If I had tits then there would be certain things in the world that would get right on them. Near the top of that long list would be those people who think that they can be taught to write, and who waste good brass attending courses that are supposed to teach them the secrets of being a successful scribbler. The latest is this deal in Paris of all places that costs a fortune and is a waste of everyone's time and money - except the organisers who will be raking it in.
Time was when your average journalist was some bloke who had left school at 14, but who had a way with both words and booze. Novelists and playwrites used to be nothing more than men who had stories to tell and the ability to tell those tales. William Shakespeare and Joe Orton both spring to mind as examples of provincial blokes made good.
So does Paul Davies come to that. I met Paul once quite by chance in Manchester a few months ago and he told me about his book, Letterbox, which is concerned with the 1996 IRA bombing in Manchester. Paul made the point that he wrote his book because he had a story to tell, so he sat down and started work.
If you have stories to tell as I do then go ahead and tell them. Now is the best time to be an author or authoress because the days when we had to put up with crap from the publishers are dead and buried. For less than £250 you can get your manuscript turned into all the e-reader formats and within days it will be available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, W.H. Smith and the like. If it is good, then people will read it...
Alternatively, you could get in touch with one of the new publishers who will cut you a very nice deal because they want to work with you. Raven is starting a new publishing house next month and she wants to hear from writers, especially those in the erotica field. The deal will be basically a 50-50 royalty split, and she will carry the costs of editing your epic.
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