Janice Horton's Blog Tour- An Interview

When Janice approached me about her blog tour I was delighted to host. We are part of an on-line writing support group. The join about saying yes was that I could aks the questions that I wanted answered...like her journey as a writer and what brought her to the self-publishing route.....

Your ebook Bagpipes &Bullshot is out on Amazon Kindle but until today you’ve been asking people NOT to buy it – is that right?

Yes, you may think it’s a strange tactic, but I wanted to ask everyone to support me by either buying Bagpipes & Bullshot on Friday 1st April (it is priced at £1.38 or $2.24) or by telling other people about it through their own social networks on that one particular day. The date is important because it’s very difficult to get a new e-book noticed by potential readers unless it features on one or more of Amazon’s Top 100 charts, but because of the way Amazon calculates its sales, just a few consolidated sales on one day can make all the difference in pushing it through the charts!

I’ll be blogging and tweeting all day on Friday 1st April, so for direction to all of the other places I’ll be appearing on my Blog Tour throughout the day please visit: http://www.janicehortonwriter.blogspot.com/

I’ll also be running a Prize Draw on my blog to win some fantastic Kindle Beach Protectors (an essential and stylish accessory for every Kindle owner - but alternatively you could always use it to protect your camera or phone!) All you have to do to be in with a chance to win one is go to my blog and simply leave a comment or RT one of my tweets on Twitter using the hashtag #bagpipes. (Friday 1st April only)

But what about people who don’t have a Kindle? Can they download your ebook for their PC, Mac, IPhone, IPad, etc?

Yes, absolutely. Go to Amazon and download their free Kindle App for PC, Mac, IPhone or IPad and then buy Bagpipes & Bullshot. It’s just £1.38. I’ll be forever grateful!

Before we move on to what led you to publish with Amazon Kindle, tell us a bit about Bagpipes & Bullshot.

Well, it’s a humorous contemporary novel which twists an everyday love story with a whole cast of village eccentrics into an entertaining play on Scottish rural life. It is intentionally larger than life and that’s what makes it entertaining and fun. I’m told there are many laugh out loud moments in Bagpipes & Bullshot!

What was your journey as a Writer?

Not typical, except I didn’t know it at the time. I sent my just completed first novel off to a publisher chosen from the ‘Writer’s Handbook’. I deliberately chose a small publisher as I thought, without an Agent, I might stand more chance. They asked for the full manuscript - and that was it - the book was published a year later in paperback. It was only when I met other writers and joined the Romantic Novelist’s Association that I discovered how hard it is to get published.

For me, though, it was staying published that was the problem. My small publisher went out of business just as I’d finished writing my second novel. It was while I was waiting to get Rights back to the first, which took an unreasonably long time, that I decided to indie publish (independent, self publish) my second book in paperback. It is this book, re-written, re-edited, re-formatted, and re-titled Bagpipes & Bullshot, which I’m publishing on Kindle. I simply couldn’t resist the challenge of having a go at indie e-publishing because distribution and marketing on Amazon are so well established.

Do you prefer e-books or print – and why?

I love both. I’m an avid reader and thanks to the availability of e-books I can download them instantly. My husband bought me a Kindle for Christmas and I unexpectedly fell in love with it. If I want to travel, I can take as many books as I like and not have excess baggage. It’s fantastic. But, if you come into my study, you will see bookshelves filled with my favourite print books, many signed, and some by authors I know personally. I also have a special shelf of beautiful antiquarian books and first editions which I’ve collected over the years. In my kitchen, I have a bookshelf filled with cook books – all well-thumbed colourful hardbacks with glossy pages and photographs. You see, in my opinion, there is room for both and space for all. How lucky we are now to have so much choice in what and how we read!

What advice would you give to an author thinking of indie publishing on Kindle?

Firstly and most importantly, make sure the book is ready to publish. Secondly, be prepared to promote yourself as a brand and your book as a saleable product. I’ll hopefully be in a better position to give advice once I know how successful my one day blog tour promotion has been, and how sales have affected my Amazon ranking. I’ve been asked to write an article for the next issue of Romance Matters, the magazine of the Romantic Novelist’s Association, on my Kindle publishing experience so I’ll be able to keep you all posted.

Bagpipes & Bullshot is available now at the fabulous price of £1.38 on Amazon.co.uk or $2.24 on Amazon.com. Buy it today and I’ll be forever grateful!

Janice Horton lives in Scotland and writes entertaining and humorous contemporary women's fiction novels which are, for the most part, inspired by the romantic beauty of the heather-filled glens around her country cottage. When she’s not writing novels she writes lifestyle articles and has had work published in national magazines and regional newspapers. She’s also been involved in BBC Scotland's ‘Write Here Write Now’ project. Her website is at: http://www.janicehorton.co.uk/, her blog is: http://www.janicehortonwriter.blogspot.com/ and you can follow her on Twitter at @JaniceHorton