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Unless you have a trade publisher, or even if you do but they are overseas and don’t distribute within your country, you need to know about how to get your books into stores and online book sales platforms like Booktopia and the bookdepository.

Although I have published several books, none of these has had book store distribution within Australia. Thrill Seekers and In the Dark of Night were published by Ransom a small press in the UK who, although they distributed to schools here and in other English speaking countries, had no bookstore presence at all here in Oz. Ten years ago, I reached out myself and had Thrill Seekers stocked in about ten stores in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. You can do this by selling on consignment. Basically this means the bookstores agree to stock your books but only pay if you sell any. You are then responsible for following up on any sales and collecting unsold stock at your own expense.

Bjelke Blues was published by a small independent press here in Brisbane, AndAlso Books. They do their own distribution to stores within Brisbane and a few others across the regional centres. But that’s where it stops.

Almost all writers want their books on bookstore shelves so they can reach as many people as possible, but this can only be accomplished by employing a distribution company who has connections with booksellers throughout the country. For independent publishers, it was almost impossible to have your book distributed by one of these companies. It just wasn’t worth the distributors’ time. I tried going with Amazon, especially now they offer Print on Demand within Australia, but let’s just say that this was not working. At all. Be warned. Books were sold, but Amazon had no record of those sales, nor did they pay me.

However, now, thanks to the Australian Society of Authors (ASA), who saw the growing numbers of writers self-publishing, we now have access to a distribution service. I’ve just signed up to have my Guide Through Grief distributed through this system. It’s not cheap. The distributor takes up to 70% of the RRP – with a large chunk of that going to the bookstore. And you need to pay the ASA an administration fee of $75 on top of that, so you need to make sure it will be financially viable.

But at least your books a chance to be on bookstore shelves and online, making it easy for people who would just LOVE your book, to find it.

I deliberated for a long time about whether to take this financial gamble just to have my books in stores. But for me it all came down to my first wish when I began writing – to see my work on bookstore shelves. I want my book to reach as many people in need as possible. And getting distribution is part of that equation.

Why do I want my books to reach as many people as possible? Because I want to connect with others, and help them in their darkest times.

Why do I want to connect or help them? Because books helped me when I most needed it.

So do check out the ASA distribution service or do your best to get word our about your work to make sure your books see the light of day. You worked long and hard to create that book, the work doesn’t stop there. Get behind it, find or create your own distribution network. Let people know your book is out there and how to find it.

The dream is not just writing the book, it includes the book being read.

GOOD LUCK!

Let me know how you go. How do you distribute your books?

Lots of love

Edwina xx

I may have gone a bit C Crazy but once I started, I just couldn’t stop.

As we all know the very best stories spring from the motivations, needs, strengths and weaknesses of the Central Character. The most important part of the word Character is the ACT in the middle. Action reveals the truth of who this person is. Not what they look like, though this gives us clues. Not what they say, though this can be great and very useful if juxtaposed with what they do.

The Character must ACT, not react. They must Choose an action at some point, and they must Change or refuse to Change. This is what makes a protagonist the main character really.

So, the C WORD METHOD.

A Character needs to have a CURSE, a CAUSE, CRAVING or a CALLING. They can have all four if you like but they must have at least one. This Curse, Cause, Craving or Calling – which in not C word terms would be your story goal or the character’s “desire” – usually springs from a CRISIS in their past. A wound or scar in their backstory that has shaped who they have become.

For example, Madonna the pop star may have been a neglected middle child, always searching for her father’s approval so she CRAVED attention and sought it from the applause of strangers.

Harry Potter has a CURSE – the lightning bolt on his forehead is proof of this imbuing him with a piece of Voldemort. He also has a CAUSE – to save the world from the curse of Voldemort’s darkness and a CALLING – to lead the forces of good and defeat Voldemort.

A story I recently wrote set during the reforming of the Catholic church through Vatican 11 in the 1960s was about a nun who CRAVED divine connection, was CURSED by her childhood in an orphanage and had once felt a CALLING but now found it lacking.

Figuring out your character’s C words will help form the plot of your story. Whether it’s flash fiction or a full-length novel.

The C WORD METHOD continues as follows:

Start with your CHARACTER with a Cause, Curse, Calling or Craving

Then throw them a CALL TO ACTION – otherwise known as the inciting incident (also nice use of Cs) or CRISIS that spurs them to pursue their C word.

Then all you have to do is pile up COMPLICATIONS, CONFLICTS OR CHALLENGES into a CRESCENDO until you reach the

CLIMAX and then show us the CHANGE in the CHARACTER in the

CONCLUSION!

A cacophony of crazy Cs to create a cool, character-driven, competition-catapulting (fingers crossed) story!

Have a go. What is your character’s C Word?

Lots of love

Edwina xx

Edwina Shaw

THE HEALING POWER OF STORY

DISTRIBUTING YOUR BOOKS!

THE “C WORD” METHOD OF CREATING CHARACTER DRIVEN NARRATIVES

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