Today I am on tour with Scared to Death from Rachel Amphlett.
Scared to Death is the first novel in a new series about Detective Kay Hunter and is due for release on 6th Dec by Saxon Publishing. I have read and reviewed Scared to Death (Click Here) and today I am also lucky enough to have a great guest post from Rachel Amphlett entitled ~ ‘My Road to Publication’
I’ll hand you over to Rachel now….
I published my first eBook back in 2011, an espionage thriller that I’d really written to see if I could. I’d had prior success with short stories being published or placed highly in competitions, but taking on an 80,000 word novel hadn’t been on my agenda when I first got back into writing.
The publishing industry at the time wasn’t interested in a thriller written by a female author currently living in Australia, and so it wasn’t long before I decided to go down the route of self-publishing. The book sold okay, and readers began to email me for a follow-up, which I researched, wrote and published in 2013.
My road to publication really took off at the end of 2014. Out of the blue, I’d been approached by TIMECrime in Italy who wanted the worldwide Italian foreign rights to my first book, White Gold, and I suddenly wondered what would happen if I set out to be discovered, rather than leaving it all to chance. I took stock in December 2014, drew up a business and marketing plan and overhauled two out of three of my book covers, and relaunched at the beginning of 2015 with a fresh outlook on the publishing industry and, more importantly, my publishing business.
Since then, I’ve learned so much about being an author/entrepreneur (an “authorpreneur”) and, honestly, I’ve loved every minute of it. Imagine the freedom to run your own business and write what you want, then publish it when you want. I retain the services of professional cover designers, editors and proof readers, so effectively I’m project managing the whole process once I’ve finished writing a book. On top of that, I manage all the marketing activities – sourcing opportunities for contributing articles, learning about advertising, while at the same time researching and plotting for the next novel.
Indie publishing isn’t for the faint-hearted, that’s for sure!
Would I ever consider traditional publishing? Of course – it’d be dependent upon what’s on offer, but it’d be good to have someone to share out the business and marketing activities in order to get more writing done.
In the meantime, my knowledge of the publishing industry continues to grow and I’m beginning to see more and more opportunities to share this knowledge with a wider audience.
Scared to Death signals a new chapter in the writing journey for me. This will be the first in a new series featuring Detective Sergeant Kay Hunter, and it takes me back to my old stomping ground of Maidstone in the UK. And, of course, because I’ve never been a police officer, I’ve had a whole new learning curve to deal with, while at the same time hitting my writing targets.
I couldn’t be happier.
A serial killer murdering for kicks.
A detective seeking revenge.
When the body of a snatched schoolgirl is found in an abandoned biosciences building, the case is first treated as a kidnapping gone wrong.
But Detective Kay Hunter isn’t convinced, especially when a man is found dead with the ransom money still in his possession.
When a second schoolgirl is taken, Kay’s worst fears are realised.
With her career in jeopardy and desperate to conceal a disturbing secret, Kay’s hunt for the killer becomes a race against time before he claims another life.
For the killer, the game has only just begun…
Scared to Death is a gripping fast paced crime thriller from author Rachel Amphlett, in a new series introducing Kay Hunter – a detective with a hidden past and an uncertain future…
Purchase Link : Scared To Death
Meet The Author:
Rachel Amphlett is the bestselling author of the Dan Taylor espionage novels and the new Detective Kay Hunter series, as well as a number of standalone crime thrillers.
Originally from the UK and currently based in Brisbane, Australia, Rachel is a member of International Thriller Writers and the Crime Writers Association, with the Italian foreign rights for her debut novel, White Gold, being sold to Fanucci Editore’s TIMECrime imprint in 2014.
An advocate for knowledge within the publishing industry, Rachel is always happy to share her experiences to a wider audience through her blogging and speaking engagements.
(courtesy of Goodreads)
You can follows Rachel on Social Media at the following Links:
Twitter: @RachelAmphlett
Instagram: @RachelAmphlett
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Great post. Gives a real insight into the life of a self-published author.
Thanks Abbie. It certainly does. Appreciate the feedback. xx
Thanks, Abbie!
Thanks for dropping by Rachel. xx