Thursday 31 December 2015

Happy New Year!

Dear all, 

I wish you all the very best for 2016. I hope the year brings you everything you are dreaming of. Sorry I have not blogged recently, I will employ the usual excuse of saying I have had a lot on... 

Goodbye 2015... Hello 2016

I have honestly... well, mostly. I will be publishing my latest set of short stories tomorrow and have lots of work to tell you about regarding a self publishing package I am offering people through my company and after many months of planning and arranging I will be starting the first draft of my novel properly too.

Anyway, enough of me, please enjoy your new year's party where ever you are and who ever you are with. Work hard in 2016 and progress with your dreams.

Kind regards,

Robert Rankine.



Follow me on Social Media:

Facebook:       https://www.facebook.com/Robert.G.Rankine (Personal Page)
Facebook:       https://www.facebook.com/thinkingplainly (Company Page)
Twitter:           https://twitter.com/thinkingplainly 
Google+:         https://plus.google.com/+RGRankine (Personal Channel)
Google+:         https://plus.google.com/+thinkingplainlylimited (Company Channel)
LinkedIn:         https://www.linkedin.com/in/rgrankine 
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Pinterest:         http://www.pinterest.com/thinkingplainly/ 

Thursday 1 October 2015

Blog Break for October and November

Dear all,

For anyone visiting my blog I won’t be posting during October and November but the blog will remain live and I’ll be back in December.

To explain I am currently restructuring the way I blog. I think it’s turned into a bit of a jumble where I am covering too many subjects in one place. I would like to get back to covering my personal views on subjects that influence my writing but I also still want to keep going with more business related topics and start some other ideas I’ve wanted to get on with for a while too. Therefore I have decided to start a few different blogs on different sites to be able to separate these issues and make it easier for me to distinguish what I am doing and when and share with you more relevant posts. However, I need a little bit of time to work through my business plan and make sure I am on top of things before I rush into anything.

Also, I have had the honour of being Best Man at a friend’s wedding in October so I am busy controlling my nerves about the speech and sorting out arrangements and that is going to keep me occupied for a while… and of course there is the small matter of the Rugby World Cup getting all of my attention too! I know it’s not good time management but I’m hopeless, I can’t tear my eyes away from it.

Lastly, I am working on finishing off three short stories that I want to release in November and it is proving quite the challenge. So all in all, I think it is best that I keep quiet for a month or so on and wait until I am in a position to really organize myself properly and start afresh… as it’s so important to post on a more regular basis and I hate leaving such large gaps between posts.

Thanks for reading this and sticking with me while I take care of ‘life’ for a while and I look forward to writing again soon and sharing with you.

Cheers,



Rob.



Follow me on Social Media:

Facebook:       https://www.facebook.com/Robert.G.Rankine (Personal Page)
Facebook:       https://www.facebook.com/thinkingplainly (Company Page)
Twitter:           https://twitter.com/thinkingplainly 
Google+:         https://plus.google.com/+RGRankine (Personal Channel)
Google+:         https://plus.google.com/+thinkingplainlylimited (Company Channel)
LinkedIn:         https://www.linkedin.com/in/rgrankine 
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Saturday 5 September 2015

Thinking Plainly in Paperback!

Dear all, I am really happy to say that Thinking Plainly Limited, the company I set up nearly four years ago has just released the paperback versions of Rufus Garlic’s The Disappearance Club or A Polish Detective in London and Alfred Duff’s The Warspite Series: Book One, The Godling and Book Two, The Witch and the Dark Arts.


I am very proud of the work both writers put in to the process as it takes a lot of effort to edit and check all aspects of the design, time and time again, especially when things go wrong and need to be changed when you thought you had it all wrapped up. As you would expect it's a much different process than producing an ebook...

In fact, it's so different that I spent a lot of time writing a much longer version of this blog because I was going to include an explanation of the whole experience (of using Amazon's Createspace service) of self publishing a paperback... I had several thousand words down, covering the manuscript design through to the proof copy for those of you who are interested in writing and self publishing your own works... then I realised it was too much info for one blog post and probably a bit rushed. I have changed my mind about including it and I think instead, I will create a separate blog, just focussing on the production side of things. That will give me more time to explain myself properly. I am no expert and as I have said many times, even though I have been learning the ropes now for nearly four years, I am still a beginner when it comes to writing and publishing and have a tremendous amount to learn, but I have got some of the basics down and a few people have asked me for a helping hand here and there to explain how we did certain things, so if even my novice position can help some people out, then I'm certainly happy to do so. I'll be posting the links when it is ready and I'll use that blog to discuss all things self publishing related and keep this blog to my own personal views. 



Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1g1jZKv 
Amazon US & Worldwide: http://amzn.to/1i3L0Pm 


Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1N9oRua 
Amazon US & Worldwide: http://amzn.to/1inVybK 


Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1EHhRTT 
Amazon US & Worldwide: http://amzn.to/1IQ5kc3 

For now then, I will leave this post by saying congratulations to Rufus and Alfred, I am really happy to have gone through the process of self publishing a paperback version, it's a big step forward in the life of the company, and I look forward to continuing to grow and get further works from them, and more independent writers, out there in the future.

Take care all,

R.G Rankine.

Follow me on Social Media:

Facebook:       https://www.facebook.com/Robert.G.Rankine (Personal Page)
Facebook:       https://www.facebook.com/thinkingplainly (Company Page)
Twitter:           https://twitter.com/thinkingplainly 
Google+:         https://plus.google.com/+RGRankine (Personal Channel)
Google+:         https://plus.google.com/+thinkingplainlylimited (Company Channel)
LinkedIn:         https://www.linkedin.com/in/rgrankine 
Instagram:       http://instagram.com/rgrankine 
Flickr:              https://www.flickr.com/people/thinkingplainly/ 
Pinterest:         http://www.pinterest.com/thinkingplainly/ 

And Author Profile Pages to keep informed of the latest releases:

Amazon UK:  http://amzn.to/IqRZK  (Click 'Add to Favourites’ under profile photo)
Amazon US:   http://amzn.to/1CIEjaf (Click 'Add to Favourites’ under profile photo)
Nook:              http://amzn.to/1CIEjaf 
Google:            http://bit.ly/1yyMhQx 
Scribd:             http://bit.ly/1xVQlLh 
Apple:             Author page not available yet - search R.G Rankine
Kobo:              Author page not available yet - search R.G Rankine

Monday 10 August 2015

Creative Conversations: Meeting writers and publishers face to face

Dear all,

I am so far behind in my blogging I am afraid I am posting about something that happened a few months ago! Is it really August? This year has disappeared… I know we all say that but it’s true… there is a lot going on at the moment and I hate to admit that I have put blogging down the priority list a bit, as much as I like doing it, but I hope to be getting back to once a week posts very soon.

I would like to tell you about a self-publishing networking and conference event I attended back in May at my local university, The University of Greenwich http://www2.gre.ac.uk run by the Department of Creative Professionals & Digital Arts http://www2.gre.ac.uk/about/faculty/ach/study/cpda

They have set up a project called ‘Creative Conversations’ that brings together a range of people to discuss and exchange ideas on how the creative arts and business and commerce in creative organisations can interact and develop.

Here is the link to their blog: http://blogs.gre.ac.uk/creativeconversations/

I was lucky enough to be informed of this event as it was discussing the future of publishing and more specifically the current and future relation between mainstream publishers and independent publishers (where I learnt a great new word – authorpreneur!) and the growth of new forms of digital storytelling, distribution, customer led content development, reader/author interaction and of course the way writers in the future can make money.


I have attended lots of events like this in the past, but not in the publishing field. I worked in an art and design university for ten years and being part of that type of organization you have the opportunity to meet lots of interesting people and visit and attend a huge variety of creative events, both with an educational, academic aim but also for pure enjoyment. However, this was the first time I have attended an event where I had both a personal interest and a business interest too. Although I am an amateur writer and publisher at the very early stages of development, it is what I want to do for a long time to come and so I went to this event with a very different mindset. In fact, I felt like a nervous student attending his first class…

For one, I took a notebook! That means serious business! This wasn’t just a chance to wander around a gallery and chat with people over a glass or two of wine whilst grabbing handfuls of twiglets and crisps. I really wanted to learn and discover first hand what the industry was up to. Now, before that sounds lazy of me, as if indicating I don’t do that already, meeting people face to face, hearing their stories and listening to questions and answers from the crowd is a much different thing to reading lots of newsletters, emails and articles on the laptop. Yes, of course I keep up to date with industry news online. I try and read and keep an eye on dozens and dozens of industry websites, social media sites and all the rest of it, but there is something special about seeing people in the flesh and also, something quite nerve-wracking.


I have to admit to being more than a little worried about attending. After years of being very comfortable at public events and public speaking I found myself doubting my right to attend and thinking about what I would say about me and my company should I have to introduce myself. It’s a strange thing. I realised I was representing one category of their target audience, and yes, they wanted small independent writers and publishers there but what right had I to put myself in that category? Having an online presence is one thing but putting yourself in front of people is quite another. It all became so real! Had I really self published my work? Had I really published other peoples’ work? Had I really set a company up? I felt very, very small...

Anyway, nerves aside once I arrived and took my seat the evening went well. The speakers and topics were very interesting and it was a good experience. I shouldn’t have been worried really but I guess that just shows you that when something means a lot to you, it doesn’t matter what the situation is, you are going to feel the nerves.

The panel took turns to introduce themselves and then the debate started and before you know it, everyone is eagerly involved.

The panel should you wish to look them up:

Steve Carsey:             Director of Original Programming for Audible.
Katrina Hopewell:     Marketing Consultant.
Kate Pullinger:          Novelist and Academic.
Jeremy Thompson:   Managing Director of Troubadour.
Justine Solomons:     Byte the Book (Chair).


It was great to listen to them talk about their backgrounds and what they do now within the literary world and they were some great questions from the audience. It was also great to hear directly from the audience and find out what people are up to. There were all sorts of interesting projects (a lot of the night was dedicated to discussing new methods of storytelling – where the traditional view of what a book is could go with such amazing advancements in digital technology) and although not wanting to sound negative, it was also comforting to hear that other people suffer from the same doubts, pressures, problems and issues!


As much as we think that self publishing is a relatively new phenomenon, really we know that it has been happening for hundreds of years and what we actually mean is the new modern phenomenon in the rise of electronic self publishing and the reduced costs of printing services. That is where the boom has come from and it was interesting to hear Jeremy explain the huge increase in numbers they have seen since the late 90s when they first started their self publishing arm, Matador. I recognized the issues that authors go through and it was nice to hear that large companies have to deal with the same problems small companies do, there is no secret way to quality. Editing, production, design, marketing, and so on are all important stages of developing a book and regardless of the scale are essential to a successful, revenue generating product. What of course is different, is that with scale comes investment and budgets. After a decade in the business you have made good contacts with printing companies, distribution companies, shops and delivery services. And that is where scale does make a difference with costs. It was an interesting section for me because how do you translate working with thousands of potential books a year from working with maybe a dozen?

To learn more about the largest self publishing company in the UK please visit: http://www.troubador.co.uk

I took a lot of notes that will go a long way to building up my business plan and I don’t want to bore you here with all my little jottings but I’ll highlight just a few of the subjects that came up that I benefitted from hearing of other people’s experiences. This is collectively what I took from all speakers and I’m funneling it into one overall impression, from me as a ‘wannabe’ publisher and writer.
  • Methods on attracting new writers and how to promote current writers.
  • Submission policies.
  • Formal, legal contracts with larger firms.
  • Payments, margins and royalties.
  • Investments and negotiations in advertising and building social media profiles.
  • Marketing campaigns and strategies.
  • Targeting an audience, deciding what that (your) audience is, trying to focus on a market.

Now these aren’t new to me, and if you are involved in self publishing they won't be to you either, but again, their value and importance takes on a new level when you hear directly from the people who are commissioning new works and publishing new works, it doesn't seem theoretical anymore... from people who are responsible for large sums of money and large scale projects... from those who have been there and done it over a number of years and have proved their success. It is actually quite forceful when presented as hard evidence from people who know their stuff. 

And some of the most interesting and inspiring revelations included:
  • New technologies for hybrid digital and media storytelling.
  • New mixed media – combining music, animation and graphics with prose.
  • Advancement of digital e-readers and tablets, what performance they offer.

When you go to events like these it can sometimes be information overload. Those last points are a bit like listening to a TED talk or similar, it can be very inspiring and wonderful to hear about the latest developments out there and some of the amazing projects being undertaken, but you have to identify what is useful to you and be reasonable about what you can feasible implement. The future may seem brilliant but don't forget that you need to do the basics here and now in the present. That is not to say to ignore the rest. It all went down in my notebook but whether or not I will ever get to the position where I can invest in, and expand, my business, I don’t know; but there are extremely interesting avenues to explore should I be able to and hopefully I can share those with you in future blogs. 

The other thing about going to these sort of events is that you can be intimidated (not in an aggressive way! In a self doubting kind of way) by the fierce competiton. That isn’t news in publishing and writing, nor it seems in any profession these days, but when you see so many talented, intelligent and creative people in the flesh it really can be scary. How the hell are you meant to compete with such amazing minds?

The trick is, for me anyway, to always remain focused on what it is you want to do and what you want to achieve. There is no point comparing yourself to others as it’s just a way of making yourself feel useless! Learn from them, yes, use their skills, experiences and knowledge, yes, use them as markers for progression, yes… but don’t judge yourself against them. You must always remember the art you want to make and be content in making yourself proud, by your own works, not how well or not they do against someone else. The sheer amount of work is overwhelming but the opportunities and possibilities that arise from meeting people in person, making those contacts and opening yourself up to judgment is a fantastic way to progress. It is something I have told myself I have to start doing soon and I hope that 2016 is the year I get involved in physical reading, writing and publishing groups more. I need to network and meet people, learn what they are doing and push myself to expand and grow. It is scary when you are at the beginning, at the bottom of the pile, but essential.


To learn more about the writing and publishing membership organization that chaired the event please see: http://www.bytethebook.com and http://byte-consultancy.com


Take care all,

R.G Rankine.

Follow me on Social Media:

Twitter:           https://twitter.com/thinkingplainly 
Google+:         https://plus.google.com/+RGRankine (Personal Channel)
Google+:         https://plus.google.com/+thinkingplainlylimited (Company Channel)
LinkedIn:         https://www.linkedin.com/in/rgrankine 
Instagram:       http://instagram.com/rgrankine 
Flickr:              https://www.flickr.com/people/thinkingplainly/ 
Pinterest:         http://www.pinterest.com/thinkingplainly/ 
Blog 2:            https://www.rgrankine2.blogspot.com 

And Author Profile Pages to keep informed of the latest releases:

Amazon UK:  http://amzn.to/IqRZK  (Click 'Add to Favourites’ under profile photo)
Amazon US:   http://amzn.to/1CIEjaf (Click 'Add to Favourites’ under profile photo)
Nook:              http://amzn.to/1CIEjaf 
Google:            http://bit.ly/1yyMhQx 
Scribd:             http://bit.ly/1xVQlLh 
Apple:             Author page not available yet - search R.G Rankine
Kobo:              Author page not available yet - search R.G Rankine


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