The Stories of Rhys

18th August 2010  I have taken TSOR off the Authonomy website. It achieved 113 positive reviews and no negative comments at all. I was constantly bombarded with offers of ‘tit for tat’ reviews from other Authonomy authors and it seemed that the whole site revolved around these sort of exchanges. Those that rose to the top did so through self promotion rather than on the merit of their book, and the Harper Collins system of rating was not dependant on the book itself or the story. Those that have achieved the top five in a given month have mixed feelings about what it achieved for them and only one author has secured a publishing deal to my knowledge. From 1st September I will have only one goal. To secure a top literary agent who has taken the time to really look at the seven books of the TSOR series, understand them, see their potential, and one who really believes in them. The problem is me. I’m not a famous person with a saleable name. 40% of children’s books published are by celebrities. They can get anything they want published and they don’t even have to write it them themselves. Their names sell. 40% are written by existing established children’s authors and 15-20% are reprints of children’s classics. That leaves at best 5% for new authors. It is very rare for anyone to break through the children’s market but TSOR deserves its place, so I am about to start another round of phone calls and letters. It just takes one person.

12th July 2010 112 comments on Authonomy now, but after some in depth research the website is not all it seems to be. Books do not move up and down the rankings purely on their merit or the number of positive comments they receive. The ranking is based entirely on a different system of appraisal using something called your ‘talent spotter rating’ that Harper Collins control, and it’s unconnected with the book itself. It’s possible to be at the top of the ratings with very few comments at all. Currently, the top book in the children’s section has only 50 positive comments, but I have 112 comments and yet my book is ranked 139^th. It’s also possible to manipulate the system if you are prepared to do it. In light of all this I’ll be pulling out of Authonomy at some point in the future. I put TSOR on there to be judged on its merit and hopefully get it published, but clearly that is not what the system does. It has proved useful though in gathering more independent evidence that the books are popular and publishable, but I don’t need anymore proof of that, what I need is a publisher. I’ll be reviewing my situation in the coming weeks and deciding where to go from here, but the goal is still the same. To get The Stories of Rhys published with a main stream international publisher. I’ve done all I can to show that the books are publishable and no one can deny that. What I need is a publisher who can see that and give them a chance. I’m sure that whoever does that will have a best selling series of children’s books on their hands and they’ll be glad that they took a chance on a new author.

16th June 2010 Over 100 reviews on Authonomy now and from people all over the world. The comments have been very encouraging and have helped me to carry on in the search for that illusive publishing deal. Please take the time to leave a comment on Authonomy if you haven’t already. Thank you to everyone who has. Rhys has gone to the West Indies! Jamaica to be exact. A copy of book one in Ebook form was sent to a friend of mine out there (Hi Val) and hopefully very soon some children out there will be reading all about Rhys the young Welsh dragon and loving the story as much as everyone else does. I can’t wait to hear their reaction.

20th May 2010 Sorry I haven’t updated for a while. We had a lovely time in Llandudno at the Extravaganza and the town was very busy with people and families having fun and enjoying the seaside. Authonomy goes well and the number of reviews is now approaching the first 100. I’ve had more enquires and even one from Brazil from someone who is visiting Llandudno at the end of this month. Hello to everyone at The Great Orme copper mines. Nick and his family recently read TSOR1. If you get chance please visit the copper mines which feature in the entire series of The Stories of Rhys.

30th April 2010 Just a quick update before I leave for the Victorian Extravaganza. The weather has turned a little colder but it’s looking fine for Sunday and Monday. 64 reviews on Authonomy now and some from readers in the USA and Canada. It seems that The Stories of Rhys would be very, very popular there. I still need lots more reviews. Please take the time to leave yours and help get The Stories of Rhys into print. I’ve been greatly encouraged by all the new readers and their positive comments.

21st April 2010 Authonomy continues to go well and there are 50 positive reviews now. Please lend your support if you haven’t already. I’m busy emailing everyone and asking for their help. There is no reason why it can’t achieve the 500+ reviews it will need to get noticed and onto the editors desk. Just over a week now to the Victorian Extravaganza. I can hardly wait! Hope to see some of you there.

10th April 2010 30 reviews now on Authonomy but I still need all of you who have read the book to leave yours. Lot’s of great reviews so far and book one is proving very popular with new readers. Don’t forget it’s the Victorian Extravaganza in Llandudno 1stMay – 3rd May. It’s a great event for families and I’ll be there all weekend. Let’s hope the weather stays nice. Email me I you would like to meet up.

2nd April 2010 The Stories of Rhys book one is going well on Authonomy and there are 16 reviews in just over one week. All are positive and I’ve had encouragement and support from new readers. It’s clear from the comments that I didn’t need to combine books one and two and I’m so glad I didn’t. Readers are picking up on all the detail I put in book one and understanding the story exactly as I intended. I need your reviews please. If you have already read The Stories of Rhys (well over 100 of you) then please leave your review on the Authonomy website. I’ve sent you emails with all the details, please support me. Anyone can now read the book for FREE. The details are on the home page.

26th March 2010  This week I’ve had two enquires from Canada and one from Dubai. There are many Welsh communities there and the Rhys books are just what they are looking for. If the books were published in the USA and Canada I’m sure they would be a big success. Wales, dragons, copper mines, slate mines; Welsh history, language, and the breath taking landscape are all new and exciting to them. When will a publisher catch on ? ? ?

18th March 2010 The Stories of Rhys – book one “The Great Orme” is now available to read at www.authonomy.com Authonomy is a website run by Harper Collins publishers to allow unpublished authors to display their books and have them reviewed. You will need to register with an email address and a password. Every month Harper Collins consider the top five books for publication based on the number of positive reviews it receives. Please support me and leave your review. The target is to get The Stories of Rhys to No.1 in the children’s section and in the top five books on the website. Many of you have already read TSOR1 so you can leave your review straight away. Please help me to finally get The Stories of Rhys published at long last. Use the links on the home page to read the book at Authonomy.

12th March 2010 I’ve spent this week trying to combine books one and two but it’s just impossible, it can’t be done, ever. Everything I’ve put in them is there for a reason and it’s all important and relevant to The Stories of Rhys. Book one is the introductory book and so by its nature it will be very different to the later books that are more dynamic. The whole series is cumulative and sequential and that’s the way I have written it. I’ve decided to put book one on Authonomy but I’m very nervous and apprehensive about it. There will be a blog update on Monday with all the details.

26th February 2010 One more reply this week returning my submission unread. I’ve decided to combine book one and most of book two and then put it on the HarperCollins website for review. I’ll let you know all the details when I’ve completed the rewrite. I haven’t started work on it yet as I have some mystery illness at the moment and I’ve been feeling very unwell. Happy St.Davids day to everyone for Monday.

19th February 2010 Still no replies to the 10 letters I sent out a month ago. I have a dilemma this week. I have an opportunity via HarperCollins to have book one reviewed on their website. If it is successful and the reviews are favourable they will consider it for publication. My dilemma is, should I combine books 1 and 2 into one book? The series will then be six books long and the action will start much sooner which should appeal to readers. Book one is very descriptive and children have short attention spans. It is much slower than the other books as it is the introductory book, but that’s exactly the way I planned it and I don’t really want to change it’s character and innocence as it’s gone down so well in schools, but a publisher will expect the plot to become apparent much quicker and the pace to be much faster. What do you think? Let me know.

12th February 2010  No more replies to the 12 query letters I sent out. The children’s book editor at HarperCollins publishers has been very helpful this week and I have been exchanging emails with her. I should have more to tell you about that next Friday. The recipe pages are very busy at the moment in the run up to St.Davids day, I just wish users would take more interest in the rest of the site and leave their comments in the guestbook, particularly South Wales schools who use them regularly.

4th February 2010 Two replies out of twelve so far, one saying that my letter was being returned unread! I’m trying selected literary agents and have contacted two today. I was talking to someone this week who sympathised with my efforts to get published and the rejections I get. I said, every rejection means I’m one step closer to finding the opportunity I’m looking for. I’ll keep at it. Keep checking back for updates.

29th January 2010 Due to demand I have made the ebooks available again but only on a request basis. Please email me to place an order. They are £6.99 including P&P to anywhere in the world. No news from any of the publishers I wrote to last week but I haven’t had my morning post yet. I’ll put an update on later if anything should arrive.

22nd January 2010 No success with the literary agent in London I'm afraid, so it's onward and upwards. Today I've posted 12 enquiry letters with a series synopsis, media article, and a letter of recommendation from a school. After doing some research I have targeted 12 publishers who would be ideal for The Stories of Rhys. Some good news as well, I've had an email this week inviting me to visit another school in Manchester who will be using The Stories of Rhys Ebook in class. I'm sure that if the books were in print, many schools would use them as they are an excellent cross curricular resource that include the key skills of PHSE in the English curriculum. So a big 'HELLO!' to all the children at Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School in Partington. I'll be coming to see you very soon.

15th January 2010  I've had a very prompt and excellent reply from the literary agents in London. The synopsis went down well and I was asked to submit a selection of chapters which I sent yesterday. I sent chapters from different books so that they could get a better appreciation of the series. Let's hope they like them and I hear back soon. If she can convince a publisher to take a chance on me then The Stories of Rhys could finally be in print at last.

8th January 2010  Happy New Year to you all. Well I've been hard at work trying to find that elusive publishing deal and my search has taken me to a literary agent in London who specialises in children's books. She recently wrote an article in 'The Author' magazine and there are two publishers who would be perfect to finally get The Stories of Rhys into print. I've sent an introductory letter and a very compelling synopsis of the series. I'll keep you all updated when I get a reply. There will be a weekly blog update from me every Friday from now on, so keep checking back. If you would like to buy the books, please support me and leave your comments in the guestbook.