Jane Beck
To Venice With Love
Why I Chose AuthorHouse
I found it so refreshing to meet a book publisher who didn’t boast about the size of their slush pile or the number of authors they were forced to reject every day of the week! So ten out of ten to Authorhouse for extending a welcoming hand. What impressed me most about AuthorHouse was the speed with which they responded to my initial enquiry. Not only that but they sent a very detailed Author Services Agreement along with their Publishing Guide Book. Unusually for me I read all the small print and a few days later when a publishing adviser rang me I was ready with a list of questions which were promptly answered. It soon became clear that if I decided to publish with AuthorHouse I would retain complete control, own the copyright and choose my own book jacket design. The rest of the publishing process was just as rapid and just under six months later I held the finished book in my hand.
It is an added advantage that AuthorHouse makes their books available through the accepted book wholesalers as well as traditional bookshop Waterstones and internet outlets like Amazon. AuthorHouse is an extremely professional organisation with a team of experts to guide the author every step of the way and one has the feeling that they are willing you to succeed.
Why I wrote the book
Forty five per cent of the women’s book buying demographic are over fifty but if they pick up a romantic novel it’s likely that the heroine will be under thirty and a size zero. I felt that it was time to buck the trend and deliberately made my heroine a sixty year old woman who has a full on love affair in the most romantic city in the world - Venice. I believe my book represents life as it is being lived by many of today’s older women who are determined to live life to the full. Divorce for the over fifties is increasing and people are starting over at an age when they expected to be settling down. This isn’t necessarily bad news and in fact can be a liberating experience.
How I write
I simply sit down and do it! If I knew what was going to happen next I wouldn’t bother! For me the excitement is listening to my characters and unpeeling their personalities layer by layer so that the reader is gradually made aware of their problems, what drives them, why they are who they are. It is a fascinating, exciting and absorbing process, like climbing into someone’s head and having a good old rummage around! Occasionally a character will surprise me and behave in a way which I don’t wholeheartedly approve! The initial response has been favourable and I’m sure AuthorHouse will be pleased to hear that the readers appreciate the clear print, the quality of the paper and the general layout as well as the actual content.
