Lynne Stringer – Author & Editor

Once Confronted is out now! It was released this weekend and I’ve already held an online launch. The local launch is next weekend. To celebrate its release, I thought I’d tell you the story behind it. It’s a little long, but I hope you can get through to the end. 🙂 On Saturday 20th April 1991 I was working alone in a bookstore. I had objected to working by myself, as I was worried that something might happen. However, I was told that I would not be allowed to work at night by myself but that nothing would happen in […]

Getting a book launch together requires a lot of organisation, not just for things like choosing a location, catering, sending out invitations, etc, but what to do at the book launch itself. Given that the online launch of Once Confronted is now only a week away, and the local release is only two weeks away, I have been doing a lot of brainstorming as I seek ideas of what to do at each launch. The online launch has to consist of things that can be seen on social media. Fortunately, I’ve had a bevy of author friends who have given […]

Yesterday I visited A Lot of Books in Ipswich for my first proper bookstore signing with Once Confronted. Unfortunately, the mall where the store is located was almost deathly quiet yesterday. We believe that the commencement of school holidays might have had a lot to do with that. Fortunately, I still sold six copies of Once Confronted but it was hard work to win those sales. As ever at these events, I frequently had significant conversations that encouraged me in spite of the fact they didn’t result in sales. The first two people I spoke to were both fledgling writers […]

It’s now less than a month until Once Confronted is officially released and things are starting to get busy. It’s back to the rounds of bookstore visits and signings. It all starts next weekend. I’ll be at A Lot of Books in Ipswich on Saturday 17th September from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm for my first bookstore signing this time around. A Lot of Books have been very supportive of me over the years, and have hosted signings for all my books. I wasn’t sure they’d remember who I was when I contacted them, as it’s been two years since […]

During the week, the book trailer for Once Confronted was completed. Here it is, in case you missed it: Making trailers for books is still a relatively new thing and I don’t think a lot of authors do them. So far, all my books have had trailers, with The Heir having two, bringing the total of the trailers I’ve got for my books to five. They’re fun to make, although they take a lot of effort. Just finding a basic idea for the trailer can be tricky, and then you’ve got to work out content, sequence and music, all the […]

As it’s been a while since I’ve had a new book released, I’d forgotten just how much needs to be done in the lead-up to it. Preparing for a new book is a little like preparing for a new baby. There are a lot of things that must be done prior to the book’s arrival. It’s best to approach reviewers as early as possible. If any advertising is planned, that also needs to be booked in advance. Then there are any promotional items you might require, such as brochures, posters or banners. I have my charm bracelets as well, and […]

In all the preparations for the launch of my new book, Once Confronted, I’ve been looking for new ways to promote it, and that has led me to ask the question – where do people usually buy their books? I’m guessing that you’re like me. You probably prefer a paperback purchased from the bookstore but those ebooks are so convenient. I regularly purchase an ebook first, then if I like the book enough to want it on my shelf, I follow it up with the paperback version later. Having said that, I’ve bought a lot of paperbacks this year to […]

It was a mammoth effort but we did it. The cover of Once Confronted has been finalised. Hooray! I’d like to thank all those people who voted on the two different cover options that my publisher put up on her Facebook page. You can see the post here. For a while, both covers were neck and neck, before the second cover pulled away and won with more votes. It was great to see so many people involved in the process and it was a big help. I preferred the other cover and was unsure about the second, mainly because I […]

As the release date for Once Confronted draws ever closer, work on its cover has increased. When it comes to the right cover, Once Confronted has provided many challenges. It’s not a romance. It can be intense. It’s about something terrible that happens and the recovery from that terrible event, but it’s also hopeful. It’s about a young woman’s journey through it all, but it’s not just about her journey. So what do we put on the cover? Should it be a person? What should they be doing? Should it be something symbolic? If so, what? I am not exaggerating […]

Once Confronted should be released on 1st October 2016. I’m hoping to have a cover to show you soon. 🙂 Now I have an official release date, I’m already starting to think about the book launch. They can be a lot of fun but also a lot of work to organise, especially when looking for something to keep the attendees entertained. At my previous three book launches I’ve had jigsaw puzzles of a page in the novel or put up pictures of actors who I think could play the leading roles, not to mention asking people to write down what […]