Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Guest Post - Di Toft - Cat Magick

Starting Over...

The end of November will see the publication of my fourth book. Cat Magick will sneak onto Amazon with no fanfare or launch, looking over it’s shoulder craftily, keen to blend in amongst all the ‘proper’ books.

It’s easy being published again, when you’ve done it three times already, right? WRONG!! How naive I was, as I handed my new novel over to wise agent, how eager I was to crack on with my next masterpiece. Two weeks later, wise agent rings, bubbling with good news. Two days later, not so good - the marketing department have put the kibosh on editor’s plans to give Cat a new home. Over the next year, wise agent becomes weary agent and I become not so confident writer.

Damn it, I was going to dedicate Cat Magick to my tiny new grandson Ted and to the memory of two dear friends. This was going to be their book. And what about my characters, whom I had so lovingly crafted? Their friendships and wild adventures would never be shared with anyone else. I couldn’t let that happen!

A couple of authors I know had gone down the Amazon White Glove road, also known as agent-assisted, self-publishing. Weary agent was quite keen, but I couldn’t really see the point. If I was going to self publish, I would do it myself!

‘What about editing, what about a decent cover?’, I hear you cry. That bit was easy. I’d already had my agent and a friendly editor look out for content, plot holes etc. I have another good friend, in the amazing artist Martin Simpson, who was responsible for the eye-catching, child friendly Wolven covers. I am beyond thrilled when I see the Cat Magick cover for the first time.

Now the hard bit. Cat Magick would be published as an ebook, but, more than anything, I wanted to be able to clasp it to my bosom as an ACTUAL paperback. So CreateSpace would also have to be navigated in order for this to happen.

ZZZZZzzzz, I just couldn’t get my head around all the instructions. Enter computer-savvy, pernickety husband, who would spend hours doing all the hard stuff it takes to make everything look good and read well. Thanks Phil.

So, will Cat Magick fly? Will it sell any copies, apart from those I buy myself for school visits, library copies, presents (whether they want them or not)? I don’t know. What’s the worst that can happen? The only cost involved was the cover, which was more than worth it - another first, my first commission! My characters Pye, Suki and Hodge will see the light of day, at least in a few homes. We’ll see...

Thanks Di for writing and sharing this post with us. It is never an easy road to getting published, even if you've already had other books published. Some authors may find themselves facing this future at some point. However, it's great to see platforms such as the White Glove and CreateSpace giving authors the opportunity for their voices to be heard. I will definitely be purchasing Cat Magik to grace my bookshelves and I believe that it will live on.... BUY IT HERE