I consider myself very lucky. I self-published my debut novel and managed to sell enough copies to get into the Kindle top ten charts on Amazon and a subsequent publishing deal followed. My interview today is with Nick Spalding, who managed to sell so many copies of his two books LOVE...FROM BOTH SIDES & LOVE...AND SLEEPLESS NIGHTS that he was the top selling self-published author of 2012 on Amazon. The figures are mind-boggling. Nick was quickly snapped up by Hodder and Stoughton (the same publisher as me) and his books have continued to sell like hot cakes. He has since added a third title to the 'Love' trilogy, LOVE...UNDER DIFFERENT SKIES. The man is literally a publishing phenomena, which is, of course, very annoying for other writers because we all keep asking ourselves the same question - how the hell does he sell so many books? After laying awake night after night trying to figure out his secret, I thought I'd just ask him. Ladies and gentleman, I give you Nick Spalding.
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| Nick doing his best 'author' face |
For the people who have been living in a tiny tent in Wales without
internet, WiFi or near a book shop for the past year and have no idea
who this Nick Spalding bloke is, tell us a bit about yourself.
Oh God, I hate doing this. I feel like I'm filling in one of the dating site forms. Er... I like to have fun, enjoy long walks and having a laugh with my friends... How's that? Oh sod it, here's a copy and paste of my official bio:
Nick Spalding is an author who, try as he might, can't seem to write anything serious. He's worked in the communications industry his entire life, mainly in media and marketing. As talking rubbish for a living can get tiresome (for anyone other than a politician), he thought he'd have a crack at writing comedy fiction - with an agreeable level of success so far, it has to be said.
Nick
lives in the South of England with his fiancée. He is approaching his
forties with the kind of dread usually associated with a trip to the
gallows, suffers from the occasional bout of insomnia, and still thinks
Batman is cool. Nick Spalding is
one of the top ten best selling authors in eBook format in 2012.
Like myself, you started as a self-published author before getting a mainstream publishing contract, I get asked this a lot too, but how the bugger did you sell so many books? Any tips for other aspiring Indie authors?
Sexual favours and bribery. Works every time. Failing that, a well written book with a good cover, good blurb and a good idea of how to promote online. Also, picking a genre that's popular with readers at that time really helps! It also doesn't hurt to suck off as many people at Amazon as you can find. Possibly twice.
The Love... series has become such a huge success. I think it's such a simple but ingenious idea - Love from Both Sides. When you wrote the first one, did you have a series in mind or did the success just demand it?
Like myself, you started as a self-published author before getting a mainstream publishing contract, I get asked this a lot too, but how the bugger did you sell so many books? Any tips for other aspiring Indie authors?
Sexual favours and bribery. Works every time. Failing that, a well written book with a good cover, good blurb and a good idea of how to promote online. Also, picking a genre that's popular with readers at that time really helps! It also doesn't hurt to suck off as many people at Amazon as you can find. Possibly twice.
The Love... series has become such a huge success. I think it's such a simple but ingenious idea - Love from Both Sides. When you wrote the first one, did you have a series in mind or did the success just demand it?
I had no designs on any sequels when I punted the first one out. It felt like a one-off to me, but once it started to sell well I figured it was a wise move to write another one, and Jamie and Laura having a baby was the obvious progression, so that's how Sleepless Nights came about. Once you've written two books, a trilogy is always on the cards, especially when a publisher wants to throw some cash at you for it. I'll probably write a fourth one at some point, but the Newmans need a bit of time off for the minute, so I'll come back to it some time later next year.
Most authors tend to stick with one genre, but you've branched out and written the Cornerstone books too (aimed at children). What made you want to do this instead of sticking to one genre - especially one you're obviously very successful at?
I'm an idiot? All the advice says write in one genre and build a brand name in it, but I have a tendency to ignore good advice - to my peril. Besides, I love writing comedy fantasy. Two of my favourite writers are Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams, so it stands to reason. Mixing things up keeps writing interesting as well. One day I even intend to write something serious, though quite what the world will make of a Nick Spalding book that doesn't contain at least one gag about bodily fluids is beyond me...
What's next up for Nick Spalding?
The inevitable slide into middle-age? A mid-life crisis involving the purchase of a sports car that I'll look like a right tit in? Impotence? ...oh, sorry. You meant as a writer didn't you? Well, my next book is finished and with my agent, so hopefully that'll get picked up in the next few weeks. On top of that, the Love... books get their US release with Amazon in the new year, which I'm looking forward to promoting when it comes around. I've also got an idea swirling round my head for a short Christmas novella that I'll publish via Notting Hill Press before the yuletide season. On top of all that I'll have to spend at least ten thousand words on various movie forums in the next few weeks, complaining about how Ben Affleck really isn't a good bit of casting for the new Batman. So on the whole... busy, busy.
Lastly, and instead of asking the usual - what are your top tips for new authors? I'm going to ask you a slightly different variation on the question - what are the top five mistakes new writers make?
1. Over complicated or badly designed covers. These can be a right put off.
2. Responding to criticism. Just don't do it.
3. Spending too much
time on forums / websites and not enough time writing.
4. Cranking out
volume in favour of quality. Books aren't burgers.
5. Taking the whole
thing a bit too seriously. Writing is supposed to be enjoyable. As a
tall hairy bloke from Maine once said, 'It's a long way back to Eden
sweetheart, so don't sweat the small stuff.'
6. Not sucking off enough
people at Amazon.
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| LOVE FROM BOTH SIDES |
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| LOVE AND SLEEPLESS NIGHTS |
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| LOVE UNDER DIFFERENT SKIES |
Thanks again to Nick. If you haven't read the LOVE trilogy and love laugh-out-loud novels about love, life and relationships, click on the book covers above and get them now! I read and loved them all.
Until next time.
Hugs,
Jon X
