Titles

We've been having discussions at my publisher's about whether to use 'Death' or 'Die' in the title of my next book. I was rather chuffed when the big boss emailed: "I really don't think it matters much any more as it's Leigh's name far more than the title that sells the books now." Nice to know the boss is pleased with me! 

Congratulations?

The book trade journals and the press tell us 'Waterstone's Congratulates Itself As Sales Fell Another 3 Percent'. Really! Yes, Waterstones have done well to reduce their operating costs and so cut their losses to a mere £30 million or so last year from £40 million the previous year. This has been at the expense of store closures - there is now no bookshop in Watford, and Waterstones closed 6 stores out of 12 on university campuses, and numerous other High Street stores.  The ones that remain have seen savage staff redundancies. 

Fair enough, cuts were needed, and new coffee shops in some stores are said to be attracting customers, as funding from Russian billionaire Mamut (some £56 million) has bought the chain valuable time to try and right itself financially.  

But let's not forget, in all the self congratulation, that the cut in operating costs has been at the expense of stores...  and oh yes, the booksellers who have lost their jobs, some of whom worked for the company for many years. 

Meanwhile, book sales continue to fall... 

Dead End selling well

Just a few snippets of news:
Dead End has been reprinted less than 2 months after publication.
Geraldine Steel continues to be Number 1 bestselling female detective on amazon kindle.
So Dead End is doing well in print books and ebooks - that's even handed!
Thank you everyone for buying my books. Please tell all your friends and help to spread the word!

My website is now up and running http://leighrussell.co.uk/
I'll soon be able to add news and photos (when the man-who-knows sets that up for me with idiot-proof instructions... )

The Fun of Being Insignificant

ROAD CLOSED came out two weeks ago and has already started to sell. Of course, I’m a very small scale operator in a world where the big players expect to sell tens of thousands of books every week. Still, there are only 5 copies of ROAD CLOSED left on amazon.co.uk where it’s had its first amazon review – 5 stars from a Top 50 Reviewer and Vine Voice who concludes the review: “Give Leigh Russell a try - I'm sure you will not be disappointed.”

It’s no secret that I completed the first draft of CUT SHORT in six weeks, and two weeks after I’d sent out the manuscript I received a phone call from a publisher who offered me a three book deal. After editing, rewriting and research, my first book hit the shelves and sold out so fast that it was reprinted three times in under a year. Following that success, ROAD CLOSED has just been published ahead of schedule as WH Smith’s Travel selected it for a promotion. I just received an email from the books manager of one branch where ROAD CLOSED has sold 115 copies in 2 days (OK, I was there signing, but still…)

I wonder if book sales are so exciting for the big names? I suspect not, because they must expect their books to sell in huge numbers. I’m still excited when one person buys one of my books. This has been a thrilling rollercoaster but my publishing deal turned up so suddenly and unexpectedly that I still can’t believe this wildly exciting experience is really happening to me. I only discovered my passion for writing three years ago when an idea for a story popped into my head and I began to write it down. Since then, I haven’t been able to stop writing. As Eugene Ionesco said, “A writer never has a vacation. For a writer, life consists of either writing or thinking about writing.”

I’ve heard it said that finding a publisher is like climbing a high mountain. Once you reach the summit, you see an even higher mountain ahead – book sales. This week is half term so I’m doing four book signings, giving a talk, appearing on a panel of bestselling crime writers, and completing the first draft of my third book. I enjoy giving talks and going to book signings, getting out and about meeting readers, but all this promotion is another demand on my time.

Sometimes I think I must be slightly insane… but I love writing and everything associated with it, and the pressure of limited time seems to help my creativity almost as much as a deadline from my publisher! Another benefit of being so busy is that I have no time to stress about how my second book will be received, and no time to worry about “writer’s block”. If I have a free hour or two, that’s it – I’m writing!

So my really exciting news is that I’ve just sent the COMPLETED first draft of DEAD END to my agent. Watch out for it in 2011 and, in the meantime, here are the links for CUT SHORT and ROAD CLOSED in case you want to take a look.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cut-Short-DI-Geraldine-Steel/dp/1842432710

http://www.amazon.com/Cut-Short-Geraldine-Steel-No/dp/1842432710/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Road-Closed-Leigh-Russell/dp/184243344X/

http://www.amazon.com/Road-Closed-DI-Geraldine-Steel/dp/184243344X/

CUT SHORT REPRINT

CUT SHORT - 2nd reprint in 6 months!

My publisher is pleased (phew)

A HUGE thank you to everyone who bought CUT SHORT this year.

Here's hoping sales continue to snowball in 2010 . . . talking of which . . . it's snowing again . . .

Success (for today)

Good day on Saturday - I signed nearly 70 copies of CUT SHORT at BORDERS in WATFORD. I can't give an exact number. You'd think it would be easy - it's just a matter of counting - but I always get in a muddle.
I signed over 40 copies on Sunday at WH SMITH'S in BRENT CROSS.
Altogether that's about 110 books signed this weekend.
Tomorrow I'm giving another talk at RUISLIP MANOR LIBRARY. I and have been invited to give two more talks this week but may have to decline at least one of those as life is becoming a tad hectic... I like to keep busy, but this is becoming a bit too much, even for me!
CUT SHORT is on two listmania lists on amazon.co.uk - thank you OEJ (Debut Novels 2009) and Damaskcat (More Crime Less Violence).