Whilst working for Devon County Council, I got talking with one of my colleagues about my almost-completed book and she told me that her nephew had self-published and promptly armed me with his email address. I’m always a little apprehensive about contacting people out of the blue (where is the blue, exactly?) but I needed advice so I gave it a shot.
Edward Nield was so forthcoming with advice, so upfront and genuine, that we got along straight away. In fact, we still message each other now and recently made an agreement to read each other’s books.
It may shock other readers/writers to hear this but I hadn’t read a book for over two years! I was so obsessed with honing my own style that I didn’t want to be influenced by anybody else. And I just didn’t really have the time.
But I’m not one to break an agreement so I purchased Ed’s Trojan Tales: Voices from Afar and finally re-learnt the skill of sitting and relaxing with a good book (turns out it’s harder than it sounds)!
I’m so glad I did. As a fellow self-published author you hear a lot about “budget quality” books and there does seem to be a real stigma on self-pub novels. But that actually comes largely from readers’ (totally understandable) lack of knowledge about today’s publishing options. Having not read for a while (and I was previously reading George R.R. Martin’s excellent work) I must admit I didn’t know what to expect either.
But Ed’s book is wonderful. I’ve mainly read fantasy fiction but found Ed’s historical fiction was actually very similar to my favourite genre. Like most people, I knew something of the Trojan Wars but having those historical characters carved into people you actually care about made the content vastly more interesting. Combined with some beautiful, and well-researched, creative and descriptive prose and I was really able to connect with the setting. I’d recommend it to anybody who reads fantasy, as well as those interested in this incredible era in history.
And since I now consider Edward a friend, I decided to take advantage of said friendship and ask him some questions…
What interested you so much about Troy that you decided to write a whole novel about it? (and why Andromache?)
I became fascinated with Troy and the Trojan War as a boy after a family holiday to Greece. The blend of myth and legend and the mystery of just how much of that great conflict was actually true really intrigued me. Andromache, wife of the warrior hero Hector, was one of the only survivors of Troy. Through her eyes, I was able to write a book from the Trojan point of view that also offered an explanation for why the mighty Mycenaean Greek world collapsed so soon after its victory over Troy. Andromache herself was an extraordinary woman. Having enjoyed great luxury and happiness as future queen of Troy, all this was swept away when she became slave wife to the son of Achilles. Yet her vulnerability and kindness, combined with an extraordinary resilience and unbreakable determination to survive, earned her the love and devotion of all those around her.
Why did you decide to self-publish and how difficult was the process?
As a new, unknown writer, I knew that the chances of finding a good literary agent, let alone a publisher, were rather slim. I was therefore delighted when Maggie Hanbury of the highly regarded Hanbury Agency took on the novel, edited it and provided invaluable feedback. However, even for her, placing a first-time writer with a top publisher during the economic downturn was hard. Ultimately, the manuscript came back to me and I then decided to self-publish. It was a must for me to meet with whoever was to publish my novel and build up a rapport and trust. I also wanted to see the quality of other books that the company produced, to ensure they looked like real books! After much research and checking the reviews of different self-publishers, I arranged to meet Miles Bailey, director of the long-established Choir Press, at his offices. His honesty and professionalism impressed me, and so I went ahead. I chose Sarah Perkins, who was cover artist for Jostein Gaarder’s Sophie’s World and The Solitaire Mystery, to design the jacket. The Choir Press otherwise managed the whole process, including the placing of the book on Amazon, and they kept me posted the whole way.
I know you took as long as me to get your first book out there! What message would you give to other aspiring writers?
As long as you have that dream and passion to see your book in publication, keep going with it. Accept that it will take time. The editing and re-editing will make it a better book. Also, don’t just edit it online; print out the manuscript at least once to root out those typos that you may have missed on-screen. Get other people to read it too. Don’t take criticism to heart. And finally, believe in yourself and praise yourself for every page that you write.
If you wrote another novel, what would it be about?
I would like to write a sequel to Trojan Tales, about the forgotten son of Helen of Sparta.
If you’re interested in reading Ed’s Trojan Tales: Voices from Afar, simply click the link and don’t forget to follow this blog to receive more reading, writing and random thought-provoking material direct to your inbox!
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