Books and Maps: two of my favourite things

Despite dabbling in social networking, I’m not really that much of a high-tech gadget or app fan.  The one exception is digital maps, the more interactive they are the better, throw in books and I’m hooked.  So when I recently stumbled upon “Edinburgh Reads“, I lost a good hour or more of writing time.

Edinburgh City Libraries have put together an impressive map of fictional Edinburgh.  Over one hundred novels and series have been included on “Edinburgh Reads”.  Mike and I have been reading (and watching) Edinburgh through the eyes of Inspector Rebus for longer than we’ve lived here, but in looking at the map I realized that we’ve only touched the tip of the literary iceberg.  Each entry is connected to the library catalogue, so I can literally choose my holiday reading by map, then swing by my local branch to pick it up.

Of course, the most exciting part for me is that my own book is on the map, uniting my love of reading and writing with my love of geography (I have a PhD in human geography).  Those who have read “How to Make a Golem (and Terrify People)” will know exactly where to find it on the map.  For the rest of you, I wish you happy hunting!

Edinburgh Reads can be found here.

Golem-spotting in Fife!

I recently received one of the best gifts a children’s author can receive: artwork inspired by my writing.

Karl Barrs, a teacher in Fife, sent me this photo of golems his class made out of clay after tuning in to an author event I did online for Education Scotland’s Glovember celebration of books.

I wrote up my experiences of doing my first online author event (actually my first ever school event as a published author) for The Scottish Book Trust’s Teens and Young People blog.

You can access the Scottish Book Trust’s Teens and Young People blog here.

How to Buy a Golem Book (and Spread the Word)

Friends and family here in Scotland and around the world have asked me how they should buy the book.  They want to know what would benefit me most as a brand new author.

As an author at the beginning of my career, what I need help with the most is getting word out about my book’s existence.  On-line booksellers are handy because they carry a bigger number of titles than any real life shop can carry.  However, they don’t do much in the way of spreading the word about new books by authors no one has heard about (yet).  As far as getting word out local bookshops, particularly independent ones, are key.  So, dear friends and family, if you’re looking for a way to help me build my readership, order my book from your local bookshop. If the book-buyer likes the look of what they’ve ordered for you, they may decide to add in a few extra copies for the shop. With those copies on their shelves, the chances of people stumbling upon my book increase.  Your local bookseller should be able to find the book just by the title (and the author’s name).  However knowing the isbn can be helpful too (isbn 9780863158407).

If you live somewhere that doesn’t have a bookstore and you do buy on-line, be sure to go back and add in a review.  Readers pay attention to reviews when they choose books.

Thanks for helping a newly published children’s author reach new markets!