It is official, I have just self published a copy of songs and poems by Robert Tannahill. He may not be as famous as Robert Burns, Tannahill is still remembered in his hometown of Paisley. His home still stands on Queen Street in the town, close to the Gallow Green. There is a pub standing on Neilston Road, which is named after Tannahill and a statue of him stands in the Abbey Close.
Despite a deformity to his right leg, and having a weak constitution, he still worked as a weaver, which was a physically demanding job. He had a small desk attached to his weaver's loom, so that he could write down his songs and his poems, all while he weaved. Despite his deformed right leg, which was shorter than his left, he still went off on long walks to the Gleniffer Braes. The influence of these walks can be found in his work, including The Braes o' Gleniffer.
After the success of his first published collection, Tannahill tried to have another published, only for it to be rejected. It was at this time that his friends began to worry about him. One night, after being out with friends, he disappeared from his family home. After a search of the local area, Tannahill's coat and pocket watch were found, placed next to the culvert for the local canal. He had commited suicide. He was only 36.
The reason why I published this collection, was that I had been talking to one of my friends about Tannahill. My friend had never heard of him, so had searched for Tannahill, only to find that most collections of his work are faximilies and cost £15 upwards. With the Paisley 2021, City of Culture bid, I thought that it was time for a reasonably priced edition to be made available. I believe that Tannahill and his work should be better known than they are, which only encouraged me more to publish this collection
Even though the book has only been available a short while, an interest has already been shown in it. It is available on Amazon (UK, USA and Europe). I have attached a link to the book in this blog.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weaver-Poet-Songs-Robert-Tannahill/dp/1533394318/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463992919&sr=1-1&keywords=the+weaver+poet+robert+tannahill
Monday, 23 May 2016
Thursday, 12 May 2016
Writer's Edge - A Warning to Other Writers
Just over four years ago, I started to write my Aesir Saga. About a year and five months ago, I signed a contract to have it published with Writer's Edge, who are based in Michigan. I thought that I was being savvy by getting advice and getting a laywer to check the contract for me. Only when the lawyer gave the thumbs up, did I sign it. Once the contract was signed, everything was sent off to Writer's Edge. That was when things started to go wrong.
All three of my manuscripts were sent back to me, with suggested changes, which I started to work on. Chad, who owns and runs Writer's Edge had said in an email, that if I had any questions, that I was to email him. I did have a question about the deadline. I wanted to make sure when he wanted me to send my work back to him, with the changes made. So, I emailed him, asking him when the deadline was. Some days passed, without an answer to my email, so I emailed him back. Same thing happened, so I emailed him again. Finally, Chad answered, saying that there was no deadline and that I was to take my time. That rang alarm bells. I do not know of any publisher who does not give a deadline for work to be sent back. It can sometimes be flexiable, but there is still something there, giving writers an aim to work towards.
As I was starting to have my doubts, I asked some other people I knew, to have a look at the contract. One of them just happens to be a lawyer. The other friend I showed it to, runs his own publishing company. Both of them felt that there was something not quite right with the contract. It was almost as if it had been a contract template that had been downloaded from the internet and tweeked to suit the specific purposes of Writer's Edge, rather than something that had been writtten by a lawyer.
For about a year, I have been working on the Series, but I haven't heard a peep out of Writer's Edge. There has been no emails to check on how I am doing, or to see where about I am in the process. At the start of this week, I decided to take things into my own hands. I want to see the Aesir Series published, but if I keep playing by the rules set down by Writer's Edge, I would be tied into the contract until August, 2019, at the earliest, and October 2019, at the latest. In the contract, it states that is when I can contact Writer's Edge and contract the contract, which runs for five years. If I don't, it will be renewed for another year. That would mean that I would be tied into a contract that I don't see going anywhere, for another four years.
Even if I did play by their rules and continued with the contract, I cannot see my work getting published by Writer's Edge, as it has been noticed that they haven't published any work for 13 months. It has also been noticed that on the New Releases part of the Writer's Edge website, books that were published in 2013 are still featured. That doesn't fill me with a sense of confidence.
On Tuesday, 10th May, 2016, I sent Writer's Edge an email, and said that I was cancelling the contract, as I was not able to continue with the project. I also said that I will be expecting to hear from them, within the next week. I have been checking my emails every day since, just in case I miss anything. So far, I have heard nothing. I know that only a few days have passed, but in a case like this, when someone has said that they will be cancelling a contract, you deal with it asap. It is also not the first time that Chad has not replied to my emails.
So, my warning to other writers, is to avoid Writer's Edge, whose website is - www.writersedgepublishing.com. They do not come across as the most professional of publishers. They offer no support to their writers. The fact that they do not answer their emails, has felt as if I couldn't even ask them for advice. Having looked at some of the work that they have published, and it is not of a great standard. With something like the Aesir Series, which is so close to my heart, and which I want to see published and doing well, I do not think that it would be achieved by working with someone like Writer's Edge.
I will keep you all posted and hopefully, I will have good news, and that the Aesir Saga will be getting published.
All three of my manuscripts were sent back to me, with suggested changes, which I started to work on. Chad, who owns and runs Writer's Edge had said in an email, that if I had any questions, that I was to email him. I did have a question about the deadline. I wanted to make sure when he wanted me to send my work back to him, with the changes made. So, I emailed him, asking him when the deadline was. Some days passed, without an answer to my email, so I emailed him back. Same thing happened, so I emailed him again. Finally, Chad answered, saying that there was no deadline and that I was to take my time. That rang alarm bells. I do not know of any publisher who does not give a deadline for work to be sent back. It can sometimes be flexiable, but there is still something there, giving writers an aim to work towards.
As I was starting to have my doubts, I asked some other people I knew, to have a look at the contract. One of them just happens to be a lawyer. The other friend I showed it to, runs his own publishing company. Both of them felt that there was something not quite right with the contract. It was almost as if it had been a contract template that had been downloaded from the internet and tweeked to suit the specific purposes of Writer's Edge, rather than something that had been writtten by a lawyer.
For about a year, I have been working on the Series, but I haven't heard a peep out of Writer's Edge. There has been no emails to check on how I am doing, or to see where about I am in the process. At the start of this week, I decided to take things into my own hands. I want to see the Aesir Series published, but if I keep playing by the rules set down by Writer's Edge, I would be tied into the contract until August, 2019, at the earliest, and October 2019, at the latest. In the contract, it states that is when I can contact Writer's Edge and contract the contract, which runs for five years. If I don't, it will be renewed for another year. That would mean that I would be tied into a contract that I don't see going anywhere, for another four years.
Even if I did play by their rules and continued with the contract, I cannot see my work getting published by Writer's Edge, as it has been noticed that they haven't published any work for 13 months. It has also been noticed that on the New Releases part of the Writer's Edge website, books that were published in 2013 are still featured. That doesn't fill me with a sense of confidence.
On Tuesday, 10th May, 2016, I sent Writer's Edge an email, and said that I was cancelling the contract, as I was not able to continue with the project. I also said that I will be expecting to hear from them, within the next week. I have been checking my emails every day since, just in case I miss anything. So far, I have heard nothing. I know that only a few days have passed, but in a case like this, when someone has said that they will be cancelling a contract, you deal with it asap. It is also not the first time that Chad has not replied to my emails.
So, my warning to other writers, is to avoid Writer's Edge, whose website is - www.writersedgepublishing.com. They do not come across as the most professional of publishers. They offer no support to their writers. The fact that they do not answer their emails, has felt as if I couldn't even ask them for advice. Having looked at some of the work that they have published, and it is not of a great standard. With something like the Aesir Series, which is so close to my heart, and which I want to see published and doing well, I do not think that it would be achieved by working with someone like Writer's Edge.
I will keep you all posted and hopefully, I will have good news, and that the Aesir Saga will be getting published.
Monday, 2 May 2016
All Write Ardrossan's Book Festival - 27th May, 2016
I am happy to announce that I will be taking part in the All Write Book Festival in Ardrossan on the 27th May, 2016. I have a five minute slot, were I will be reading from my short story, Between Two Worlds, which was featured in the Northlore Series: Volume 1 (Folklore). This is the first literary festival that I have ever taken part in, so I am neverous, but I am also looking forward to taking part in the event.
I have also managed to order in copies of both Goddess of the Night and King and the Spider, and I will be bringing them along with me to the festival. They will be available for sale, while I am there. I wasn't able to buy any copies of the Northlore Series: Volume 1 (Folklore), but I will be doing what I can to promote it. I have also been contacting those who run other literary festivals in Scotland in the hope that I will be able to take part in such events next year.
For anyone who is interested in coming along to the All Write Festival, all of the details can be found on the events Facebook page -
https://www.facebook.com/events/1541510856145075/
I have also managed to order in copies of both Goddess of the Night and King and the Spider, and I will be bringing them along with me to the festival. They will be available for sale, while I am there. I wasn't able to buy any copies of the Northlore Series: Volume 1 (Folklore), but I will be doing what I can to promote it. I have also been contacting those who run other literary festivals in Scotland in the hope that I will be able to take part in such events next year.
For anyone who is interested in coming along to the All Write Festival, all of the details can be found on the events Facebook page -
https://www.facebook.com/events/1541510856145075/
Tuesday, 12 April 2016
King and the Spider - An Anthology
I have just published my second anthology, called King and the Spider. It is a collection of short stories and poems, with topics ranging from Norse mythology, to snow days and a retelling of the selkie myth. I had been planning on having two seperate collections, one of just poems and one of just short stories. The only problem was, I was running out of steam and I didn't have enough material for two seperate collections, so I simply created one collection.
It is available on Amazon, as well as on CreateSpace. This is the second piece of my work that I have self published through CreateSpace. At the moment, I am planning on continuing to go through CreateSpace when it comes to self publishing my work. I will also be buying a few copies, which I will be selling at open mic events in Paisley.
I did get a lot of help from one of my friends, when it came to formatting the collection, as it wasn't sitting right, when I was uploading it to the website. It does look a lot better now and I am hoping that what he showed me, in relation to the "interior design" of a book, will help me in the future.
Now, I will just have to focus on my other work and make sure that it is all up to stratch.
It is available on Amazon, as well as on CreateSpace. This is the second piece of my work that I have self published through CreateSpace. At the moment, I am planning on continuing to go through CreateSpace when it comes to self publishing my work. I will also be buying a few copies, which I will be selling at open mic events in Paisley.
I did get a lot of help from one of my friends, when it came to formatting the collection, as it wasn't sitting right, when I was uploading it to the website. It does look a lot better now and I am hoping that what he showed me, in relation to the "interior design" of a book, will help me in the future.
Now, I will just have to focus on my other work and make sure that it is all up to stratch.
Barrhead News Interview
Yesterday, I was interviewed by the Barrhead News. The interview went well and we focused on me working with Nordland Publishing as part of the Northlore Series, my poetry collection, Goddess of the Night and my new collection, King and the Spider. Unfortunatly, my copy of King and the Spider hasn't come through yet, so I wasn't able to bring it along to the interview. I did bring along copies of Northlore: Volume 1 and Goddess of the Night. I did mention that I am hoping that Northlore: Volume 2 will be published this year.
The Barrhead News was interested in my work, due to the fact that I am originally from Neilston, which is only a few miles from Barrhead. They are also interested in the novel that I am working on and which I am planning on setting in Neilston. From the interview yesterday, they were interested in talking to me again, when I have published it.
I also want to thank the good people at the Paisley Abbey for allowing us to take some photographs within the Abbey, which will be used in the article. I will definitly let you all know when the article has been published. Hopefully it will be in the paper some time this week.
The Barrhead News was interested in my work, due to the fact that I am originally from Neilston, which is only a few miles from Barrhead. They are also interested in the novel that I am working on and which I am planning on setting in Neilston. From the interview yesterday, they were interested in talking to me again, when I have published it.
I also want to thank the good people at the Paisley Abbey for allowing us to take some photographs within the Abbey, which will be used in the article. I will definitly let you all know when the article has been published. Hopefully it will be in the paper some time this week.
Saturday, 26 March 2016
Audio Book Recording
A couple of days ago, I was at Brick Late Studios in Paisley. I was there to record the audio for the audio book version of Goddess of the Night that I am going to be releasing. Even though I have taken part in radio interviews, being in a recording studio was something different. I have to admit, I was really nervous and it was strange to hear my voice being played back to me, as I read out my poems.
I did stutter and fumble my words a few times, but I love the fact that they were able to take those stumbles out and made me sound as if I actually knew what I was doing. It was certainly an experience, with everything being recorded and sorted in three hours.
I am hoping to get the audio file sent to me asap and I will be sorting everything out for the audio book the minute that I get it. Hopefully, the audio book will be out sooner, rather than later. I will certainly keep you all informed.
For all of those writers and musicians in the Paisley area and even further afield, I would certainly recommend the Brick Lane Studios.
I did stutter and fumble my words a few times, but I love the fact that they were able to take those stumbles out and made me sound as if I actually knew what I was doing. It was certainly an experience, with everything being recorded and sorted in three hours.
I am hoping to get the audio file sent to me asap and I will be sorting everything out for the audio book the minute that I get it. Hopefully, the audio book will be out sooner, rather than later. I will certainly keep you all informed.
For all of those writers and musicians in the Paisley area and even further afield, I would certainly recommend the Brick Lane Studios.
Friday, 5 February 2016
Radio Saltire Interview
Today, I was interviewed by Radio Saltire, a volunteer run, community radio station, near Edinburgh. Even though I had left after rush hour, it still took me nearly two hours to get there. The joy of road works and heavier than expected traffic. It was more or less the same on the way back. But to the main purpose of this post.
The interview went well and everyone in the radio station were very welcoming. I spoke about my poetry collection, as well as about the Northlore Series. As well as talking aboutt the first volume of the Northlore Series, I also talked about the second volume, which will hopefully be out this year. I was asked to read out a couple of my poems. We also talked about the differences between self-publishing, as well as traditional publishing, and how self-publishing can be an amazing way of getting your name out there, giving yourself a platform.
I was even asked to come back. I will have to take them up on that offer, when I have had more of my work published. The interview went out live, but they are planning on putting the interview up on their website, as well as sending the recording me a copy of the recording as well. When I get it, I will certainly be posting it here, if anyone is interested in hearing it.
The interview went well and everyone in the radio station were very welcoming. I spoke about my poetry collection, as well as about the Northlore Series. As well as talking aboutt the first volume of the Northlore Series, I also talked about the second volume, which will hopefully be out this year. I was asked to read out a couple of my poems. We also talked about the differences between self-publishing, as well as traditional publishing, and how self-publishing can be an amazing way of getting your name out there, giving yourself a platform.
I was even asked to come back. I will have to take them up on that offer, when I have had more of my work published. The interview went out live, but they are planning on putting the interview up on their website, as well as sending the recording me a copy of the recording as well. When I get it, I will certainly be posting it here, if anyone is interested in hearing it.
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