Chatting with Publishers: Natasha Harding

A warm welcome to Natasha Harding who recently joined Bookoutre as Associate Publisher. We catch up with her just a few weeks after her move.

You join Bookouture, something of a phenomenon in the industry, shortly after its acquisition by Hachette UK. Are you excited to be joining the team?

I remember reading the first books by Jenny Hale and Angela Marsons and I’ve been following Bookouture’s string of successes ever since. There is such a fantastic team of authors and publishers at Bookouture now, so I’m extremely excited to be joining such a creative and dynamic team.

Your own publishing journey has been impressive as well. You first came to the attention of this writer when you were with Pan Macmillan but that is obviously not the whole story. I’m sure our readers would enjoy a pocket history of your career.

I completed a Publishing Masters at Oxford Brookes, which gave me such a brilliant insight into the industry. At the start of my career, I worked at various academic and children’s publishing houses, gaining as much experience as an editorial assistant as possible. I then worked at Macmillan Children’s Books for a year before transferring across to Pan Macmillan’s commercial adult list. I had the very best mentors at Pan Macmillan and lots of publishing opportunities there. Most recently, I was commissioning fiction at Avon, HarperCollins, and enjoyed working with the incredibly hardworking and innovative publishing team.

I’ve been privileged to work with incredible authors and amazingly talented colleagues, which has allowed me to learn a lot about the publishing industry. I’m particularly passionate about the digital side of publishing because it opens up such wonderful opportunities for authors and such a huge variety of books for readers.  

When a new manuscript lands on your desk and grabs your attention, what is it that makes it stand out from the rest? The writing? The genre? Are you even able to quantify it, or is it instinct?

It does tend to be quite instinctive. I can usually tell by the end of the first page if I want to buy a book. The narrative voice is absolutely key to making a story special but I’m also drawn by big commercial hooks as well.

For example, Elaine Everest’s debut book, The Woolworths Girls, immediately appealed to me. It has a gorgeous opening page and strong writing throughout the novel. But it stood out for me because the story explores the Second World War through the eyes of three strong central characters working at Woolworths. The characters and setting both work extremely well together and the title and package for the book were very clear to me. (If you haven’t read this yet, I highly recommend it!)

You have been instrumental in the success of a notable list of authors. What advice can you give to those who would follow in their footsteps?

My top five tips are:

1.      Read and write often.

2.      Don’t be afraid to get others to read your work. Constructive feedback really does help to polish a manuscript.

3.      Similarly, find a support network. Twitter is great for connecting with other writers, but if you can join a writing group or go to a writing class the support will be invaluable. Or even better, join the RNA!

4.      Be confident in your writing.

5.      Don’t give up! It’s cliché but perseverance really does go a long way!

Does Natasha Harding have a life outside of the publishing world? What are your personal interests?

Well, I do spend quite a lot of time reading . . . but yes I always have a packed diary too! I love spending time with my little boy and my husband and we always have great fun together. We’re often visiting friends and family across the UK. Trips to the zoo and the park are also big features in family life at the moment!  

Finally, Natasha, if you hadn’t joined an industry which you so obviously love, what else might you have done that would have fulfilled you in the same way?

Good question . . .  I thank my lucky stars every day to have a career I enjoy so much. I remember discovering there was an entire industry dedicated to creating books when I was about 14 and from that point on becoming an editor was my dream – I was pretty determined!

However, I love to travel so, if I hadn’t found my route into publishing, I guess I may have been an eternal globe trotter! But I think I would have been drawn to jobs that involve adventure and stories in some shape or form – a librarian, a scriptwriter or even an archaeologist perhaps?

It’s been a pleasure chatting with you, Natasha. Thank you for talking to us today.

Natalie Kleinman writes contemporary and historical romantic novels and has thrown a bit of a mystery into the mix in her recently completed Regency. She is now working on a new contemporary. Her next novel set in the beautiful Cotswolds is with Harper Collins HQ Digital and is due for publication at the end of June. You can follow her blog at http://bit.ly/2mDF99I

Kate Thompson: The Wedding Girls

Join Kate Thompson as she journeys back in time to meet with the mesmerising brides who said ‘I do’ to a lifetime of commitment.

With her 22-inch waist and perfect poise the bride could have stepped straight out of a 1930s motion

picture. And yet, this portrait wasn’t taken in Hollywood, but impoverished post-war Whitechapel in

1948. 

           Half-an-hour after posing for this photograph, the bride was back at her mother in law’s terrace in Bethnal Green, East London, clambering over a Salvation Army trestle table for a wedding breakfast of mashed potato, cold roast beef and beetroot, followed by Thursday to Monday in Canvey Island.

           ‘All top show, nothing underneath as my Mum would say,’ laughs the bride, Pat Spicer, now a twinkly-eyed 87-year-old grandmother living a comfortable life in Berkshire. Pat was working as an apprentice dressmaker, when she met and married the man of her dreams, gent’s barber, Bill Spicer.

‘There was so much poverty in those days, we all craved glamour,’ she says, ‘our chance to feel like a star for the day.'

Pat’s heartwarming story shows the dichotomy between hardship and high glamour that was so prevalent during the grinding poverty of the thirties and forties. In researching my book, The Wedding Girls, I stumbled upon a lost world of innocence and hope. A time when divorce was never a seriously considered option, girls’ married for life and weddings were about love, community and family, not sugared almonds and selfies.

Glamorous weddings were a reaction to the horrors of the Great War and that, combined with the emergence of Hollywood, meant brides were determined to sprinkle a dusting of romance and escapism over the most important day of their lives. 

Nowadays, every wedding guest can be seen snapping selfies with the bride, but back then, formal studio portraiture was de rigueur across all classes. To own a beautiful wedding portrait – in a time when few people owned a camera, much less a selfie-stick, was a badge of honour. During the Depression and the deprivation of post-war Britain, a beautiful wedding portrait was a symbol of hope.

In researching my novel I travelled my way around the East End to meet with many women,

now in their nineties, whose memories and health might be fragile, but who still recall with vivid intensity the most treasured day of their lives.

‘Brian was just back from serving with the 7th Armoured Division, one of Montgomery’s brave ‘desert rats’ when I met him at a dance,’ recalls 90-year-old Renee Stack from East London, who was working as a 17-year-old shop girl in Petticoat Lane at the time. ‘He walked over to me and said, “I’m going to marry you”.’

Renee’s strict Jewish mother was less impressed. “Wait and see what he makes of himself first,” was her sage advice. Brian knuckled down to civilian life and spent three years learning Hebrew so he could convert to Judaism in order to marry Renee. At her wedding ceremony in 1948, Renee was so lusciously beautiful she could easily have passed for Rita Hayworth and her handsome bridegroom, Clark Gable.

‘We had no money so Brian borrowed a suit and my friend Edie, who worked as a sample machinist, made me my beautiful pale blue silk crepe wedding dress as a gift. That’s the way people were back then, helping each other out. I did my own hair and make up and the whole family chipped in to pay for the wedding portrait. We married on a shoestring, but I was the happiest girl alive.’

I spent the most absorbing week in Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives looking through the wedding announcements in back copies of the East London Advertiser from 1936. 

Buried amongst news articles on outbreaks of Tuberculosis and fascist demonstrations were more romantic offerings. Page-after-page of captivating young brides smiled back at me. I was so touched by the immense care each married couple took to look their absolute best and the hope, resilience and pride shining out from their faces. In 1936, the Second World War loomed darkly on the horizon. How many of these dashing bridegrooms I wondered, went on to fight and indeed survive that war? The knowledge of what fate awaited these newly weds, leant a deep poignancy to their spellbinding wedding portraits.

We can never hope to recreate these images, or the chaste innocence that shines out from them, but perhaps we can lose ourselves in them, if only for a little while.

Kate Thompson is the author of The Wedding Girls, published by Pan Macmillan out March 9^th.

Kate will be discussing vintage weddings between the wars on a panel with curators, designers and photographers at the Museum of London on March 31^st 6pm.

More details here

Links:

Website

Facebook

Twitter: @katethompson380

Thank you Kate and good luck with The Wedding Girls!

If you would like to be featured on the RNA blog please contact the team on elaineeverest@aol.com

Chatting with Publishers: Victoria Hughes-Williams

Victoria Hughes-Williams is Senior Commissioning Editor, Fiction at Macmillan Publishers Ltd. In the final post of the series this year, she takes us into 2017 with some great insights into her work and a few helpful tips. Welcome, Victoria.

Can you tell us something about your journey to your present job?

My journey has been a well-trodden route, working my way up the editorial ladder across the varied publishing landscape. The reason I’ve always been attracted to the publishing industry is because it’s a melting pot of ideas, great minds and plenty of humour. What I love about the day-to-day is that I’m continually inspired by the people I work with: be they authors, colleagues or agents. Each day we challenge perspectives, come together to talk about books and then we are tasked with finding readers. The finished book is the sum of all of these parts and it’s the reason I’ve continued along the journey to my current role. 

What is a typical day like as a busy editor – if there is such a thing as a typical day?

If I’m lucky I might write some back-cover copy and a few strap lines. Then I’ll spend some time giving thought to a strategic direction we’re taking an author in. If I’ve just acquired a new author, I’ll be negotiating terms which will inform a publishing contract. Then I’ll spend time drafting cover briefs, which might involve trying out title ideas on my colleagues. One thing’s for sure, each day I try to consume more Earl Grey tea than anyone else within in the M25. 

Have you ever wanted to write a book? 

One day I hope that I will want to, but that moment hasn’t arrived yet.

When not surrounded by books in your job what do you like to read for leisure?

My reading habits vary wildly, but this year I’ve been busy gobbling up everything written by Elena Ferrante. We read our colleagues’ submissions too, so I enjoy everything from memoir to dystopia. The book I’m reading at the moment is pitched as Bridget Jones’ Diary-meets-The Matrix, one to look out for in 2018 . . . 

What are you looking for at present?

One of the books I acquired last Frankfurt Book Fair is a debut called Before You Go. It’s a love story, though not in a traditional sense. Boy meets girl; they share a full and loving life together  . . . But at the beginning of the book our leading man dies. This story asks what happens if you could turn back the clock and change the past  . . . Against all odds, can love triumph? In essence, I’m looking for novels that transcend genre, that take you on an unexpected journey and leave you breathless. Easy! 

If you receive a submission that is not a genre you handle, do you pass it to another editor in your company?

Yes, often. 

Does your company accept un-agented submissions?

We receive all of our submissions via literary agents on the Pan, Macmillan, Picador and Mantle lists. The exception is our science fiction and fantasy imprint, Tor Books, which does accept unsolicited submissions.

You can find lots of information on how to get an agent to represent you at https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/writers there are plenty of writing tips there too. 

Do you have a crystal ball? What do you feel will be then next ‘big thing’?

It’s something I would like to have – what a handy desk tidy! Without a crystal ball to aid my publishing decisions, I tend to go with my instinct. As I write this, we’re adjusting to life in an ambiguous political climate. We’ve had unreliable narrators and we’ve had enough of unreliable politicians. What we need is the voice of the reliable, of the good, of those who’ve overcome life’s testing challenges. Did they find sanctuary, friendship, perhaps love?

In times of uncertainty, people crave comfort and stability and enjoy returning to a treasured reading habit. Next year, we will start publishing a writer whose stories are like a comfort blanket. That said, she's not one to shy away from controversial issues – choosing instead to tackle them head-on. Danielle Steel has never been afraid to shine a light on the voices of the unheard and we have some amazing stories coming next year.

If you have one piece of advice to give to anyone submitting a manuscript, what would it be?

If you’re confident that your manuscript is the best you can make it and if it meets an agent’s submission guidelines, you’ll have put your best foot forward. 

Thank you, Victoria, and may I take this opportunity of wishing you and all our contributors and readers and very Happy Christmas and a great reading/writing 2017.

Natalie

Natalie Kleinman writes contemporary and historical romantic novels and has thrown a bit of a mystery into the mix in her current wip. She is accumulating a nice collection of Regency works to help with her research. You can follow her blog at http://nataliekleinman.blogspot.co.uk/

If you would like to write for the RNA blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

Mary Wood: Dreams Do Come True

I’m thrilled to welcome Mary Wood to the blog today. An author I admire greatly who writes fabulous stories.

I was a wannabee author for twenty years before kindle took me to where I am today.

Like most authors, I wrote a lot as a child and had my head constantly buried in a book and dreamed

of being the one who one day would write the books

I was in my forties before I finally penned a full novel. I was nursing my mother and writing gave me a distraction. Of course, it was going to be the next best seller – film, even! I’m sure you know the feeling.

I came down to earth once the rejections plopped onto my welcome mat.

One agent told me that I was a great storyteller, but that I needed to learn the craft of writing as my characters were flat.  What did she mean?

I set out to find out. Unfortunately for me, I engaged a woman who advertised that she would appraise your manuscript, show you where changes were needed. Re-read after you had made them, and then, once up to scratch, she would help you to place your MS as she was a scout for an agent. A lot of money, and many edits later,  she finally declared me ready. Excitement built. This was it. Off my manuscript went. But shock horror, the agent slated my work. I complained, but was then told she suspected this would happen, but as I was so keen, she thought to let me submit was the only way of getting through to me that I wasn’t a writer and never would be.

Disappointed, and not a little angry, I dusted myself off and soldiered on.

It was when I bought a book called, How to Be a Damn Good Writer, by James Frey, that I had a lightbulb moment. Suddenly everything about characterisation, showing-not-telling, writing good dialogue etc. made sense. And all for just £2! By now the age of technology had crept in and I embraced everything it offered. I joined on-line writing sites where other authors critiqued my work, and I theirs. It was from there that I learned of kindle.

The first book I uploaded was the one the agent had rubbished! An Unbreakable Bond. It zoomed to the top of genre and stayed there for fifteen months. More books followed, and with the same success. I was happy. I had achieved most of my dream. But more was to come. Author, Diane Allen messaged me out of the blue. At the time Diane was manager of a large-print publishing company and was interested in my work. However, after a while, Diane rang me and paid me one of the biggest compliments I have ever had. She told me that she wasn’t going to offer for my books as she felt they deserved to be published and wouldn’t stand a chance to be if I’d sold some of the rights. How generous was that? But then Diane did something that was even more wonderful. She asked if she could send my MS to her agent.

Within days, I was so excited to receive a call from the great, Judith Murdoch offering to become my agent. But the shocks didn’t stop there. Not many days later, I found a PM on my Facebook from an editor working with Pan Macmillan. She had seen my books in the charts, become curious and had downloaded Time Passes Time, loved it, and wanted to sign me! From that, with the skill of my agent, and at the grand age of 68, came a seven-book deal! Two new books and my five backlist titles. I have since signed two further two-book deals, and am soon to see my sixth book in three years hit the shelves. I still pinch myself.

The moral is: Never give up, believe in yourself when no one else does. I am proof that dreams do come true. By-the-way, An Unbreakable Bond, (the rubbished one) made me a Sunday Times Bestseller! Ha, I think I had the last laugh.

Much love to all, thank you for reading. x

About Mary:

I am the thirteenth child of fifteen. We were poor, but rich in love. I spent most of my working life in various jobs from cleaning to catering, whilst bringing up my own four children. I ended my 9 – 5 with the Probation Service, after a 10yr stint.

My maternal great grandmother was a published author, and I am proud to follow in her footsteps. I live in Blackpool, but spend half of the year in Spain.

Book Blurb:

Two girls. One horrendous war. The chance to unite a family . . .

Edith and Ada run Jimmy's Hope House where they care for unmarried mothers, and where Edith, a doctor, offers free medical help to the poor of London's East End. Both are struggling to overcome trauma from their past. For Edith there is the constant ache and yearning for her twin girls Elka and Ania, from whom she was separated in 1918. For Ada there is the threat of her sister returning . . . As the Nazis strengthen their grip on Poland, sisters Elka and Ania are forced to make a difficult decision: travel to England to find their birth mother or stay and fight against an increasingly desperate regime?

In times of war, no choices are ever easy to make. But making the right choice could keep you alive . . .

Links:

Website:

Amazon:

Twitter: @Authormary

Facebook:

Thank you for telling your story, Mary. You are proof that dreams do come true.

Would you like to write your publishing story for the RNA blog? Contact us on elineeverest@aol.com

Elaine Everest: The Woolworths Girls

I am delighted to see the boot on the other foot today as we welcome our own Elaine Everest following publication of her saga, The Woolworths Girls

Thank you for interviewing me, Natalie. It does feel strange to be on the other side of the blog!

Congratulations on yesterday’s launch, Elaine. We are all aware that the time from acceptance to publication is a long and busy one. Can you tell us something about was expected of you from your publisher during this period?

Thank you, it was an exciting day! Its seems an age since I received the call from my agent, Caroline Sheldon, to say that Pan Macmillan had made a very nice offer for a two book contract. I was at a funeral that afternoon and had to keep dashing from the room to take calls and not grin too much! At that stage about a third of The Woolworths Girls had been written so my main job was to get writing and keep writing as I had a deadline. I did get to have lunch with my editor at that time, Natasha Harding, where we chatted about book two and the sales team and Natasha told me to go ahead with The Butlins Girls (due to be published in 2017).
The editing process at Pan Macmillan goes through many stages and I got to meet so many professional people. I was in very good hands. When attending the first Pan Mac party I got to meet the people who had worked on my book. A strange experience as they knew so much about my characters whereas before that it was just me and my husband and of course you, Natalie!

How au fait were you with these procedures, or did some of it come as a shock?

Having had a few other books published I was aware that working with a major publisher is slightly different to smaller concerns. They are much more thorough with editing and the marketing is amazing. Even so, when emails pop into my inbox I can’t say I’m not a little worried about what they will contain. My new senior editor, Victoria Hughs-Williams, is equally as lovely and kind as Natasha and both have been so helpful answering my questions. A major publisher is there to build an author’s brand and even when attending social media days for authors all staff have been there for us and most patient! It’s an experience I hope all my writing friends enjoy in their careers.

You are fortunate to be working with the hugely respected Pan Macmillan. How involved has your agent, Caroline Sheldon, been in the process?

Well, she secured a very good contract for me and kept me up to date with the complete process. Now I’m secure with my publisher Caroline doesn’t need to be so much involved but saying that we chat often and the whole of the agency are interested in my work and what is happening. I know that if I were to have any form of problem Caroline will be there to hold my hand and stop me worrying. Apart from that we chat about my dog, Henry, and his show career. Hmm perhaps Henry should pitch for his own book contract?

How do you feel about the publishing industry, both professionally and personally?
Gosh! As you know we’ve seen a lot of the industry whilst running this blog. For me I am saddened that so many good writers are not being offered advances when given contracts. Whether digital first or straight to paperback a publisher should show confidence in their authors and writers should be brave enough to ask for an advance. Why should writers have

all the pressure?
Something else I’ve experienced with several of my books in my early years as an author, and will nag my students to ask about before signing a contract, is the marketing side of the book trade. It astonishes me how many publishers, especially digital first, expect a new author to undertake all their own publicity and marketing without giving a helping hand. At The Write Place we have helped new authors who have been left floundering by publishers who don’t even arrange a blog tour or send out a press release.
I’ll get off my soap box now!

Naturally The Woolworths Girls will be available on Amazon. In what formats and will we be able to buy a copy elsewhere?

The Woolworths Girls is available as an ebook and also paperback on Amazon sites and will be in major bookshops. I’m hearing almost daily of supermarkets becoming interested and the book is to also be in libraries in large print format.

Getting your book into supermarkets gives you hugely increased exposure. Did you know it was ‘on the cards’?
Pan Macmillan are very good at keeping me informed of sales developments and we heard very early on that Sainsbury’s are keen to have it on their shelves.

Obviously you have not been idle during the time you’ve been waiting for The Woolworths Girls to hit the shelves. What have you been working on in the meantime?
I’ve finished writing my book for 2017 which is called The Butlins Girls and is set in 1946 when the popular holiday camp opens after World War Two. Edits are now in and I’ve heard that the cover design is being discussed. Again I’m fortunate to be included in ideas for the cover, which is very exciting.

Finally, you’ve set your book in an iconic setting. Please tell our readers something about it and the story you’ve woven around that great British institution.

The Woolworths store where I set my story actually existed. In fact I shopped there often and remember the old store before it vanished in a terrible fire and was replaced by a modern building. My sagas are set in North West Kent where I was born and grew up and know the history. Set on the banks of the River Thames the town of Erith suffered greatly during the war and my family often spoke of that time and there is still a strong local community. Where better than to have Sarah, Maisie and Freda meet at the end of 1938 as they started work at Woolworths and where better for Sarah to fall in love as WW2 loomed on the horizon?

Links:

Amazon

Facebook Author Page

Twitter: @elaineeverest

Thank you, Elaine. It’s been a huge pleasure for me to be ‘on the inside’ during your journey. I’m sure your readers will enjoy your book as much as I have. Wishing you every good luck.

Thank you, Natalie, for your interesting questions and being so much help while I was writing The Woolworths Girls x

The RNA Blog is brought to you by

Elaine Everest and Natalie Kleinman

This time, from different sides of the table.