Thump!

by Taff Lovesey
(Witham on the Hill, UK)

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

THUMP!

I'll never forget that sound. The cushioned impact of a heavy bubble wrap envelope hitting the hall carpet.

I remember rushing down the stairs to pick up the package. My initial reaction was to manically tear the covering away to reveal the contents within, much in the manner of a five year old receiving an anticipated birthday gift. Fortunately, after a few yoga-like deep breaths, I calmed my enthusiasm and meticulously removed the outer packaging taking extreme care not to damage the valuable contents.

The treasure within now visible I was struck by a wave of surrealism.

Inside was a book, it's black and red gloss cover gleaming. The cover was emblazoned with my name and the title, The Spider Gem - Book One of the Portal Chronicles. A sense of achievement washed over me. Here at last, my first book, after almost thirty years hidden away in my subconscious, my story now reproduced in shining paperback for all to see, and hopefully, enjoy.

I smiled as I leafed through the covers, goose pimples rising as I read the dedication and I realised that, even if no-one else read it, my grand children and countless Lovesey generations to come would treasure this little part of family history and say things like, "Yes, old Great Grandfather Lovesey could write a tale or two!"

The Spider Gem marked my first venture into writing. I had held the ambition of creating a fantasy novel since my school days back in the 70s. Somehow though it was always on the 'back burner' and a successful career in the Information Technology industry never allowed sufficient time to explore my potential to fulfil this ambition.

With my novel complete I had no idea how to take my work to a wider audience. Thank heavens for the virtual library, aka the internet! A few days of research provided guidance and I was soon packaging up my manuscript to approach a number of agents around the UK and a few in the USA.

Within a few weeks I heard my first THUMP!

Instinctively realising the significance of that sound, I rushed downstairs to tear open the envelope;

"…after review of The Spider Gem, we do not feel there is room in our range for another fantasy series."

My heart sank but I swiftly shrugged this off as I knew that most authors received numerous rejections.

A few days later…THUMP!

Still eager and excited I rushed to the door and picked up the package.

"…we are sorry but we no longer accept ad-hoc manuscripts."

"No problem. Someone else will." I whispered to myself but I soon learned to dread the sound of that carpeted THUMP!

THUMP! No thanks.

THUMP! The market is over-crowded.

THUMP! Our books are full.

THUMP! Young adult fantasy has no viable market as the genre is saturated.

THUMP! We like your work but were not enthused enough to take it on.

And finally the one that cut really deep…

THUMP! Although your work shows promise there is no market for this type of work, we would not be able to sell it.

Disillusioned I packed up my manuscripts, shelved my work and refocused on my IT career.

Two years passed, any free time I had eaten away by a combination of my employment and my football coaching activities with local youth teams. With long hours and significant international travelling in my role I hardly gave any thought to The Spider Gem although on those long journeys I still created ideas and heroes for my tome.

With finances tight cost was a primary factor but I finally opted for the Print on Demand (PoD) route and looked for a publisher that offered a professional set of services for a realistic price. This industry is littered with sharks all too willing to over-quote on a service to take your manuscript and turn it into a 'real' book. If selecting a self publishing route it is VITAL to do the ground work and search out those that offer competitive services and separate them from those who are true 'vanity publishers' charging ridiculous process for this task, playing on the 'vanity' of the author. Prices for converting your MS Word document to 'printable' book format can range from the tens up to thousands of pounds, depending on what the provider includes and whether they are in it to rip you off or to truly work with you.

A review of the offerings from various PoD providers led me to my current publisher, one who had been acquired by Amazon only a few months earlier. The link to the online giants, coupled with reasonable costs, generous royalties and a variety of post publication services clinched it and I signed a contract with them to take my work to print.

Eight weeks and £250 later I heard the dreaded THUMP! on the hall carpet once again.

This time though that sound invoked excitement and enthusiasm as I opened that package to reveal the very first copy of The Spider Gem. I was truly over-awed by the experience. Booksurge provide a very professional book especially when selecting their services for formatting as well as printing and distribution.

My IT work still pays the mortgage but I am now fired up about my writing and I have a small legacy to leave behind when I pass into the next world. I've covered my PoD costs easily and any profit I make goes back into marketing my work and for publishing costs for future novels.

I'm still approaching publishers in an effort to go mainstream and become a full time writer and yes, I still feel disappointment when I receive the latest rejection, but now, when I hear that dreaded THUMP!, I merely look at my book shelf and smile, content in the thought that my writing has already brought enjoyment to many other people.

So don't let that story fester in your head or sit on your PC hard drive. Get it out there and let others see your work. You'll soon know whether a life of writing is for you and, even if you only publish one book, it is something that can live on for generations after you are long gone.

Visit Taff's site.