Saturday 31 October 2015

A Far from Conventional Convention.




Stuart Aken was invited by his publisher, Fantastic BooksPublishing, to attend FantastiCon 2015 to sign copies of the hardback edition of his science fiction novella, The Methuselah Strain. The event took place over the weekend of 24/25th October in a hotel on the banks of the River Humber. As Stuart spent a good deal of his youth in the village where the hotel is located, it was something of a treat for him to return. He gives a full account of the event on his blog, highlighting the benefits of attendance for a writer. You can find that piece by clicking here.

Thursday 22 October 2015

The unexpected mountain and does it matter?

Most publishers (in my experience anyway) ask for some input from the author on the book cover although they retain the right to a final say. I'm happy with that. Marketing and covers are more their area than mine. The exception for me has been the US market. I get no say at all. I don't even get to see the covers until I receive my author copies of the book. Is that a problem? Not for me. Every cover has been spot on. Here are the previous ones:



Ok, it's not a problem for me, but should it be?

Those moors look like the wrong end of Yorkshire, and that castle is certainly the wrong bit of Scotland and the white cliffs of ... ahem ... Withernsea... but you know what, in each case the scene and the mood are just perfect. These people are actually reading my books! They must be or they'd never get the covers so completely spot on. And now number 4 has arrived. Here it is:



Again we see the rolling hills of the famously flat East Yorkshire coast, but just look at that water, the hanging mist, the boat, and the wonderful colours on the lamp. It's the essence of the book in a single image. Do I care that I get no say in these covers? Not a jot.

Saturday 17 October 2015

A Fantastic Showcase for Hornsea Writers

Next week FantastiCon 2015 lands in Hull, lights flashing, space ships circling, aliens and androids descending. Get a feel for the event by watching the TV advert HERE


It’s an international event, and Hornsea Writers will be there.

FantastiCon is a huge Sci-Fi / Fantasy extravaganza featuring actors and writers from Dr Who, Star Wars and Elite: Dangerous. As well as an array of virtual reality experiences, full-sized Daleks, live gaming and an indie cinema, attendees will see five books launched.



Dr Who actor, Simon Fisher-Becker, is releasing the first volume, My Dalek has a Puncture, of his 3-part autobiography with an exclusive version of his one-man show. Keeping him company will be Hornsea Writer Stuart Aken who will be launching the hardback edition of his novelette, The Methuselah Strain.

The other launch books, two fantasy tales and one Sci-Fi are The Boy in Winter’s Grasp, Till They Dropped and Shadeward: Emanation.

The works of Hornsea Writers Penny Grubb and Linda Acaster will be featured at the Fantastic Bookstore within the convention.

CLICK HERE for details of FantastiCon.