BOOK PUBLISHING SECRETS: HOW TO PUBLISH YOUR BOOK!: Book Publishing Secrets with Adventure Thriller Author Mark H. Jackson @markjackson883

Mark is a qualified solicitor who splits his time between protecting the rights of academics, writing thriller fiction and raising five mostly lovely children. He studied Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Birmingham with a nod towards alternative theory, focusing on the relationship of the Giza complex to the stars; portolan maps; and the origins of civilisation and religion. It was within this flame the plots for his future novels were born.

Mark’s writing career extends back over a decade and his diverse portfolio includes three novels, a number of short stories and even a six-part sitcom. Long listed for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, he is currently a featured author on the popular writing website, Wattpad, with over 6,000 followers from all around the world and well over one million reads of his first novel. Aside from Wattpad, Mark is an active member on a number of other writing websites, spending his spare time offering editorial and structural advice to fellow authors. Up to now Mark has considered writing as a creative outlet for the myriad of characters and ideas roaming about his head. The time has come to tease them out of hiding and breathe a little life into their lungs.

His latest book is the adventure/thriller The Atlantis Deception.

Website Link: https://markhjackson.com/

Twitter Link: https://twitter.com/MarkJackson873

Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/AtlantisDeception/

Thank you for your time in answering our questions about getting published. Let’s begin by having you explain to us why you decided to become an author and pen this book?

Mark: I suppose my mother is possibly to blame for fueling my interest in reading and writing, but I always wanted to read. I was that child under the sheets late at night with a torch and my latest book. I loved reading and writing just seemed a natural bedfellow. I remember attempting to write an Enid Blyton style mystery at primary school so I guess it was in me from an early age. I was quite a solitary child and just enjoyed the escapism it offered. In what feels like a different lifetime, I studied Archaeology and Ancient History at university with a nod towards alternative theory, focusing on topics such as the relationship of the Giza complex to the stars; portolan maps; and the origins of civilisation and religion. It was within this flame the plot for The Atlantis Deception was born.

Is this your first book?

Mark: The Atlantis Deception is indeed my first foray into the tumultuous world of novel writing, and a book I started writing way back in 2009. The journey to publication has certainly been lengthy and one scattered with numerous moments of elation, despair and lashings of writer’s block.

A German property developer stumbles upon a mysterious and ancient artefact. Enigmatic Cambridge academic, Dr John Hunter, is commissioned to investigate. Hunter's acceptance leads him on a trailblazing adventure from the headquarters of a clandestine organisation in England, to a lost city in the heart of the Brazilian Rainforest, before climaxing deep under the sands of Egypt.

Pioneering theory is spliced by epic battles, daring escapes, and elaborate schemes aimed at unravelling a secret history hidden from humanity for the past twelve thousand years. Although imagined, many of the conclusions are cutting edge and written in such a way so as to blur the line between fact and fiction.

With this particular book, how did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?

Mark: I am published by the crowdfunding publisher, Unbound (which had links to Penguin at the time). The route is still in its infancy and certainly cannot be considered an easy option. Unbound set its authors a target figure to publish, somewhere between £4k and 20k depending on how the novel is published, digital only, paperback, hardback and/or audio. As an author, it is then up to you to market and sell your novel on the basis of customers receiving a pre-order and additional rewards depending on the pledge level (art prints, name in the novel or even dinner with the author). In return for successfully negotiating the perilous ups and downs associated with crowdfunding, Unbound offer a much more author friendly contract, particularly in terms of royalties.

Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey? The pros and cons?

Mark: The application stage is no different to any other traditional publisher although as a result of the funding mechanism I understand around 1 in 10 books are accepted and of those accepted, around 1 in 10 make it through to publication. It is certainly a tough introduction into the world of publication and certainly sets you up for the even tougher post-publication marketing phase.

In terms of the pros of the cons, once through the crowdfunding stage, they are much the same as the usual arguments always cited in the self-publishing vs traditional publishing debate. In a nut shell, self-publishing can reap higher rewards (since the royalties are not shared) whereas a traditional publisher could take up to 90% of any sales you make. However, in return for that 90%, a traditional publisher might give you an advance and at the very least will provide you with all the tools needed to generate a professional product (editors, cover artists, illustrators, proof readers etc). Obviously you can have all this as a self-published author, but you will need to fund everything yourself. These days both routes require authors to market their own work.

What lessons do you feel you learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?

Mark: The publishing industry as a whole is in a state of transition and I’m not convinced the traditional publishers have really come up with a plan to combat the rise of the self-published author. It is bleak for new authors signing publishing contracts – advances are more and more scarce, marketing budgets for all but the most established names are non-existent. It is crazy that new authors (even when armed with a deal from Penguin) with no following and generally little marketing experience, are expected to almost get on with it themselves. This can include organizing and paying for their own adverts and book/blog tours. It is almost as though they are being set up to fail.

Unbound sit somewhere between self-pubbing and traditional publishing and at the moment I’m quite happy. I’m still aggrieved I have to fund and lead on the marketing of, The Atlantis Deception, but at the same time it has been fun engaging with blogs such as this and working out how to build a following on Twitter and Instagram. Facebook is next on my agenda!

Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?

Mark: It isn’t easy and if you don’t hit the ground running you will fail pretty quickly, but crowdfunding does fill you with an enormous sense of achievement if successful. Once successful you then receive all the benefits of having your book published by a traditional publisher but with a greater share of the royalties. If you have the money to fund yourself I think self-publishing in this climate is almost a no-brainer, but if you don’t have a spare 5-6k or have a burning desire to see your manuscript in your local Waterstones, then Unbound are a great option.

What’s the best advice you can give to aspiring authors?

Mark: Never give up and take any criticism on the chin. Not everyone will appreciate what you do and you will need the hide of a Rhino to survive in this industry!

BOOK BLURB:

A German property developer, Hans Hoffmann, revels in the belief he has discovered the key to unleashing the weapon responsible for sinking Atlantis. Hoffmann requests the help of Cambridge archaeologist, Dr John Hunter to validate his mysterious find. Hunter's acceptance leads the maverick

academic on a journey from the headquarters of a clandestine organisation in England, to a lost city in the heart of the Brazilian Rainforest, and climaxes inside a chamber hidden deep beneath Egyptian Heliopolis. Pioneering theory is spliced by epic battles, daring escapes, and elaborate schemes aimed at unravelling a secret history hidden from humanity for the past twelve thousand years.

Atlantis is a very visual word. A word evoking mystery, forgotten realms, underwater palaces… the list goes on. I find this Plato inspired concept of Atlantis fascinating and read anything and everything I can lay my hands on. The theories are diverse and range from the feasible to the outlandish, but certain concepts keep reoccurring. The Atlantis Deception takes the ideas of accepted and alternative theory, weaving them together to create a believable universe where our past still dictates our future.

The novel follows the trials and tribulations of a fictional Cambridge academic, Dr John Hunter. The focus is not on Atlantis itself, but rather on what happened to its people it the wake of the loss of their homeland. The Atlantis Deception is a classic action adventure tale with heroes, villains, shadowy organisations and self-serving plots, each underpinned by progressive archaeological theory. The novel is written with the aim of both exciting and making readers think in equal measure. Although imagined, many of the conclusions the characters reach are cutting edge and described in such a way so as to blur the line between fact and fiction.