Ask the Author: Jane Smyth
Answered Questions (6)
Jane Smyth
It's something I've always wanted to do and I now have the time to do so.
Jane Smyth
A sequel is being prepared, but this will take time as I need a few more visits and experiences to fill a book, but I'm writing each time we return from visits to our little French holiday home.
Jane Smyth
I've just read Away With the Penguins and although not a fictional world, a trip to Antarctica to visit the penguins would be awesome.
Jane Smyth
As a 'virgin' writer with only one book out there in the world, I still don't consider myself a true writer yet, so it's not taken over my life. All I know is that I hugely enjoyed writing French Dreams, Dogs and a Dodgy Motor and I felt such a huge sense of achievement to see it in print.
Jane Smyth
Do it. So many people want to write, but think they might not be good enough. You'll never know unless you start. Also, get an editor and a professional proof reader.
I learned my lesson. Although having a super editor, I neglected the proof reading, believing the friends and family who read through the rough manuscript would highlight errors. None of them noticed, I didn't notice and the book went into Amazon Kindle and Paperback full of typos and grammar mistakes. I was mortified that people bought it and quickly got a proof reader who located every errors and I spent hours putting things right and re-submitting.
Like me, if self publishing, be aware that it's not that easy. Do work through the learning material supplied by Amazon before doing it yourself.
I learned my lesson. Although having a super editor, I neglected the proof reading, believing the friends and family who read through the rough manuscript would highlight errors. None of them noticed, I didn't notice and the book went into Amazon Kindle and Paperback full of typos and grammar mistakes. I was mortified that people bought it and quickly got a proof reader who located every errors and I spent hours putting things right and re-submitting.
Like me, if self publishing, be aware that it's not that easy. Do work through the learning material supplied by Amazon before doing it yourself.
Jane Smyth
As I've always wanted to write, the advice given is generally, to start with something you know, so finding myself, after retirement, with time on my hands, it seemed the ideal place to start.
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