The illustrated novel - laying the creative keel

Writing a novel; relatively easy. As someone said; let the characters write it themselves. Editing the second draft; enjoyable and, once read by an expert, pretty rewarding. Third and forth re-writes means it's getting serious. I also started to think about production and tentatively approached some agents after some encouragement from two publishers I know. It's not their kind of book I hasten to say. I next began to have thoughts on illustrated novels for grown-ups, and have had a lot of encouragement from writers, would-be writers and all sorts. Dickens was illustrated, Sherlock Holmes, Mervyn Peake - his own and brilliantly - there are loads in the past but not, for some reason, today.

I sent my m.s to an editorial consultant and to some likely agents. The editors were helpful and kind; the Agent approach was less than successful. A little interest but mainly a flat "no'. Some return a polite standard refusal, many don't reply at all. Times are hard, for everyone, especially for an unknown novelist and his first book. Publishers are looking to spend their financial resources on dead certs not hopeless outsiders. Their tried and tested best sellers are being pinched. Of course, the world is full of ambitious writers and does the World need another one? No, not really but why do we paint, compose, climb mountains? Because we do; "because it's there".

Then I thought; hang on. What about the great provider, whose whole remit is access for all: the Internet. Why not go the ebook route? It's accessible, cheap if not free to do and there have been some notable successes. Plus the availability of POD - Print on Demand - short run, digital printing.

I admit, I have a lot to learn; so that's why I'm here, to talk to illustrators and designers about the possibility of becoming an ebook writer/producer. This used to be called vanity publishing when I was a lad; now it's free marketeering, digital entrepreneurialism and complete creative control.

I've been in Blighty for a couple of weeks now, seeing old friends, catching up, clearing up, trying to keep warm in this awful cold. Glad not to be on the boat, or in the shed in France for that matter. However, the studio at Heard's Design is also a little parky until they fire up the boiler. He says that when they switch on another electric heater, their 'router' gets knocked out - whatever the hell that means. Seems to be a fact but he works in mittens and sea boots. It's like old times.

A conversation and the start of a book

You'll know, for a couple of years or more, I've been working on a book. Why? I met a man at the London Boat Show some time back, a novelist of repute who was the mate of a mate of mine. I happened upon them both and struck up a conversation. Eventually I got around to asking; how come you've written so many books? He'd done a couple of dozen and counting, and one I'd read. He answered that he was never completely happy and liked to start another straight off. When I asked, HOW do you write a whole novel,  he said: just start, it's easy. Just start at the beginning and let them do the talking. I wandered off to the Guinness stand, as you do, to think about it. Later on the train to wherever, oblivious of the talk of yachts and sport, as I know a little of one but nothing of the other, I began to form a plot. What did I know about? I'm not interested in Sci-fi, horror, fantasy, detectives or who-dun-its, aga-sagas or erotica, contemporary urban angst, sloppy romance or sentimental soul searching. I avoid celebrity garbage, cooks, gossip, tabloids and TV altogether. What do I read apart from pilot books and real-life adventure? Not much but I like Ian Fleming and Robert Louis Stevenson and Conrad and one or two current authors; CJ Sansom and Iain Pears. All right, and Cornwell and O'Brian naturally. So there; action, adventure, espionage, history, and a bit of sailing. By the time I got to bed I'd got the whole thing laid out. All I needed to do was write the thing. That was what, five, six years ago? Much has happened but I have all but finished book one. Being of an ambitious nature of course, I've started book two and can see it being a trilogy - at least. What I might have done is create a character, without setting out to do so, who could run in a literary sense. A world or part of a world, set some time ago, which covers war, international and personal intrigue, love, hate, tragedy and triumph. Have I got you interested? Do you want to know more?

Talk to you again soon...