I had always read books to my children at bedtime. Once they had grown up, I started thinking about the kind of books I would have liked to read when I was a child. Libraries weren't the fun, inclusive places they are nowadays, and I never knew what to choose. So it started there.
How did you decide on a time frame for the first book?
I set the first book partly in 1940. They say you should start writing about what you know about. My father joined the Royal Air Force during WW2, and I spent much of my childhood living on RAF bases. Evidence of the war was all around then; I remember the WW2 fighter plane on show at the entrance to a camp where we lived, the many air-raid shelters and, of course, all the black and white war films on television. When you visited many towns and cities, there were gaps where houses used to stand - still referred to as bomb sites. My mother, Joan, served in the Land Army during the war. She puts in a brief appearance in "Stuck in Time". So, although the war was before my time, it was embedded in my imagination.
Why did you include real historic backgrounds for time travel books ?
As for the time travel aspect, it was simply a means to explore the notion of "What would it be like..." and to see historical times through the eyes of modern children.
The first book conjures up a time and place. The following six books all feature historical figures - some famous, like Florence Nightingale, Charles Dickens and Tutankhamun - others now largely forgotten. Generally, I just wander through the Internet and stumble across interesting people. Occasionally, I have to tweak the dates a little so the character can feature in the book, but I explain this in a section at the end of the book.
What was the hardest part of putting together your books?
Inventing the story is the easy part. I made mistakes with formatting the first paperback to start with, and I had a lot to learn about the technical aspects of producing an audiobook.
What's the best encouragement you've had from readers?
I've had lots of encouragement from readers, which has kept me motivated. Generally, they appreciate the research I put in to make them historically accurate, and they like the characters. One reviewer wrote, "Three smart kids, one brainy (zany) uncle, a time machine and funny-peculiar goings-on. What's not to like? Clever mix of traditional settings and twenty-first-century gadgets make this a highly readable adventure story." I wish there were a way of replying to each reviewer on Amazon to thank them.
Marketing is the biggest key to getting sales. What is the best marketing source you've used that has produced more sales rather than just clicks?
I took Bryan Cohen's free course on advertising on Amazon. So now I pay for ads, and they get my books before people who would not have discovered them otherwise. I also enrolled on Mark Dawson's Facebook Ads course. I learned about some interesting sites from him, such as Draft2digital, where I format e-books and Book Funnel, where I can offer them for free to get reviews or as prizes for my mailing list readers. However, I didn't find advertising on Facebook as successful as advertising on Amazon.
What do you know now about publishing you wished you had known sooner?
I'm learning all the time. It took me a while to realise that although I loved the designs for the first two books, black and white linocuts, they appealed to adults and not my target audience, so I had them all re-designed. I also didn't know that bookshops would not buy from Amazon and that I needed to purchase my own ISBN numbers, so now I also publish through IngramSpark.
What is the best writing advice you've received or could give?
Keep at it. If you can't find a publisher, look to self-publishing - there are many useful groups on Facebook where you can seek advice (something else I didn't know about when I started!).
Are there any other points about writing you would like to add?
Don't be afraid to seek help with the grammar. It's not one of my strong points. I'm fortunate to have a friend who acts as an editor - to paraphrase her words - she follows after me with a bucket and shovels up the commas!
What is the next book coming out? Can you give me some details?
I just published Freedom Skies this week. It's for the Y/A and adult market;- It's a Victorian alternative history adventure story with a Steampunk flavour. Initially, I am writing three books in the Rebel Runaways series. After I publish the final one in February, I'll decide if I will return to the "Stuck" time travel series. Ironically, time seems to be the thing I never have enough of!
That's all for today's interview. If you'd like to learn more about Dave's books, check out these links.
Amazon author page: https://www.stuckdave.co.uk/blink
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stuckdavewrites/
Website: https://www.stuckdave.co.uk/
The first book conjures up a time and place. The following six books all feature historical figures - some famous, like Florence Nightingale, Charles Dickens and Tutankhamun - others now largely forgotten. Generally, I just wander through the Internet and stumble across interesting people. Occasionally, I have to tweak the dates a little so the character can feature in the book, but I explain this in a section at the end of the book.
What was the hardest part of putting together your books?
Inventing the story is the easy part. I made mistakes with formatting the first paperback to start with, and I had a lot to learn about the technical aspects of producing an audiobook.
What's the best encouragement you've had from readers?
I've had lots of encouragement from readers, which has kept me motivated. Generally, they appreciate the research I put in to make them historically accurate, and they like the characters. One reviewer wrote, "Three smart kids, one brainy (zany) uncle, a time machine and funny-peculiar goings-on. What's not to like? Clever mix of traditional settings and twenty-first-century gadgets make this a highly readable adventure story." I wish there were a way of replying to each reviewer on Amazon to thank them.
I took Bryan Cohen's free course on advertising on Amazon. So now I pay for ads, and they get my books before people who would not have discovered them otherwise. I also enrolled on Mark Dawson's Facebook Ads course. I learned about some interesting sites from him, such as Draft2digital, where I format e-books and Book Funnel, where I can offer them for free to get reviews or as prizes for my mailing list readers. However, I didn't find advertising on Facebook as successful as advertising on Amazon.
What do you know now about publishing you wished you had known sooner?
I'm learning all the time. It took me a while to realise that although I loved the designs for the first two books, black and white linocuts, they appealed to adults and not my target audience, so I had them all re-designed. I also didn't know that bookshops would not buy from Amazon and that I needed to purchase my own ISBN numbers, so now I also publish through IngramSpark.
What is the best writing advice you've received or could give?
Keep at it. If you can't find a publisher, look to self-publishing - there are many useful groups on Facebook where you can seek advice (something else I didn't know about when I started!).
Don't be afraid to seek help with the grammar. It's not one of my strong points. I'm fortunate to have a friend who acts as an editor - to paraphrase her words - she follows after me with a bucket and shovels up the commas!
What is the next book coming out? Can you give me some details?
I just published Freedom Skies this week. It's for the Y/A and adult market;- It's a Victorian alternative history adventure story with a Steampunk flavour. Initially, I am writing three books in the Rebel Runaways series. After I publish the final one in February, I'll decide if I will return to the "Stuck" time travel series. Ironically, time seems to be the thing I never have enough of!
That's all for today's interview. If you'd like to learn more about Dave's books, check out these links.
Amazon author page: https://www.stuckdave.co.uk/blink
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stuckdavewrites/
Website: https://www.stuckdave.co.uk/
Do check out his website and sign up for his mailing list. He has monthly prizes where readers can win promo codes for one of my audiobooks.
And here's a bonus for my readers, leave a comment on this post and we'll pick one reader who'll receive a copy of one of Dave's eBooks. So do that now. It can be as simple as I want to be in the giveaway. We'll chose a winner next Tuesday!
Great interview. I'm writing the second to my middle school mystery series. Not going as fast as the first one did. I look forward to reading a couple of Dave's books.
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