What Types of Books Do You Read?

I'm a member of an aviation book group on Facebook and one member recently posted the question "what type of books do you like?" It prompted a number of thoughtful responses with some people firmly in the factual camp but others seemingly happy to delve into the fiction. It made me think about my own writing.

My factual books are based on the aircraft I flew and the roles I took on. If I didn't fly it I won't write about it other than in passing. Sometimes this provokes a "sniffy" response amongst the professional writers. That's not to be lazy and avoid researching because writing about aircraft that now, sadly, sit in a museum means I constantly have to top off the memories with pictures and reference material. I pride myself on accuracy and it's a dagger to the heart when I realise I got something wrong. With E books that's easy to correct. With a printed volume it stares at you forever.

My novels are based on fact to the point that I will avoid the dramatic plot line, rather keeping it within the realm of possibility. I want someone to say at the end of the book, I think that could have happened. The settings are places I served in or flew from. The scenes in the cockpit are often based on situations I found myself in. I hope the action sequences are close to reality; or at least how events would have panned out if we had been asked to play for real. The ability to develop a plot line and the characters is fascinating and the intricacies keep me awake at night. I like to call it faction.

I won't change. I don't want to produce volumes of books on topics I know little about. I'll carry on targeting my factual work in areas where I can add to the history. The novels will give the outlet for more lateral thinking.

What books to you enjoy. The answer might not be as simple as you thought.

Book Reviews - A Siren Call?

I picked up my first negative review of my novel Maverick yesterday, a harsh analysis which earned only 3 stars and used disconcerting terms such as “filler” and “weak”, albeit balanced by a “good but.....” Looking at the reviewer’s other offerings I was in fine company. Similar works in my genre had received equally harsh criticism, although with one notable exception. There were many 3 stars but few 5 stars.

The old gnawing doubt reasserts itself. Maybe this is the true assessment of your work rather than the dozen 5 star reviews it has earned so far. The first reaction of any author is to refute the criticism and to mount a staunch defence of my “baby” but is that appropriate? Of course, the answer is no. A critic is entitled to his or her opinion. They have, after all, spent their hard earned money on the novel and are entitled to express their concerns, comments or emotions. 

Feedback is important to any author, established or aspiring. At the London Book Fair this year, the authors who presented on stage raised the topic of reviews. Even the bestselling authors cited examples of the "One Star Bashing" which spoiled their morning coffee. All commented on the buzz of that 5 star accolade which, of course, was hugely deserved (where is that smiley face when it’s needed?) Online mentors urge authors not to engage in a hostile debate to counter the criticism. Equally, ignoring a review, however unpalatable, is not the right course of action.

Reviews are lifeblood to a writer. Good reviews encourage you to continue writing and to strive for perfection. Good reviews can sell books yet, in their absence, can instil caution in a potential buyer who may not click “buy” or take the book to the checkout. Bad reviews can consign a book to the slush pile and, at the early stage, might prove fatal. To receive a good review from an established expert can be the path to the bestsellers list. Too many bad reviews may be a prelude to oblivion. Let’s say then that reviews are crucial for reader and writer alike.

As a former aviator I learned my trade the hard way. On the Squadron we followed a mission cycle. At the briefing we constructed a plan, briefed the formation on how to neutralise an opponent by employing the best tactics. In the cockpit we tried to execute the plan to perfection, returning to terra firma for tea and medals. Critically, at the debrief we analysed the objectives against successful engagements and tried to extract key learning points. This is a model which also sits well in the literary arena. Not every review will be positive. Even Tom Clancy in his epic Cold War thriller “A Hunt for Red October” failed to achieve a “Straight A”.

So the lesson for me is take in the criticism, adapt if the analysis is fair, redouble your efforts during your own editing process, look for the positives and move on.

LBF 15 Day 3

Another great day at LBF15 and sadly the last one.

Intrigued by the "What agents and publishers are looking for" discussion.

The strong advice was identify your genre and establish your "competing authors" in your genre. I had to reflect that few people write aviation thrillers any more. Bring back "Biggles"!

Is that a Catch 22?

There may be a book title in that.........

Well worth visiting and I'll be marking the dates for next year on my calendar.

LBF 15 Day 2

I spent another great day at The London Book Fair and, as always, picked up so many tips from experts within the industry.

Probably the "take away" was that celebrity sells. The turn out for Conchita Wurst and the final appluase reinforced the message. Sadly that's not a tool in my arsenal. I had to smile at the Chair person who said "How do you follow Conchita?" I bet he won't get to use that line very often.

The importance of book covers, always a source of pride, frustration, discussion and every other emotion known to human kind, re-emerged as a vital tool of the trade. Examples of good and bad covers were discussed and I still failed to get beyond the thought that it's a personal taste. The accolades for one particular cover will remain a mystery for me.

The section on social media was enlightening. As always, new terms and applications emerged from cyberspace, so eloquently described by yound enthusiastic speakers. One successful author admitted that she still only has a smattering of visitors to her blog so I felt reassured and thankful for those of you who take the time to read.

The highlight of Day 3 has already occurred before I step through the doors of Olympia. I logged on to a notice from a FB friend that "Fighters Over The Falklands", my 2nd book, has been reviewed on The Royal Air Force Association's online magazine, Air Mail. Despite all the dire warnings this week about how not to get too depressed when reviews are less than positive, I was relieved and pleased to see a positive write up. If you'd like to read it scroll down to page 39.

http://www.rafashop.com/site/images/AM_68-2-Webversion.pdf

Book reviews are a life blood and it's all the more special given that it's an RAF charity.

LBF 15 Day 1

Some outstanding presentations yesterday at LBF15. Plenty to see but author HQ was my main venue. Sponsored again by Amazon Kindle, it offered a wide variety of topics pertinent to traditional and self publishing alike.

The stand out was probably the chat on book cover design followed closely by a very enthusisatic pitch on marketing and PR. Great to hear from some really successful self publishers selling thousands of books.

More of the same today with an array of interesting topics and trade stalls.

http://www.londonbookfair.co.uk/

My First Novel

My first book was, actually, “Defector” which became my first novel and I began writing it when I was still flying, although by then I had transferred to the Tornado F3. My motivation was to take the reader into the cockpit to try to convey the atmosphere and experiences in words. An impossible task but one which few ex aircrew try to achieve. There are many factual aviation stories by former aircrew, often pilots, but there is a total lack of a latter-day “Biggles” character. I grew up on his exploits so why should it be too different today? Enthusiasts still flock to airshows and you will see the Spotter community taking photographs at every airfield in the country.

Set at the RAF Germany fighter base at Wildenrath in West Germany and more specifically on “Delta Dispersal” where I served on my second operational squadron, the book follows the fortunes of a Phantom crew who are pitched into the midst of a Cold War incident when a Soviet test pilot decides to defect to the West bringing the latest Su-27 “Flanker” fighter along with him. It would be remiss of me to write about the Cold War without including elements of the shady intelligence community which strive to manipulate events.

In the first chapter I wrote a description of a training sortie over the North German Plain which was typical of the many sorties I had flown. The sights and sounds returned in my mind’s eye as I bashed the keys. The plot and characters subsequently developed from a core of these flying sequences. It took two years to complete the book and with a new manuscript in hand I tried to find an agent or a publisher. After the usual raft of rejections the book simply sat on my hard drive for many years.

With two of my factual books already traditionally published I, eventually, decided to dip a toe in the water and try self-publishing. I dusted off the manuscript which had been languishing on my computer for years and gave it another harsh edit. Armed with a style guide downloaded from the internet I prepared the document for release, and put together a cover. It was a nervous time as I sent the draft for review but quickly received confirmation that it met the technical specification for Kindle. It was a struggle to find an appropriate category which highlighted to me the lack of aviation fiction on the market. Fiction/War/Military is so vague so I opted for the smaller Aviation History category where it joined my first book “Phantom In Focus” for company. Although the category was populated by principally factual works, I felt my novel had enough factual content that  a serious reader would still gain some factual satisfaction having read it. With trepidation I hit publish. The initial reviews were heartening and it sold quite well for a while. After I considered buying editorial support and admitted it openly, I received a couple of indifferent reviews which criticised a number of errors in editing style. Whether this was just coincidence or more sinister might grace the pages of a novel about the publishing world. Determined to eradicate the source of criticism I published an update fixing the minor problems and subsequent reviews were again positive. It proved to me that there are plenty of readers out there who love aeroplanes.

With the book out on Kindle and selling modestly but steadily I released it on other self publishing platforms, Lulu and Smashwords. Sales there were disappointing so I withdrew it to concentrate on Amazon Kindle Select. With the release of my subsequent novels “Defector” has hung in with sales every day.

The book was also the vehicle to try a few other projects. Createspace offers self publishers an outlet for releasing a title in paperback on a print-on-demand basis. Although the formatting requirements are more stringent, the process is similar so I released the book in paperback. Audiobooks are also a growing sector of the publishing market. The challenge of producing an audiobook version is a whole blog discussion in its own right.

For me “Defector” raises issues which I’m sure many authors face. My inspiration was probably Dale Brown with his stories set in the cockpit of a B52 bomber and his vivid descriptions in “Flight of the Old Dog” made the story stand out from the crowd. “Defector” is based on fact and contains a level of detail which many agents or publishers might want to “dumb down” for the commercial market. To do so loses the essence of life in the cockpit. I was first attracted to Tom Clancy because the story was technically accurate. A critic said of Andy McNab that the reason his fiction is so compelling is because it is based in the real world. For that reason, although “Defector” scratched the itch and allowed me to take the reader into the cockpit, my subsequent novels are still full of detail in the flying sequences.

Was self publishing the right move? I would say yes even though the publishing industry is still dismissive of self-published works. I will raise the topic of self marketing later but with limited exposure it is still possible to attract readers starved of aviation tales.

Check out the description of the book on my website. “Defector” is published by DeeGee Media and available on Kindle and in paperback.