greatly include; but certainly are not limited to; Jana Petken, Keely French, Angela Gascoigne, Hayden Bradford, Colin Griffiths, Paulette Mahurin, Christopher Scott Downing, T.E. Hodden, Rachel McGrath and many, many more. I can honestly say, of the thirty two books I've read in the past six months, not one has disappointed me and they have almost all been written by independently published authors. This industry is thriving, with talent like this coming through. I would urge your readers to check out the authors I named above. They are a truly awesome bunch and just a few of the many marvelous new authors out there. Be brave and read an "indie" book. You won't be sorry. Mine of course is available here: http://www.amazon.com/Second-Coming-Grant-Leishman-ebook/dp/B00ZR4IP0G/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1434933497     

Question: I was going to ask you what you thought of the avalanche of independently published authors, but I guess you've said it all already. Instead I'll ask you what excites you most about writing? 

Answer: Hmmm, that's a toughie Grant, so many things excite me about my life as an author now. But, first let me just say this on the record regarding your first comment. "I absolutely believe there is no such thing as a 'bad book'. There are poorly written books, badly edited books and even weird books, but none of them are inherently bad. Books are a collection of a person's dreams, fantasies, ideas and creations. Every author spends months, even years sometimes pouring their hearts and souls into their babies and for that alone they deserve respect and kudos. I would never demean another author's work, knowing exactly how hard it is to do what they do." Sermon over! 

What excites me more than anything about my life now is that I can take a small germ of an idea; a "what if", if you like and with love, passion and a load of hard work I can turn that into something that makes people laugh, cry, think, maybe even act. The power of the written word can never be underestimated and the ability to be part of that process - to be able to leave a legacy of my written words; yeah, that what excites me the most about being an author. By the way, my current legacy is called The Second Coming and is available here: http://www.amazon.com/Second-Coming-Grant-Leishman-ebook/dp/B00ZR4IP0G/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1434933497        

Question: What advice, if any, would you have for our readers. 

Answer: That's simple Grant - please, buy my book, available here:

http://www.amazon.com/Second-Coming-Grant-Leishman-ebook/dp/B00ZR4IP0G/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1434933497 

Seriously though, I would love to urge readers to move outside their comfort zone and try an "indie author". Any of the ones I mentioned earlier would provide you with a truly wonderful read. There are four things all "indie authors", me included really want and need: 

1/ We need sales: (we need to eat too) so please consider buying an "indie" book next time you want to read something. 

2/ We need reviews: These don't have to be long-winded essays on the book. A couple of lines and a rating is all that's needed. Something like; "Wow! This book was fantastic if you're into dragons or fantasy worlds." Reviews and especially star ratings are essential for "indie authors", more so on Amazon, where ratings play an enormous part in an "indie authors" visibility amongst the millions of books on offer. Please, please, if you read a book, like or loath it - we would really appreciate your review. 

3/ We need exposure: We seriously need the world to know we exist. It's a crowded marketplace out there, so if you like something we've written, please tell your friends about us, tweet about us, facebook us (like our Author page on FB), follow us on Goodreads, and trumpet our books to the world. All publicity is good publicity as far as we are concerned. I'd rather be reviled by many, loved by some and ignored by nobody. 

4/ We need love: We're just ordinary people too and occasionally we need some love. If you like a book, just drop us a quick line and let us know. It means so much to us, you wouldn't believe. We love to connect with our readers and nothing makes us happier than knowing someone enjoyed what we wrote. It's why we write, so do't be shy.  

Question: Well Grant, this has been a lot of fun and I could ask you a lot more questions, but we'd better save that for another time. I'll end the by asking you what is the best book you've read in 2015 so far? 

Answer: Finished so soon...oh, I was just getting into my stride. Ah well, I've loved doing this also and you are always welcome to come back and interview me another time. You're certainly the nicest, most considerate interviewer I've ever met. 

Woooo, that really is difficult, I've read so many fantastic books this year and there's still three months left. OK, I am going to split it into two categories. 

1/ Non-Fiction: Absolutely no question here. The best non-fiction book I have read this year is a wonderful memoir by Rachel McGrath relating the pain and trials of suffering through multiple early miscarriages. It is a compelling and moving story of something I'd never even given a second thought to before. Titled "Finding The Rainbow" it is available here on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Rainbow-Rachel-McGrath/dp/1784650447/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442021806&sr=8-1&keywords=Finding+the+Rainbow As a first time author Rachel has done a truly  magnificent job and produced a wonderful book full of compelling emotion. I am excited that Rachel has decided to continue on with her writing career. She has real talent and I look forward to more from her. 

2/ Fiction: This is really, really hard. I am torn between two books, so I'll cheat and award a first equal to Travesty by Hayden Bradford and Angel of the Willows by Angela Gascoigne. Both are very different books, but both have that something special that tweaks my psyche. I loved them both equally. Travesty is available on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Travesty-Hayden-Bradford-ebook/dp/B00M3F7HTW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1442021744&sr=8-2&keywords=Travesty   and Angel of the Willows is available here: http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Willows-Angela-Gascoigne-ebook/dp/B00IEHQ316/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442021839&sr=8-1&keywords=Angel+of+the+Willows

Also, my reviews of these books and other books written by "indie authors" can be found on my website here: http://www.grantleishman.com/book-reviews1.html Please check them out and have a read of a few. 

Finally, one last plug for The Second Coming. Trust me you'll love it! It's a wonderful story and you can buy it here: 
http://www.amazon.com/Second-Coming-Grant-Leishman-ebook/dp/B00ZR4IP0G/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1434933497

Thank you for this opportunity to talk to you all today about what makes Grant Leishman Author tick. 

Till next week: 

Me: "Forgive me Father for I have sinned - it's been four weeks since my last blog." 

Priest: "Say three Hail Amazons, turn around twice, bow to the shrine of Goodreads and WRITE a damn  blog today!"

Me: "Yes Father" 

Sadly it is true, even with the very best of intentions we all are guilty from time to time of that most awful of sins - procrastination. I don't think procrastination is listed as one of the seven deadly sins, but for authors, it very much should be. 

When I managed to get my first book published I proclaimed myself to now be a full-time writer and embarked on my stellar and glittering literary career. Like so many before me I had visions of overnight success and instant discovery by an adoring public, but as we all know for the bulk of us promoting your work in an endless sea of new books daily is a daunting and at times seemingly unrewarding task. 

I haven't lost my initial enthusiasm, my love of what I do or my passion for writing - I still think I'll be an overnight success. I just haven't yet figured out on what particular night this success will occur. When I suss it out, I'll definitely let you know.   

The reality is that being an author or a writer is no different to any other profession. There are some things that we absolutely adore doing, that fill us with excitement and adrenaline; some that we do begrudgingly, because we know we must; and then there are the things that we have to do that just don't quite make our hearts sing with joy, but that are just as necessary as everything else. No matter what we choose to devote our lives to, there are always tasks that we don't really want to do and there are always a million and one ways we can invent to avoid or put off these tasks. 

If all else fails - we can always console ourselves with the argument that "hey life gets in the way sometimes." This is why I want to write this blog today; because yes sometimes life gets in the way of what we should be doing, but in my experience it is actually US that gets in the way of what we should be doing. 

So what devious little plans have you come up with to put off doing the things you should be doing? I'll share some of mine, that continue to frustrate and hinder my efforts. 

1/ Hiding within Social Media: 

As a new author you are constantly reminded that you need to be promoting your product - you need to be building a platform - you need to be reaching out to readers. How do you do that? Through Social Media of course. Now I would be the absolute last person in the world to lambast Social Media. For new authors and especially self-published authors Social Media and that monolithic monster Amazon are the two reasons why we have an opportunity to actually be full-time authors. No, Social Media is an absolute must for us, but it can also be a comforting and readily available excuse for us not to write when we should be. 

Social Media, especially Twitter and Facebook, have been great places for me to make contact with other authors, to share experiences, gain knowledge and to console each other over our success or non-success. This has been invaluable in my development as a writer, but it has also been a ready excuse to stop work and have a chat. In some ways I'm lucky in that the time zones work in my favour. Most of the people I want to chat with are available when it is my evening and it doesn't impinge too much on my writing. 

Nonetheless, when I am actually writing, I do still find myself checking Facebook and Twitter regularly to see if there are any updates on my feeds. I'm sure you know exactly what it is like. You feel tired - you need a break, so you tell yourself I'll just check it there is anything important on FB. An hour later you beat yourself over the head with a wet newspaper for just wasting the last hour when you should have been writing. 

My number one advice to all newbie authors - when you have set aside time to write, then damn well write. If you need a break, get up, walk around, pat the cat or the dog, step outside and get a breath of fresh air - but DO NOT check your social media accounts or your email accounts. When you are writing I would suggest that all other windows on your device are closed. Writing time is just way too precious to waste and guess what - WRITING IS WHAT A WRITER DOES! No excuses! 

2/ Checking Your Sales Ranking on Amazon too often! 

I don't know if this is a problem for everyone, but for me, it is very much a compulsive thing and one that invariably can change my mood. Just because Amazon updates their numbers every hour it doesn't mean you have to check it every hour. 

I am guilty of doing this way too much. I always tell myself I'm checking to see if there are any new reviews that I can use for my marketing efforts, but I can never resist flicking down the page to see what my current ranking is. The reality is though that 90% of the time I am disappointed. I'm sure that's not the case for some authors, but for most newbie authors it can be a depressing and disappointing statistic. Writing, publishing and selling books is a long-term prospect and for me personally it is what I intend doing for the rest of my life. What the hell then does it matter what my ranking is at any given point in time?

Yes, very occasionally I get a surge of energy when I've sold a book and my ranking rockets up the charts. It seems to me that one sale makes an enormous difference in the rankings. It is possible to go from 1,000,000th to 146,000th with just one sale. But does it mean anything in the overall scheme of things - absolutely not? What happens most of the time of course is that from that jump in rankings, you slowly slide back down until you end up back where you were. The initial excitement of the sale is more than dampened by the continual slide back down the slope. 

My advice is simply ignore it and don't check it very often at all. Focus on the reasons you are writing; the love of it, the passion of it, the need to do it. I've often said even if nobody bought my books, I'd still be writing. Well, if I mean that I must make my actions match my words. 

Until you are an established, known author focus on what you do best and what makes you happy - writing!   

3/ Not setting aside a designated writing time: 

Yes, I know that life does sometimes get in the way. It does for me too, but if you want to indulge your passion and do what you love, then you owe it to yourself to set aside a designated time and place for you to write. It's not about inspiration (I know sometimes the inspiration can strike at 3am in the morning), what it is about is discipline. Especially if you aspire to be a full-time writer like me, you must treat it like a "real job". Albeit a real job that you love and that fills you with joy. If you want people to respect what you do as a career, then you must act professionally.  

The way I do this for myself is that I allocate every morning solely for writing. While, it doesn't always work out exactly that way I try to ensure that I do write every day for a minimum of three hours, preferably four. For me this is enough and it gets the output I believe I require to be satisfied. Don't get sucked into the idea that you need to complete your novel or book in a weekend - it just doesn't work that way. Quality requires dedication, determination and effort - as in all aspects of life. 

My final comment on this particular thought is this: If writing is your number one passion and joy in life then don't you owe it to yourself to give it the time it and you deserve?   

4/ Not being supportive of others or humble in success

I've found very quickly in this world that some authors are incredibly supportive of each other and will bend over backwards to help fellow fledgling authors. Perhaps this is the greatest strength of the "Indie" writer network. We each know how incredibly hard it is for us to break into this industry and make it a full-time career, so we are willing to help others when they need it. It's definitely one of the things I love about the group of authors I currently interact with. 

Along with all the wonderful people in this industry there are, of course, the braggarts and the belittlers. I think Mark Twain said it best when he said; "Keep away from small people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can be great." I love that and those great people are the ones I try to surround myself with. They may not be successful - YET! but they are great people and they support one another wonderfully. 

We all want each other to succeed and when someone does, we are incredibly excited for that person. I love reading when an author has achieved something special; an award, a high ranking, or an excellent review. One reason I love it is that it tells me that I too can achieve those things. 

My plea to everyone though is when you are successful, don't forget what it was like to struggle. Be humble and be respectful of others and never lord it over them.   

5/ Being a loner: 

Yes, writing it has been said over and over again is a lonely profession and there is some real truth to that. It is quite likely that your spouse, your children, and your friends don't understand what it is like to have a head full of characters, ideas, murder plots and many other crazy things. The worst thing you can do is to isolate yourself in your own cocoon of your literary world. 

We are social animals and we need to interact with others, especially others that understand us and think the way we do. This is where Social Media comes to the fore and this is what it really was meant to achieve. Join Author's groups on FB, Google, Goodreads, wherever, but interact and most importantly of all...don't do it to promote your book(s). There are countless groups out there that will allow you to do all the promotion your little heart desires, but your soul needs to talk, to communicate with, and to discuss with other real people the things that matter most to you. As I said before I have met the most wonderful people through these groups and I don't know them personally from a bar of soap (some, I don't even know their real names - just their pen names), but they provide the social interaction that I need, as a writer, to maintain my sanity. I am forever grateful and humbled to have them to talk to.

History is littered with the corpses of mad writers who so lost themselves in their own heads that they forgot what was important in life - people. Thank the Lord for Social Media.

6/ Sweating the Editing: 

If like me, you are forced to do your own editing, it can become a tiresome and at times a self-defeating task. In a perfect world we would finish our  book, send it of to our editor and forget all about it - starting straight away on our next project. Not an option yet for me, so I have to edit. In my experience editing takes longer than writing the book, although it may be different for others. 

What can happen when we self-edit is we begin to sow seeds of doubt in our own mind. I know with my first book I rewrote the same passages four or five times sometimes and often ended up with pretty much what I started with. I tried to do better with my second book, but was still guilty of over-editing. Overthinking and self-doubt are real problems for the author/editor and we need to be more ruthless. With my next book I am determined I will edit only once and proofread three times. If it's not perfect by then - well so be it. 

When editing, resist the temptation to second guess yourself. What you wrote in the heat of the moment is often the best stuff you can write, so resist the pull to change it too much. The other thing to remember is editing and proof-reading are two totally different exercises. Editing is about content - proofreading is about accuracy. Ideally you should proofread until every word error, typo, or punctuation mistake is discovered, but the reality is none of us have that much time. For me, I've decided three proofreads is adequate and I'll stick to that. 

So, those are six of the deadly sins of newbie authors as I see them. I'm sure you could add more and I'd love to hear from you on that. Just comment on the blog, or drop me an email at grantleishman@live.com I'd love to hear from you. 

If you'd like to check out my one and only offering thus far to the literary world, you can find it here on Amazon. The Second Coming: http://www.amazon.com/Second-Coming-Grant-Leishman-ebook/dp/B00ZR4IP0G/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1434933497 

I'd like to leave you today with one final thought. If writing is your joy and your passion you owe it to yourself to indulge in that which makes you happy. Don't allow "life" to rob you of the legacy you want to leave in this world.

WRITE LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW! 

Till next week: