In April 2016, I started writing my first novel, The ‘86 Fix. The only motivation for writing that novel was to put a tick on a bucket list and prove to myself that I could do it.
However, nine years and nineteen novels on, I’m now a full-time author. A happy accident, some might say. The downside to my happy accident is that I never had a plan. For the last nine years, I’ve finished one novel and started the next, driven primarily by a fear that, at some point, the ideas could dry up or readers might decide not to buy my books any more.
Thankfully, I’ve avoided both those disasters, but never say never, particularly in a world where the winds of change are approaching gale force.
In the nine years I’ve toiled in the literary industry, it’s experienced unprecedented challenges. Consumers now have so many options for how they spend their leisure time, with new streaming services popping up every month and the likes of YouTube and TikTok pumping out content like gangbusters. Competition for readers has also increased dramatically with an ever-growing number of indie authors entering the market and new books landing on Amazon’s shelves by the thousand every single day.
Besides the pressure of ever-increasing competition, it’s now harder than ever to make a living in the UK. Being self-employed, I find myself in the unenviable position where the state now benefits from my endeavours more than I do. I’m politically agnostic, but whenever I hear politicians talk about growing the economy, I want to scream. As it stands, there’s no incentive for the self-employed to work harder — quite the opposite, in fact.
Anyway, that’s enough negativity. I can’t change the world, but I can do something to change my world. And that leads me nicely to the point of this blog post.
My next book will be my twentieth — not just a landmark but a fork in the road. I can continue on my current path, working fifty-plus hours a week whilst my income gradually plateaus or potentially declines, or I can choose another path. I don’t really have a choice, truth be told.
This, dear reader, is where I need to ask if you’re willing to take a few steps along this new path with me.
What I’ve noticed over the last few years is that I’ve attracted a small but passionate band of readers from other English-speaking countries — in particular, America. In fact, last year, I was invited to take part in a virtual book club with a group of readers from a small South Carolinian town, Fort Mill. It was a surreal experience, discussing The Strange Appeal of Dougie Neil with a bunch of readers with Southern American accents, I can tell you. Even more surreal is the fact that people from beyond the UK read my books at all, considering how colloquially British they are.
Beyond my interactions with American readers, my latest Amazon sales report confirms that the American market accounts for 19% of my royalties. That figure has slowly but steadily crept up in recent years and is now significantly higher than I ever expected it to be. It’s an interesting statistic, and it also represents an opportunity — a vast pool of potential new readers I might be able to tap into.
And that brings me nicely on to book #20.
Of the nineteen books I’ve penned, only one of them doesn’t include some other-worldly element, and that’s Waiting in The Sky. For that reason, it might not have resonated with my core readers as much as the other books. It is, however, a title that continues to sell well and has prompted the highest number of emails from readers, with a significant number saying how they could relate to the protagonist, Simon Armstrong. I’ve also had a few tentative enquiries about TV/film rights, although nothing has reached the point of signing a contract (yet).
In short, Waiting in The Sky remains the most commercially viable of all by books. Not the most loved, I’m sure, but, in terms of readership, it has by far the broadest mainstream appeal.
I appreciate that I’ve so far set out several seemingly unconnected points but actually, I’m justifying an epiphany I experienced last week. I hadn’t announced it, but I had been planning a trip to America next month (May). The purpose of the trip was to research a non-fiction book I intended to write as my twentieth title. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at non-fiction, and I was particularly inspired by my all-time favourite book, Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson. I also hoped that spending a few weeks in America would help recharge my creative batteries.
That trip is all booked up, however, my creative thoughts have shifted dramatically since that epiphany.
Having taken you around the houses, I can now confirm that my next book will be a standalone novel featuring Simon Armstrong. I’m still in the process of outlining the plot, but the core theme has genuinely reignited my enthusiasm for writing. I’m excited by the possibilities for this story and the opportunities it might open up.
Just in case you’ve forgotten, Simon Armstrong is a thirty-something character who, up until a few years ago, was convinced he was an alien. He’s lived a sheltered life in a small Wiltshire village, and, despite his intelligence, he’s spectacularly naïve about the world. He also possesses certain traits that not only make him an interesting character, but a writer’s dream. His deadpan observations, awkward communication style, and misplaced cynicism represent such scope for both comedic moments and character development.
It’s for that reason that in my proposed new (and currently untitled) novel, Simon will face a life-changing challenge. After being humiliated in an online strategy game where he has remained undefeated for eleven months, Simon is so indignant that he feels compelled to hunt down the player who stole his crown and prove that they cheated. That quest will lead him all the way to America, and a million miles from his comfort zone.
I’ll write up a proper synopsis within the next few weeks and create a cover, but I hope that the basic premise of this story appeals to you. I doubt it’ll be everyone’s cup of tea, but that’s kind of the point — if I don’t step beyond my own comfort zone and push the boundaries, there’s a chance I might not be able to sustain my writing career (or sanity) beyond the next few books.
In conclusion, this next book matters, and it matters a lot, but not as much as the loyalty that so many of my readers have demonstrated over the last nine years. It’s for that reason I wanted to explain my thoughts and plans and be candid about why I need to head in a certain direction. It might be that I lose a few readers along the way, but I sincerely hope that you stay with me.
If nothing else, it’ll be an interesting journey… not least for Simon Armstrong.
With love, Keith
Footnote: I know many of you will ask, so I’ll confirm it now. My twenty-first book will be the third in the Angle of Camden series, featuring our denin-clad friend, Clement.
