Nottingham Post features writer Andy Smart had three aims: to see a book with his name on it in a bookshop; to give some of the Notts war heroes featured in the Post over the past decade a more permanent record of their achievements and finally, to raise funds for the Royal British Legion. He achieved all three with the publication
of Their Names Will Live On. With the help of graphic artist Tony Rose, they designed the book cover and pages themselves. So far 650 copies have been sold while many have been given away to newspapers and military museums. Donations of £2 from every sale have gone to the Legion – so far amounting to £1,300. Andy says: “I do not see self-publishing as
a way to ‘make money’. Without the support and impetus of a recognised publisher, it is a tough job to get a book in front of enough people. “However, if your ambition is simply a desire to see your work in print, then it is certainly an option well worth considering.” Villayat ‘Wo l f ’ Sunkmanitu, an RAF
veteran, is just about to self-publish a second book of poetry, The Way of the Wolf. Writing, he says, is a way to express his feelings of living with post traumatic stress d i s o r d e r. Wolf suppressed his fear of terrorist attacks
while serving with the military police in Northern Ireland in the 1980s but was left mentally scarred by his experiences. Another purpose of putting pen to paper has been to raise awareness of the illness and to highlight the lack of care available to veterans with mental health issues. A total of 1,200 copies of his first book,
Heather Watson at a book signing.
with AuthorHouse, the first published copy of A Series of Dreams arrived at his home in Arnold. It was an exciting moment seeing his name in print. But then the hard work really started as Tony set about publicising the book. “I would have had to pay about £5,000 to
have AuthorHouse promote the book so I had to deal with the publicity myself which is not easy.” He contacted local media, including the Nottingham Post, which helped him with publicity. The book, which is printed to order, is
available for sale on Amazon and at The Book Case, an independent book store in L ow d h a m . The book costs £9.95 and Tony is still
waiting to find out how many have been sold. The only pay-out he’s had so far is a £14.12 royalty cheque for ten sold off the publisher’s website.
He accepts he has sacrificed money to
achieve his dream but is glad he went ahead. “It was very exciting. It was an education. I have a copy on my bookcase – it gives you a feeling of pride.”
Try New Writers UK
Have-a-go writers support each other in the Notts-based network New Writers UK. Formed by a small number of authors, it
developed into an organisation that not only promotes each others’ work but has also staged festivals and organised ch i l d r e n ’s writing competitions. Members include John Baird, author of thriller Chasing Shadows, and founder and president Julie Malone who, writing as
Karen Wright, produced the Winterne Series of stories for teenagers. Their books, and those of some 100 members, are marketed on a shared website. This year’s New Writers UK Festival and Book Fair VIII will be held at County Hall, West Bridgford, on September 21 and 22. More information: w w w. n e w w r i t e r s u k . c o . u k
Words of a Wolf, were printed and he has 500 left. “The problem is media exposure, or the
lack of it coupled with the condition (PTSD) that doesn’t make me a fan of the limelight. I know that both of these titles have a lot to offer people, not just veterans – some of the reviews for the first title speak for t h e m s e l ve s . “Self-publishing is like swimming in shark-infested waters though. You MUST research things carefully with regards to the step-by-step process of getting your work into print. Otherwise, you can end up spending a lot of money on something simple that you could have done yourself.” This time his poems tackle the issue of institutional racism and abandonment by the system but there are more positive and uplifting moments. Self-publishing company Matador publishes around 300 books a year. Even though authors pay for the privilege, their work has to be up to a certain standard. Managing director Jeremy Thompson says:
“We turn down around 25-30 per cent of what we are asked to publish. “It’s partly for this reason that we have an excellent reputation for quality of content, production, marketing and distribution. Around 30 per cent of our authors come back to us with a second or third book to p u b l i s h .”
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE TODAY 79
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