I came across Heidi’s memoir only two weeks ago. Home Keeps Moving is  about how her life as a Third Culture Kid (TCK) and Missionary Kid (MK) has shaped her identity and affected her life in ways many find the words to describe. I was immediately impressed. Not many people in their twenties write books based on their lives. Many wait until their forties or beyond before they feel they have enough to say. But Heidi has plenty to say. This book is theory in action. It as, as the Families in Global Transition conference likes to say ‘where research comes to life’. Indeed, Heidi was inspired by the work of Ruth van Reken and Dave Pollock and their seminal book, Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds.

This TCK MK writes beautifully about her experiences as the child of Scandinavian parents, pingponging between England and India. By examining her own experiences on themes such as rootlessness, restlessness and unresolved grief she is frank about how life was for her.

I believe that any twenty or thirtysomething ATCK (that’s a TCK who became an adult) will find support and resonance here. Speaking as one who did not live abroad until I was an adult, I am in awe of her resilience and her objective accounts of a very unusual life. She is perceptive and her descriptions leap off the page.

Peppered by writings from her peers and the experts, this is a great companion to Ruth and Dave’s book. I admire Heidi, as someone whose education was ‘patchy’ as a result of her nomadic upbringing, to have been brave enough to put her words on paper and then fight to find a publisher. It is with pleasure that what follows is my recent interview  with her:

HSH

My name is Heidi Sand-Hart and I am an Adult “Third Culture Kid” (TCK) who grew up in India, England and Norway. My father is Norwegian, my mother Finnish and they were missionaries in the UK and India, hence we moved a lot! I myself have done plenty of travelling and voluntary work, particularly in Asia. I currently live in London with my Kiwi husband.

JP

Tell me about your book. What is it about? Can you describe it in just a few

sentences? To show that a book has focus it is vital that it can be described

briefly and succinctly.

HSH

“Home Keeps Moving” tells the story of growing up in many worlds due to moving frequently throughout my childhood. It gives a lot of insight into the many struggles and challenges that “Third Culture Kids” face with constantly leaving friends, homes and their familiar surroundings – of those trying to grasp an understanding of who they are and how they fit into their current society.

JP

Why did you write “Home Keeps Moving”?

HSH

I actually started writing this book ten years ago but realised the task was too overwhelming for me at the time. As I’ve gotten older, I have realised how exciting, colourful and unique my own childhood was and I wanted to share that with others.  Last autumn we returned to London from living in Thailand and I struggled to find a job…I realised the time was right to give this book another go.

JP

Why do you think your book needed to be written? What will your book do for other people?

HSH

In my search for more personal literature on the topic of cross-cultural upbringing and TCKs, I realised there were hardly any books out there. It is my hope that people with traditional upbringings will understand TCKs a little better through my book and I really wanted to give validation to my fellow TCKs. (in many ways, a forgotten tribe).

JP

Who do you think will read your book? What made you think that there was a market for it? Now that it’s been out for a while, what proof do you have that you were right?

HSH

In this global and transient age, I thought it was more important to have literature out there for people to grasp and empathise with TCKs, since cross-cultural living is becoming more common day by day. This topic is receiving far more exposure and media attention these days so I felt the timing was right. I have already received feedback that Home Keeps Moving has triggered thought and self-realisation in people.

JP

It does not matter how good a book is, or how good your writing is if no one knows about it. What steps have you taken or do you plan to take to promote your book? Are you a speaker or trainer? Do you have a blog? A website? A newsletter? Do you use Facebook, Twitter or other social media tools? What about press releases and sending out review copies and free articles? Have you had any other ideas? Which methods do you think work best and can you give me any examples?

HSH

I set up a blog at http://homekeepsmoving.blogspot.com/ and e-mail account ahead of the book’s release and joined all the social networking sites to create “hype”. I researched all the websites and magazines interested in TCKs specifically and targeted them, spreading the word. I have spent huge chunks of time doing viral marketing – sending out press releases and following up with phone calls. I have done a radio interview and have two more lined up. I’ve written articles for free which have been published by The Telegraph and other online magazines. I have approached major and local bookshops in the UK. I have asked Missions Agencies, Expats, Member care organisations and International Schools to help me promote the book by featuring it on their websites and in their publications. I have also sent out lots of complimentary review copies and am trying to get the book reviewed or mentioned in as many publications as possible.

JP

How did you publish your book? What was your route to publication?

HSH

As I was approaching the final stages of Home Keeps Moving, I started to send out sample manuscripts to publishers who had previously released books with a similar content. I also happened to have an acquaintance whose book on hot and cold climates (Foreign To Familiar by Sarah Lanier) was along similar lines to mine and she got me in touch with her publisher. I received my fair share of rejection letters and found the process extremely hard especially since many publishers refuse to accept unsolicited manuscripts and I didn’t want to go down the agent route. Luckily for me, Sarah Lanier helped open a door that might otherwise have remained closed.

JP

Self-belief can be a big problem for writers. How did you manage to stay confident in your ability and remember that you were good enough to write your book? How did you cope with the days when you thought you could not do it and that it was rubbish?

HSH

Those days continue to come and go, even now! I have to say that the support and encouragement received from close friends and family is what spurred me on. My husband patiently assisted me in editing and perfecting the book. For me, the main target was just to complete the book that had been hanging over my head for ten years and I tried not to rush ahead of myself too much and allow worries of not getting published to overshadow things. On the days that inspiration didn’t come, I didn’t push myself…I just tried to take it in my stride and monopolise the good days. As the release date approached, I became slightly anxious about how it would be received since I was “putting myself out there” – divulging personal stories and also opening up to possible criticism. I haven’t even read my book since it’s been published because I had to go over it so many times in the run up to printing!

JP

It’s easy to procrastinate, to blame writers’ block and to put off finishing your project. How did you keep yourself motivated? And how long did it take you to write it? What was your routine?

HSH

I touched on that a little in my previous answer but it took me around seven months to complete. That’s including all the editing and re-editing…which could go on forever unless you stop yourself! I tried to look at this work being a fair representation of my experiences and views up until this point and there’s nothing to stop me from writing more in the future. It’s not like this is my one and only contribution to society. My motivation burned quite strongly since I hate unfinished things so I set myself a loose target and through quite a few late nights (and the help of my husband), got there in the end. Luckily for me, I was alone in the flat during the day so I would put on some classical music, make a cup of peppermint tea and wait for inspiration to take over. I wouldn’t regiment blocks of time where I had to write…it just flowed quite organically.

JP

What was your biggest challenge regarding the writing of your book? How have you overcome that?

HSH

Good question! My family moved very regularly and we ping-ponged between India and the UK for just under ten years. Initially, I started writing all the moves as they happened but then someone pointed out to me that it “read like a journal”. The hardest thing for me was the decision to break all those moves down into two segments and decide which stories to include and which to leave out. Especially towards the final stages of the book, more and more incredible stories would pop into my head and I wanted to squeeze them into the book somehow but it was too late. So I guess, deciding what best benefited the flow of the book and being willing to compromise were the trickiest things but key.

JP

I believe that getting feedback is really important to help you recognise when your writing is really good and to find ways of making it even better. How did you get feedback on your work?

HSH

I started out by sending the manuscript just to a few family members and gauging their feedback. I decided the more opinions, the harder it would become…but I did find it useful to send it to a friend who grew up in America her entire life and see how it came across to her. She sent me 4-5 A4 pages filled with tips and corrections! It was slightly discouraging at the time, since I just wanted to be finished, but incorporating some of her suggestions has definitely made the book better.

JP

If you were to give advice to someone else who is thinking about writing a book based on their life experience what would be your number one tip?

HSH

Go all the way!! So many people start writing a book but very few people manage to complete it. Push through the uninspired times, set targets and welcome the feedback of a few close friends to help motivate you until then end.

Heidi’s book is available through Amazon.co.uk and also from her directly at http://www.amazon.co.uk/shops/heidisand-hart

Jo Parfitt networks with Nina du Pre at Connecting Women Sept 2010, photo by Stephanie Ward

I like to consider myself to be a natural networker and realised this week that I have been on the board of a networking group for 12 years. In fact, when I think I about it, I first became aware of the importance of networking when I heard Donna Messer say the immortal words: ‘it’s not what you know but who you know that makes your business grow,’ at the WIN conference in Milan in the 90’s.

I have been writing for over 20 years and as a journalist I know that my articles and books are enhanced by the quotes I can include from the experts I have met along the way. Now that I focus on helping other people to get their writing published I always encourage my students to get out there and build relationships with people so that they can then approach them later for comments for their work.

As someone who has made a living from writing I am well aware that Donna Messer is absolutely right. The more people I know, the more I can write about. The more people I know, the more ideas I have. The more people I know, the richer my information sources, the more people I know I can ask. And when I know a lot of people that means that a lot of people know about me.

One of the best ways for a writer to build their network fast is to attend a conference where the speakers and workshop leaders will cover areas that they would like to write about . The best conferences are places where the delegates too provide a rich source of contacts and information. As someone who  specialises in careers, particularly portable careers for people overseas, I am a big fan of the Women’s International Networking Conference (WIN) and next month I will attend for the seventh time. Just three days among some of the most creative, fascinating women from all over the world will keep my muse and contacts book fed for a whole year. As someone who specialises in expat life I also attend the Families in Global Transition conference, and next year will go for the seventh time too. But I go one step further. I don’t just attend these conferences, I speak at them too. Standing up in front of an audience is one of the best ways of promoting myself and raising my profile. Better still, these conferences have bookshops too, where speakers can sell their books, so I take advantage of that too.

In the photo above, you see me at Connecting Women, a network I have chaired for 2 years and for which I have been on the board for 5. Last night I was the speaker too, speaking about, guess what? Networking!

If you are serious about getting published and making a living as a writer you need topics and people to write about, you need people to know about you and approach you with your stories. So, go on, get networking.

I recently met with a new client, Martyn Claybrough. He is a wise and intuitive chap, known as The Soul Psychologist. He wants to write a book and so I explained to him the difference between modern self-publishing methods, using the Internet and Print-on-Demand and traditional publishing, using a publisher.

“Well, you could make ten times money by self-publishing,” I said. “You’ll  earn 100% of the profit (known as net receipts), but you will be responsible for paying for all the editing and design and then you have to do all the marketing afterwards too. In short, this route will cost you more money up front, but has the potential to make you far more in the long run.”

Martyn just smiled at me and waited for me to go on.

“But if you go the traditional route, you are likely to make just 7% of net receipts. It can be a slow process, the industry is in a bit of a recession, but once you do have a publisher they will handle all the editing, design and the marketing for you. Though many publishers still expect you to do a lot of the marketing yourself anyway,” I paused. “This method won’t cost you any money, but may not earn you as much as you would make self-publishing.”

“Keep going,” said Martyn. “Self-publishing seems to make such sense, but I can tell you’re a bit hesitant about it. So, Jo, explain why I should still consider looking for a real publisher.”

“For the kudos,” I said. “You will get onto bookshop shelves. Traditional publishers have representatives ‘on the road’ and this means you can could get your book in front of more people. You may not make more money, but you should get more exposure.  Traditional publishers do some PR for you. They will write a press release, run a press campaign.” As I said that my stomach did a somersault.

“Stop right there!” said Martyn, raising his hand.

My mouth dropped open.

“That is what you need to do. This is what you fear most. So do it.”

He was so right. I’d known this for a while. I knew that if was to offer the best service possible to my clients I needed to adapt my publishing business so that I could provide both the benefits of self-publishing and those of traditional. It was a tall order that needed a financial risk and a leap of faith. I had long wished I could find a way to publish authors so that they had no upfront costs, had the financial benefit of Print-On-Demand, enjoyed a decent PR campaign and got into bookshops too. That embarking on such a huge task was my biggest fear was no surprise.

After saying goodbye to Martyn, and with my heart still in my mouth, I picked up my iPhone and decided to look at the frivolous little app I once picked up for free and that gave horoscopes and tarot readings. I never looked at the tarot. I didn’t understand it and thought it was probably too scary. Another fear, right? That day, however,  I chose to flip over one tarot card in the area of career. Lo and behold, up popped The Devil! Now that freaked me out even further. First Martyn had read my mind and then I had picked a card with a devil on it.

The next day I met with my friend Ingrid Schippers of The Portable Yoga Company and told her about my experience with Martyn and the tarot card.

“Ah,” she said. “The devil is actually a lucky card. It does not mean you have to make friends with him. It just means you need to go the dark side.”

“The dark side?” that sounds even worse, I replied, panicking slightly. Was I to start wearing a long cape and pacing the midnight streets?

“The dark side in you. It means you should face your fear and conquer it once and for all. It’s about giving in to your impulses and going for it. As for the Devil: In a positive sense it’s an indication you are ready to confront your dark side.”

Is that what all this was about, then? That I should get my fear of commitment to PR in a headlock and join the big boys? That I should bring what I consider to be the benefits of traditional publishing into the world of Print on Demand? And that I should be brave enough to invest in some of my clients myself, take a risk and not charge for my services? I’ve been indulging in excuses long enough. It is a big leap for me. But it is a leap that feels so right.

Every time I think about this my stomach churns. But you know, Ingrid was right, I was ready to confront this fear because I actually hired a Virtual Assistant to compile me some PR databases before the summer and have now built some valuable lists. So, you know, when I was subsequently offered the opportunity to join forces with an existing publisher and combine my current list of expat titles with his and start commissioning authors I took a deep breath and agreed.

I am now delighted to announce that I plan to publish about six expat books next year and am on the look out for authors with superb ideas. What’s more I am going to do that dreaded PR.

If that isn’t facing my fear and going to the dark side, I don’t know what is!

Is it time you faced your fear headlong and did something about it too?

Authors need lots of publicity if they are to sell their books. On this blog I have often championed the brilliance of book reviews and love to share unusual methods for promoting your book. Only this week Robin Pascoe launched her online video ‘tour’ comprising 18 short video presentations (do watch them, Robin is witty, cynical and very knowledegable).

Then, today, Toni Hargis, author of Rules Britannia was interviewed by Peter  at ExpatFocus and talks about how to write material based on your life abroad, how to make money from it and her own publishing journey. If you want to find a publisher for your book listen to Toni’s interview here. Her excellent blog, ExpatMum,  can be seen here and her joint blog with Mike Harling from both sides of the pond here.

I have long admired the work of Joanna Penn and when this email landed in my inbox a few moments ago I had to share it with you.

If you have ever doubted the credibility or viability of online publishing, this email and short video from Joanna will put your mind at rest once and for all.

And, if you are thinking of self-publishing but would like someone to hold your hand who knows the ropes, you know where to find me. For, while I am a publisher in my own right, I also help authors start their own press if that is what they prefer.

Read on:

Seth Godin, 12 x NY Times bestselling author with business books like ‘Linchpin’, ‘Purple Cow’ and ‘Tribes’ has announced that he will no longer publish in the traditional manner with print books.
He will go direct to his market and his customers through digital means by publishing to his blog, with ebooks, videos and other digital media.

This is extremely exciting for authors as his very public defection is causing many people to change their minds about what it means to self-publish or be an independent author. The stigma is crashing down!

I have just made this short video explaining what has happened and what it means to you
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2010/08/24/seth-godin-gives-up-on-traditional-publishing/

I hope you find it useful and please do leave your thoughts in the comments.

To your writing and publishing success,

Joanna
Joanna Penn

Author, Blogger and Speaker

(e) joanna@TheCreativePenn.com
http://www.TheCreativePenn.com : Adventures in writing, publishing and book marketing

(t) http://www.twitter.com/thecreativepenn

(f) http://www.facebook.com/TheCreativePenn

Rothko gets Religion by Erik Hagen of www.potamoi.com

An author’s first job

As you know already, I help people to write, edit and publish their books and I offer a service that goes from ‘brainwave’ to ‘bookshelf’. When I start working with a new client who is at the ‘brainwave’ end of the process I always give them one job to do first of all. The first is to read other books that are in the same genre, that are in competition with them and that are ‘like’ the one they want to write.

‘Oh but I can’t,” they usually respond, clapping their hands over their eyes. “I don’t want to spoil my idea. I don’t want to find out that someone else got there first.” They shake their heads. “No, Jo, I can’t do that.”

“But you must,” I reply and stand my ground, hands probably on my hips and a twinkle in my eye.

You see there are five reasons why new authors simply must read other books like theirs:

Five reasons why authors must read books like the one they want to write

1. Comparing your book to others already in existence is a must-have portion of any proposal you would send to a potential publisher or agent. You will need to compare and contrast at least three other books that represent your competition in your proposal.
2. Seeing how successful books in this genre can be, and that there is a market for them, only goes to prove that you have had a good idea. Spotting which ones are most successful (look at the Amazon sales rank number, the lower it is the better) will help you to discern what has worked best.
3. You can see what works and how you could emulate some of the good ideas in your book too. Maybe not with the content, but with the layout, or with the added value, the tone, the style, the voice, the illustrations, the endorsements.
4. You can spot the gaps in the other books and ensure your publication does things differently or better or both.
5. You can quote or explain some of the ideas in the other books in your book. These extracts will endorse your idea and using the words of other experts in your field will make your book seem more worthy. Of course you must get permission to quote another person’s work, though just a few words or a sentence is fine, and you must always attribute those words to their originator. Don’t be scared about asking this favour. Most authors will be flattered and see that their inclusion in your book will be good publicity for them too. I get asked for permission all the time. I see it as free advertising.

Copycat art

Let me illustrate my point with a story about the painting above.

I first saw the gorgeous painting, above, in his studio, when artist and photographer, Erik Hagen, invited me round for a ‘brainpicking session’ in preparation for the book he plans to write, called Exploring Beauty. I was immediately taken with it.

“Hey, you copied Mark Rothko!” I said. “Wow! I love his work.” And I went on to tell him how I visited the Rothko chapel in Houston and we talked about that for a while.

“What’s it called?” I asked.

“Rothko gets Religion.”

I laughed.

“See that one there?” Erik continued, pointing at a white and blue mixed media piece that had a triangle of something like cloth painted under the oil. “That one’s called Rothko Loses his Hanky.”

I laughed again. I was impressed by the way he had  copied the ideas of a great artist. In fact he had done it so blatantly that I knew instantly who he was trying to be, and then added a twist of his own. I thought it was genius.

“Let me know if you ever want to sell it,” I said.

“Oh no, it’s not for sale. It’s my favourite,” said Erik.

I loved that painting so much that I asked if he could email me a jpeg of it so I could use it as the wallpaper on my mobile phone. For three months I have shown anyone with an interest in art that ‘Rothko’.

Today, Erik let me buy the original and I am walking on air!

Do I feel that I purchased something of less value or beauty because it was so clearly inspired by someone else? No way. Copycat art, like copycat writing, can be vastly enriched by the inspiration of those who went before.

Ask yourself this

Where would poetry be if we had never had Shakespeare or Auden or Betjeman or Owen?

Where would fiction be if we had never had  Fowles or  Austen or Hemingway?

Where would memoir be if we had never had Pepys?

Where would the genre of travel writing be if we had never Ibn Battuta, Lawrence Durrell or even Peter Mayle?

If you want to write – get reading!

I love to interview other expat authors, like me. People who have made their dream to write about their life overseas into a reality. Cathy Dobson is one of those authors. In 2008 she wrote and published Planet Germany, based on her blog of the same name.

Here, I interviewed her about how and why she wrote and published Planet Germany.

Yeah, I know, some folks say that if you want to write a book based on your experience, expertise or knowledge you just need to put fingers to keyboard and start writing, right? Noooo. I think we can all benefit from a little preparation. Also, I think that it is too easy to think about our ideas and let them whirl round and round our brains without putting those random thoughts into any kind of order.

The first step to writing a book is – thinking about it

The second step is – research

The third step is – planning

The fourth step is - writing a trial chapter

The checklist below will help you to check you have done enough preparation so that you can actually do the fun part – writing

Ready? Here’s the checklist . . .

So, you want to write a book?

YOUR CHECKLIST

1    Are you clear about your motivation for writing a book? Money, fame, reputation, legacy, sharing what you know?

My motivation is: ________________________________________________________________________

2    Do you know who your competition is? Have you read those books, decided what works and what doesn’t and checked out their Amazon rating?

My competitors are  : ________________________________________________________________________

And I like X about them: ______________________________________________________________________

And I dislike X about them: ____________________________________________________________________

3    Does your book idea have a wow factor, something different, a Unique Selling Proposition?

My USP is: ________________________________________________________________________

4    Do you already have some fans, a tribe, Twitter followers, a blog, a website and lots of articles and other material out there on the Internet?

My fans find me here: _____________________________________________________________________

5    Do you have a support group, mentor, coach, writing buddies and trusted readers who can give you feedback every step of the way?

My supporters are: _______________________________________________________________________

6    Are you prepared to write in your natural voice, simply, easily, accessibly and aim for a complete Shitty First Draft before going back to edit it?

• Yes
• No
• Yes, but I need to practise and get feedback first

7    Have you decided which of the following you are going to have in your book?

• Personal anecdote
• Case study
• Illustrations
• Tips
• Tasks
• Summaries
• Expert opinions
• Quotations
• Resources
• Bulleted lists, like this one
• Subheads

8    Have you mind-mapped your book?

9    Have you mind-mapped a chapter?

10    Have you written a contents list, complete with foreword, acknowledgements, title page, resource section and so on and received feedback on it?

11   Have you written a sample chapter and received feedback on it?

12   Have you explored the options available for publication: agent, publisher, print on demand, setting up your own publishing company, using an online publisher?

When you have completed this chart above you are well on your way to making your dream of writing a book a reality.

My good friend, marketing coach, Stephanie Ward of Firefly Coaching is always going on at me about the importance of having a niche. When, last year, I finally gave in and decided to focus on one area – helping expats to write books – I watched my turnover go up and up and up. It is now four times what it was this time last year and I put that all down to Stephanie.

When it comes to publishing, the same applies. If you read The Long Tail by Chris Anderson, he explains why writing for a targetable niche is vital if you want to create a book that is a steady seller rather than a flash in the pan.

In the great book, The Wealthy Author, by Debbie Jenkins and Joe Gregory, they explain how to write and publish just such a book. One of the things they suggest you do to check  that your idea has a  niche is to see how many magazines  are out there devoted to that niche. Find more than three and you have a niche.

The great thing about writing for a niche is that you can create a database of websites, publications, organisations, bookshops and so on that serve that target market and then focus on getting editorial, advertisements and so on in those places and then – and here is the best bit – you can continue to create new products for that same market and keep on marketing them to the same contact list. Any marketing professional will agree that it pays, if, once you have a new customer, that you keep on selling to the same customer. The more products you have in your niche, the more you sell and the more profit you make. The more books you write on one subject then the more likely it is that you will be seen to be an expert in that area.

Let me give you some examples of three authors who know all about the value of the niche and the series:

Peter Kaye is a medical doctor and he specialises in palliative care. He writes books for people who work with, care for, or are related to the terminally ill. This is his niche. He built a database of hospices, doctors’ surgeries and hospitals and sells his books to this same list. A quick look on Amazon showed that his books include: Notes on Symptom Control in Hospice and Palliative Care, A-Z Pocketbook of Symptom Control, Breaking Bad News – A Ten Step Approach, and many more.

Robin Pascoe writes about expatriate life and  her many years spent overseas, combined with her training as a CBC journalist, have made her an ‘expat expert’. Her titles include: Homeward Bound, A Moveable Marriage, Raising Global Nomads and A Broad Abroad. Her books are aimed for people living overseas and so she markets them through her excellent blog, writing articles, speaking at conferences and  travelling the world speaking to international schools and clubs.

David Hampshire writes for Survival Books, and this company produces books for those who want to live, work or buy property overseas. His titles include: Buying or Renting a Home in Switzerland, Buying a Home in France and Living and Working in America. He has a defined niche and defined market. One look at his website and you will see an impressive number of series of publication, many written by David.

I have just given you three examples, but there are many more.

Does your book have a niche? Could it become part of a series?

I hope so.

Keidi is the kind of girl we all need as a role model. If she has an idea she just goes for it – makes it happen and then makes a huge success of it. Still under 30, she now lives in Spain, is an internet marketing whizz, an author, authors’ mentor, magazine editor and so much more. You wonder where she finds the time to sunbathe. My guess is that she doesn’t!

So, everyone, meet Keidi Keating, who describes herself more modestly as: ‘I’m a magazine editor, writer, entrepreneur and internet marketer. I live in Spain, on the Costa del Sol, and my passions are writing, traveling, learning and spirituality.’

JP

The concept

Tell me about your book. What is it about? Can you describe it in just a few sentences? To show that a book has focus it is vital that it can be described briefly and succinctly.

KK

Sol Searching describes the journey of my move to the Costa del Sol, aged twenty-three. Along with making friends, finding a job and meeting a man, I faced a number of other personal challenges along the way.

JP

Your motivation

Why did you write it?

KK

I felt that there were many books about moving to Spain written by authors aged forty-plus, but no younger perspectives. With more and more young families moving abroad I felt there was a gap in the market for this genre of book.

JP

The need

Why do you think needed to be written? What will your book do for other people?

KK

Sol Searching helps others who are considering a move abroad to see the ups and downs. It’s not all the bed of roses that people dream it is. Like anything in life, a move abroad needs time and the right measurement of positive energy and focus in order to make it successful.

JP

Who will read it

Who do you think will read your book? What made you think that there was a market for it? Now that it’s been out for a while, what proof do you have that you were right?

KK

I believe my book will be read by anyone who is thinking about moving abroad, not necessarily just to Spain, but to any European country, such as Portugal, France, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, etc…

Thousands of expats move to these countries every year and the forums are saturated with questions. Hopefully Sol Searching delivers the answers in a light-hearted way.

I have received a number of excellent reviews on Amazon and also personal emails thanking me for writing Sol Searching.

JP

The promotion

It does not matter how good a book is, or how good your writing is if no one knows about it. What steps have you taken or do you plan to take to promote your book? Are you a speaker or trainer? Do you have a blog? A website? A newsletter? Do you use Facebook, Twitter or other social media tools? What about press releases and sending out review copies and free articles? Have you had any other ideas? Which methods do you think work best and can you give me any examples?

KK

I am quite fortunate in that I own an expat magazine network in Spain called The Sentinella, so I advertise in all four editions. There’s also a website www.thesentinella.com and a monthly newsletter, which goes out to more than 2,000 expats.

I also have a blog for the book on www.sol-searching.com, which I don’t update as often as I should!

Facebook and Twitter are brilliant tools and many of my followers have purchased Sol Searching – even people who I have never physically met!

JP

The route to market

How did you publish your book? What was your route to publication?

KK

To begin with I self published it via lulu, but then upon chance I met a UK publisher based in Murcia and they offered to publish it for me under their Native Spain imprint. That’s when it began to really take off!

JP

Belief in yourself

Self-belief can be a big problem for writers. How did you manage to stay confident in your ability and remember that you were good enough to write your book? How did you cope with the days when you thought you could not do it and that it was rubbish?

KK

I’ve written stories since the age of five, so I’ve called myself a writer for many years. I didn’t once doubt my abilities. I have always believed I can write and that’s probably why I can.

JP

Meeting the deadline

It’s easy to procrastinate, to blame writers’ block and to put off finishing your project. How did you keep yourself motivated? And how long did it take you to write it? What was your routine?

KK

I already had the ‘bones’ of the book laid out because I wrote a diary account of my move to Spain since the first day I arrived. I just had to put my Editor’s hat on, cut the bits that didn’t do the book justice, and embellish the other bits.

It took about 12 months to finish the project as I had to fit it in around editing and running a magazine.

Motivation has never been an issue for me – once I decide I’m going to do something nothing gets in my way!

JP

The biggest challenge

What was your biggest challenge regarding the writing of your book? How have you overcome that?

KK

My biggest challenge was fitting everything in because so much happened during my first three years living in Spain. My first draft was a ridiculous size so that Editor’s hat had to go back on!

JP

Getting feedback

I believe that getting feedback is really important to help you recognise when your writing is really good and to find ways of making it even better. How did you get feedback on your work?

KK

I have a great friend who is also a writer. She helped me edit Sol Searching to a sensible size and for that I am eternally grateful!

JP

The top tip

If you were to give advice to someone else who is thinking about writing a book based on their life experience what would be your number one tip?

KK

Not everyone will share the excitement you feel for certain parts of your life. Often events that happen to us can seem like the most interesting and funny in the world. But will strangers see them that way? Ask yourself that question constantly as you write your life story.

I’m currently writing my second book. This time it’s a young adult fiction called The Path; one boy’s mission to save Planet Earth from darkness and demonic forces.