Hello,
I hope this blog finds you well. I know I've been a tad quiet of late on the blog front, but I've been incredibly busy with a few things. The biggest thing I'm doing at the moment (apart from starting book number four which is going very well and I'm loving it), is getting ready to release the sequel to This Thirtysomething Life. The book in question is called THIS FAMILY LIFE, and I'm working with my agent and hoping to get it out very soon.
As any writer will tell you, getting a book published is a long-winded and complicated business. It takes time, there's ups and downs, and eventually it happens, but even now, so close to publication, we don't have a definite date yet.
So let me explain what's happened. My first two books were published by Hodder and Stoughton, which was brilliant and a dream come true. They did make an offer for this book, but my agent and I didn't think it was quite enough and after some further negotiations, we decided to go it alone. This was obviously a difficult decision as I loved working with Hodder, but we felt that given the nature of the book and my success when I first released This Thirtysomething Life, we might be able to do a bit more by ourselves. It's a risk, obviously, but hopefully it works out.
We're releasing the book under the mysterious Amazon 'White Glove' program. I've been working with my agent, and also with my brilliant friend and proofreader/editor Aimee, to get the book in the best state it can be and I, for one, am extremely excited and proud of it. I designed the cover myself (as I did with This Thirtysomething life), and I think it looks absolutely stunning. The best thing about working with Amazon on this is that we have complete control over pricing, the cover, etc. The control you don't have when working with a publisher.
There's been quite a few blogs and discussions recently about traditional publishing v self-publishing, and personally I think that authors are currently in the best position possible. We can still publish traditionally with a publisher or we can self-publish, or do something in the middle like 'White Glove'. I'm excited that I can do this 'hybrid' of publishing both ways, and I hope to work with a publisher again on my next novel, but if that doesn't work out, I'm not afraid of going it alone with my agent. There's definitely pros and cons of both, but having the freedom to do it definitely keeps me on my toes!
I'm hoping to be able to reveal the cover, the blurb, and also a release date for the book very soon. As it's released under the 'White Glove' program, it will be available as an eBook and there will be the option to get the paperback too. I'm very excited for this book. I worked really hard to make sure that it was a sequel that I think is better than the original. Funnier, wiser, smarter, sadder, better written, and hopefully an all-round better book.
Until next time,
Hugs,
Jon x
Ps: Make sure you sign up for my exclusive email newsletter as I'll be releasing any information about the book, cover, interviews, etc., via email first!
