12. Feb 2012
Helen Culnane
Posts from year 2012
Short Story Competition Judging Event
Judge, Dr Trudi Tate complimented the group on the high standard of entries, both for their variety of story lines and good writing. Her only criticism was that in stories set in other countries, some of dialogue did not always ring true. Seven stories were commended: Contractual Obligations by Will Tate, Domestic Blisslessness by Richard Gould, Giver of Gifts by Michael English, Loss 33 by Kathy English, Pure Murder by Rik Gammak, Relief by Sonia Webb and The Leap by Harry Goode. 1st prize went to Sarah Abraham Knight for The Black Heron, 2nd was Fallen Angel by Will Tate and 3rd Promises to Keep by David Franks.
Write-up of the e-publishing meeting
5. Sep 2012
Tim Love
Tim Love
In a fascinating evening about e-publishing, Thure Etzold, Richard Gould, Hannah Hooton, Nick Sireau, and Josephine Warrior told a full house about their experiences. They all seemed to have enjoyed exploring the new medium, seeing their name racing up charts, though their approaches vary. Thure, Richard and Hannah did much of the work themselves. Nick paid others to do editing, covers, etc. Jo found a publisher (Carina Press) who acted much like a traditional publisher. Already there are support services available for e-publishers. If you want a job done there are places where you can ask for tenders. Whatever approach you take you still need to be professional - ask for samples and references; send off dozens of email messages until you find what you want.
* Why do it? All talked about the difficulty with getting an agent let alone a contract, especially if the work doesn't fit into a popular genre. If it won't sell in a supermarket, forget it. Self-publishing/e-publishing can be the only option. You're going to have to enjoy the process because there's won't be big financial rewards.
