From blog to book
Q and A with Marianne Talbot who published Keeping Mum: Caring for Someone With Dementia in April 2011. It was serialised in the Daily Mail (circulation circa 2 million, readership c. 4 million), Marianne was offered spots on national radio (BBC’s Midweek and Woman’s Hour) and did a ‘round robin’ of many local radio and TV stations.
The book was based on a blog Marianne wrote for Saga Magazine Online (readership of the Magazine 1.45 million all over 50, all subscriptions) from 2007 after her Mum, who had Alzheimer’s Disease had lived with her for 3 years (before which she cared for both her parents from a distance for 9 years). The blog started as a monthly blog but its popularity was such that within two months she was asked to make it weekly. On the basis of the blog Marianne was asked to speak at several national conferences, appeared on the main platform at the conference of one of the UK’s main political parties and wrote occasionally for the national press.
Since publication Marianne has continued to speak widely about caring and dementia, has written several articles for the national press and has been voted ‘Carers’ Champion’ by Age UK, one of Britain’s largest charities aimed at helping the elderly.
David Chislett, the facilitator of our Getting Published Workshop, says an author should establish a track record and a reputation and then publish. It struck us that you were a perfect example of this. And then of course the work does not stop there, an author needs to promote their book, give talks and write articles, which you have done too. Do you think your book would have had the impact it has had without your doing all of this?
I am sure that the book has had the impact it has had because I did do all this. Though I have to stress I didn’t set out to do it. I started to write the blog because I thought it would be therapeutic as I cared for Mum. It was indeed therapeutic. But I was certainly thinking secondarily of a book because I made it clear to Saga that I wanted to keep the copyright of the blogs. The blog attracted thousands of regular readers, many of whom commented on the blog. My speaking in public was also quite high profile so that too added to my reputation.
I was extremely lucky because I also have very good contacts. This is mainly the result of my job (director of studies in philosophy at Oxford University’s Department for Continuing Education). This certainly helped me to attract attention to the book when it first came out. I made a huge effort in contacting people who might publicise it, and this effort paid off. I also made use of a website set up especially for the book, and social media such as Twitter @keeping_mum and Facebook keepingmumbook.
However, life has intervened and I am not now doing nearly as much as I ought. I have virtually ignored the website, and social media for the last two months, and I am not doing what I intended to do which is stake out the news and fire off ideas for articles to Editors as they arose. I am sure if I did more of this the book would be even more successful.
What are the lessons you’ve learned from your publishing experience - good and bad? What tips can you give other authors?
That publishing a book involves much more work than you’d expect. The proofs all arrived at hugely inconvenient times. There were clashes with the Editor about the right way to cut down the words in the book (it then turned out we didn’t need to so that was OK!). At one point I even considered withdrawing the book when the publishers wanted to use, for the front cover, a photo of Mum that I hated (I could see it might have sold the book well, she did look more demented than in the photo used, but I would have felt like crying every time I lookked at it.
But on the whole I have enjoyed it, though I am sure it really is necessary to do much more than I am doing if the book is to remain popular!
Are these bits of advice pertinent when it comes to heavyweight works on ethics and moral philosophy — or do they call for totally different game plans?
Publishing an academic book is a totally different game plan. For a start one is often approached to write academic books, advances are virtually non-existent, the process is far more leisurely (a book on Bioethics finished before I finished Keeping Mum has yet to go into final proof stage!), and far more –er – courteous.
You can help to publicise an academic book by adding it to your reading lists, putting it on your website, mentioning it on your podcasts (see iTunesU – I have twice been global number one, and on 3 May 2011 I held every single one of the top ten download positions on iTunesU), and again using social media (@OxPhil_Marianne), Facebook. But it is never going to sell as successfully as a mass market book unless it is a text book for a high volume subject. If it is the latter it could make you millions! But the sales for many academic books are very low indeed.
Keeping Mum website: www.keepingmum.org.uk
Facebook: Marianne Talbot Philosophy
Twitter: @OxPhil_Marianne or @keeping_mum
Learn what it takes to publish your book by joining David Chislett on December 7 in Johannesburg for his Getting Published Workshop in which he gives his take on publishing, its perils and its opportunities. David’s Getting Published Workshop will be available online from January.
