Ask Matt, and Matt will answer!

Firstly, thanks to all of you who have asked those great questions in the last blog entry.

And so to the answers…


Sally Zigmond said…
Dear Matt
Any idea of sales so far of the books already published in the new scheme?
My local bookshops still have no copies.

Hi Sally. To be honest, I’m not sure about the exact figures of books sold, though I do know even before the first six books were launched in April they went for re-print due to advance sales in Amazon among other places. The books are actually selling above expectations so it will be interesting to see what the figures are after six months. I’m meeting my editor in October, and that will be one of the questions I’ll be asking.
As to your local bookshop not having copies… That is unfortunate. I know that WHSmith have not been very helpful in promoting the MNW books (indeed I haven’t seen one yet who is selling them). Waterstones, Blackwells, Otakers and Amazon (all of which sell MNW titles) are perhaps big enough to sell books from debut writers, but smaller bookshops like WHSmith and some of the local bookshops probably think they would do better to fill their shelves with bestsellers (which is a bit short-sighted). I’ll be trying to enlist the local bookshops here in Sheffield to sell my book as I’m a big believer in locally owned booksellers and prefer them over giants such as Tesco etc who would happily trample the book trade for a profit.

Sassyltmiss said…
Question: Do you think being an author cramps your style, ie, you can't really say what you think in case you upset somebody who then might decide not to buy your book.

Hi Sassyltmiss. I guess sometimes you need to hold your tongue. I’m not a political animal, though I do have views on such things, just as I have views on religion and culture. I don’t tend to air them too much because of the “Dinner-table syndrome” – that awful realisation that you have been a complete bore for thirty minutes or more while you’ve be droning on about the war in Iraq or whether Big Brother should be on TV. There are forums for such things, but I won’t shy away from debating stuff that is close to my heart and this blog, such as the whole agents/literary consultants thing which I have strong views on. I suppose this might upset some people (especially agents) but you can’t please everyone all of the time, and you should always be true to yourself.

Jenson Buckley jnr said…
Do you ever suffer from self doubt? Do you ever think just maybe you're a fraud? I know lots of authors who think this, even the successful ones go through periods where they completely lose confidence in themselves and their writing.
Have you suffered through the same, Matt?
And Sally Zigmond added…
Jensen: I don't know about Matt, as he sounds totally confident and sure of himself, but every time I get a short story into a magazine or win a competition I always panic that I'll never be able to do it again. I think mine is a pretty typical response. Matt is lucky. He seems to have been born without that self-doubt gene!

Ah, the self doubt gene, and yes I also have it. However, in my case it’s not really about self-doubt, more about determination. Compared to some, 13 years of trying to get published is not that long (I’ve written six books in that period). Over that time I’ve hit brick-wall after brick-wall, and after so many rejections, your confidence slips and self-doubt creeps in. The only things that kept me going was the support from people around me and the determination that I would keep writing until someone in the industry told me to stop.
From other writers, I discovered half of being published is purely down to luck: that the right person at the right time reads a book you’ve written at the right moment in history. The other half is down to talent. I always hoped that one day I would be lucky enough for someone to spot me, or at least tell me if I was wasting my time.

I think self-doubt is also down to how you perceive yourself. I think of myself as a storyteller, and I suppose that’s all. I’m not a philosopher, nor do I think my opinions will change the world, and if anyone takes an opinion or philosophy from my book and raves about it, then hey, I can go with that – but it wasn’t my intention.
In terms of my imagination and my ability to plot well, I have no self-doubt at all. I am lucky that I have a vivid and fertile imagination (though it does mean a few restless nights!) and I seem to come up with original plots on a whim (though this could be a bi-product of my “youth” and it might dry up at any time!). In terms of the actual writing, I’m still learning like all authors do, and sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t – call that self-doubt if you will. As long as I don’t sell the reader short and churn out something I think is second rate, then I can be confident I’m doing my best.
However, I think sometimes some self-doubt can be a good thing – it stops a writer from feeling arrogant and allows them to grow (as long as they don’t become obsessed by fears of textual self-loathing!).


Carol Mcnee said…
I just wondered how your other half coped with all the time you must spend writing.

Hi Carol. To answer your question, my wife understands my writing needs!

When we first met I had been writing for quite a few years, and during the first year together I spent three months out of work to write a book, so she is used to me locking myself away for an hour or so a day to write. I’m lucky that I have a switch-off/switch-on imagination a lot of writers dream of, and it only takes a few minutes to kick-start it – so I generally write on my lap-top at work during my lunch break. I can usually write about 1,000 words in 30-40 mins and it keeps my evenings and weekends free. If I’m on a roll or I have some urgent stuff to write, I sometimes to sit at my desk at home absorbed in a two hour writing session! If we’re travelling somewhere to see friends or family, she’ll drive and I’ll be writing on the laptop again (marvellous things laptops, by the way, and I’d have to say every writer should have one).

This might all change once we start a family as children take priority – but with a bit of luck by then I’ll be writing full-time or at least part-time to compensate.


If there are any more questions, just “Ask Matt” and I’ll get round to answering them!

Have a good weekend all.