P.J. Murphy's Writer Site

The cover image for this blog post is a post-it note-ridden proof copy of Troubleshot. Not a great deal to say about this except that if you’re ever in a position to review a proof copy before publication, definitely do it! So many things jump out from the page that you would miss on screen, and I’ve ended up making a few corrections to the Kindle edition, as well as the paperback.

Speaking of the Kindle edition, thank you to everyone that’s placed a pre-order. Again, here’s some advice for anyone that may self-publish through Amazon in future: there are big pros and cons to setting up your book for pre-order – and there’s limited information on the website about this.

Pros: 1) you get your book out there sooner, to drum up excitement and some initial sales; 2) you can’t set up an Author Central page until you’ve published something, meaning that you can’t add any bio or links to your website on the book page- and it takes 24 hours to update of you wait until launch day to do this; 3) there seems to be no pre-order option for paperbacks, so it buys you time to get a proof copy and check it, before launching that one too (this is why I did it).

Cons: 1) no one can add a review of the book until it’s published, which is disadvantageous because people that aren’t already familiar of the author are unlikely to order until someone says it’s good; 2) the book still seems to count towards the sales rankings in this time. Given that the Amazon algorithm apparently favours books that have just launched, it seems to be that by setting a book up for pre-order, you’re shackling yourself a bit in that respect, as most sales will come after publication.

I could be wrong about this, but on balance I’d say that setting up your book for pre-order is probably a good idea for established authors but less so for new ones. Oh well, it’s done now!

On to more positive subjects: the much-anticipated blurb. (Well, anyone that’s visited the page on Amazon will have seen it there, but never mind). Here it is:

“Just sit tight, shut up and let me work my magic. And, for heaven’s sake, try to look empowered.”

Trent Argent, community troubleshooter, has been parachuted into an isolated village identified as a problem area. It’s his job to tell the Ramstead locals to eat less sugar and stop getting their teenagers pregnant. He’s done this countless times before, but how did he end up so rich?

The council is determined. It’s brought together public agencies in partnership, and not just to have someone else to point at when things go wrong. The villagers, led by Gerald Thompson of the community association, are also serious about wanting to be left alone. They’ve made a business out of minding their own business.

Over the course of six bungled initiatives, council and community clash. Trent’s agenda remains unclear, but few believe that Ramstead will come out better for it. Can Gerald save the village from the terrifying threat of gentrification?

Troubleshot is the hilarious debut novel from P.J. Murphy. Based upon no personal experience whatsoever (ahem), it finds the funny side of local politics.

I followed the standard pattern for back cover text:

1) Tagline or quote– this one just jumped out at me when I was thinking about it. It sums up the theme and tone of the book quite well, I think.

2) A few paragraphs about the story and its characters– I tried to keep this high- level and, again, reflect the tone of the writing. I went back and forth on quite a few of the sentences here, so it took a while!

3) A bit about the author– the most uncomfortable bit! I mention that the book is hilarious but if you’ve not realised that already by this point, you probably shouldn’t be reading it!

4) In an ideal world, I’d have included some reviews of how great the book is, from reputable literary sources. But I don’t have any! I’ve failed to move forward on getting reviews as quickly as I should have, and I don’t want to delay publication still further- but that’s a definite learning for next time. More on that in a future blog post, I think.

Okay, I’ve rambled on enough for now. Until next time! Paul