The best year for books?
Better than all the modern navel-gazing
While researching for my latest novel (set in 1950), I came across a list of books published in 1949. Unlike any modern list, I had read a decent amount of the books: five are on my shelves now.
Taken off my shelves.
Orwell’s 1984 is probably one you’ve read and remains a good seller. Chandler’s ‘The Little Sister,’ is a great period piece and well-written, his fellow Dulwich College alumni, P.G. Wodehouse published ‘The Mating Season,’ featuring Jeeves and Wooster this year too.
Shane, by Jack Schaefer, is a superb short novel and was turned into a movie classic (A.B. Guthrie the screenwriter of the movie, also published a great story this year, ‘The Way West.’) The book I was surprised to see was published this year was, ‘Earth Abides’ by George Stewart. I recommended this book in my Easter reading selection but I had no idea it was written so long ago: I would have guessed the late 1960s.
Other books on the list that aren’t on my shelves now but gave me great reading joy at the time are two Enid Blyton stories: ‘Five Get into Trouble’ and ‘The Secret Seven’. Dismissed and disparaged now, but who cares? I read everything I could get my hands on when I was younger and I loved them.
The last two of the top forty I have read were Tolkien’s ‘Smith of Wootton Major’ and ‘Farmer Giles of Ham.’ I had these in a boxed set when I was younger but gave them away when I moved abroad.
I can’t think of another year that gave so many good books, that I have read multiple times, and stand the test of time. Can you?
I was coaching in Plymouth last Saturday and took the opportunity to take a couple of photos of parts of the city featured in, ‘The Poster.’ I then created this reel on Canva.
The Society of Authors is worth every penny of its membership. I attended one of their excellent professional development workshops last week: “Writing a synopsis,” led by Olivia Chapman. I’ve read many articles about this dreaded part of the submission process and been left floundering around like a freshly caught haddock.
This seminar was different. It involved practical exercises (hurrah!) and a clear set of instructions. Mrs Chapman answered all the questions clearly and with patience. I’ll be using it for my second novel, ‘Stone and Water,’ next month. It also revealed some flaws in the novel that I hope I can adjust.
If you live in Britain and want to publish, I recommend you join the SoA.
October is birthday month in our house: mine, my wife’s and my son’s. I keep things low-key and send the relatives my book wish list. I rarely buy new books, instead, I use the library or pick up copies in second-hand stores or from local book-swap shelves. My birthday is the one time I can ask for ‘new’ or ‘rare’ books and hope to get them.
Numbers.
Amazon book sales in 2024
I’d given up on giving sales updates of my books because it was so demoralising. On Saturday I sold the first copy online of ‘The Poster’ for months! I guess clicking on the reports every day pays off…
These figures don’t include hard copies that I’ve signed and sold locally, nor the books that Pen to Print have sold (I don’t get any commission from those nor the numbers).
Nor does it include a commission from the Amazon KDP reading programme: I get paid for every page people read (pennies rather than pounds).
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed the books so far: it is appreciated. I hope sales do increase but there is no sign of me being able to buy that garden sauna yet.
Lord I want books to sell : ) What's slowing down yours James?