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Community Publishing for the community

Ye Cannae change the law of physics. Or can ye? by jane tulloch

28/9/2015

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​Way back in 1686 Newton, the English physicist and mathematician, stated in his third law that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

How does that apply to the everlasting conundrum of which came first; an attempt to preserve a thought or action in an enduring shareable form or a thirst to find out what someone else had recorded?

Well, for every writer there is surely an equal and opposite reader. It seems likely that every writer has at least one person who likes what they write (even if it’s only their Mum) and at least one who hates it. If a writer is very lucky the likers will outnumber the haters but this can’t be counted on. 

So how should a writer set out to find the equal readers? Should they try to analyse what it is about what they have written that people like? Should they try to emulate other, more successful writers? Or should they continue to write what they like writing? 

Equally, how should readers set out to find books they will like to read? Should they go for the same genres or writers that they have previously enjoyed or try something new or as recommended by friends? 

The answer is most likely the same - there is no answer. Writers will always write and readers will always read and mood, situation and idiosyncratic aspects specific to the individuals will always come into play. There go the laws of physics! 

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My book baby, by Jane Tulloch

17/9/2015

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It’s one thing to sit at your PC and write up the stories that leap into your head, it’s quite another for it to somehow mutate into an actual book. 

There are, of course, many stages of gestation before the beautifully cleaned up item is handed to you wrapped in its lovely clothing of paper and card.

Stage 1: I could write this idea down.

Stage 2: Don’t be ridiculous. Who do you think you are?

Stage 3: OK then I’ll have a go.

Stage 4: Well that went OK, now I’ve got a real something. I could print it out. Will need to hide it though. Don’t want to expose it to others. Think I’ll write some more.

Stage 5: Show written stuff to trusted friend. She likes it and she reads a lot! BUT she’s a friend and unlikely to say its rubbish.

Stage 6: Heard about Comely Bank Publishing (CBP). Dare I contact them? What would they say about my little embryonic book? Is it even a book?

Pic thanks to Drew Coffman on flickr.


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Food for the stomach, food for the brain

14/9/2015

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The only thing that impresses me more than either good food or a good bookshop is good food followed by a good bookshop. And the place to go for that is in Edinburgh's Stockbridge area, where of course you can also find Comely Bank Publishing. Stockbridge is in fact awash with fabulous eateries, and at the bridge end you can find – for a start – Chinese, Spanish, Italian and traditional Scottish food plus an excellent Pizza Express. All good, but you can check those out for yourself.
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Today my wife Katherine and I went to the David Bailey exhibition in the National Gallery in Princes Street, then we each had Spanish coddled eggs for lunch in The Pantry in North West Circus Place.
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But the biggest surprise was Golden Hare Books, a small independent bookshop in St Stephen's St which has been around since the middle of 2014 but only came to my notice thanks to one of those pull-out features in the Scotsman – on this occasion probably timed to coincide with this week's Stockfest 2015, running from this weekend until Sunday 20th September.

When you step inside Ian Macbeth's bookstore, you're reminded that this is how bookshops used to be. It's a fairly minimalist white interior, with a varied stock but not a massive one, and the visitor is left with the impression that the books on display are those which Ian himself personally approves. This is not a place to find latest bestsellers piled high and flying out in quantity; the books here are about quality. More to the point, if I wanted to go in and ask for a recommendation for a present, I reckon Ian would give me one – even enjoy the challenge – and not behave like some pain-in-the-backside-let-me-do-my-job sales assistant. We haven't had that sort of service in Stockbridge since Read Books in Raeburn Place closed.

One last thing. If you ever want to order a book, support your local independent bookseller. They'll do it just as cheaply, probably quicker, make sure it's done correctly, and your custom will help them stay in business.

– Gordon Lawrie





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the value of diaries, by jane tulloch

2/9/2015

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Reading other people’s diaries is a secret pleasure of mine. Not obviously, that I would illicitly read other people’s diaries without their permission – although given the opportunity…

No. Smack hand. Never do that!

Anyway, I really mean the Mass Observation Unit diaries submitted by ordinary people at first during WW2 but continuing on after that.

The writers often commented on how boring their lives must seem to readers but they absolutely are not. They provide a fascinating insight into the minutiae of other people’s lives at a time of uncertainty and genuine fear but also beyond that into humdrum times of simply getting on with things.

I love to read about the worry of what the neighbours will think of this or that minor infringement of respectability. What tactless thing a husband (always a husband in those days!) might have said about a carefully prepared meal or a garment secretly knitted as a Christmas present from prudently hoarded wool.

The apparently tiny preoccupations of previous generations provide plenty of food for thought. Which of our current concerns will amuse future generations?

From a diary writing point of view, as opposed to reading, I only ever kept one for my own use when carrying out a research study. We were told to write a “reflective” diary. I bitterly resented it at first but soon came to value it highly. It was up to me what I recorded.

At first I’d just note what I planned to work at that day. Then I began to add in whether or not I’d done it, if not, why not and what thoughts arose while doing it. From reading over this as time went on, I could see emerging strands of thinking and ideas that led my study into different and fascinating avenues.

Even the emotions I was experiencing as I progressed were useful to note as the study went through various ups and downs. Breakthroughs and disappointments were faithfully recorded.

Thus it became a record of activity but more than that, far more than that. The diary itself became a major propelling force behind my study. Re-reading it, I can clearly see the whole study crystallising. Entire sections from the diary could be transplanted into the discussion section of the thesis and contributed considerably to the conclusions drawn.

Now I write fiction I wonder if I should start a diary?

Excuse me while I reflect on that! 


Pic thanks to Feeling My Age on flickr


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    CONTRIBUTORS

    Gordon Lawrie is the founder and managing director of Comely Bank Publishing, and the author of Four Old Geezers and a Valkyrie. The Discreet Charm of Mary Maxwelll-Hume and The Blogger Who Came in from the Cold. He is also a flash fiction aficionado. He’s currently in search of that book that earns him a fortune. 

    Emma Baird is a freelance/blogger, and the author of Katie and the Deelans. Since then she's moved onto pastures new where she self-publishes experimental YA and chick-lit novels both online and as print-on-demand.

    Jane Tulloch is the author of Our Best Attention (published 2016) Attention Assured (2017) and now has a further lease of life as an expert on the history of Edinburgh's lost department stores. She is relishing the freedom of writing an (almost!) complete pack of lies after years of writing very serious reports on her professional topic of autism in adults.

    Eric J. Smith lives in Maryland, USA, and is the author Not a Bad Ride: Stories from a Boomer's Life on the Edge, which is available on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and iTunes.​

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