Finally...nearly some news...

Well I have spent a very enjoyable day rereading my book - and I know I'm biased, but the book is gripping....especially once you hit chapter sixteen. I'm personally hard on myself so if I think it's got a great flow, maybe it's got a chance!

Anyway, what I was wanting to say it that it seems at last there is a chance that my book will get 'out there' soon, which is much better than these last few months when it's been, well, nowhere!

So, by about Summer 2012, and with all things going as they have started to open up, the book will be available from Amazon and also for the Kindle and we'll see what other options open up for the book, but certainly those two markets.

So I'm excited but of course having it available is only the first stage - getting word out is totally another thing. But at least once it's available I have something to point people towards!

I'll be clearer on this when it launches, but one thing I did want to get clear - while my other blog is talking about matters of faith and the heart, as well as telling our story, this novel is another side to my writing gift. It's just a novel (a great read too!) but has nothing to do with our life, or what we do. It's fiction. So I wanted to be clear about that.

And did I say it will soon be available on Amazon and the Kindle?? Oh, I did. Well, it will be....hopefully in time for Christmas 2012, so that's your shopping sorted for this year then, right?!

Who am I writing for?

The other week I was able to have lunch with a man who's worked in the publishing world for around 40 years. It was a good time, chatting in general as well as what he had to say about my writing ambitions.

There was one question he asked which I find hard to answer - and it doesn't really bother me that I don't know the answer, but what worries me is that publishers WANT there to be an answer, and the fact that maybe I'm not doing something right along the requesting side of things by not telling them who the book is for.

The question was "Who is the book written for?", or "Who did you write the book for?"

Having come away from that time, and thinking, it occurred to me that I don't think an artist picks up his brush and works the paint onto the new canvas thinking about who exactly they are painting it for - in fact, I'm not sure they are even thinking about anyone, just what they have to paint, knowing that the finished article, their goal, is to be enjoyed because it's finished.

Same with a composer - they hear the music, and write what they hear. I'm not sure if their starting point could ever be with who they are writing the music for?

It's a creative process - and I know it might sound weak, but that's how it works for me. Just like an inspired artist or composer, my ideas come to me almost complete, the main points and titles do anyway, and its from here that I write, not with my audience in mind, but with the knowledge that if I can write as I see, and do a good job at it, thereby doing justice to the thought that appeared in my mind, then the finished product will be something that is there to be enjoyed - whether they be young adult men or retired women.

So does there need to be a 'target' market? I fear the world says yes....I guess only time will tell with my work really.

Frustrations

I'm going through that very frustrating phase of things....it's been six months since I first started sending off submissions for Cherry Picking.....I've had a baby in this time!

And yet, apart from the standard lines, saying thanks but no thanks, I haven't heard a thing. It's 15 agents that I've already sent things off to - and this is a really small number! In a recent post on his daily blog, San Francisco Agent Nathan Bransford showed how from over 300 queries in one week, on only 4 did he actually request full submissions - so that's 1%! So realistically, I know I need to send to another 85 agents before statistically one of them will request my complete book. Clearly, if Nathan is your average agent, there are a lot of factors, besides actually having a good book, that go into things....for example, how far down the pile yours gets read, how many on that particular day the agent receives, how busy they are the week you send in.

Because if an agents knows they are going to get 350 enquires in the week, then they know they can be super selective. And, for example, the first one they read that week, in my view, has less chance of being requested than maybe the 300th, by which time the standard has been revealed to be a little disappointing, the genres rather different, and knowing that they've only requested two so far and have only 50 more to read, they go for the 300th one....which might have been just the same as the 1st.....so timing and luck, as well as a great story, clearly all go into the selection process!

I am finding it hard though.....and yet, as a career, I've not even yet started!

I also should be writing my second novel now....something I said I would do, but with all that's been happening, as well as the frustration with hearing nothing, I've not been. In fact, I could be writing now, but am instead typing here, talking about how I should be writing instead!

So enough of that....maybe I am about to write my truly break through novel!!

Cherry Picking - Chapter 1&2

Finally, I have been able to get to at least a stage where I can put the first TWO chapters here. It is of course subject to change in the end, as you are reading a work in progress. But this will give you a good enough feel for things to come. Please enjoy it and do let me know what you think!

Tim Heath

***Removed in June 2012 as the book is now out***

But you can 'Look Inside' on the Amazon page and start reading the first few pages here

Facebook Group Starts

A warm welcome to those of you who have reached this blog via the facebook group.

In a little while I hope to have the first chapter, or so, of my book Cherry Picking right here on this blog!

But for now, there are a few older entries that I've tried to write during the process of finishing the book, including an intro to the characters.

Thanks for visiting, and please stay tuned!

Tim.

More Progress

Am now into chapter 27 of the second edit.

The one person to read it so far (up to about chapter 10 and this being my wife!) is very happy with it and wants to read more.

I wanted to get the second edit finished by the end of March, and then have people start reading it. The reading part has at least already started, and I should, I hope, be able to do the remaining four and a half chapters by the end of the month.

What next?

Well, once I finish I think I will run through a few of the comments already from my wife, and straighten anything out that I can before getting some other friends to read it who have publishing experience. In time I will put some of the opening scenes ONLY here on this blog, and promote it by setting up a Facebook group that people can join.

When its out there, being read, I will start the process of looking for an agent/publisher, but probably in about May/June. Any time before that I will start thoughts on another book. There are a few ideas I have been working on, and I know what ever one I choose to do next will be an exciting project as they are all interesting stories.

So keep in touch, stay connected and watch this space!

Progress

Well the second edit of the book Cherry Picking is going really well. I am up to chapter 17 now but more excitingly my wife (being the first person to read it yet) has just started reading the work now, as I managed to print out the first 16 chapters yesterday!

So I'm really excited to have got to this stage - her early thoughts are what I could hope for in the book. Over the next few weeks there will be some other people who I'm getting to read the work, so now its really the test time - will it make it or won't it! If I can't captivate these people who know me (and therefore have more reason to want to read it than the average person) then it'll be hard to expect others too.

So progress on the editing front and process in general. At last!!