By Teika As someone with a keen interest in fairy tales and their psychological richness, I cannot help but be aware of their continued applicability, even in today’s publishing world. We make sense of the world through stories, so I thought it may be of use to run through some common narratives to glean some […]
The cost of cons and invisible returns
By Teika: When I recently totted up the costs of attending Ytterbium, the name for this year’s annual Eastercon (the annual UK science fiction convention), it was rather disheartening to see that: petrol + car park fees + tickets for the con + table costs + hotel costs + food + drink = a lot […]
Personality and professionalism
By Teika One of the best things about being behind a book stall at an event or convention is the conversations with fellow stallholders and interested browsers. At the start of December I was at the Nottingham Print & Publishing Fair and I had several fascinating discussions with people I’d never met before about publishing and […]
How to get the most out of conventions
By Teika: In less than a week’s time I’ll be at FantasyCon, one of the major genre events of the year. With my publisher’s hat on I’m preparing by making sure I have enough books, plenty of change in my float and all the necessary information so that I know how to get there, where […]
How to impress a publisher
By Teika: Most writers are aware that, nowadays, building a following is part and parcel of the business of writing. But to what extent? After all, if cultivating a following detracts from time spent writing, then surely it’s simply time wasted? Well, yes and no. You see, like many a small press publisher I have […]
Choosing what to commit to
By Tom: Some of my earlier posts have focussed on how to use your time wisely, and how to cope with rejection by directing your effort on improving your craft. For those of us who want to make a living out of writing, there is inevitably going to be some mismatch between the art we […]