tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51854726492635900852024-03-13T19:14:50.661-07:00Adele Ward the poet at the bus stopAdele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-57267407226783606082022-02-09T12:03:00.002-08:002022-02-09T12:06:28.105-08:00Review – Casey Plett’s A Dream of a Woman: Living the Lives of Trans Women<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Fiction
lets us experience the daily lives of the characters in a way no other form
does, and the time is particularly apt for readers to walk for a while in the
footsteps of trans women. Casey Plett is a prizewinning Canadian author and
trans woman with two previous highly acclaimed books to her name: the novel </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://wordery.com/search?term=casey+plett+little+fish" target="_blank">Little Fish</a></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and the short story collection </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Safe-Girl-Love-Casey-Plett/9781627290050?ref=grid-view&qid=1644436853876&sr=1-1" target="_blank">A Safe Girl to Love</a>.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Her latest short story collection, <i><a href="https://wordery.com/search?term=casey+plett+a+dream+of+a+woman" target="_blank">A Dream of a Woman</a></i>, falls in between the short story and novel forms, as it
includes separate short stories and also a long story broken into shorter
fiction that appears here and there throughout the book. This more sustained
tale is about David and Iris, who meet at school and have a friendship, become
a couple, and then develop a more complex relationship that they keep coming back
to for years as David transitions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The other stories reflect similar themes to
Plett’s first short story collection, with trans women living their experience
in as many varied ways as there are characters. The stories can be positive but
not in a simplistic way as they show the stream of consciousness of the women
as they search for love.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Plett is not a highly descriptive or poetic
writer, instead bringing her characters to life in specific detail and
plain-spoken prose that also evokes the settings, across Canada and the US. Like
David, the other characters are at various stages of transition and make
different decisions about surgery and relationships. Deeply aware of their own
changing bodies, they show the reader how they feel and what transition is in
practical and emotional terms. I learnt from this, even though as a trans ally
I have read widely already.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The stories don’t shy away from sex and are
specific and vivid rather than erotic and definitely not written to titillate.
They portray trans women in a way that lets the reader step into their world,
drawing us in and increasing our understanding. With so much misunderstanding
about trans people, good fiction is a perfect way to counteract the raised
voices of so much discourse on this subject.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The stories are not strong on plot, pulling
the reader in and holding them in the world Plett creates, rather than motivating
the reader on to find out what’s going to happen. The longer story of David and
Iris is helpful in this, as it does follow the plot of their lives and how they
and their relationship develop. I was left wanting to know more about them,
which is a good sign.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I listened to this as an <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Dream-Woman-Stories/dp/B09R29MVQQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3NGCBJFII41M4&keywords=casey+plett+a+dream+of+a+woman&qid=1644437109&sprefix=casey+plett+a+dream+of+a+woman%2Caps%2C57&sr=8-1" target="_blank">audiobook</a> read by
the author and thoroughly enjoyed it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-26920924025902000732018-01-04T17:15:00.000-08:002018-01-04T17:15:13.245-08:00Theatre Review – The Ferryman by Jez Butterworth, Gielgud Theatre, London<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jez Butterworth’s latest play, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Ferryman</i>, directed by Sam Mendes, has received excellent
reviews, and articles over the Christmas period saw many selecting it as their
favourite play of the year. My experience of the play was more mixed and before
going into the criticisms I’ll say that the standing ovation was well earned
and I cried at the emotional impact of the stunning conclusion.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I was looking forward to being transported back to
Northern Ireland, where I was born and spent my childhood, expecting the play
to be full of the turns of phrase and the accent I recognise and love. The
first act surprised me as the colloquialisms weren’t there and the accents were
a bit of a mixed bag, with some sounding authentic and some sounding a bit too
‘try hard’, while others missed the mark completely much of the time. This
could mangle some of the words and I heard other audience members in the
interval saying they shared my inability to hear some of the phrases, which was
frustrating.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It also felt as if the play lacked the heart and soul of
a writer who had actually lived through the Troubles. I have avoided writing
about this experience myself as it can feel like exploiting the suffering of
others for shock value, and I was only there for a year or two as the violence
ignited in 1969 and 1970. Although Butterworth has part-Irish Catholic parents,
he grew up in St Albans, as I read after watching the play, which explained to
me why it was a Northern Ireland I didn’t recognise. The setting was also
historical to him as he was born in 1969, which can be an interesting
perspective, and it certainly led to him treating the themes with the
objectivity and impartiality of distance.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
His focus on the impact on one family of a man being
‘disappeared’ 10 years previously by the IRA opened the play up to the
universal theme of the traumas and knock-on effect when someone close to us
vanishes without explanation and we have no idea if they’re alive or dead. This
has happened in my family so it’s a subject I related to.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Ferryman</i>
opens with a striking prologue. A leading figure in the IRA called Muldoon is
standing outside a wall in the city covered in graffiti, including the name
Bobby as it’s set at the time the hunger strikers are drawing international
attention to Northern Ireland and Margaret Thatcher’s government. Bobby Sands
and others are dying and will be named in a kind of repeated chorus by
characters throughout the play. Their story alone lends strength to the play.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In the prologue Muldoon stands waiting even before the
audience is seated and he bears a striking resemblance to ‘he who must not be
named’ in a similar true story about the killing of Jean McConville. Just as
Jean McConville vanished and it took years for her body to be found, while
rumours were deliberately circulated to suggest she was an informer who had run
away with a British soldier, abandoning her family, the ghost of Seamus Carney
haunts the living characters in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Ferryman</i>. Just as the McConville family and others knew who was behind the
disappearance of Jean but stayed silent for self-protection, Seamus’s brother
Quinn and others know it was Muldoon but they have maintained a mafia-like <span class="st">omertà</span>.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The opening works very well, with Muldoon calling the
Carneys’ priest to a meeting so that he can get information about the Carney
family that will help him blackmail them into silence. The body of Seamus
Carney has been found in a peat bog, well preserved and with a bullet through
the head, the contents of his pockets showing when he died. The sightings of
Seamus after his death are clearly a cover-up and Muldoon wants no bad
publicity while the sympathy of the world is with him and the hunger strikers.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The problem with this is that Muldoon has no need to get
info from the priest in order to silence the Carneys. He could just threaten
them in the same way he threatens the priest, by showing a picture of his
sister. Killings are easy for a man with Muldoon’s power and following, so the
elaborate emotional blackmail is exciting theatre but unnecessary and
over-complicated in a situation where keeping quiet is the norm to protect
loved ones.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Apart from the prologue the whole play is set in the main
room of the Carney family farm, which works well as it’s the place where
everything happens, from cooking to partying, and the preparations are in hand
for a big harvest feast after the annual haymaking. This brings cousins from
the city to help out, which reminded me of haymaking at farms near my
grandparents’ home, and we did all get together including me at only 7,
dragging bails across fields for neighbours. I don’t remember harvest feasts
but it’s a good ploy to bring all the necessary characters together. The young
male cousins from the city are seeing the violence of the Troubles at close quarters
and are more easily recruited to help Muldoon in what they see as a war. Women
were also involved in both the IRA activities and in the more peaceful activity
of haymaking, and this is missing from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Ferryman</i>. The Price sisters, Dolours and Marianne, are an example in the
Jean McConville story.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Despite the strong political elements, the main story is
more domestic and revolves around Seamus Carney’s widow Caitlin who has moved
in with her brother-in-law Quinn and Quinn’s wife Mary while paying off the
wedding ring she bought for Seamus: she’s living in a limbo unable to be certain
if her husband is alive or dead. Quinn was a committed IRA member but defected,
leaving the question of whether or not Seamus was killed for no fault of his
own but as a punishment for his brother’s disillusionment. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
One of the city cousins, Shane, has been recruited by
Muldoon and tells of the punishment of a young Catholic presumably suspected of
being an informer. The complexity of wrong and right is a strength of the play,
with the audience’s empathy moving in different directions at different points
and Muldoon at least as unlikeable as the smug Margaret Thatcher on the radio
with no sympathy for the suffering of the hunger strikers. The title <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Ferryman</i> refers to the sins that
cannot be forgiven and is taken from the description in Virgil’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aeneid</i> of the souls condemned to wander
the world and not cross to the other side because of what they have done or
what has happened to them in this life.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Older relatives tell stories of the history of British
colonialism in Ireland, and the loss of a brother in the Easter Uprising which
has left the fiery Aunt Patricia fiercely anti-English. Aunt Maggie sits in her
wheelchair almost completely in her own world and incapable of communication
until she suddenly emerges from time to time to tell stories of the old days
and answer questions from the children who believe she can predict the future.
She hears banshees that predict death, and along with a gun we know Aunt Patricia
took from her dying brother, the second half of the play builds up successfully
to tragedy we know will happen.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
This all gives it an underlying feel similar to a Russian
play, although how the gun is going to be used is not quite as predictable. In
the 10 years since his brother’s death, Quinn has become close to Seamus’s
widow Caitlin (although she doesn’t know for sure she’s a widow). It’s clear to
the audience from the start that there’s an attraction and they seem to us to
be the couple with all the children until we’re surprised by the appearance of
Quinn’s actual wife. It’s very brave having so many children acting in a play
and they do an impressive job.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When Quinn’s wife Mary appears occasionally down the
rickety staircase, rarely changing out of her plain nightdress and complaining
of a never-ending virus, it’s clear that the disappearance of Seamus has led to
her losing her husband to Caitlin and she is vanishing metaphorically. She
conveys this not just by her lack of interest in her appearance but also in the
loss of her voice, which sounds sad and broken. Her daughter criticises her as
if she’s a lazy hypochondriac constantly in bed eating biscuits, while Caitlin
appears to have replaced her not only in her husband’s affections but also as
the wife and mother, cooking and looking after the children.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Empathy could go in various directions in this play, and
mine was up the rickety staircase with the almost invisible Mary. Her voice
when she did appear, hiding her true feelings and hoping the ‘virus’ had gone
once Seamus’s body was found and Caitlin could move on, was mesmerising.
Although the unspoken ‘love story’ is between Caitlin and Quinn it wasn’t one I
felt made me wish for it to become spoken and requited. The disappearance of
Seamus has led to the destruction of the family, which doesn’t happen in one
clear cut but in 10 years of uncertainty. For anyone who has a partner who
vanishes inexplicably, this kind of lack of closure leads to the wasting of
many years.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There are stereotypes which led to a lot of laughter in
the audience, but which I didn’t find especially funny, even though this was
balanced by some truly laugh-out-loud humour. The constant swearing, especially
feck and shite, sounded like an episode of Father Ted, with everyone including
the children speaking like Father Jack. Everybody, including the children,
drank whisky throughout the play. I’m not sure if this happened in families –
the whisky and swearing seemed far more than I’ve ever heard. Some lines, like
‘fuck me blue’ from the mouth of a little girl who has just been told by the
soothsaying elderly aunt that she’ll have nine children, sounded like an
over-dependence on swearing and adult comments in the mouths of children rather
than successful comedy. But people laughed so I could be wrong!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The theme of unrequited, unspoken or lost love is central
to the whole play. The priest says his sister is all he has so he’ll risk hell
to break the secrecy of what he’s been told in confession. Aunt Patricia lost
the brother she loved so much she followed him into ardent freedom fighting.
Aunt Maggie never married because she loved a boy so much she couldn’t in all
honesty commit to another – England took her first love as he needed to leave
Ireland for work. Caitlin has lost Seamus who may have been killed by the IRA
for no fault of his own, and her son Oisin takes his teenage anger out on her
and is vulnerable to recruitment by Muldoon. Caitlin and Quinn have spent years
repressing their love, while upstairs Mary is ill due to the loss of her
husband’s love, losing the respect of her children at the same time. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Romantic love is made questionable by this, as are
romantic ideals. Certain actions stand out as authentic, such as the sacrifice
and suffering of the hunger strikers willing to die in such a horrific way. The
damage inflicted by the British has led to ongoing suffering in Ireland, just
as the IRA killings of Irish Catholics have led to the suffering and conflict
of viewpoints shown in this play. The complexity is there, and there are no
clear cut rights and wrongs. One mistake writers can make when addressing Irish
themes from an outsider perspective can be to romanticise the subject, and that’s
not the case here. Romanticism is all ‘bollocks’ as Quinn says to Caitlin about
their own repressed love.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The acting is excellent apart from the questionable
accents of some, and this could be overcome with the regular cast changes. The
children are remarkable in their ability to immerse themselves in the world of
the play. The risk of having so many children and even a baby on stage is
great, and it amazed me that the baby was so quiet. I held my breath as one of
the older children rushed up and down the rickety open-step stairway, babe in arms,
in case of a fall. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There’s also a live goose and live rabbits and I felt
sorry for the goose in particular, despite a note on the website that animal
trainers and animal welfare experts have been used. The goose looked frightened
and angry, but using a live goose <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>before
bringing in a goose that’s strangled and hung upside down has an effect of
prefiguring the violence against the powerless later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still wasn’t comfortable with living
creatures being on stage surrounded by so much noise and fear of the audience.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
If I have to pick out the acting that impressed me it was
in the roles of Mary the neglected wife, Tom Kettle the gentle giant English
farmhand who was found locally as a lost boy and who is at risk due to the
anti-English feeling, and cousin Shane who has been recruited by Muldoon, as
well as Aunt Patricia and Aunt Maggie. Muldoon also looms large, not saying
much but a dominating presence as he walks into the farm and as he waits for
the priest at in the prologue. There was no weak acting.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
All of this leads to a play with much to admire and the
critical acclaim is understandable. However, something was missing for me. The
setting has been described as Hardyesque and it did strike me as similar to a
setting in a DH Lawrence play rather than a farm in Northern Ireland in the
1980s. The décor, the harvest feast, the dinner with everybody spontaneously
bursting into various forms of Irish dancing, and the Irish folk songs sung by
Aunt Maggie and Aunt Patricia were all from an imagined Ireland and a mixture
of alternative history mixed with historical facts. This didn’t work for me and
detracted from the good points of the play, but it all clearly works for many
people, has led to it being one of the fastest booking plays of the year and an
extended season. Well worth seeing and let me know what you think of it. I
haven’t given everything away!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-6807876712680474712018-01-02T14:38:00.000-08:002018-01-02T14:38:20.825-08:00Book Review – Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It was hard to miss all the recommendations for Sally
Rooney’s debut novel <i>Conversations with
Friends</i> in the end-of-year articles listing the best releases of the year.
As I have a liking for Irish writing and a Dublin setting I bought it as part
of my Christmas holiday reading. I wasn’t disappointed.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Rooney has a distinctive voice that carries the reader
along as if we’re listening to the first person narrator chatting us through
her life day-by-day. I was quickly drawn in, as if listening to a friend
revealing all, but the simplicity of the style is scattered with striking
metaphors and some beautifully worded sentences that made me wonder if Rooney,
like her main character Frances, is also a poet.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Frances is 21 and still close to her best female friend
from school, the noncomformist Bobbi, who was also her first love and her
greatest influence. Bobbi ended their relationship for reasons unknown until
the end of the novel, but they still perform poetry together and are fairly
inseparable. Frances admires Bobbi and is clearly still in love with her.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When the literary journalist Melissa comes into their
life to photograph them and write an article, they get invited to her house and
to events where she introduces them to her handsome actor husband Nick and
important people in the literary world. This will help Frances get published,
but should she, as her new attempt at fiction is clearly autobiographical and
characters are recognisable.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
If this makes it sound as if it’s a novel about writers,
not the most welcome theme, then don’t be misled. Instead Frances takes us
through a year of complex relationships, where she and Melissa are<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
bisexual, Bobbi is lesbian and Nick is heterosexual. As
this leads to affairs with all the usual jealousies, self-questioning,
judgmental attitudes of others and lowering of self-esteem after the initial ‘falling
in love’, the reader is left questioning why marriage survives and whether
monogamy is conditioning rather than instinct.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Frances falls in love with a man for the first time while
retaining her love for Bobbi, and has to ask herself why she would expect faithfulness
from another when she can love and desire two people. Bobbi can’t understand
why anyone would get married any more as she sees it as an institution to
protect the patriarchy and the lack of doubt over paternity. She no longer
wants to be called a girlfriend and prefers to be called a friend. Monogamy isn’t
important to her and she feels love can be for more than one person, just as
parents can love their children equally. In one of the conversations with
friends, their more conventional social circle disagree.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When Frances decides to stop analysing and to experience
instead, realising that some things can only be understood by living them, it
seems ironic as the whole novel is in a voice that ‘over-thinks’ and analyses
every situation. Frances even over-analyses step-by-step through the sex scenes
so it’s hard to know whether she really enjoys them as much as she says. She’s
an analytical mind, but it’s somehow both enjoyable and stressful being in
there with her. She displays all the joy and angst of university-age women. It’s
certainly a different way to write about sex.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
While all of this is going on, Frances is also managing
to spend much of her time in the university library getting on with her degree,
and working as an intern in a literary agency, although she has no ambition for
any career. A quip about how her course (English literature) will lead to her
being able to write in a way that nobody can understand made me chuckle aloud,
and Rooney weaves academic English into the novel here and there as that’s how
Frances and her friends would be thinking but it’s like a foreign language to
most people. Philosophers and literary theorists are named and quoted as part
of her stream of consciousness, but there’s no need to look them up.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The visits to Frances’s divorced parents are also well
depicted, with her father still going through the mood swings and alcoholism
she remembers from her childhood. Her mother is more capable but perhaps an
enabler, expecting Frances to carry on humouring her father, while he fails to
provide the money she needs and goes out of contact so it’s hard to know if he’s
suicidal or even still alive. It’s easy to see why Frances has developed a
protective barrier against the outside world and emotion, and why her
self-esteem is so low despite her academic and creative talents.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
This backstory is contained seamlessly within the
narrative, so that the reader can see why Frances is attracted to the beautiful
home and the almost parental figures of Melissa and Nick (and has the
self-awareness to ponder this herself).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Melissa also questions her right, or lack of it, to be
upset if her husband is unfaithful, when she herself has had affairs, while
Bobbie would no doubt question terms such as ‘unfaithful’ and ‘affairs’. It all
reminds me of an evolved version of the 1970s when we questioned how much our
behaviour was due to conditioning and whether we needed to break away from much
that we took for granted.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There’s a new earnestness, or maybe that was also there in
the 1970s. Bobbie is angry if any emotional blackmail games are played, or if
she feels she’s being used to make another jealous, even if it’s only with a
smile and whispering in the ear to feign closeness in front of a new lover
losing interest. Lack of honesty and openness is also met with anger and temporary
‘unfriending’, because after all, in polyamory honesty is important. Deceit is
the trademark of old-fashioned values and ‘cheating’ on spouses. But can
Frances manage a new kind of relationship, or set of relationships? The novel
leaves us to work that one out for ourselves.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-21194940608293087962017-12-15T16:10:00.000-08:002017-12-15T16:27:48.089-08:00Whatever Happened to Bluechrome? The mystery of the disappearing publisher.<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When Bluechrome Publishing closed in 2009 the
disappearance of the publisher, Anthony Delgado, was a mystery that baffled
those of us involved. It’s a mystery that has remained for years – but it’s now
possible to find some answers. Along with a number of authors, I was waiting
for my book to be published by them and I was also working as Bluechrome’s
fiction editor. Despite this I was given no warning that the company was
closing and when all communication stopped I was left in as difficult a
position as everyone else.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I tried to trace Anthony for my own sake and the sake of
the other authors, as we needed to know our rights regarding our own books on
the Bluechrome list. My own poetry collection, <i>Never-Never Land</i>, was the last
book published by Bluechrome just as they were vanishing, so it had no launch,
no promotion and I received no royalties. I managed to get hold of the
remaining copies from the distributors, Central Books, with permission from the
book reps Inpress books: none of the people in these companies had heard from
Anthony. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
He had managed to vanish very effectively. When I saw
some online book sales for Bluechrome titles I thought he was still operating,
but in fact books continue to sell via distributor, wholesalers and book reps.
Apart from wanting to sort out my contract with Bluechrome so that I could
republish my book, I was concerned about Anthony and wanted to know he was well
– he had MS and I had heard he and his family had received death threats and
other harassment from authors when new book launches were delayed in the year
before the company closed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
While trying to find Anthony I discovered that he used
the pen-name <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Erik-Ryman/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_27%3AErik%20Ryman">Erik Ryman</a> for his own books. This was a surprise as he had asked
me to edit a novel by Erik Ryman without letting me know it was actually his,
but I remember how delighted he was that I ‘liked Erik’. I was supposed to
receive a small payment for editing Bluechrome books but it never arrived, not
even for the Erik Ryman novel. I never cared about the lack of payment as I
knew small publishers struggled. Along with the poetry editor and some authors
there was a lot of good will and the wish to help Anthony keep Bluechrome going
but he wouldn’t talk to us at the end. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
A couple of years ago I discovered that an Erik Ryman of Bristol (like Anthony) was
active online again but there was no sign of any easy way to contact him. He was
involved with the music community, mainly on <a href="http://www.cigarboxnation.com/forum/topics/my-new-web-site-the-jooky?page=1&commentId=2592684%3AComment%3A161240&x=1#2592684Comment161240">guitar forums</a>, where he said he
had started the <a href="http://jookyguitaremporium.blogspot.co.uk/">Jooky Guitar Emporium</a>. Following various links I found he had
tried to set up a small family publishing venture using crowdfunding to bring
out a few books, but the amount needed hadn’t been raised. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In recent weeks the Jooky name came to my attention again
when a poet told me she had been involved in advising a new publishing company
to offer a cash prize for a poetry competition seeing as it had an entry fee.
Always interested in new publishing companies I took a look at it – the <a href="https://www.hedgehogpress.co.uk/">Hedgehog Poetry Press</a> – and signed up to the e-newsletter. Along with the competition
there’s an anthology, a poetry magazine and an opportunity to have an
individual collection published. There are good marketing ideas, including the
putting together of a limited group of 100 subscribers who will be a kind of ‘literary
salon’ to support the press and to spread the word.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
On the contact page I found that the press is run by
Jooky, which is a publishing company as well as a guitar emporium now, with a
few specialist musical magazines on its list. The subscription method of funding is also used by the Jooky Guitar Emporium magazines.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I see some familiar names on the
list of contributors to the Hedgehog Poetry Press magazine, including some
well-known poets. So it should be easy to find out if the Erik Ryman of Bristol
who started Jooky is the same as the Erik Ryman of Bristol who is the alias of Anthony Delgado. If so, is
he still involved with Jooky and if not, does the current owner know what happened
to him? If you’re involved with Hedgehog Poetry Press or near them in Somerset I’d be
interested to know the answers to these questions.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-9326143163048449242017-12-03T15:57:00.000-08:002017-12-03T15:57:38.651-08:00TV Review - Howards End Episode 4 BBC1<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The fourth and final episode of <i>Howards End</i> came full circle with the Schlegel sisters and the
Wilcoxes as obnoxious as they were for me in the first episode. In the third
episode it seemed as if Helen had developed some awareness of Leonard Bast as
an equal rather than a charity case and a social experiment but this was not to
endure.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It was also confusing in some parts in a similar way to
episode one, especially regarding what happened between Helen and Leonard, so
it seemed as if the BBC were relying on people having read the book before
watching the series. Did they have a single encounter or had it continued? I
couldn’t quite tell. Either way, she decided she ‘never wants to see him again’
because he would ‘keep worshipping her’.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Being a single mother at a time when it would ruin her
reputation is preferable to her than being with Leonard, which can be seen as
brave, but the way she has continued to treat him abusively by encouraging him
to get close and then distancing him because she ultimately views him as
inferior shows that she’s the same Helen who wanted to patronise and help him.
Her offer of a cheque for £5,000, which he keeps returning, compounds that
insult.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The writer, Kenneth Lonergan, did well to keep us
wondering why she decided to go to Germany and avoid her family. I thought it
was to avoid Margaret once Helen knew about Henry Wilcox’s affair, as it would
be hard to lie to her sister after a lifetime of honesty. Helen doesn’t know
that Henry has told Margaret and she has forgiven him. The obvious reason – to hide
a pregnancy – doesn’t occur to us.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When it comes to Henry being as accepting about a heavily
pregnant and unmarried Helen the hypocrisy and double standards of the time for
men and women become clear. He doesn’t even want Helen to spend the night in
Howards End, where all the Schlegel furniture is being stored. As the
housekeeper sets out the furniture and books, Howards End continues to play a
main role in the story, establishing itself even more as the permanent home the
sisters crave.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The switch from our focus on Henry’s affair to Helen’s
unmarried sexual encounter is effective as we see very different reactions to
the people involved. Helen is expected to marry, the man is considered a
seducer and the active partner, with the woman as a victim but an embarrassment
to be shuffled out of the way. If the man can’t marry her he should be
thrashed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Leonard would no doubt marry Helen and is looking for
her, finally travelling to Howards End after getting some news from her brother
Tibby. It’s clear that he will never be accepted by the Schlegels or the
Wilcoxes as a possible husband because of his class, although Tibby has begun
to admire him for returning such large cheques and not giving in to the
temptation of money despite his poverty.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I haven’t read the novel, but the damage done to Leonard
by the Schlegel sisters’ books and bookshelves makes me think EM Forster
intended us to see him as the victim of their culture and philanthropy as much
as he’s a victim of the class system and wealthy materialists like the
Wilcoxes. The Schlegels want the same things as the Wilcoxes in the end – their
comfortable house and the company of people from their own class.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
At the end we see Helen and Margaret blissfully happy and
Leonard is completely forgotten as they live their idyllic life. Helen tells Margaret
that she now likes Henry, and Margaret suggests that it would be impossible for
anyone to dislike him. Henry has been broken by the legal punishment of his
son, rather than the horrific act he has committed, and the fact that he can’t
manage to get him out of trouble by pulling all the strings he can. Even when
Margaret hears that her husband hid from her the fact that she inherited
Howards End from his late wife she is unperturbed. He asks if he did wrong and
she replies that nobody has done anything wrong. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
They have all done wrong and the victim at every stage
has been Leonard Bast along with Jackie. Their lives would have been much
better if Leonard had never met the Schlegels but the damage done to them is
wiped aside and forgotten as Helen, Margaret and Henry walk out into the sunny
meadow with Helen’s child. They deserve each other and Leonard deserved much
better. He will stay in my mind and I must read the novel now to see if it
comes across in the same way or if the TV series made significant changes to
the plot and themes. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It’s not easy to get a strong reaction from viewers and
Howards End managed to annoy me many times and to create some difficult viewing
in the worst moments for Leonard, all done in casual ignorance by the
philanthropic Helen, her family and their friends. If you haven’t seen it, I
highly recommend catching it on BBC iPlayer.<o:p></o:p></div>
Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-6846909930568065662017-12-03T13:01:00.000-08:002017-12-03T13:01:18.806-08:00TV Review – Howards End Episode 3 BBC1<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Condensing <i>Howards
End</i> into four episodes must have been a challenge for the writer (Kenneth
Lonergan), but as we reached the penultimate episode it was all coming together
nicely. He has all his plates spinning and he’s keeping them balanced, just as
a novelist would be in the large central section of a book. The idea was to
concentrate on the Schlegel sisters and the men in their lives and this does
allow a wider look at other main themes.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The opening scene was a bit stagey and heavy-handed in
showing Margaret Schlegel displaying her interest in the latest car being
driven by the Wilcox chauffeur. It served to indicate her feminism, contrasting
with the older Wilcox and his old-fashioned view of the roles of men and women,
but there is little to reinforce the idea of Margaret as a New Woman apart from
this and her decision to take the initiative in giving a passionate kiss later.
I am left with the feeling that the Margaret in the novel might be more
complex, interesting and likeable than the one in this series.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
After the initial car scene the acting and dialogue
became more believable, with a convincing marriage proposal that takes place
without either person saying it explicitly and both cutting the other’s
sentences short and saying they understood. Wilcox became more likeable than
before in his modest expectation of rejection and offer to help with housing
nonetheless. Margaret’s motives are hard to fathom, especially when she makes
it clear to Wilcox that she agrees he should pass his money to his sons and
daughters.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It’s hard to see what has drawn her to him and it seems
like a genuine attraction, even if his attempt at a kiss is initially looks unwelcome.
The Margaret who worried about her sister Helen being led on and abandoned by
Wilcox’s son in the first episode, seemingly at his father’s request, has
vanished. She has no time for Helen’s objections even if we are suddenly
reminded by Helen’s own memories that Wilcox is the stuffy and cold
authoritarian who hid behind his newspaper to make her feel unwelcome in his
home.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Wilcox had been winning us over with his humble proposal
in this episode and his willingness to ‘enjoy’ a meal at the protein café at
Margaret’s invitation, despite others saying the reformed food is vile.
However, we soon see his other side when he just expects Margaret to do as he
says. He is inconsiderate about her Aunt Juley’s need of her company on a
seaside break and takes her away, speaking over her objections. He also tells
her which of his houses she will live in with him without consulting her, only
letting her know when she asks.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Margaret’s first view of the empty Howards End is a
striking moment. It’s almost derelict without the family there and she seems to
fall in love, which many viewers will understand and identify with. In this
episode we discover that Howards End is not the only or the main property
Wilcox owns and he doesn’t want to live in it. This makes it unacceptable that
he ignored his wife’s dying wish to leave it to Margaret (I would still have
liked to see more of their short but deep friendship).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Worst of all he has no conscience when he hears his
advice has led to Leonard Bast giving up a safe job as a bank clerk and taking
on a lower paid job. He doesn’t even remember Bast or that he said the bank was
going to have serious financial difficulty. The bank is in no trouble at all,
but Bast’s new employer lays him off, leaving him struggling with serious
poverty and his live-in partner Jackie ill and malnourished. When he is
unwilling to ask the Schlegel sisters for charity, Jackie calls on Margaret to
ask for help.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Helen’s response is as immature and tactless as her behaviour
in earlier episodes, making us cringe as she drags Bast and Jackie on a train
to confront Wilcox at his daughter’s wedding to insist he takes responsibility
for his incorrect advice. When Margaret sees them at the wedding marquee she
seems to have turned into an echo of Wilcox, shocking Helen by insisting they
should leave. However, she offers to speak to Wilcox in a more conventional way
to ask him to find Bast a new job.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Wilcox comes good with an offer to please Margaret, even
though he believes Bast’s problems are all of his own making. The bringing
together of Bast, Jackie and Wilcox leads to a revelation about Wilcox’s past
and I’ll be interested to see in the final episode if Margaret will accept it
with so-called Bloomsbury open-mindedness about polyamory or if it’s just a new
way of turning a blind eye to the patriarchal behaviour of men like Wilcox.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Bast remains the most interesting character to me, and
the subtlety of Joseph Quinn’s acting works superbly in this role. So much has
to be suggested by looks, body language and few words: his despair at his
poverty and loss of work; his feeling of failure at not looking after Jackie;
his humiliation at being pressurised to ask for charity and his polite way of
understating it in his letter so that Margaret would have to be an expert at
reading between the lines to know how much trouble he’s in. The moment he sees
Margaret in his home we feel the shock and humiliation with him and we cringe
with him on the train he would certainly never have got onto with Helen without
Jackie going along with the plan.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When Margaret asks him to leave and says Helen has misled
him in expecting Wilcox to help, Bast is only too eager to apologise and go,
but Margaret is charitable enough to put him up in a local hotel where Jackie
soon falls asleep and he’s left alone with Helen. This moment feels as if it
has been inevitable since his first awareness of her sitting beside him at the
classical music concert. Helen finally listens to him, rather than treating him
to her philanthropy. In few words he tells of his working class family cutting
him off because of his relationship and we find out the back story that has
left him in his trapped situation. But he does care for Jackie and when Helen
says they can’t have anything in common it’s a poignant moment when he answers,
‘We have companionship in common.’ His acceptance of Jackie with her past, and
his greater compassion for her because of it, marks him out as the most
appealing and ethical character.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Despite her immature behaviour and tactlessness, Helen
has also become more likeable because her motives are laudable. She has also
started to see Bast as an equal. It’s a significant moment and Joseph Quinn
somehow charges the atmosphere with a type of charisma I admire and don’t quite
understand in an actor. How exactly does he do it with so few words and
restrained body language? When he crosses the room to help Helen close the
window, standing close and reaching across her to do it, there’s more erotic
tension than in an explicit scene. He has quickly established himself as an
actor I would watch a television series to see.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
All three first episodes are on BBC iPlayer for a while
and they’re well worth seeing, and the fourth will join them after it’s aired
this evening.<o:p></o:p></div>
Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-90718601465694561972017-11-25T17:43:00.000-08:002017-11-25T17:44:28.505-08:00Book Review - The Other Shore by Thich Nhat Hanh<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh has the ability to put the most complex Buddhist theories into language anybody can understand and that’s certainly true of his book <i>The Other Shore</i>. In it he discusses that most baffling of Buddhist concepts – emptiness. Each chapter is based around a few lines from his translation of the<i> Heart Sutra</i>, otherwise known as <i>The Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore</i>. As this sutra contains the line ‘whoever can see this no longer needs anything to attain’, it’s a teaching that anyone interested in Buddhism will want to consider deeply, time after time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I try to chant the <i>Heart Sutra</i> every morning and I do it along with a recording by TJ Fool on Soundcloud called <i>The Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore</i>. It’s not a long sutra but it contains the core Buddhist concepts of emptiness, the transformation of suffering and the path to enlightenment.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
By the time I finished the last chapter, I felt a wave of happiness washing over me, which is how the understanding of emptiness affects us, even though we grasp it for a moment then find we’ve lost it again as we move back into our everyday experience of the world. Thich Nhat Hanh gives us that glimpse into the ultimate dimension of how things really are, recognising that nothing is separate and that everything is interconnected with everything else. Then we close the book and move back into the historical dimension of conventional reality where we have to see ourselves and everything around us as separate in order to get through our daily lives.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But touching the emptiness of all phenomena as separate entities gives a sense of calm and a new way to look at whatever is troubling us. I have certainly been trying to resolve difficult issues and <i>The Other Shore</i> helped me see them from a completely different perspective, allowing me to work on fixing problems without being caught up in too much worry.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In the final sections, Thich Nhat Hanh also explains how this fundamental teaching of Buddha has been misinterpreted by various Buddhist traditions, which I found especially helpful as I like to go to dharma talks from other traditions to understand diverse approaches. While I enjoy other traditions, there’s an authenticity and simplicity to Thich Nhat Hanh’s approach that, for me anyway, seems to touch what the Buddha actually taught.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Thich Nhat Hanh had a stroke a few years ago and no longer writes, so the new translation of the Heart Sutra (to replace his previous one) and this book are two of his last publications. In <i>The Other Shore</i> I find he speaks more clearly than ever before about the mistaken directions Buddhism can take, slipping into what he calls spirituality and even magic, or what I would describe as superstition. He also explains how other religions fed into Buddhism historically, with ideas about karma and reincarnation being added in, even thought they weren’t taught by Buddha. Some room for discussion on these points.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The new translation of the <i>Heart Sutra</i> can be found <a href="https://plumvillage.org/news/thich-nhat-hanh-new-heart-sutra-translation/" target="_blank">here</a>, and the recording on Soundcloud can be found <a href="https://soundcloud.com/tj-fool/the-insight-that-brings-us-to-the-other-shore" target="_blank">here</a>. <i>The Other Shore</i> by Thich Nhat Hanh is available from <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Heart-Understanding-Translation-Sutra-Commentaries/dp/1941529143/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1511659971&sr=8-1">online retailers</a> in print or on Kindle. To those of you who don’t know Thich Nhat Hanh, he is possibly the most significant living zen master and he started out as a Vietnamese monk trying to work for peace between the US and Vietnam during the war in the 1960s. At that time Martin Luther King nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. He lives in a monastery called <a href="https://plumvillage.org/">Plum Village</a> in France, where people can go on retreat, and there are many groups around the UK that you can find on the <a href="https://coiuk.org/">coiuk.org</a> website. I go to the one near Leicester Square on Saturday mornings – details can be found on the <a href="http://hols.org.uk/">Heart of London Sangha</a> website. Maybe I'll see you there!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-73507852685024978402017-11-21T12:03:00.000-08:002017-11-21T12:03:35.655-08:00TV Review – Howards End Episode 2 BBC1<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
After my mixed feelings about the first episode of <i>Howards End</i>, I watched the second
episode in the hope it would be less of a curate’s egg and it was. There was
only one scene with grown women acting like ‘girls being silly’ – the moment
when Leonard Bast arrived at the door and they almost accosted him on the
doorstep, both talking over each other in their enthusiasm to get him indoors.
There were also fewer scenes with women rushing after people – only one this
week as Helen chased after Leonard making a hasty escape from their patronising
treatment of him in their drawing room once he gave in and accepted their
invitation to tea.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The series is made worthwhile for me by the story of
Leonard Bast, by far the most interesting character. Joseph Quinn is a superb
actor in the role and completely believable against the sometimes melodramatic
lines and acting by the Schlegel sisters. They can also be credible but they
slip into odd moments when they become ‘silly girls’, which is disappointing in
a story that’s looking at feminism.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In this episode we found out more about Bast and the
reasons why his face shows all the woes of the world, mixed with some kind of
hope – we wonder what it is he most wants. His life as a clerk is
mind-numbingly dreary and he drags his feet home after work to a small flat in
a basement, reached by walking along a grimy alley with views onto other
basement flats with dirty net curtains. Unlike the Schlegels he has no servants
and gets the cooking on, while Mrs Bast arrives home to ask him when she can
stop pretending she’s his wife. It’s a scene we can tell has been repeated many
times, and he promises he will marry here once he’s 21 as his word is his
honour. So much is conveyed by this – his young age and the sense that he’s
trapped in a life he hates.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When he visits the Schegel household his greatest desire
is to talk about books but the sisters see him as a social project and they
want to help him in other ways. His attempts at conversation about literature
are rebuffed, and he himself feels rebuffed when Mr Wilcox turns up for a visit
with his daughter. Bast feels himself out of his class and unwanted as a
conversationalist about the arts. The scene when he leaves is moving, giving
him the chance to tell Helen exactly how he feels while the maid tries to find
his hat. He knows very well that they see him as a ‘charity case’ and a ‘comedy
figure’ and that they have no interest in talking to him about books. As Helen
tries to deny this the maid finds his hat and he takes it, swiftly moving his
hand to grip it by a particularly threadbare part of the brim. Helen notices
and he notices her noticing. It’s understated and all the more poignant for
that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Helen’s casual rudeness to her maid also shows her lack
of self-awareness, wanting to help one person from a lower class while
mistreating another. Quinn shows by his look towards the maid that he has seen
Helen’s class superiority, and she is left on her own to consider these things
in the light of his comments. Meanwhile, Mr Wilcox and his daughter are
advising Margaret not to mix with people like Bast as ‘they will only take
advantage’. If Wilcox sounds like the bad guy in this, the truth is that the
Schlegels don’t come off well either. They insist Bast isn’t a ‘social
experiment’ and that they invite him because they like him, but Wilcox is quite
right that they make assumptions about Bast’s life being ‘grey’ and what he
needs from them. They never ask him about his life or notice what it is he
really wants from them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I hoped the Schlegel brother Tibby might befriend Bast
and give him the conversation he desires, but when he comes out at the sound of
Bast saying they don’t like any of the authors he does and ‘what about
Dostoevsky’, Tibby says that nobody likes Dostoevsky. He doesn’t recognise Bast
at first then realises who he is and calls him his sisters’ social experiment
and quotes what they say about him behind his back when talking to their social
peers. Bast’s humiliation as a charity case and a curiosity is complete.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tibby had some sympathy from me last week as his constant
illness and fragility could be a serious condition and not the hypochondria
some reviewers suspect. But this week he came across as a spoilt brat, not sure
if he’s going to go back to Oxford. When the sisters insist that he must go
back to university to get a job, he replies that he should be able to live off
his inheritance as they do and why should it be different for him. Margaret
replies that he’s a man so he must have a work ethic as it’s in the natural
order. Another poor moment for their feminist credentials. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The scene also shows that they may be in poorer
circumstances than the Wilcoxes, but the Schlegels come from a wealthy
background – ‘old money’ you could say, although they are also looked down on
for their German origins by the Wilcox son and daughter, who represent British
society. Margaret showed that she doesn’t quite fit in by taking a bunch of red
chrysanthemums to the funeral of Mrs Wilcox, completely the wrong colour among
the white flowers from everybody else.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Despite this, the Schlegels are in straitened
circumstances but on a par with the late Mrs Wilcox, who was the epitome of
high class, inherited money, and no need to prove herself by her actions (I’m
describing the stereotype rather than my view of class and wonder how she comes
across in the novel). Mr Wilcox, on the other hand, seems to have married into
money, as Howards End was owned by his late wife. He’s an industrialist who has
made money – ‘new money’ – unlike the Schlegels who live on private incomes
they have had passed down to them. The study of the class system is well
observed and a theme that’s unfolding well. Bast brings into this the question
of the arts being the preserve of the wealthy from which the lower middle class
and the working class are excluded.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It was a surprise to find Mrs Wilcox had died between the
two first episodes and a whole friendship between her and Margaret has been
missed out. It’s an important friendship as it led to Mrs Wilcox deciding to
leave Howards End to Margaret, knowing the lease on her family house is running
out. The Schlegels have no idea about this so the Wilcoxes burn the scrap of paper
with the improvised will. The Wilcox son and daughter are annoyingly
self-centred, greedy and snobbish, and disliking them is pleasure.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Mr Wilcox is more of a mixture, convincingly articulate
about the importance of industry and engineering, which the Schlegel sisters
feel ‘lacks poetry’. He asks ‘why not?’ and he has a point. His criticism of
their hypocrisy over treating Bast as a charity case also hits home as an
unwelcome truth. He can also be kind, pretending to enjoy his ‘reformed food’
at the protein café Margaret takes him to – a place I would love to be able to
visit! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Margaret quite clearly feels drawn to him and her
responses to Helen’s taunts about marrying him show that she’d consider it.
After the close friendship with his late wife, who we’ve just seen buried, this
does seem rather opportunistic. Talk about jumping into somebody’s grave…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There’s more than enough to keep me watching – in fact
I’d watch just to find out more about Bast’s back story and how he has ended up
in a relationship and job that are destroying him. Will he find the company he
needs so he can share his love of the arts, or will he continue to sit on his
own at music concerts and read books by his fireside, keeping his thoughts to
himself? Better still, will the Schlegel sisters give him some authentic
conversation as an equal, rather than continuing their constant dissection of
people, as Helen describes it – just another way to say ‘gossiping’? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
If, unlike me, you’ve read the novel you’ll know this answers
to my questions and far more, but the TV series will follow its own track. The selection
of scenes to condense it into screenplay makes that inevitable. I believe the
Schlegel sisters will become more self-aware and will start mixing empathy with
philanthropy. HG Wells often wrote about the Schlegel sisters kind of
philanthropist – the type who helped the poor by doing what they felt was best
for them without giving them the choice. How he hated them. I haven’t read the
novel and don’t know if it stirs up such strong reactions in readers, but the
television series certainly does.<o:p></o:p></div>
Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-17338611924630172582017-11-19T13:01:00.003-08:002017-11-19T13:01:31.933-08:00TV Review – Howards End BBC1<br /><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Although I don’t watch much TV, period dramas are among
my guilty pleasures as I relax at the weekend and the BBC usually has this kind
of series on a Sunday. I’ve been looking forward to the latest one – <i>Howards End</i>. I haven’t read the novel by
EM Forster so it was all new to me and as it’s set just before the First World
War it has the added benefit of helping me visualise London just after the
ending of my own novel-in-progress.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
My initial reaction to the first episode was irritation,
both with the characters and with the story. After reading the <i>Guardian</i> review I realised there’s more
to <i>Howards End</i> than I had picked up
from the television version and that perhaps the writer had depended on viewers
being familiar with such a well-loved novel. Or perhaps irritation is how we
were supposed to feel when faced with some of the scenes.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The irritation started when Helen Schlegel visited the
wealthy Wilcox family in the lovely setting of their country residence Howards
End. She ‘fell in love with all of them’, enthralled by a lifestyle that mainly
involved practising croquet, callisthenics and sitting around at table or going
for walks. I don’t normally want to shout ‘idle rich’ at the TV, but I was
getting surprisingly heated. Perhaps this was deliberate on the part of the screenwriter,
and if so it worked. It felt as if we were meant to share Helen’s infatuation,
which led to falling in and out of love in a day with the most handsome son.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Meanwhile, back in London, Margaret was receiving letters
from Helen and getting concerned about her sister, sharing the information with
Aunt Juley. By the time Aunt Juley dashes off to Howards End, the romance is
over and her questions about an ‘engagement’ lead to embarrassment. The Wilcox
son is going off to Africa and shouldn’t have been ‘leading a girl on’ as he
puts it to Helen. The atmosphere at table has become distinctly cold towards
her. The aunt putting her foot in it really made me cringe, which was a high
point as it was well written and acted.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
After this I was becoming irritated again because the
characters seemed to have so little to occupy their days that a brief
flirtation became a cause of serious mortification. When the Wilcoxes took a
flat in Wickham Place near the Schlegel household, Margaret and Aunt Juley
immediately worried about how awful it was for Helen if she had to meet their
son, and a letter was instantly written in response to a friendly invitation
from Mrs Wilcox, telling her they should not have any contact. There was a part
of me that wanted to shout ‘get a job or at least get something to occupy your
time’ because it was so foolish.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There followed a bizarre scene where Mrs Wilcox wrote
back that her son was away, and a repentant Margaret ran across the road to
apologise to her in her bed. This was soon followed by more running about, with
Margaret refusing an impromptu invitation to Howards End, then chasing after
Mrs Wilcox to catch her at the station as she had changed her mind and wanted
to go. The Wilcox family suddenly turn up and Mrs Wilcox changes her mind about
the invitation and postpones it. I don’t know how this reads in the novel, but
it was a a bit farcical while looking serious. The use of regular letters
throughout the day to communicate with a neighbour across the road was an
amusing reminded that this really did happen and the London post was the email
of its day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There was a lot of running about after people,
particularly by young women dashing after others. Does this really happen and
was I the only person to find it silly that women were depicted in this way?
Perhaps men will start dashing out after people in Episode 2.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I was pleased to see Joseph Quinn as Leonard Bast as he’s
an actor I particularly enjoy – his face expresses so much. He was especially
good last Christmas in <i>Dickensian</i> as
Miss Havisham’s jealous and greedy brother, partly innocent and partly
debauched and exploited by others. He played the role of Bast well, but the
writing made his scenes confusing. After reading the <i>Guardian</i> review I realised he was of a lower class than the
Schlegels and wants to be involved in the arts, which they represent. So he
provides a comparison and contrast with Helen and Margaret, looking up as they
do towards the wealthier Wilcox family.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
However, I understood little of this from the episode. In
it we see Bast at a classical music performance, seated beside the Schlegels
and looking at them with admiration. Trying to guess why, I assumed he was
attracted to one or both of the sisters, so when he said Helen had gone off
with his umbrella I thought it was a ploy to get to know them. It worked, I
thought, as he refused to give them his address to return the umbrella, then
they offered him their card and followed up by inviting him to come straight
back. At their house he suddenly changes his mind about wanting to stay for tea
and rushes off with the shabby umbrella he’s offered and admits is his.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Again, Helen dashes out after him but he refuses to come
back and pretends not to hear her, although we see his expression that shows
all sorts of unhappy frustration. I was baffled, and then even more baffled to
wonder why he went home, sat with a book as if pretending he hadn’t been out,
and a woman entered, sat on his knee and kissed him. So the episode with the
Schlegels either seemed like he was looking for an affair, or there was
something I didn’t understand. The <i>Guardian</i>
review made his behaviour clear to me, but a few lines of dialogue would have helped
as the screenplay should work independently of the novel.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
All of this action gave great opportunities to show the
clothes and the transport and housing of the day. This is not just helpful to
me for my own research for writing my novel, but I especially enjoy it. Seeing pre-First
World War London brought to life is a joy, even if it had a staged and
artificial look. In fact a friend I asked for feedback found the whole
production very ‘stagey’ and it could be set in a theatre, which is not a bad
thing. There are strong scenes, wonderful costumes (especially Helen’s) and the
various vehicles, including cars, steam trains, and horse drawn carriages are a
joy to behold.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The difference between the Wilcoxes travelling by car and
the Schlegels going by horse or on foot drew attention to the subtle
differences in class, but the poorer classes were missing. The streets were
pristine and the vehicles were like a display from a museum as they flowed
neatly and very cleanly past. In real life, horses left droppings on the roads
and people were employed to clean it so that the long skirts of ladies walking
by or stepping down from carriages didn’t drag through it. A black maid brought
in the start of social commentary, but more could have been done to people the
streets with characters who are not lower-middle, middle-middle or upper-middle
class.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Although the hectic nature of some of the scenes
distracted me from the nuances, I realised later that there are themes
underlying the foolishness – including feminism, studies in social class, the
value of art and culture, and something about race and the colonies that hasn’t
become clear yet. I’ll keep watching, hoping the irritation it caused in me was
part of the screenwriter’s intention and believing there are intriguing plot
and theme developments to come. <o:p></o:p></div>
Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-83331791700056891392017-11-13T16:15:00.000-08:002017-11-13T16:24:38.505-08:00BOOK REVIEW – MISS EMILY BY NUALA O’CONNOR (NUALA NÍ CHONCHÚIR)<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I have a particular interest in literary fictional
biography as I’m writing a novel inspired by the late Victorian poet Mary
Elizabeth Coleridge, so I’ve been looking forward to reading Nuala O’Connor’s <i>Miss Emily</i>, based on the life of Emily
Dickinson, or at least a short period in that life. Let me say straight away
that it’s a thoroughly enjoyable read and demonstrates great skill in a
challenging genre.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The novel revolves around the invented story of Emily
Dickinson and a dramatic episode in the life of the family’s new young Irish
maid, Ada Concannon. It’s structured in
alternating chapters told in the first person by each of these characters. I
find that this structure works well for me and draws me forward as I keep
wanting to find out what’s happening from each point of view. As a comparison,<i> Affinity</i> by Sarah Waters uses the same
technique and it kept me up all night reading, while <i>Miss Emily</i> also kept me turning the pages.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The risk with this technique is that readers may prefer
one story to the other and rush through the alternating chapters to get to the
character they prefer, but this isn’t the case with Emily and Ada. The two work
well as a contrast – the extroverted and feisty Ada, far from home for the
first time, and the introverted Emily who has become more and more housebound.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Ada’s story provides the forward movement of the plot, which
starts in Ireland and follows her on the sea journey to America in search of
work with the help of her family the Mahers who are already there. The
Dickinsons did have a maid called Maggie Maher, so the reader is intrigued to
find out how much of the novel is true and which parts are invention. There is
no author’s note to tell us, unlike other novels in this genre, such as <i>Author, Author</i> by David Lodge, based on
the life of Henry James.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Sense of place is key to the novel, with Ireland evoked
as a physical presence at the start and end of the novel – the reader can smell
and feel the cold and mucky Liffey that Ada swims in before work as a maid in
Dublin at the start, and we can also smell and taste Ireland on our lips in the
sea spray as Ada returns to her home at the end. Home is also important to Emily,
with Amherst and her house and garden brought vividly to life in her constant
awareness of minute details.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The two stories are complementary as well as contrasting,
as Ada’s vulnerability to the predatory Patrick Crohan demonstrates women’s
need for protection, so her independence and adventurous spirit come at a cost,
while Emily’s self-protection with her home and family as a shield makes
perfect sense. When Emily tells Ada near the end to live her life to the full,
adding that she wishes she had, I wondered if that was consistent and if it was
a quote from her life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Relationships provide human interest, with a beautifully
told love developing between Ada and Daniel Byrne who works with Crohan at the
Dickinson household. O’Connor is particularly skilled at depicting all the
stages of love and passion, and she is equally skilled at depicting what
happens when this passion is used to harm others. This is no Mills and Boone
romance: love in the nineteenth century comes with a risk of serious venereal
disease such as gonorrhoea, and the reader is never sure if a young woman on
her own could be attacked sexually and whether it’s a good idea to ‘step out’
with a man.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Some of the themes are especially topical, including the
pressure on servants not to report harassment and sexual abuse. Emily’s brother
Austin is the main person exerting this pressure, again making me wonder which
of these episodes were based on biographical information, and how far an author
can go in inventing significant speech and actions by historical figures.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There’s a biography of Emily Dickinson by Lyndall Gordon
called <i>Lives Like Loaded Guns</i> which
answered some of my queries. The historical Dickinson family maid Maggie Maher
was feisty and she did work with the Dickinson sisters on household duties and
baking. In the novel, Emily develops a friendship with Ada through their mutual
love of baking, and although readers may wonder if servants formed this kind of
bond with employers, this is historically accurate. In fact, the biography
confirms that Maggie Maher not only baked with Emily, but the Dickinson sisters
also took a share of the housework.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The story of Maggie Maher is a fascinating one, but it
isn’t the story of the fictional Ada, apart from her nationality, feistiness,
and friendship with Emily and her sister Lavinia. Unlike Ada, whose stay with
the Dickinsons is fairly short, Maggie Maher spent many years with them and was
one of the main witnesses in a trial against Mabel Todd, who felt she had been
promised land in return for transcribing and editing Emily’s poems. The maid’s
account included details of adultery between Mabel and Emily’s brother Austin,
an intriguing story, but not the one told in O’Connor’s novel.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Instead <i>Miss Emily</i>
tells a fictional tale about Ada, her trip to America, her developing love for
Daniel, and experiences with the violent Crohan which lead to a crime that I
won’t give any more spoilers for. It’s at this point that Emily gets involved
in defending her maid and Austin shows himself to be prejudiced against the
Irish and no defender of women. The Dickinson siblings will become embroiled in
actions to resolve a situation that could ruin all their reputations, each
supporting Ada for different motives.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The mixture of fact and fiction is inevitable in
biographical fiction, but the decision to include significant fictional actions
to the lives of historical characters is one that raises ethical questions.
Should we or should we not do that as writers? I don’t know the answer to that.
In <i>Miss Emily</i> I find that Emily
Dickinson becomes a bit less believable when she leaves the house to take
action to protect Ada in this episode.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I can forgive the lapse into a less credible Emily (and
realise other readers may find the episode more believable than I do) because
most of the book depicts a thoroughly convincing character. It’s a joy to
experience life and writing from inside her head and this is no easy task when
emulating the words of such a talented and unique writer. Emily is brought to
life again for us, not only through the inclusion of some of her poems, but also
in the way she thinks and how she transforms intense perceptions into pared
down lines and stanzas.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Relationships are at the heart of the book, with the
loyalty between Emily and Ada set against the sisterhood and love Emily still
feels for her lifelong friend Susan, who has ‘turned to stone’ since marrying
Austin. Although Susan lives next door, the closeness Emily craves has been
withdrawn and her thoughts return continually to the pain this causes. Emily’s
sexuality is suggested, although same sex relationships are given less
evocative and passionate treatment than the heterosexual ones.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The encounters between Ada and Daniel are as good as any
relationship scenes I have ever read. By contrast, the feelings Emily has are
more ambiguous, which could come across as evasive in an author using first
person narrative. As Susan has distanced herself from Emily on marriage, the
less emotional scenes in Emily’s meetings with her are justifiable, but I
wonder if something is missing or if it’s better to leave her sexuality
questionable. It’s noticeable that Emily’s response to women in general isn’t
as clear as Ada’s response to men, although the Dickinson family is on the
lookout for any comments she makes that reveal same sex attraction. For
example, when she expresses a wish to have a ribbon as blue as Ada’s eyes nothing
is said, but they look at her with suspicion.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Miss Emily</i> is
an accomplished novel in the literary biographical fiction genre and has taken
its place among my all time favourite books, while Nuala O’Connor has joined my
list of favourite writers. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-13023606166532043922017-11-05T18:10:00.000-08:002017-11-05T18:10:04.878-08:00Theatre Review - Young Marx - Bridge Theatre<div class="MsoNormal">
On my second outing with the small group of theatre-going
companions gathered together by the intrepid Elizabeth the play was Young Marx,
written by Richard Bean and Clive Coleman. It’s in London’s newest theatre,
Bridge Theatre, beautifully situated near Tower Bridge. I met two more members
of the group with Elizabeth for coffee in the foyer bar and free madeleines
came with the tickets. A good start!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The seating design is unusual, with mainly stalls seating
and narrow balconies at the higher levels. It feels intimate but seats up to 900 and was packed for
the Sunday matinee. We were just two rows from the stage, my favourite position
to see how everything is working. The sets were especially effective, all
constructed in a cube that revolved to provide various street exteriors and
building interiors.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The play starts with Marx selling his wife’s family silver
quite literally but being suspected of stealing it and running from the police.
He’s thinking of giving up on his political writing and taking a job at
Paddington Station, which could help him pay for a doctor for his son and might
save his marriage, although it’s a bit working class for a woman from her
wealthy background. She’s packing clothes just retrieved from the pawnbroker and
is about to leave him.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If this all sounds serious, that’s not how it’s treated. The
opening scenes are farcical and there’s much running around in true Keystone
Cops style. Marx shins up walls, up the chimney in his home, and into a
cupboard to hide from the police. He makes light of his wife’s packed case with
jokes that are irritating snipes rather than laugh-out-loud humour. I wasn’t
sure if I was going to like it but soon found it was an extraordinary blend of
farcical humour, satire, ridiculous jokes my dad might have told, and serious
scenes that could shock and be emotionally moving. Not an easy combination to
pull off.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The promotional blurb describes Marx as ‘emotionally
illiterate’ and that certainly comes across. It also says he’s ‘young’ and ‘horny’,
which is misleading. He’s in his thirties with a wife and two children and although
he has an affair with a woman who loves him, this happens in the context of a
failing marriage. He has important work behind him and his friend Engels is
determined to get him writing again and to help him keep his family together.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are parallels with the present day, with the Marx
family subjected to racist taunts for being immigrants, and also arguing for
and against acts of terrorism with their fellow activists. Marx and his wife
both argue that they agree with the use of violence but they believe it would
turn the British working class against them, especially if an attempt is made to
assassinate Queen Victoria, who is loved by her subjects.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some anachronistic comedy works well, including Marx saying
at this point that there’s no need for violence to destroy capitalism in
Britain as the banks will end up doing so much damage that they will leave the
door wide open to change. Nobody could fail to see the irony of that belief.
There are also silly anachronistic jokes, like the policeman saying he’s ‘done
a course’ when Marx thanks him for not using violence.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The humour can suddenly vanish as the scenes become serious,
such as Engels describing the living conditions of the poor in Manchester. Marx
has just described himself as ‘brutalised’, and Engels says he wouldn’t use
that word for himself if he had seen Manchester. There was laughter from the
audience, but then it became serious as Engels talked of the people working in
the mills and living in crowded houses with mud and excrement deep outside for
them to walk through. My own ancestors on my father’s side moved to Salford
from Dublin at about the time this play was set due to new English laws
destroying the Irish textile industry so this was a striking scene for me. They
weren’t supported by the newly formed unions as the Irish were suspected as the
cause for lower pay, with rhetoric very similar to the Brexit discourse these
days. This isn’t mentioned in the play.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Two of the most successful scenes are a duel and a funeral.
I won’t say too much about them so as not to ruin the plot, as the effect of
the surprise on the audience is powerful. The duel absolutely startled me and
was stunningly realistic even though I was close enough to see how it was all
being done. In fact the fast moving scenes were all very well choreographed,
which is impressive on the limited space of a stage. A fight breaking out in
the British Museum Reading Rooms is also both funny and intricately arranged.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With the funeral the atmosphere is captivating from the
moment the coffin is carried in to the moment the soil is shovelled into the
grave to cover it. One of the weaknesses of the play, I felt, was a tendency to
go for a cheap joke at every available opportunity, and this scene should have
ended without a quip from Marx to his wife. He had finally shown some
compassion and guilt and it would have been stronger to end on that note. There’s another point where his lover appeals to him with
a dilemma and he responds with dialogue filled with jokes that aren’t funny. I
could have done without some of the comedy as there were so many jokes and so
many types of humour that worked well that the weak lines weren't needed, or the ones that undermined a situation that required a different response.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Richard Bean also wrote a version of the Carlo Goldoni
comedy ‘Servant of Two Masters’, and the style of Young Marx reminded me of the
more recent Italian playwright Dario Fo, whose work I enjoy very much. I was
left with the feeling that Young Marx would have been better without some of
the trite jokes at significant moments, especially as they gave an impression
of a Marx almost completely lacking in empathy. In each case it could be seen
that he needed to protect his reputation and was balancing the importance of
his work for the many against the needs of the few close to him. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In place of the less successful jokes it would have been
good to see a style more like that of Dario Fo in Accidental Death of an
Anarchist, where improvisation is allowed to let the director add jokes that
are relevant to each day’s news. With the current sex scandals in politics this
could have added a whole new layer to the treatment of women in Young Marx.
Parallels between Engels' description of Manchester, the treatment of the Irish
there, and the similarity with the dialogue of Brexit could have been made. So
I ended up liking the play but feeling there were opportunities missed and some
jokes that could have been cut.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The acting was excellent, and the two children were
particularly good. Design by Mark Thompson, direction by Nicholas Hytner and music by Grant Olding also contributed to the atmosphere and a
feeling of energy and movement. Well worth seeing and the madeleines were fresh
and tasty! Next up, The Ferryman at the Gielgud Theatre, unless Elizabeth slips an additional play in - she often does!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-45650940075607641182017-11-01T18:13:00.003-07:002017-11-01T18:14:47.906-07:00Theatre Review - The Seagull - Lyric, Hammersmith<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I recently took a risk and met a total stranger to go to
the Lyric, Hammersmith, to see Chekhov’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Seagull </i>with a total stranger. After years of trying and failing to get
friends to go to the theatre with me I had given up as they either didn’t like
the theatre or didn’t like the same plays. So when I saw an advert on
NextDoor.com for neighbours to get in touch if they’d like to form a
theatre-going group, I said I was in.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
My new companion Elizabeth was waiting for me outside The
Lyric, where a modernised version of <i>The Seagull</i> was dividing critics who
mainly loved it but if they hated it, they really hated it. During the interval
we discovered that it had also divided opinion between me and Elizabeth as she ‘was
not enjoying it at all’ and said she would have left if I hadn’t been so
clearly having a good time.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It’s certainly nothing like a traditional production of a
Chekhov play, which seems to be the main reason for negative criticisms. The
adaptation is by Simon Stephens and brings it to the present day with very
little to identify it as originally Russian. Short skirts, long Russian names
cut to first name only to sound contemporary, four-letter words and slang
phrases like ‘what is he like?’ all create a different atmosphere to the angst
we know and love in this kind of play.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>The Seagull</i> is a play about professional jealousy, writers and writing, and also
about the theatre and acting, with unrequited love adding a more universal
element. None of the characters love somebody who loves them back, while the
narcissistic Irina fails to treat her only son Konstantin with love as she can
only manage to love herself. His adulthood makes it harder for her to pretend
she’s still young, while his girlfriend Nina is an up-and-coming actor, making
her more desperate to prove she isn’t the ‘old has-been’ the resident farmer Leo accuses her of
being in a rare honest outburst. Most of her friends know she can’t bear
compliments going to anyone but her, and they humour her even when she insists
she could play a 15-year-old.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Lesley Sharp is superb in the role of Irina, mostly
funny, sometimes irritating, especially when she tries to steal the attention from her own
son when he presents his over-written experimental play, and shockingly abusive
when she loses control and destroys him with cutting criticism about his total
lack of talent in her eyes. Brian Vernel is equally striking as Konstantin,
ambitious to be a playwright, but aware of his own failings and the stronger
effect of the simplicity of his mother’s lover Boris’s writing. His girlfriend
Nina is also in thrall to the famous writer Boris, played by Nicholas Gleaves. At one point Konstantin stands at the front of the stage facing the audience while Nina tells him she loves Boris, not him, and his whole reaction is shown purely by facial expressions and an attempt to hold back tears.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There was some uneasy laughter as Irina persuaded Boris to leave with her and go back to the city after he asked her permission for 'just one night' with Nina. In the original play she may persuade him with some flattery, some begging, a hug or kiss and the question 'You are coming, aren't you?' but this takes on a whole new double-meaning when she undoes the belt of his trousers and gives him a very determined hand-job. If Lesley Sharp acts this out well, with the poignancy of desperation combined with comedy, Nicholas Gleaves' orgasm is also quite impressively realistic. As she wipes her hands with a tissue and passes one to him to clean himself down, her manipulation of him is as symbolic as her son's overly metaphorical plays.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Adelayo Adedayo as Nina bursts onto the stage with youth
and energy at the start and is convincing in her adulation of Boris, her belief
that nothing could be better than the life of a writer. Although he tries to
disillusion her, explaining in a striking monologue how writing is like an
addiction and how he is never living through experiences without jotting them
down in a notebook to use, she remains faithful to her belief in art and isn’t
frightened off by his idea for a story when he sees a seagull shot by
Konstantin. He tells her he will write about a man who meets a girl who has
lived all her life by a lake, like Nina, and how he breaks her like the seagull
just because he has the time and nothing better to do. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The production did a great job in bringing out the comedy in the writing, with
more humour added by the superb comic performances. Lloyd Hutchinson as Leo hasn’t been
noted by the critics as he’s not a major character, but he was perhaps my
favourite and I looked forward to each of his anecdotes, all funny and
beautifully told in his Northern Ireland accent while all of the other
characters completely ignored him. He was totally immersed in his own world and unforgettable.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In fact all of the characters are in their own world in
this play and the production by Sean Holmes drew attention to this
fragmentation. The gaps and silences between the characters as they gather
together in a rural house by a lake worked well in the first part, but after
the interval it sometimes felt as if it had fallen apart, perhaps
intentionally. Time has passed and they have returned to the house, but they
have all changed, especially Nina, the seagull of the title and of Boris’s
story, which he has brought to completion and completely forgotten.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The cast all deserve a mention but space is brief so it
can only be a summary. Michele Austin is a very natural Pauline, married but in
love with the worldly and world-weary doctor Hugo, played by Paul Higgins –
nice, happy with his lot, and causing misery in the woman he will not
acknowledge openly.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Cherrelle Skeete as Marcia is a troubled young woman, like
a present day Hamlet, unrequitedly in love with Konstantin and an admirer of
his writing while others mock his overly symbolic and experimental style. Her
love means nothing to him and can’t save him, as he remains devoted to Nina
even though she tells him openly of her feelings for Boris. Marcia thinks she
can overcome her love for Konstantin by marrying Simeon, who adores her, but
while the audience appreciates him, she becomes more irritated by his
affection. Raphael Sowole is completely believable in this role.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>The Seagull </i>is directed by Sean Holmes and<i> </i>runs until Saturday - it's well worth seeing. The
Lyric is known for risk-taking and original productions and this is a prime
example.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Next up I'll be seeing <i>Young Marx</i> at the Bridge Theatre and will keep you posted. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-18390765671510887992017-11-01T18:13:00.000-07:002017-11-01T18:13:07.198-07:00Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-78016348802811476562013-06-01T05:33:00.001-07:002013-06-01T05:33:41.894-07:00Poetry Publishing. Is Nobody Making an Income?Following on from my previous post about whether the difficulties in poetry publishing are new, I also want to talk about another myth that's circulating. Just because poetry publishers have difficulties with low profit margins, no profit margins, or running at a loss, this doesn't mean nobody is being paid. A lot of people are making an income from poetry publishing and it's the publishers who pay them. That's why the profit margins are so low.<br />
<br />
One thing I'm most proud of at <a href="http://wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/" target="_blank">Ward Wood Publishing</a> is that we started during the recession, in June 2010, and it's so important for entrepreneurs to create work and income that then circulates and is paid out to keep other businesses going. We always use UK printers, and with a book a month we are continually putting work and income their way. Our fiction and ebooks do help us maintain this level of work - so don't be put off ebooks as they do help finance poetry and print runs.<br />
<br />
I often see discussions online where people are saying that 'nobody is making an income' if the publisher isn't, including the authors. This isn't right. Author royalties are part of the cost per book to a publisher and we have to factor this in when calculating our profit and loss. We pay 10% of cover price royalties to authors. In standard publisher contracts with most companies, authors can also get their own books at discount, and these are the copies they generally sell at events either at discount or with a mark up. So royalties and selling their own books are two ways authors can make an income. Travel expenses to the regular live events they need to hold do cut into this or eat it up.<br />
<br />
I have heard that some poets don't have a contract from their publisher, and they get no royalties. I do feel there should be a contract for various legal protections, but I can understand publishers perhaps taking the approach that royalties are paid on net income rather than gross income, and this would lead to no royalties once costs are taken out. <br />
<br />
Some of our authors also get funding from various arts councils to travel to events, and even to dedicate time to writing a follow-on book once they have been published. Some get teaching posts and writer-in-residence positions. As publishers, we pledge the high entry fee to the major awards, and the full amount of the prize money would go to the author. Book sales even after a major award win or shortlist may well not let us recuperate the extortionate entry fees (up to £10,000 plus additional promotional tour costs if shortlisted).<br />
<br />
Publishers make the full investment and take all the risk. When discussing the financial difficulty for publishers due to the low profit margins in poetry publishing, it's important not to imagine this means others, including authors, don't get paid. If we didn't have to pay anybody we would have a reasonable profit margin per book. We have a high turnover financially, but the problem is that the costs involved in producing a book, and paying authors and others, mean that the income is almost equal to the outgoings. For this to change, books need to sell more than 500 copies (which doesn't happen with poetry) as this is the point where higher volume print runs can reduce the cost per unit. <br />
<br />
There is a very simple answer to this if people want to support publishers and keep publishing outlets open, and that is to buy poetry direct from the publisher whenever possible. This does cut out a lot of additional costs that I'll outline below.<br />
<br />
One irony in poetry retail is that poetry lovers used to go to the trouble of buying direct from publishers in the old days, before the internet and when it was harder to get our hands on the books we wanted. This really did help publishers and authors. Since the internet made it easier to find and buy poetry books, people not only want to buy online, they have become almost addicted to the idea that Amazon is the one-stop place to get books and information about them (and the information about whether or not a book is available is very faulty on Amazon and loses many sales).<br />
<br />
This brings me to the point where I can list the other people making an income out of poetry publishing - the middle men we need to go through to get the books to buyers, whether they shop in the hight street or on Amazon or Waterstones and other websites.<br />
<br />
Retailers, both online and in the high street, insist on buying from their favourite wholesalers who get stock from a distributor. So we have to have our books warehoused with a distributor (Central Books) and with a top wholesaler that shops and Amazon will use (Gardners). They don't charge us for this, not even for the warehousing, but they each take a cut on all sales. We then also need a book marketing agency to rep our books to shops and they also take a cut. Yes, we can market books to shops too, but the book rep gets them into more shops and only charges commission per sale. So it is worth our while having everything in place so books can easily get into the distribution channel no matter how people want to buy.<br />
<br />
An alternative is to use Print On Demand using Amazon, but this is more costly per book for the quality we need, and also it doesn't let us warehouse and stock enough books with the distributor and wholesaler (well we could but it would be an expensive way to do it). The advantage is the POD makes books available worldwide on Amazon, but other retail methods are important too so we'd need both approaches. <br />
<br />
Poetry book sales in the lower hundreds aren't a terrible thing. In fact I have a feeling poetry is thriving more than ever and has never been more popular. The problem is that, because we are paying so many people out of each book sale, the profit margin is low. If publishers aren't too savvy financially they can even get into a loss-making situation.<br />
<br />
So please don't think nobody is making an income. A whole set of businesses are kept going by publishers like us and that's one of the achievements I'm most happy with during a recession, along with the opportunity to keep publishing outlets open for exceptional authors.<br />
<br />
Entrepreneurs creating work for individuals and other businesses are a key factor in helping to pull us out of recession and we should probably get funding for that reason alone! We've done it all without funding though, as publishers anyway. Individual authors should keep applying for funding.<br />
<br />
If you've been interested enough to read this far I'd just stress one point. The way to solve the problem for publishers is to buy direct from publisher websites as it makes a huge difference not having to pay the commission to distributors and wholesalers, and they are definitely doing fine with the bestsellers they also handle.<br />
<br />
There really was one great thing about the Good Old Days and that was direct sales from publisher to buyer.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-46976038687639693412013-05-31T07:59:00.001-07:002013-05-31T17:17:42.756-07:00Can Poetry Publishing Pay For Itself?<div class="comment-content">
I was asked to answer this question on <a href="http://judisutherland.com/poetry-101-building-the-brand/" target="_blank">another blog</a> (by the poet Judi Sutherland), following on from the closure of some publishing companies, and the decision of one of the main companies, Salt Publishing, not to publish single poetry collections any more. My answer grew so lengthy that I think I should blog it!<br />
<br />
I’ve been involved in poetry since the
1970s and it has never paid. This discussion has gone on throughout the
decades, so we aren’t in a situation where poetry is somehow doing
worse. In fact I can see poetry is more popular than it has ever been
(you can see that by the participation all over the internet and the
thriving live events all over the UK and Ireland).<br />
<br />
People talk about print runs of 1,000 in the old days, but I have
been told publishers used to get funding if they said they needed a
print run of 1,000 and they sent out loads of free copies to dispose of
them. A friend of mine used to get 5 review copies of each book by some
publishers. There were regions that were particularly known for getting
this kind of funding and publishers acively moved there to get it. This
is why there’s still some doubt over whether funding should be allocated
specifically to print runs. It’s quite hard for a poet to know how many
free copies have been sent out, although I’m sure some big name poets
sold well and would know by the royalty figures how many books were
bought.<br />
<br />
I also think we’re in a much better situation for poetry sales than
the one I remember in the 70s, 80s and 90s, thanks to the internet and
the ease of finding and buying poetry collections. I used to have to
travel from Canterbury to the Compendium Bookshop in Camden, London, to
buy poetry because you just couldn’t find a selection in bookshops. And
I’m sure the Compendium was good but didn’t stock all the poets I would
like to have found.<br />
<br />
The problem isn’t whether or not poetry is popular, or whether or not
it’s easy to buy books. The problem is that people enjoy poetry in many
ways (my teenage sons loved it at school too, so education isn’t the
problem as all their mates enjoyed it and even wrote it), but people
don’t want to buy books.<br />
<br />
Why don’t they buy poetry books? They only buy a poetry book if it’s
so special to them that they want to read it over and over again so they
want to keep it on their shelf. They have to buy a novel to read the
whole thing, but they can hear whole poems at events and hear and read
whole poems on the internet. They don’t have to buy the book. And it
would be a mistake not to share our poems online or at events because….
90% of poetry book sales are at readings and you absolutely have to have
a following. What makes some books so special that people want to buy
them and keep reading them? That’s one of the things that makes a poetry
collection sell and we all know which books we have on our shelves for
that reason and what it is that makes them collectable.<br />
<br />
It’s great reading all the ideas from various people who have
suggested what publishers should be doing to sell more books, and I
always look in the hope of seeing something I haven’t tried. But
publishers really have tried all of it and much more. I sometimes think
many publishers don’t like to depress poets by telling them how much is
done behind the scenes.<br />
<br />
All of our books are easily available on Amazon and for bookshops to
stock. I have book reps going round the UK, Ireland and parts of France
continually repping the books to shops. I see bloggers saying that
getting books into shops would help and they think publishers don’t try,
but it’s really hard getting poetry into shops (managers tell me they
can only sell the famous names) and bookshops stocking a book don’t make
a definite sale – unless a customer goes in and buy it, the books do
all get sent back for a full refund. That’s the standard way retail
works in bookselling.<br />
<br />
Publishers aren’t stopping now because the situation is worse. There
has always been a turnover of publishers, with new ones setting up and
some closing down. When I set up Ward Wood, Roddy Lumsden warned me not
to, and told me that over the years he had seen so many publishers set
up then stop when they got ‘exhausted, bored, or bankrupt’. We each step
in and take our turn as part of the collective effort, and it’s the
collective effort that’s another of the answers to this problem. I won’t
be closing down though – I don’t want to suggest that, but it’s normal
that there is a turnover of poetry publishers.<br />
<br />
It really is hard work promoting poetry, and it’s like hitting your
head on a wall. You can be very experienced at PR (I am) and do a
massive amount of work to see a trickle of sales at the end of it. And
each sale feels like a halleluia moment.<br />
<br />
The amount of work I have had to put into promotion and sorting out
the distribution channel has meant I no longer had time to do my paid
work – I had to give up £400 per week as a freelance journalist and
webcontent writer (I didn't realise this was going to happen and might not have taken the risk if I had known). And poetry publishing work is non-income. So when
people suggest all the extra marketing work that could be done, bear in
mind that it all takes time, and that time is also
something that takes away your income. I could only do it because my
father died soon after I started Ward Wood and left me some savings.<br />
<br />
Poetry sells in the lower hundreds with a lot of work by the publisher and the poet. Sales and income aren't everything. An excellent book, good promotion, and hopefully some additional successes like award wins and shortlists, all help establish a poet's name. I always tell authors I can try my best with sales and we do sell as well or better than many other similar presses, but one thing I can guarantee is that a good publisher can help an author get noticed and establish a name and good reputation. It isn't all about money, although money is clearly a problem if it's making companies run at a loss and close. <br />
<br />
But we do it. We do it because we believe in poetry with a passion.
That’s why publishers have always stepped in to keep publishing outlets
open and I suppose they always will. I hope ebooks will help poetry in
the way I find they help novels and I’m starting to believe that they
will. I’ll be experimenting with 5-day free promotions to see if they
boost sales after the free period. This has really worked with fiction
and it would be a pity if it didn’t work with poetry. It would cut the
cost of the print run (although I always also have print books as
they’re so important for the way poetry sells at events and for people
who want a treasured signed copy to read many times). Ebooks can also
have a low cost and still help as the number of sales is higher, and a
low cost doesn’t seem to cut into print book sales for some reason, it
boosts print book sales too.<br />
<br />
So my answers would be:<br />
<br />
1. Publishers probably need to be selling something else and not just poetry. Our fiction does help but I wouldn't say it's easy to sell novels. It is a specialisation and we're up against competition from the very big players and their huge promotional budgets with novels. Nonfiction is probably a good idea and is the bestselling form.<br />
<br />
2. Supporting ebooks to help poetry publishers who make them
available. Even if you hate Amazon, you can really help publishers by
buying their ebooks.<br />
<br />
3. For print books buy direct from the publisher’s website rather
than Amazon. You might be surprised to find publishers have great
discounts on price, much better than Amazon. Each sale from our website
is worth 19 times as much as a sale from other places due to all the
middle men. Think about it.<br />
<br />
4. The very simple answer – just buy books. Unfortunately, even the
poets and poetry lovers aren’t buying enough books, not by a long shot.
If you want publishing outlets to stay open you do have to buy their
products.</div>
Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-32551579137455107222013-02-18T16:19:00.000-08:002013-02-27T13:08:52.778-08:00How to Get Your Book Displayed on Ebook Reader Websites During Giveaways<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There’s a huge and growing number of avid readers, hungry
for ebooks, as Kindles and other devices have helped people discover or rediscover
reading addiction. That love of books, the feeling of getting lost in a book,
the desire to read book after book - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it
all seems to fit well with an ereader that lets you carry a number of books
around in your pocket, and people find themselves reading more than ever
before.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This hunger for books has led to a growth in the number of
reader websites, selecting and offering ebooks. For an author or publisher it
helps to get books listed on these sites. During the latest <a href="http://www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/" target="_blank">Ward Wood</a> giveaway of
V.G. Lee’s classic comedy novel, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Diary-Provincial-Lesbian-ebook/dp/B00BFGFKSA/ref=zg_bstf_digital-text_100" target="_blank">Diary of a Provincial Lesbian</a>, I tried out all
of the listing sites I could find to see which were most helpful and which
would list books for free. As always, I found the pros and cons and offer tips
to those of you wanting to submit your own books to these sites.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are a few important considerations if you’re thinking
of releasing a book with a giveaway promotion. The first is that some of the
best sites get thousands of books submitted every day, so they make their
selection process easier by asking for a number of reviews on your book’s
Amazon page, and a minimum average star rating of 4. One site (<a href="http://digitalbooktoday.com/" target="_blank">Digital BookToday</a>) asks for a minimum of 18 reviews. It’s a good idea to build a number of
reviews and a good star rating for your book before running the promotion. Easier said than done, I know.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The second thing to remember is that some of these reader
sites like to be informed up to a month in advance (including <a href="http://www.pixelofink.com/" target="_blank">Pixel of Ink</a>,
which is one of the best known so very useful). Others like to be informed at
least two weeks in advance (including <a href="http://kindlebookpromos.luckycinda.com/" target="_blank">Kindle Book Promos</a> and <a href="http://www.thekindlebookreview.net/" target="_blank">The Kindle BookReview</a>). So you need to plan in advance and set yourself a schedule of tasks.
These tasks become more time consuming as the giveaway approaches so it’s a
good idea to allocate tasks to a few people in order to make the most of the
opportunity.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In order to submit your book to these sites you will need
the ASIN as they all ask for it. This only gets allocated by Amazon when a book
goes live on Kindle, so if you want to submit to the sites mentioned above you’ll
need to publish the ebook at least a month in advance of the promotion. If you’re
planning a promotion on a book you already have available there’s no problem.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were launching <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Diary-Provincial-Lesbian-ebook/dp/B00BFGFKSA/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_1_T0XN" target="_blank">Diary of a Provincial Lesbian</a> with a
giveaway, so we didn’t want to have it available too long before the first day
of the giveaway. This made it difficult for us to submit to some of the reader
sites, but we did try just in case. The results have been so helpful that I’ll
definitely submit to all possible sites for all of our promotions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Give yourself plenty of time to submit to the reader sites
because there are more than 50 that I have seen so far. I was especially
grateful to a site called <a href="http://ebookbooster.com/" target="_blank">eBookBooster</a> which gives a listing of these sites
with links. This made a very repetitive and time consuming task much easier. I
might have given up without it and certainly wouldn’t have found the sites. I’d
recommend going to <a href="http://ebookbooster.com/" target="_blank">eBookBooster</a> to guide you through your submissions with all
the links in the side panel. There are also some more sites that collect links to good reader sites, including <a href="http://www.authormarketingclub.com/" target="_blank">Author Marketing Club</a>. I found good reader sites myself but eBookBooster and Author Marketing Club will give you a great start.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Most of the sites have online forms for you to fill in, and
they ask for the same information, so it helps to have it prepared so you can
copy and paste. If you’re lucky enough to have an assistant or long-suffering
friend or partner you could ask them to help. You need a photo of the book
cover, plus the title, author name, brief and catchy book description, the
ASIN, link to the book on Amazon (usually in the US or UK or both), and perhaps
an author bio and the category/genre. Some may ask you for something unique
about the book to let them know why they should choose yours rather than
somebody else’s.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Many of the sites ask for ‘no erotica’, so you’ll need to
point out that your book is not in that category if it has a title or cover
suggests that it is. There are genre specific sites (like <a href="http://www.eroticaeveryday.com/" target="_blank">Erotica Every Day</a>)
that might be better for you write in this category. Again, the excellent
eBookBooster website gives links to genre specific sites for erotica, sci-fi
and young adult. Some of the sites cover all genres and organise them neatly
for readers to find their favourite type of book.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next step, after submitting to the sites that ask for
the book details well in advance, is to separate the sites that want
submissions on the day of the giveaway from those that want information just
before the giveaway. The eBookBooster website divides these, and I was curious
to see which websites would display our book even though we were submitting at
the last moment.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was also curious to see if they really would display our
book, as they tend to say they consider all books but ‘for guaranteed inclusion
on the site’ you can pay. This is often a small amount, just $5 in many cases,
but it would add up. We did get included although we didn’t put budget into
this part of the promotion.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I've seen stories on the <a href="http://www.kindleboards.com/" target="_blank">Kindle Boards</a> forums about authors and publishers who have paid about $50 to advertise on some high traffic reader sites, and they sometimes get a very high number of downloads during a giveaway (20,000-30,000 but it's not guaranteed and many don't achieve this with advertising). Although we don't do this, some of you might be considering it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For those of you who are new to giveaway promotions - if you're asking yourselves why someone would pay to advertise a giveaway, it's because a giveaway promotion that gets thousands of downloads leads to sales. In my experience, each 1,000 books given away lead to 100 books being sold in the first few weeks after the promotion ends. Sales then continue at a less intense level. The author's name is also more widely known in the international market, and other books by them also sell, including print books.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The websites that included us at short notice were:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://freebiebooks.com/" target="_blank">FreebieBooks</a>, <a href="http://ebooklister.net/" target="_blank">ebooklister</a>, <a href="http://www.mybookandmycoffee.com/" target="_blank">My Book and My Coffee</a>, <a href="http://efreebooks.org/" target="_blank">Free Books for Kindle</a> (efreebooks), <a href="http://snickslist.com/" target="_blank">Snicks List,</a> <a href="http://centslessbooks.com/index.html" target="_blank">Centsless Books</a> (which picks up the highly ranked ebooks) and the beautifully named <a href="http://www.freebookdude.com/" target="_blank">Free Book Dude</a>. <a href="http://addictedtoebooks.com/" target="_blank">Addicted to Ebooks</a> listed us later, and it's worth looking at this and all the other sites to see if they will also consider listing your book if it isn't a giveaway (quite a few people are asking me about that). <br />
<br />
We also had the book listed on
<a href="http://www.hotukdeals.com/all/freebies/new" target="_blank">HotUKDeals </a>which has really helped with two of our giveaways – the fact that
most posts aren’t for books on HotUKDeals means that the books stick out from the
crowd.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some sites let you enter your own giveaway, including <a href="http://super-e-books.com/" target="_blank">SuperE-books</a>, which felt a bit complicated as it involved registering to use the
Wordpress site yourself. I’m used to working with Wordpress, so did find my way
around it and got our book included. Being able to list your own information is
a bonus as it can be done even if you’re having to do it at short notice.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With some sites there’s a questionnaire to be used for an ‘author
interview’ so you’ll need to ask the author to do this if you’re the publisher.
These were <a href="http://www.freeebooksdaily.com/" target="_blank">Free Ebooks Daily</a> and <a href="http://rainysbookrealm.com/" target="_blank">Rainy’s Book Realm</a>. With Rainy’s Book Realm,
the website links to a group on <a href="http://goodreads.com/" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>, so you can actually list your own
book in the Goodreads group forum under giveaways.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One final way you can get your ebook listed on websites is
to find the Facebook group for the site. If they let you list your Kindle book
on their Facebook wall, this often has a feed to the website and it can show up
on the main page.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once again, thanks and credit to the people who put together
the information at <a href="http://ebookbooster.com/" target="_blank">eBookBooster</a> and <a href="http://authormarketingclub.com/" target="_blank">Author Marketing Club</a>, as most of the sites
mentioned here can be found with links neatly arranged on their websites.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-19034565651432367392013-02-17T13:03:00.000-08:002013-02-17T13:03:33.062-08:00Diary of a Provincial Lesbian by VG Lee Free for Kindle and the Free Kindle Reading App<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl">For 5 days over
Valentine's weekend we've been giving away VG Lee's novel Diary of a
Provincial Lesbian on Kindle. If you don't have a Kindle you can
download the free Kindle reading app from Amazon.<br /> <br /> <span class="text_exposed_show">You need to download it from the Amazon site for your country and it's
available on all Amazon sites around the world, including:<br /> <br /> UK <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Diary-Provincial-Lesbian-ebook/dp/B00BFGFKSA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360799431&sr=8-1" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank"><span>http://www.amazon.co.uk/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span><span>Diary-Provincial-Lesbian-eb</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span><span>ook/dp/B00BFGFKSA/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span><span>ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>799431&sr=8-1</a><br /> <br /> US <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=B00BFGFKSA" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank"><span>http://www.amazon.com/s/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span><span>ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-a</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span><span>lias%3Daps&field-keywords=</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>B00BFGFKSA</a></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl">Free Kindle reading apps are available here <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/feature.html/ref=dig_arl_box?ie=UTF8&docId=1000425503" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank"><span>http://www.amazon.co.uk/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span><span>gp/feature.html/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span><span>ref=dig_arl_box?ie=UTF8&doc</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>Id=1000425503</a></span></span> <br /> <br />
Diary of a Provincial Lesbian is a book that can be enjoyed by women
and men, by anybody who has ever asked themselves the question: ‘What is
love?’ The heroine, Margaret, thinks she has found love, until her
partner Georgie gives her the classic book Diary of a Provincial Lady,
and an empty diary where she can record her own life.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span class="text_exposed_show">The following year
will bring changes she doesn’t expect, to her life and to herself. In
this novel, filled with the comedy and sadness so typical of all our
lives, VG Lee shows what love really is, if it’s expected to last beyond
the first thrill of meeting.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span class="text_exposed_show">She also shows the importance of other
types of love – the love of pets and of friends, and the importance of
accepting those close to us with all their faults. As always, VG Lee
makes the reader laugh out loud and also cry, and by the end of the
novel the main character and the readers are no longer the same.<br /> <br />
VG Lee’s novels have been endorsed by Sarah Waters, Stella Duffy and
Time Out, and she was shortlisted in the Stonewall Awards for Writer of
the Year at the end of 2012. She is also a stand-up comedian and regular
comedy feature writer for The Lady magazine. </span></span></span>Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-86222132703012239622013-01-19T18:06:00.002-08:002013-01-19T18:23:30.817-08:00Support the Homeless in International Poetry Competition to Win Book Publication<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The cold weather is with us so do help support the three
Cold Weather Shelters assisted by the <a href="http://camdenlumen.wordpress.com/">Lumen and Camden</a> poetry project. You
could also win publication of your own short collection in our <a href="http://wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/competitions-lumen-2013.htm">annual competition</a>. There’s less than a
month to go until the closing date of February 14<sup>th</sup>, but the sooner
you enter, the sooner we can pass all money raised to the organisers of the
Cold Weather Shelters.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This year’s judge is the acclaimed American poet <a href="http://www.anne-stevenson.co.uk/">Anne Stevenson</a>, who has been a chair of judges for the T S Eliot prize. <a href="http://www.uktouring.org.uk/andrewmotion/">Andrew Motion</a> is patron of this poetry project, which is essential to keep the Cold
Weather Shelters going.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Previous winners are Bob Cooper (2012) and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Caroline Squire (2011), and their short
collections <a href="http://wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/titles-poetry-caroline-squire-an-apple-tree-spouts-philosophy.htm"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">An Apple Tree Spouts Philosophy</i></a> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and <a href="http://wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/titles-poetry-bob-cooper-the-ideal-overcoat.htm"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Ideal Overcoat</i></a> are on sale, with all £3 of the cover price
going to the same charity. Nobody involved in organising this competition takes
any income from it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The winner is chosen on the strength of just one poem, and
as part of the prize they will be helped by a professional editor to complete a
short paperback collection with 20 pages of poetry. They will also get an
invitation to read in one of the popular Lumen and Camden venues, will receive
50 copies of their collection, and will be well promoted.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The entry fee has been kept deliberately low at £2.50 per
poem (up to 40 lines) or £10 for six poems, so that everybody can enter. In its
first two years the competition attracted around 1,000 entries each time,
raising between £1,500 and £2,000 for the charity. There are also regular open
mics and poetry performances in the Lumen and Camden venues where the homeless
sleep during the cold weather, and where more money is raised.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These poetry events raise thousands of pounds each year, and
every year we try to increase our support. The Cold Weather Shelter organisers
say they couldn’t survive without the contribution made by poetry. The events
and the competition are the brainchild of the poet <a href="http://www.poetrypf.co.uk/ruthocallaghanpage.shtml">Ruth O’Callaghan</a>, who has
been running the Lumen and Camden Poetry series of open mics and performances
for six years.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The open mic events are held in the two venues where the
homeless sleep in the Cold Weather Shelters. They are at 1 Buck Street, Camden,
and 88 Tavistock Place, Kings Cross. A listing of events and information about
the Lumen and Camden Poetry project is on <a href="http://www.camdenlumen.wordpress.com/">http://www.camdenlumen.wordpress.com</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Details (Please share these if you can):</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
INTERNATIONAL LUMEN/CAMDEN POETRY COMPETITION</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Judge: Anne Stevenson</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Prize: Publication of short collection for one winner, 50
free copies, launch event and promotion.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Closing date February 14th 2013.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Poems up to 40 lines. Proceeds go to three London Homeless
Cold Weather Shelters.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Entry fee: £2.50 per poem, 6 for £10.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Details on <a href="http://www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/">www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk</a>
<a href="http://wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/competitions-lumen-2013.htm">competition page</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-34369798649602994302013-01-05T17:29:00.000-08:002013-01-13T06:29:44.369-08:00Going Viral on Amazon. How We Did It<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I promised an update to what happens after a giveaway, and
the answer is that we learnt from the experience with one book and are now on
our second giveaway. It has gone viral on Amazon in the UK. By this I mean
there are now downloads every second even if we do nothing to promote it. The
book is <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Mans-World-ebook/dp/B00AVE61FS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1357177708&sr=8-2">Joe Stein’s crime novel Another Man’s World</a>.<br />
<br />
I should make it clear, in answer to some queries, that I don't count this as 'viral' because we have given away a lot of books. It has gone viral in that we don't need to do anything and the downloads are continuous. As professional publishers we can't nag individuals to take a free book to support us - people who may then let the freebie languish on their ereader or computer. We need a meaningful giveaway where we promote as we would any other book launch and people decide for themselves whether or not they want the book. <br />
<br />
Even if you aren't thinking of a giveaway, many of these tips can be used to get a 'paid for' book high in the Amazon rankings, and getting high in the rankings is the key to going viral as potential readers and buyers find your book easily when browsing their favourite genres. I'll cover the subject of 'paid for' books' in another post and you need a much lower number of daily downloads to succeed (which is still hard to sustain). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To help authors and publishers do the same thing I’m going
to explain the methods used. But first I’m going to answer a question I’ve been
asked by other publishers during the giveaways. They want to know if giveaways
devalue books if people start to expect books to be free.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The answer we have found is that the opposite is true.
During and after the giveaways we sell more ebooks and more print books. This
lasted through December after I acted as a guinea pig and we experimented with
a giveaway of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Everything-Is-Free-ebook/dp/B006IHFZ22/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1324646920&sr=1-1">my novel</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
December is a slow month for small publishers as buyers tend
to get the books major publishers are putting huge promotional budgets into for the Christmas market,
and bookshops actually return a lot of books to publishers to clear the shelves
for these bestselling books. They won't accept any new books until January.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Instead we had one of our best months so far for both print
books and ebooks and I’m sure the giveaway helped with this. So my conclusion
is that a giveaway doesn’t devalue print books and actually leads to more
sales.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The book given away also helps get the author’s name very widely
known and can reach an international market if the promotion is done well, and this leads to more of their other books
being sold. After the giveaway the book that was given away also continues to
sell, as reviews start to make their way onto the internet later.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We have also decided that it works to keep ebook prices
lower, as this not only leads to more ebook sales, but also leads to more print
book sales.The royalty on an ebook at a low price is quite close to the royalty
of a paperback (where the royalty is 10% of cover price due to our higher
production costs) so this works out well for authors. Even at our lower price of about £1.50 the author gets a royalty of about 50p as Amazon and other costs take a third, and the rest is divided 50/50 between the author and publisher under the terms of our contract.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, what are the techniques for getting an ebook to go viral
on Amazon? First of all it has to be an excellent book as people won’t support
a giveaway otherwise. I believe people know they can trust <a href="http://wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/index.htm">Ward Wood</a> to be
publishing good books, and they also trust Joe Stein as his crime books have
good endorsements from reviewers including <a href="http://www.crimespreemag.com/">Crimespree Magazine</a>. The
paperback of this book sold well and has a high ranking.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>So the first tip is
not to give away poor quality books in order to promote your other books. This
book is excellent and people downloading it are now also buying the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/twisted-Thing-Called-Truth-ebook/dp/B006GRT23M/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1324642039&sr=1-1">next in the series</a>. They are also buying more <a href="http://wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/titles-Kindle.htm">ebooks from across our list</a> as they like this
one. Don’t give away anything less than your best writing. It’s your showcase
to the world. This book has been out in paperback, and it’s worth doing a
giveaway once a book has had time to prove itself.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We learnt from the first giveaway that it’s vital to set a
low price for the ebook, so that after the giveaway it will revert to this
price and this will help keep it high in the paid Kindle rankings, as people
who have just missed the giveaway will still be tempted if the price isn’t too
high. The Amazon servers update slowly, so a book manages to stay high in the
free Kindle rankings for about a day even if it has a price.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We also learnt the importance of being in the right
categories. Amazon allows two categories for a Kindle book so we put Joe’s in
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/362259031/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_kinc_1_5_last">Crime and Thrillers</a>. In fact we have now learnt that you can put a book in a subcategory
and it’s also in all the higher categories, so you can put a thriller in a subcategory
of crime and it will also be in all the categories above that. Which means we
could also put the book in a completely different category - Action and Adventure for example - but I have a
feeling that might devalue how good the author is.<br />
<br />
There are thrillers in Action and Adventure and it's easier to get a ranking in the Adventure subcategories, so if you have this kind of book you might want to consider it as a step into the rankings. The same is true of other genres and categories - research into books like yours can show how the successful authors and publishers are getting high rankings. Which categories are they in?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You can change the categories during a giveaway and it’s
worth doing this if you need to as you really must get into the top 20 ranking for a category.
My novel got high in Literary Fiction, while Joe’s has got high in Thrillers.
Some categories are easier to get high in, and it’s worth choosing an easy-to-get-into category to help
increase the downloads by making the book highly visible to people searching
for books in their favourite genre. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thrillers is a difficult category to succeed in – it took
400 downloads a day in the UK alone to get Joe into the top 10. But you can aim
for a subcategory of Thrillers and move up. For example, under Crime and
Thrillers you could click on Thrillers, then another subcategory, and you
would get a ranking more easily while still being in the harder categories of
Crime and Thrillers. 50 downloads a day could get you a top 10 ranking in the
lower subcategories. (20 downloads a day can maintain a ranking once the book reverts to 'paid' status).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sorry if this sounds complicated but it makes sense when you are setting up your Kindle book. When choosing a category you are given a list of possibilities and when you choose fiction, nonfiction etc you are given all the subcategories. Click on them to find the subcategories of subcategories. When potential buyers look for books on Amazon they do the same thing, searching for fiction/nonfiction and then being offered subcategories. Amazon actually has one of the best methods of helping buyers search for books in their favourite genres. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next step we took was to have a Facebook event for the
launch of the giveaway (and we will also have a Facebook event for the final day), with links to the book on Amazon sites and a reminder that people
don’t need a Kindle. They can download the free <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=kindle+reading+app">Kindle reading app</a> from Amazon.
It’s also important to let people know they have to use the Amazon site for
their own country, or many get confused that they can’t see the offer if they
click on a link to the wrong site. You do need to build a large Facebook group
for an event to help get a giveaway started, and you do need to be patient as many people do want their hands to be held. The clearer your messages the better the pick-up rate of the giveaway will be and the fewer requests for help you will get.<br />
<br />
We then sent a message to all 461 members of the <a href="http://writtenword.ning.com/">Written Word</a> social network, which is part of a voluntary project for writers I've been running for 6 years. I'm also involved in writing groups in the virtual world of <a href="http://secondlife.com/">Second Life</a> and can send notices to more than 2,000 writers and booklovers there. People on Second Life are very supportive and the two bloggers who helped by writing about the giveaway are both people I have met through this virtual world. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other steps are mainly the same ones described in my
previous blog posts. One addition is that I have realised how useful <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/">Goodreads</a>
is. I am in a number of groups on Goodreads and each group has one forum to
allow author/publisher promotions, so I put news of the giveaway in those. It
definitely made a difference on the second day, when downloads were starting to
slow down. At that point Joe was nearly in the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_kinc_1_1#5">top 100 ranking</a> for all books on
Kindle but not quite.<br />
<br />
You can also Google websites that let you list free Kindle books and you can find quite a few of the good ones listed <a href="http://freebies.about.com/od/onlinebooks/tp/free-kindle-books.htm">here</a>. Other sites not on this list are <a href="http://bargainebookhunter.com/">bargainebooks</a>, <a href="http://ereadernewstoday.com/category/free-kindle-books/">Ereader News Today</a>, <a href="http://www.fkbooksandtips.com/for-authors/">Free Kindle Books and Tips</a> and <a href="http://the-cheap.net/">The Cheap</a>. <br />
<br />
I should also have stated the obvious in my previous posts, which is that you can list your giveaway in a daily thread on the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/forum/kindle/ref=cm_cd_f_h_dp_t?_encoding=UTF8&cdAnchor=kindle&cdForum=Fx3IRFCNF3E5K2W">Kindle forums</a> for your country's Amazon website. They like people to put all the giveaways in the same thread for each day, and this does also help keep the thread being bumped into first place in the forum as new posts are added. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By putting the notices on Goodreads and also getting some
support from two bloggers, <a href="http://www.wolfiewolfgang.com/">Colin Bell</a> and <a href="http://virtualoutworlding.blogspot.co.uk/">Selby Evans</a>, we managed to get Joe
into the top 100 ranking for all Kindle books on Amazon UK. Once the book was
in this top 100 the downloads started to roll in every second, at which point I
think we can say it has gone viral.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another addition to the techniques used in our last giveaway
is that the book was listed on the <a href="http://www.hotukdeals.com/freebies/free-kindle-version-another-man-s-world-a-really-good-gritty-thriller-amazon-1432727">Hot UK Deals</a> site. We didn’t list this ourselves:
somebody found the deal and listed it here and I was told about it. It’s
important not to use this site to self-promote in any way as that isn't permitted, and the site lets members
list good deals they find and others can rate the deal as hot or cold. The site
is full of wonderful freebies and discounts so it’s very popular, and Joe’s
book took off as a ‘hot’ deal due to member voting. I’m sure this has helped as
his offer has stayed on the ‘Hot’ page. It has had thousands of views. Although we didn't list it, I did link to the offer in every way I could (Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin etc).<br />
<br />
When you post news of your own books on Goodreads and other forums, it's worth keeping an eye on how many views your posts get. Some groups on Goodreads are larger and more active than others. The main response we get is from a different and extremely popular website - <a href="http://www.kindleboards.com/">Kindle Boards</a> - but if you use them, do be sure only to use their <a href="http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php/board,42.0.html">Book Bazaar</a> forum, as self-promotion isn't allowed anywhere else. The <a href="http://mobileread.com/">Mobile Reads</a> forum is also good, but again it's vital only to post where author self-promotions are allowed as the admins of these sites are very quick to remove people otherwise. <br />
<br />
You do need to be prepared to put time and effort into the initial promotion so that a book can go viral, and I find it's best to have a 5-day giveaway, the maximum Amazon allows in a season. This gives enough time to move up in the rankings, and as some books are on shorter giveaways they will vanish from above you. Of course you do need to keep a high number of downloads per day to maintain your position. Groups on <a href="http://linkedin.com/">Linkedin</a> provide an extra place where you can be taking part in discussions about ebooks and talking about your giveaway or promotion.<br />
<br />
The more of these approaches you can use in the first day, the more chance you have of getting a high ranking and going viral so the book starts to do the work itself. It's a lot to do on your own, so careful planning and others allocated to do various tasks would help. But for most of us it really is a go-it-alone process, or an author and publisher process. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Joe isn’t a self-promotional author, but he is an excellent
crime author, and his book going viral does show that it can be done even by an
author who shies away from the limelight. Joe did send the news to his email
list, and it’s important for authors and publishers to build an email circular.
We also sent the news to our Ward Wood email following.<br />
<br />
Your email list is incredibly important, especially if you are an author, as you can encourage friends and family to support you. Just sharing the giveaway on their Facebook wall, tweeting about it, or mentioning it on a blog, will make an important contribution. Joe is an ex-boxer, like his main character Garron, and still trains teenagers who got excited about joining in with their Facebook walls once the book went viral. In fact seeing the book getting higher did get people excited about helping, and sometimes being given a book encourages people to enjoy the fun of this challenge and the thrill as a book moves up in the top 100. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One final tip I would give is that authors do need to ask
people to help out with a blog or a share on Facebook and Twitter and so on, and I do the same on their behalf. We do have
to be careful not to nag and spam people so I don’t push anybody. But it seems
support isn’t given unless you ask. People need to be invited to take books, or
to buy books, or to help with a blog. Even if you ask, you’re unlikely to get
more than a few shares and retweets, and just a couple of blogs. But they can
make that difference and push you up into a ranking that helps you go viral.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-91455166960424814642012-12-05T19:35:00.002-08:002012-12-05T19:46:26.418-08:00Going Viral on Amazon. Some Hope.You can read the 'some hope' in the title ironically or literally. It will be a while before I can see the lasting effects of the giveaway of my novel. It's now the 5th and final day, and downloads have averaged 100 per day. I'm now on about 500 and will see the grand total in the morning. The difficult task will then be seeing if the novel can stay high in the rankings when it's no longer free, and the only way this can happen for a book is if it goes viral in certain ways and takes off on its own.<br />
<br />
When I thought about having a giveaway I was concerned about possible negative effects, but I hadn't realised what some of the good effects could be. Along with the pleasure of being able to give a book to so many people, the giveaway has also continued to lead to sales of printed books from various retailers and from me directly. These sales aren't huge, but all small publishers and most poets and literary fiction writers will know every sale is a cause for celebration.<br />
<br />
This time last year we invested money in hiring a PR company for <a href="http://www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/">Ward Wood</a> books in general and I can say this giveaway has achieved far more than the PR company did and without the £2,000 or more a PR company costs. I've compared notes with another author, and between us we have tried out two of the better known PR companies for publishing. PR agencies usually charge a fee that only covers one press release circulated and follow up phone calls, and this can lead to very little in terms of press and media coverage. I said I would give figures openly in these blogs, so this is what you can expect to pay and what you can expect to receive for your money. Sometimes they also circulate review copies for you, which is an easy task.<br />
<br />
It worries me that the responsibility for PR could fall more and more to authors as the trend increases for self-publishing. As an author/publisher I can understand this as I'm a traditional publisher for our authors, but need to hire external editing and promotion for my own books if I choose to keep them with our company. For this reason I was thinking of going with another publisher for my next book, specifically because self promotion just isn't as effective as somebody else doing it for you, but the giveaway has made me reconsider.<br />
<br />
The amount of work I put in as a publisher to promote books by our authors just couldn't be paid for if authors had to pay the £50 per hour charged by PR companies. It takes continual press releases tailored for each news item that could get coverage for an author and more than the 6-8 weeks that consitute a promotional campaign led by an agency. The work never ends, as bookselling is incredibly hard.<br />
<br />
I really didn't expect the giveaway to lead to better results than the PR agency, but it wasn't hard perhaps.... In just 5 days the book has got to <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/362284031/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_kinc_1_4_last">14th position in the literary fiction ranking</a> on Amazon UK, and has been in the top 10 on Amazon US, moving about between that position and the top 40. I've realised part of the reason the downloads are higher for Amazon US is that Ireland and India are also included on that site.<br />
<br />
When I look at reports from PR agencies authors have used, they tend to lead to one or two reviews and maybe a broadcast. In just 5 days I've been asked to provide a reading to be broadcast on the popular <a href="http://www.homegrownpodcast.co.uk/">Homegrown Podcast</a> run by Nic Treadwell after he downloaded the book, and he has also asked to broadcast another Ward Wood author VG Lee.<br />
<br />
There has been increased traffic to the Ward Wood site, leading to sales of books by our other authors, and small publishers particularly need people to buy direct from them. For some reason people always seem to buy from Amazon, so it's quite ironic that a giveaway on Amazon could help us achieve the sales direct from publisher we really need. I think the interesting discussion about publishing that has grown up around the giveaway has led to increased awareness and sales direct from the publisher.<br />
<br />
Feedback from others during the giveaway made me realise the importance of encouraging people to click the <i>Like</i> button by books and to post reviews as this moves a book up in the Amazon rankings. I haven't been too successful at this as I don't like to harass, but was very encouraged by a review that turned up out of the blue from <a href="http://www.jameslawless.net/">James Lawless</a>, an Irish author, who I didn't know at all (which makes it even better) and who really 'got' what I was doing with the dystopian themes in the novel. You can see the review <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R1EFH4BVXN5WZE/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B006IHFZ22&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=133140011&store=digital-text">here</a> and it will also go on my page on the publisher website.<br />
<br />
If the book manages to stay high in the rankings it will have a chance of maintaining the high level of visibility needed to take off on its own. There's a limit to how much help a book can be given to keep people aware of it, especially when you have full-time work to do. Constant promotion by the publishers and authors could also put people off.<br />
<br />
Anybody with a Kindle or other ebook could consider going onto forums, like <a href="http://www.kindleboards.com/">Kindle Boards</a> and <a href="http://www.mobileread.com/">Mobile Reads Forum</a>. On these sites it's important to take a genuine interest in the discussions, but they do also give links to your books (especially Kindle Boards where they will help you put the covers of your books on all your posts with links to Amazon). They also have places to promote your book, and it's important to keep any self promotion strictly to the boards where this is allowed. I tested out the effectiveness of both of these sites on Tuesday night by posting after a long absence. Downloads of my novel went up by 21 in a matter of minutes, meaning that people were clicking on the links to my books from the messages even if I wasn't self promoting.<br />
<br />
The period after a giveaway shows if people who have downloaded the book have enjoyed it enough to <i>Like</i> it on Amazon and to post reviews, or one sentence comments. If enough do, the book will stay visible in the top 20 or top 100. They might write about it in other places and ask the author to be interviewed or broadcast. Whether or not this happens for my book, it has become clear to me that it certainly can happen and the giveaway is well worth considering for authors and publishers.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-10279638046349588712012-12-04T16:12:00.002-08:002012-12-04T16:12:50.553-08:00Getting High in Amazon RankingsIt's Day 4 of the giveaway of my novel and I promised to blog openly about the experience with exact statistics. I've also been learning valuable facts along the way so I'm glad I did this. Sometimes it's only by experimenting that you find out how the publishing market works, and although I felt I knew about ebooks, the past few days have demystified Amazon and Kindle even more.<br />
<br />
I woke up to find my novel in the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bestsellers-Kindle-Store-Literary-Fiction/zgbs/digital-text/362284031/ref=zg_bs_nav_kinc_3_362270031">Top 20</a> in the ranking for literary fiction on Amazon UK. It was also doing well on Amazon US but it's a bit harder to work out the ranking system there. I'll keep trying! You'll want to know how many downloads took the book to that position. Overall there were 307 downloads, with 113 in the UK.<br />
<br />
The book continues to do much better in the US, despite me being a London author, with 187 downloads in the US by this morning. The remaining downloads were in Spain, France and Germany, where I have author friends on various social networks. I'm not sure whether the higher number of downloads in the US is due to more enthusiasm for ebooks and social network promotions there, or if it's due to the higher number of Americans in my social networks - probably a bit of both. I thought it was Brit Lit but it does seem to strike a chord with American readers, which I've been very pleased about.<br />
<br />
Getting high in the rankings is important as a book needs to become visible to potential buyers if it's to take off on its own and go viral. For this to happen it does also have to be a good book, and I'll leave readers to judge that about my own novel. However, seeing the novel in the top 20 made me realise that the free ebook giveaway idea does let authors gain visibility for their books in a way that would normally be impossible without the high promotional budget of a major publisher.<br />
<br />
It's not as easy to give a novel away as people may think, as I said in my previous post. But if a novel can get to such a high position in the rankings with just a few hundred downloads it's certainly possible to gain visibility. A book can slip down the rankings just as quickly, of course, and after the techniques described in my last post to invite friends and social network contacts to get the book an author can run out of fresh ideas.<br />
<br />
One of the things I have found out is that it's important to encourage people to press the <i>Like</i> button by your book on Amazon and to add a review, even if it's only a sentence. This moves books up in the rankings, as I could see when I looked at the top literary fiction books on Amazon US, listed in price order from lowest to highest. Books that cost more could still appear higher than a free book if they had a number of <i>Likes</i> and reviews.<br />
<br />
I have to be careful about contacting too many people asking them to press <i>Like</i> or to post a review, even if they give me feedback saying they enjoyed the book. As a publisher I'm more wary of annoying others and doing anything to damage the reputation of the company or the authors on our list at <a href="http://www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/">Ward Wood Publishing</a>. But I think it's important for authors in general to invite readers to support them in this way. People just don't seem to do it if you don't ask. And people don't usually mind - I know I don't. Some may get annoyed with you but you just have to steel yourself for that, be polite back, and maybe go away and have a little cry!<br />
<br />
The other way to make sure your book has a chance of appearing high in the rankings is to check you have it in the right categories in your Kindle settings. Unfortunately Amazon only allow two categories to be set so I chose Literary Fiction and Fiction/Humour. It's much harder to get high in the rankings for all fiction books, but it's possible to gain this visibility in your genres. Being in the right category also helps readers find you - readers who are looking for your type of book.<br />
<br />
I realised the importance of this during the giveaway, as my book was in General Fiction and Women's Fiction (I hadn't chosen these settings). It isn't Women's Fiction, and General Fiction isn't specific enough to help people find it in the rankings. In fact Women's Fiction doesn't come up easily when searching genres either. So these two categories were useless during a giveaway and I realised they are useless in general in terms of helping potential readers find your book. When choosing categories for your book, it's worth taking a look at Kindle Books on Amazon and seeing which genres are easy to find.<br />
<br />
We had to waste 12 hours of the giveaway period changing to the right categories but it was important. I didn't exactly choose to waste this time, but if you take a look at your Kindle settings by editing them, Amazon will take your book offline until you <i>Save and Publish</i> again. Once a book is offline you have to choose <i>Save and Publish</i> to get it Live and Amazon check it for hours first then slowly update each server for each country. So don't take a look at your Kindle settings during a giveaway - it's important to sort them out beforehand.<br />
<br />
I have managed to keep the downloads going at about 100 per day without nagging people individually to download it or to support it in other ways. This is partly because there are people who will mutually support even without being asked too persuasively. These tend to be people who have a particular interest in ebooks or in the other technologies involved in ebooks, such as social networking.<br />
<br />
The wonderful Selby Evans, a patron of the arts in the virtual world of Second Life, blogged about the giveaway on his site <a href="http://virtualoutworlding.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/media-christmas-present-free-novel-from.html">Virtual Outworlding</a>. I noticed the results in terms of immediate downloads of the book to his large and mainly American following. Downloads in the UK were given a bit of a boost by <a href="http://annewelsh.wordpress.com/2012/12/03/ward/">Anne Welsh</a>'s blog, and as she's a librarian with a following of booklovers, that really helped.<br />
<br />
Even these quick blog posts support ebooks and authors, and in fact if bloggers use their Amazon Associates link to the giveaway they could earn commission on any other books the buyers get while there so it's worth their while identifying good giveaways and writing about them. I continue to be surprised by the way the giveaway has increased sales of my printed books, especially my <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Never-Never-Land-Adele-Ward/9780956896919">poetry collection</a>, but also the novel, so links to the giveaway could also have earned bloggers commission on these sales. <br />
<br />
Contacts who share the link on Facebook and Twitter also help keep interest going in a giveaway, and again I haven't asked for this too much but would encourage authors in general to do so. It's human nature to need to be invited to do a thing and to be reminded. The amount of support authors could get is much higher than I've achieved but I need to be careful about possibly annoying others due to the other sides of my work.<br />
<br />
With one day to go I still have some new ideas to draw attention to the giveaway and will report tomorrow on the final statistics, the additional tips and techniques used on the last day, and the way forward with a book that's high in the rankings once it has to start being sold again. And of course all of this has to be fitted in with a busy work schedule or perhaps all authors could achieve more with a giveaway.<br />
<br />
If you have tips of your own about free Kindle promotions, please leave feedback. I'd like to gather as much advice together as possible.<br />
<br />
<br />Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-69031760119221127712012-12-03T09:31:00.002-08:002012-12-03T10:15:18.989-08:00Ebooks. You Can't Give 'Em Away. Or Can You?This week I'm experimenting with the free ebook giveaway idea until Wednesday. So that this experiment will be useful to other authors and publishers I'm going to be completely open about the number of people who take the book, the techniques used, and the pros and cons of this idea. Some of this is hard to find unless somebody tells you, especially the number of books you need to give away in order to get to a good point in the Amazon rankings so that you're visible to readers beyond your own contact list.<br />
<br />
I'll start with the figure you all want to know. In the first two days 220 people have downloaded the book. More than 100 were in the US, 85 in the UK, 1 in Spain and 2 in Germany. The higher figure in the US, despite the fact I'm a British author based in London, helps to show the importance of an engagement with social networks in order to reach out to international readers.<br />
<br />
It also shows that ebooks are vital as it's almost impossible for many publishers to get their printed books stocked and sold in other countries due to the cost of sending them combined with the demands of bookshop managers for big discounts that would put publishers into a loss. In the US, Ireland and UK bookshops tend to want to buy only from their wholesalers, so unless you can get stocked by their wholesalers it's almost impossible to sell to some countries.<br />
<br />
Although bookdepository.com is excellent for supplying UK books to the US, Amazon only supplies books stocked by its wholesalers. We're stocked by the major wholesalers, but many aren't so it's a huge problem. So ebooks are the most effective way for authors and publishers to become internationally known and read. One problem is that potential readers don't realise they can only use the Amazon site for their country to download ebooks, which no doubt loses a lot of takers as it's complicated giving links to all regional websites. There are also some strange factors (such as ebook sales to Ireland going through the US Amazon website only).<br />
<br />
Giving ebooks away isn't as easy as you might think, even though I'm a publisher with a track record as a published author. With so many people contacting me every day asking me to download their free ebook, my main fear was that nobody (or very few people) would take it. People are inundated with requests from their friends to accept and read a free book. This could be worrying for people selling printed books and ebooks, but one of the main surprises is that the giveaway has led to a flurry of interest in the printed books, and sales have increased. A printed book costs less than a visit to a coffee shop for a drink and a cake, so maybe this isn't so surprising. Paying or getting a book free isn't perhaps as important a factor in reader choice as we imagine.<br />
<br />
But a free gift of an ebook people already quite fancy is going to tempt them to make that step and actually get it. The second question that will be on your mind is how many people I had to promote to in order to get about 200 takers. The maths for this seems quite simple. I have two main social networks I can promote to, both with contacts involved in books and writing, and the total number of contacts is just over 2,000. So, in the first two days I seem to have about 10% take-up of the offer. I'll keep you updated on the figures as I move into the second half of the promotional period.<br />
<br />
To some of you 200 will seem like an excellent figure. '200 new people discovering your book' another author said to me. But in fact they aren't 200 new people. They are people who have been on my Facebook list because they have a particular interest in writing and publishing, and in the virtual world of Second Life, where I have been organising a large voluntary project for writers for 6 years. When you look at it this way, 200 might seem quite low and shows just how many 'friends' truly interested in our projects we really have on social networks. However, some only log on occasionally so it was probably a good idea to run the giveaway for the full 5 days Amazon allow in any season all in one go.<br />
<br />
An unexpected bonus was the feeling it gives to see so many contacts downloading the book, reading it at the same time as each other, and giving feedback to me. It's a time when many people are short of money, and those who love books tend to buy too many and try to cut down, so it's rare to have this sudden burst of 'book sales' and simultaneous reading by many. It's usually an experience that only bestselling authors can enjoy.<br />
<br />
With 200 downloads the book got to 835th position in the Amazon sales ranking for free books in the UK, and just over 2,000th in the US. People in each country can only download from one Amazon site and the rankings are based on the total for each location. I'm starting to see the downloads starting to grow in Germany, Spain and France.<br />
<br />
What are the best ways to promote a giveaway without making your friends and contacts feel 'spammed'. I sent out a notice to the publishing company group, inviting members to an 'event' during the giveaway. I also invited friends and contacts from my personal Facebook friends list to an 'event' with a link to the Amazon sites as the location. Apart from the problem of people clicking on the wrong Amazon site for their country, this did work well. The downside to this is that some people don't realise they should turn off group notifications if group discussions become active and start arriving in their email. During a giveaway a group wall will get active so brace yourself for people getting irritated and it's important to remind people how to turn off notifications. Luckily I only had one complaint, but he made it very public on my wall - in fact you may find that you get trolls.<br />
<br />
I then also sent group notices to the writing groups I have on Second Life. I have to say, I found the Second Life bookloving community very supportive and this will be part of the reason the downloads are higher in the US than the UK. They also account for the downloads to France and Spain. People on Second Life tend to be technology lovers as well as booklovers, and many of them are enthusiastic about ebooks. It's a mutually supportive environment for writers on Second Life, and I was touched by the number of people who shared the news on their Facebook wall and also on blogs without being asked to help.<br />
<br />
At this point I have done as much as I can with my social networks without driving people crazy with reminders to take the book if they would like it. I have to be very careful as a traditionally published author and a publisher as I mustn't do anything to damage my own reputation or that of the authors with Ward Wood Publishing. I didn't send reminders to the group, or to friends individually, after the first invitation.<br />
<br />
A self-published author probably should go for it with even more gusto, contacting friends to remind them to download the book, and letting them know how and why it can help. This might be the only way many authors can head up the Amazon rankings during their giveaway period, and the book could then go viral if it gets into the top 100 or top 10.<br />
<br />
It will also help if the book is in the right Categories in your Kindle settings. I hadn't selected these myself and you do need to check that your publisher has put you in the main categories you feel are right. Amazon only allow two categories and my book had mistakenly been put in Women's Fiction (which it isn't) and General Fiction. This lost me about 12 hours of the giveaway period as I had to have it changed to Literary Fiction and Humour. Being in the wrong category (and I really don't consider my book Women's Fiction) not only makes it hard for readers to find what they want, but the correct niches give a book a better chance of getting high in its particular category.<br />
<br />
So this is the point I'm at. I need to use some additional methods for the final half of the giveaway and will explain them in another post and how effective they are. Any feedback on your own giveaways, and also ebook sales, with tips, pros and cons, will be very welcome. And thanks to all who have dowloaded the book! I would love to see links to any reviews and feedback, good and bad, and also any places you have shared news of the giveaway.<br />
<br />
Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-49204272272981915432012-11-28T15:38:00.002-08:002012-11-28T15:58:21.284-08:00The Next Big ThingIf you haven’t heard about <i>The Next Big Thing</i> then where have you been? Each Wednesday, authors who have been selected answer ten set questions on their blog about their next book. They then tag five authors, give a brief bio about each, and it will be their turn the following Wednesday. The idea is to make some sense of the blogosphere by drawing attention to good author blogs. I’ve tried to choose a varied set of authors who will take The Next Big Thing out in new directions, and I’m sure all of you will find at least one author you haven’t encountered before – and maybe get some new ideas about the ways blogs can be used. You’ll find them all at the end of this post.<br /><br />
With thanks to <a href="https://colinptucker.wordpress.com">Colin Tucker</a> who tagged me. Colin’s blog is at https://colinptucker.wordpress.com<br /><br />
<b>1) What is the working title of your next book?</b><br /><br />
Help required on this. So far it has had the working titles Charing Cross Station and then Everyone Can Sing. I’m also considering A Time to Sing. Any feedback on these ideas would be very welcome.<br /><br />
<b>2) Where did the idea come from for the book?</b><br /><br />
The idea for one of the main stories in the book came from a relationship I had with a character who seemed exceptionally kind and caring. A person of integrity. But it turned out he was extremely deceptive and hiding something important. I don’t like novels about couple relationships so I was waiting for something else I could add to the book. Then I discovered that a holiday cottage I had fallen in love with had been the scene of something horrific just before I stayed there. This gave me the extra inspiration I needed to build a story about how we make assumptions and how our perceptions about people and places can totally change when a single fact about them is revealed. I also wanted to write about feminism and love comedy, so meeting the stand-up comedian VG Lee inspired me to add a character based on her who has written a spoof book of extreme feminist ideas as a comedy but it becomes a bestselling cult manifesto.<br /><br />
<b>3) What genre does your book fall under?</b><br /><br />
This is always hard to answer for me. It’s contemporary fiction, which says nothing about it except that the voice is very contemporary. It’s perhaps literary fiction, but I hate to say that as it sounds elitist and I think literary fiction can be an enjoyable read for most people. It’s definitely comedy but also has thought-provoking themes I hope. Like my last novel Everything is Free it’s probably a ‘state of England’ novel (as one reviewer said) as I like to write about our society, and it combines dark humour and light humour. It doesn’t get as nasty as Everything is Free, which I will be giving away for five days from Saturday on Kindle as a dark, alternative Christmas gift of a novel.<br /><br />
<b>4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?</b><br /><br />
The deceptively over-nice character Robert looks a bit like Alan Titchmarsh, but I’m not sure if he would like to act. Somebody like that with a ‘butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth’ look who isn’t too handsome. VG Lee could play the comedian who gives feminism a kick up the pants with her comedy manifesto. Judith and her 18-year-old daughter Lydia look like a younger and a middle-aged version of Carole King, and there’s a very androgynous character called Viv who may be male or female. I’d need a very feisty actor for Viv. A young Tilda Swinton maybe. Then there’s Joe who is like a middle-aged Bob Dylan. And a mystery woman who Glenn Close could do well.<br /><br />
<b>5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?</b><br /><br />
The people who seem closest to us can be strangers guarding secrets and the revelation of one fact can make us realise we’ve been living a lie for years: everything we hold most important can be taken from us in that instant.<br /><br />
<b>6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?</b><br /><br />
I will approach agents with this novel. With my last novel I turned down offers from a major publisher and a good small publisher, thinking it would be good to support Ward Wood Publishing with it. But it’s not a good idea to be an author/publisher these days despite a long and important tradition of this in the UK. It’s much more effective for me to publish and promote the work of others. Unfortunately nowadays, with so many people self-publishing and setting up small companies to publish their own work, it has become harder to be an author/publisher in a professional way.<br /><br />
<b>7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?</b><br /><br />
It isn’t completely finished but I’d say two years.<br /><br />
<b>8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?</b><br /><br />
I can’t really think of any. I seem to have developed a bit of an unusual style, and even if I start off not writing in it, it soon takes over again. My contemporary writing voice has been compared to Catherine O’Flynne but she writes about urban disaffection whereas I love the city and even some of the most dreadful characters.<br /><br />
<b>9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?</b><br /><br />
A person I met who seemed like one of the best people I had ever known, but who turned out to be the person who has treated me worst in my life. To him I send my gratitude, as it’s the most deceptive people who inspire some of the most interesting characters for me as a writer. The more successfully deceptive a person is, the more they surprise the reader, and the more the reader believes the other characters would have believed in them. An obviously deceptive person would be transparent to the reader and the people deceived would be demeaned as they would look too stupid and gullible. We all have to be conned by them, and in my life I’ve been inspired by two people who were excellent at the art of deception.<br /><br />
<b>10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?</b><br /><br />
I had to learn to sing as research for this novel and it has become a passion. I wanted learning to sing to be a way Judith gets rid of her inhibitions and as an echo of how Erica Jong used aerophobia in Fear of Flying. Feminism is one of the themes of the novel, with the teenagers researching the history of feminism and discussing the iconic books and novels, so I wanted to have a similar positive note and title. Sorry about the pun.<br /><br />
<b>The Next <i>Next Big Things</i></b><br /><br />
Here are the five authors I’ve tagged. I enjoy their writing and their blogs and it’s a delight to be able to share them with you.<br /><br />
<b><a href="http://matthewpaulpoems.blogspot.co.uk">Matthew Paul</a></b><br /><br />
Matthew has had poems published in a variety of places, including Fire, Poetry Ireland and Poems from Art (Tate Modern) and some are forthcoming at nth position. His first collection of haiku - The Regulars - was published by Snapshot Press in 2006 and the second, The Lammas Lands, will be published in 2013. He is associate editor for Presence haiku magazine and was joint writer/editor (with John Barlow) of Wing Beats: British Birds in Haiku (Snapshot Press, 2008). He is the UK contributing editor for the annual Red Moon Anthology of Haiku (USA). His haiku have been anthologised in - amongst others - the Iron Book of British Haiku, The New Haiku (Snapshot Press), and, more recently, The Humours of Haiku (Iron Press) and he has run haiku workshops for the Essex Poetry Festival and for Poetry South. His blog is at http://matthewpaulpoems.blogspot.co.uk<br /><br />
<b><a href="http://www.wolfiewolfgang.com">Colin Bell</a></b><br /><br />
After a career making Arts Programmes as a producer/director and executive producer for British, American, Japanese and European broadcasters, Colin Bell (aka wolfiewolfgang), gave up television to concentrate on writing. His novel, Stephen Dearsley's Summer of Love, will be published in 2013 (Ward Wood Publishing). He has also published three children’s stories (Novello’s), film reviews (Mansized, the biggest men’s health online website), and poetry in the UK and the USA in The Blotter, Every Day Poets, Shot Glass Journal, Bittersweet, Prism and the Fib Review. His short stories have been published by Ether Books and performed by White Rabbit Theatre in London and he is a Writers’ Village Best Writers’ Award winner. He lives in Lewes, East Sussex, England and also writes a daily blog and other reviews as wolfiewolfgang on his website http://www.wolfiewolfgang.com<br /><br />
<b><a href="http://abegailmorley.wordpress.com">Abegail Morley</a></b><br /><br />
Abegail Morley is guest poetry editor for The New Writer. Her collection How to Pour Madness into a Teacup (Cinnamon 2009) was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection (2010); the title poem was previously nominated for the Best Single Poem. Her second collection Snow Child is published by Pindrop Press.<br /><br />
She was nominated for the London Best New Poet Award 2010 and won the Cinnamon Press Poetry Collection Award (2009), The Didsbury Arts Festival Open Poetry Competition (2011) and an Orbis Readers’ Award. She has won prizes in Agenda Competition; Nottingham Open Poetry Competition; The Frogmore Prize; Leaf Books; Kent and Sussex Folio; Aesthetica Creative Writing Competition; Canterbury Festival and Swale Life Poetry Competitions. Her work appears in a wide range of journals including Anon; Assent; Envoi; Financial Times; The Frogmore Papers; Ink, Sweat and Tears; The Interpreter’s House; Iota; New Walk Magazine; Other Poetry; Poetry Review; Poetry Salzburg; The SHOp; Snakeskin; The Same and The Spectator and is reviewed in the TLS; Other Poetry; Peony Moon; Ink and Sweat and Tears and Eyewear.<br /><br />
She is also in the following anthologies: Not Only the Dark (2011); The Forward Book of Poetry (2011); Balancing Act and Other Poems (2011); Did I Tell You? 131 Poems for Children in Need (2010); The Sandhopper Lover and Other Stories (2009). Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual (2012).
Abegail’s blog is at http://abegailmorley.wordpress.com<br /><br />
<b><a href="http://www.mikehorwood.blogspot.com">Mike Horwood</a></b><br /><br />
Mike Horwood was born in London in 1955 and grew up in Berkshire. He has lived in Finland, where he teaches English, since 1985. Mike has an M.A. in Creative Writing from Manchester Metropolitan University and is currently working towards a PhD at Bangor. He has a poetry collection, Midas Touch, and a novel, The Finn´s Tale, both published by Ward Wood Publishing. His blog is at http://www.mikehorwood.blogspot.com<br /><br />
<b><a href="http://www.sharonzink.blogspot.co.uk">Sharon Zink</a></b><br /><br />
Sharon says: I became a writer at five when my German-Brazilian-American grandfather gave me an Amazonian plant which he said could sense good and evil, thus dooming me to a life ruled by a vivid imagination. Having survived a sticky teenage hell by turning to verse, I became Shell Young Poet of the Year, my first collection, Rain in the Upper Floor Café, being published when I was seventeen.<br /><br />
After spending several years pretending to be a model, art dealer and bookseller in post-Velvet Revolution Prague, amongst other places, I studied English at Queen Mary, University of London and then read for an M.Phil. in Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Jesus College, Cambridge, before returning to London where I gained my Ph.D. under the supervision of Prof. Lisa Jardine.<br /><br />
I taught at various universities before abandoning academia to work freelance and focus on fiction. Since then, I have received the title of Writers Inc. Writer of the Year and have also been short-listed for the Raymond Carver and New Writer story awards on four occasions, being named in the latter as the Editor's Choice.<br /><br />
Having been published in anthologies, newspapers and journals in the U.K., U.S. and in translation in Mexico, my work has also been the subject of editorial features in The Telegraph and The Guardian and various TV slots. In addition, I have read at venues such as the Barbican and the Royal Festival Hall, a selection of my stories also having been produced at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival, winning an award from The Scotsman. keen traveller, I have wandered widely in Mexico, India, Thailand and Europe. I have also spent an extensive amount of time in America - the former home of my grandfather - most recently undertaking astronaut training at N.A.S.A. whilst researching Emptiness, my new novel about female astronauts – ‘The Log Flume’, a chapter from this work, was recently published in The New Writer. I currently live on the Sussex Coast with my cat, Muse.<br /><br />
My first novel, Sharonville, is currently under submission.<br /><br />
Sharon’s blog is at http://www.sharonzink.blogspot.co.uk<br /><br />
Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-46267431978559634022012-05-07T08:36:00.001-07:002012-05-09T15:20:28.703-07:00Review: What Was Lost by Catherine O'FlynnI had an odd reason for reading this novel. Somebody told me my novel reminded them of What Is Lost, as both are set in shopping centres. There are other striking similarities in some of the small details, but overall they are two very different books.
I looked forward to What Is Lost and really wanted to enjoy it. It's in the kind of setting and with the kind of characters, themes, and storylines that appeal to me. The strengths of the writing showed at times when the story zoomed in with a clear focus on the individual characters and brought their experiences and thoughts to life.
For me there were also some problems. The long opening third all telling the story of the child Kate Meaney trying to be a private detective around her depressing urban area and the local shopping centre would have failed to hold my attention if I hadn't read on the blurb that she was going to vanish. I would have liked it more if it had started with her and her father, as it's a very interesting lone parent depiction. More interaction with adults could have varied the focus on the child-like story in a way that would have held my interest more.
It also felt much more old-fashioned than the dates suggest. In the school there are 'stationery monitors' and a general atmosphere that felt pre-1960s, rather than mid-1980s. The description of the shopping centre in 1984 with 'prehistoric supermarkets' and also tatty shops near the entrances from the bus stops doesn't tie in with my memories. It was always expensive for shops to be in these places and the shops near the main entrances were in the prime positions. The same big supermarket chains were in them then as now.
The middle section moves forwards 20 years and to two new characters - the security guard Kurt and also Lisa, who works in a music shop. The middle section is the hardest part of a novel, and this is a debut - it does seem to get a bit lost at this point. There are too many mundane details that I think a good editor should have helped the author with. The story of the characters is also often narrated as backstory, or as the things they 'usually do' each day. Each time the author zoomed in and brought a scene to life this completely changed and really worked. For example, the moment the security guard feels somebody is walking behind him watching him in the isolatd service corridors. The book would have been strengthened by increasing the passages with this kind of writing.
The author really knows about shopping centres as she worked in a music shop, but unfortunately the details about Lisa's working life in Your Music are too long and mundane. So the book could have been strengthened by cutting some of this detail, although some of it is needed in the resolution for this character.
The long opening section also gets us involved with Kate Meaney, so it feels strange that her disappearance becomes such a small part of the rest of the book. It would have been good to have the focus brought back to Kate more often. All of the characters have reasons to be remembering her, and there is one truly spooky moment. More of those would have been great, in place of the more everyday comments.
I liked the experimental nature of the book and the way the 'voices' of the people in the shopping centre pop up in italics here and there. Again, some of them are too mundane, but some are excellent. It would have been nice if the mundane ones had been replaced by others.
It would also have been good, for me anyway, if some of the characters had not been depressed. Surely there would be some joy experienced by somebody?
I can see that some feel the resolution didn't work. I think it does work in ways and not in others. The plot depends too much on coincidence - all the main characters have some connection to Kate Meaney, and then by chance they also find the clues and meet up with each other. They also forget things about her, like the fact she carried the monkey, which I think would stick in the mind if a lost friend or girl you have seen starts coming back into your memory when clues appear. Apart from Kate Meaney, there is a death that links two of the main characters and it happens in the shopping centre with one of the characters happening to be the person to make the discovery. I can't say more without spoilers, but there are so many coincidences needed to make the plot work that either it's a mistake, or it's a deliberate ploy to show it's fiction and not meant to be realistic.
Again the scenes in 2004 felt old-fashioned - nobody uses the internet or mobile phones. Everybody uses a landline, and uses the post to stay in contact anonymously, when the internet could be used. Lisa from the music shop is using a Walkman. Each of the time periods seems about 20 years before the times given on the chapters.
Dialogue was a bit of a problem, and even the final statement about what happened to Kate seems to be in a similar voice to many of the other characters. The lack of variety in states of mind, with little positive apart from the undying enthusiasm of Kate, is echoed in similar tones of voice and attitudes. Working class people are described as 'inbred' three times by different people (starting with Kate, which gives an idea that her voice often isn't that of a child), boys who work in the storeroom are described as lanky-haired and all called Matt or Kieron.
I thought this might be ok as perhaps the narrative voice was also that of someone with a similar council estate background, but it seems to get more and more linked to Lisa's voice, and she describes herself as middle-class at one point. So an element of snobbery is one of the less acceptable flavours left by the novel. At another point one of the security guards is helped to learn how to read and takes up the Daily Mail and Jilly Cooper novels, which could be quite funny, but a point is made that the guard who has taught him feels he has 'created a monster'. We are all supposed to share the same views in order to agree with the narrator, who steps in at points like this, not letting the characters have their own opinions, or not letting the readers interpret for themselves. This can make the characters seem a bit too similar.
I did like the stories of the characters lives, and would have liked a bit more about Theresa at the start. It would have been nice to feel more engaged with her and also with Kate. It was hard to have an emotional response to any of the characters and letting them come to life would have helped that, coupled with the removal of the more mundane passages.
Having said that, I did really like what was being attempted and have a feeling I'll like Catherine O'Flynn's follow-on novels more. I must also be wrong to some extent as the book has won awards - something I didn't realise until I was halfway through it. I wonder if knowing would have changed my response.Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185472649263590085.post-25968692239492221742011-12-31T06:36:00.000-08:002011-12-31T06:41:38.453-08:00The Importance of Ebooks and Online SellingOver the festive period much has been said about ebooks and online selling, and in particular how rapidly sales are growing in this part of the bookselling market. Responses vary, with me sounding extremely encouraged by this, and some bookshop managers sounding worried – if you look on the Bookseller website you’ll see all sides to the argument.<br /><br />The truth is that we absolutely need the ebook market to take off – whether we’re authors, publishers or booksellers. The crisis in bookselling is far more extreme than authors and readers realise, and publishers don’t want to dishearten authors by letting them know just how difficult it will be to sell their books should they overcome the first hurdle of getting published.<br /><br />Ebooks also let publishers take on authors who are difficult to promote, perhaps because they live in another country and aren't available for the many events needed to help a book take off. Or they might write short stories, which are even harder to sell than poetry as there's no network of live events for short story writers. It also means publishers can take on long novels by debut writers, whereas the pagecount usually means the cost of printing and postage can't really be recuperated without a high cover price and/or high sales.<br /><br />Bookshop managers tend to get defensive when they see the way ebooks are taking off. The Kindle sales this Christmas show that the UK is finally following in the footsteps of the US and the many people getting a Kindle as a present will no doubt follow up by buying some books for it. This is great news for publishers and authors at a time when companies are closing due to the difficulties selling our one product – books.<br /><br />I do think bookshops can get in on the act too, rather than trying to defend an either/or position where ebooks are seen as killing the traditional bookshop which stocks books in print. There’s no reason why bookshops shouldn’t also have a screen where customers can buy the books they can’t find on the shelves and have them delivered straight from the publisher’s distributor to the customer’s home. <br /><br /> It would be just like buying on any other online bookseller site, but would be managed by the bookshop. And at last we would be able to order literary fiction, poetry and short stories through our high street bookshop if we wanted to, and not just the few they have in stock. Even the excellent bookshops that do stock plenty of poetry and literary fiction can’t stock everything, and they could offer everything publishers have registered on the central Nielsen database. Bookselling websites update automatically by feed from this, so it’s easy to manage.<br /><br />Bookshop managers also complain that customers say they can get the books cheaper from Amazon, but customers know that Amazon isn’t reliable when it comes to supplying some of the books they take orders for, particularly poetry. Emails arrive for a few weeks saying the book is temporarily out of stock and finally that it’s unavailable. So I would certainly trust a bookshop more. I just feel that bookshops need to see this as an opportunity and adapt more than they’ve been doing so far.<br /><br />With ebooks it’s tricky at this stage because Amazon dominates the market due to the popularity of the Kindle. But I’m not going to hold that against them and fight them over it. The situation will change. At this stage it’s helpful that Amazon is creating the market with the Kindle and Kindle books. We’d be doing a disservice to our authors if we didn’t go along with that and make all of their books available for the Kindle. Our fiction is all available for Kindle and we’re working hard on getting the poetry perfect at the moment – we didn’t stop over Christmas!<br /><br />Amazon has a monopoly on Kindle ebook sales. But we’re also working on Epub versions which provide ebooks that can be sold on any website. This will provide even more of an opportunity for bookshops, authors, publishers, and anybody else, to sell direct from their websites. Amazon and Kindle are paving the way but it would be impossible to keep a monopoly in this market. It’s only possible to get an early lead.<br /><br />What has surprised and encouraged me most this Christmas is seeing how ebooks have levelled the playing field between authors and publishers of all sizes. The major publishers have their huge budgets for promotional activities, which usually crushes others out. It’s impossible for a smaller publisher to get books stocked in bookshops over Christmas when major publishers have bought all the best space and there isn’t even shelf space left for new books by others.<br /><br />I would have thought this would also affect ebooks and that titles by major publishers would dominate the list of bestselling Kindle books. And yet two out of the top four Kindle titles were by self published authors. They weren’t expensive ($3 and under) but they were for sale, so they weren’t just downloaded because they were free.<br /><br />While one was a genre novel, and various genres do well on Kindle (it was the crime novel The Abbey by Chris Culver), the other novel sounds like literary fiction - Darcie Chan's The Mill River Recluse. The sales figures are also much higher than you might imagine and the books get into the New York Times bestseller list. High advances will be available from major publishers for those authors next time I think.<br /><br />I’m not quite sure how these authors managed to compete with the promotional activities of the major publishers but I’ll be researching it in detail. If it really is possible to compete and win with ebooks then that certainly makes a major change in publishing, and we all need to take an interest.Adele Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13423081842097694829noreply@blogger.com2