By Lin
I’ve been involved with Writers of Whitstable for several years now. I’ve become a regular member of the novels group, working my way through several novels one chapter at a time, and have encouraged the shorts group through three short story collections so far. It’s been my pleasure to meet writers of all kinds, from experienced writers who have already been through the publishing process to those who have just started to try their hand at putting words together in some sort of structure.
I work as a freelance editor, proofreader and typesetter, so am experienced in the business side of writing and publishing. This has enabled me to support the Writers of Whitstable to publish three collections of short stories, most of which feature local settings. We’ll decide on a theme within the group, and then people will submit stories to the group for feedback. They’ll then work further on the stories and submit them to me.
I collate the stories, give them all a final check and polish, typeset the book, proofread it with the help of the writers, and then publish the books via Amazon. We also have a bulk order printed, which we can sell at fairs etc. The covers have all been designed by one of our writers, with consultation with group members. Members are also encouraged to supply illustrations for their story if they wish, with art being created by the writers themselves or by family or friends. Everyone is credited for their own work, and retains the copyright – they just grant us publishing rights for the collections.
The group members benefit from seeing how the publishing and business side of writing works, and what it’s like working with an editor, and they get to hold their published work and share it with friends and family. I benefit because I get to go through the publishing process so I can speak from experience when helping my clients to negotiate uploads and ISBNS etc.
I’m also busy with my own writing, and am determined that this year will be when I finally get one of my novels in a state ready to print. All made possible because of the support of Writers of Whitstable, of course!
Why not take a look at one of our short story collections? They’ll give you a good idea of the variety of writing we support, and help introduce you to the writers.