The Dandelion Clock by Jay MandalPublished BeWrite Books (UK)
ISBN 9781905202782
Price: £7.99 (US$14.99)
Genre: gay romance
WHAT IS YOUR BOOK ABOUT?
It is a love story of gentle humour and warmth which shows that people, in love as well as in life, are all the same. It starts in 1986 with David, a twenty-eight year old with a good job and a house all to himself, meeting Rob at Waterloo Railway Station. Rob however is some ten years younger, and is jobless and homeless. There’s an instant rapport between them. But is David the good Samaritan he seems to be? And why did Rob leave home?
WHY DID YOU WRITE THE BOOK?
This is a why-did-you-climb-Everest? sort of question. I’d written ever since I was a child, and this was the book that I’d been heading towards from my teenage years. It gave me the opportunity to incorporate both serious and humorous elements. I was concerned when the age of consent was lowered in the UK, that my book might have missed the boat, but it’s topped Amazon charts and over 1,500 copies have been sold. As well as readers’ reviews on Amazon.com and Amazon UK, a review was published in The Sunday Express. The second edition comes out in March 2008, and we’ve taken into account feedback from the first edition.
WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION FROM?
Another tricky question! I suppose from the usual sources such as television and reading other books. And, when I wrote the novel, there was still inequality with gay men not having the same rights as straight people.
HOW DOES YOUR BOOK DIFFER FROM OTHERS THAT ARE SIMILAR?
Some gay novels are ‘literary’, while others are erotic. Mine is a romance and judging from the correspondence I’ve received, it appeals to both gay men and straight women.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE POD?
I did the usual rounds of mainstream publishing houses but got nowhere. Then I saw BeWrite (www.bewrite.net) mentioned in a writing magazine. They were inviting writers to submit short stories to them, so I sent them some of mine which ended up being published on the Internet. Then BeWrite went into book publishing using print-on-demand technology. First, they published a short story collection of mine, A Different Kind of Love, which was reviewed by Gay Times. Then they published the first edition of The Dandelion Clock.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THIS METHOD?
POD means that neither the publisher nor the author has a vast stockpile of books in a warehouse or garage. That would tie up capital and, if the books weren’t sold, would mean a loss and the waste of natural resources such as paper. With POD, books are printed only when an order is received. This means however, that such books are not usually stocked by high street bookshops - although they can order them for customers.
HOW DO YOU MARKET YOUR BOOK?
I send the book’s details to writing magazines, newspapers, other authors, readers who’ve enjoyed my other books, members of Internet readers’ and writers’ sites, libraries, and friends. Being listed in the gay romance section of Amazon helps.
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU HAD TO OVERCOME?
Apart from writing the book and getting it published? The book started life on an Amstrad, and has seen several computers come and go since then. Luckily I didn’t have to self-publish – my publisher took responsibility for the printing, proofreading, editing, and cover design.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO OTHERS CONSIDERING POD?
It’s worth it if you have a market for your books – family and friends, a niche at online bookstores such as Amazon. But you’re unlikely to see your book on the shelves of high street bookshops as POD books can’t always be returned to the publisher.
WHERE CAN I GET A COPY OF YOUR BOOK?
From the publisher, BeWrite Books
Excerpts from my books and a video clip at
http://www.bewrite.net/bookshop/excerpts.htm
and reviews from magazines and other authors at
http://www.bewrite.net/authors/jay_mandal.htm
The e-book costs only £1 if ordered direct from BeWrite.
From online stores such as Amazon
From high street bookshops, by ordering.
