{"id":1854,"date":"2018-11-29T11:47:51","date_gmt":"2018-11-29T00:47:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/?p=1854"},"modified":"2018-11-29T11:47:51","modified_gmt":"2018-11-29T00:47:51","slug":"dianne-blacklock-on-jack-and-kate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/articles\/2018\/11\/29\/1854\/dianne-blacklock-on-jack-and-kate\/","title":{"rendered":"Dianne Blacklock on \u2018Jack and Kate\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

This month, author Dianne Blacklock spoke with Independent Publishing<\/em> about self-publishing her latest book, after having nine novels traditionally published.<\/p>\n

Describe your latest book in under 50 words.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jack and Kate<\/em><\/a> is a story of first love and second chances, set against the backdrop of Sydney in the 1980s, the fashion houses of Paris, strife-torn Ethiopia, and all the way back to a house overlooking the beach on the picturesque south coast.<\/p>\n

Why self-publish? <\/strong><\/p>\n

I had nine novels published traditionally, and while I\u2019m grateful for that experience, I wasn\u2019t enjoying the relentless cycle of producing a new title every year, preferably even more! I have friends and family in the industry\u2014therefore plenty of \u2018insider\u2019 insight\u2014and it was definitely much less of a risk for me as I already had a readership. So, it felt like the right time to take the reins myself.<\/p>\n

What year did you start and where are you based?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was first traditionally published back in 2002, but after having my rights reverted, I self-published my entire backlist in January 2018.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m based in Sydney.<\/p>\n

How many people did you contract on your book and what did you do yourself?<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, I am in the lucky position to have sons in publishing! This was a major factor in my decision to self-publish, because I had seen first-hand how it could be done professionally. My eldest son, Joel, runs Critical Mass Consulting, a one-stop shop that provides editing services, designers and typesetters, distribution and marketing\u2014so while I had access to all these services, I only had to deal with Joel. Another son, Patrick, is a graphic designer with Red Tally Studios, and he did all my amazing covers.<\/p>\n

What makes your book unique?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 1980s setting is something that seems to have really resonated with readers. Apart from that, I hope it\u2019s unique because I wrote it! Like any author, I bring my own unique voice to the story, which has helped me develop a loyal audience.<\/p>\n

What has been your biggest success? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Having the rights to all nine novels reverted\u2014that effectively gave me my own \u2018small business\u2019, and a solid base from which to launch Jack and Kate<\/em> a few months later.<\/p>\n

What has been your biggest challenge?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Without question\u2014self-promotion. Having started my author career with an assigned publicist and a whole marketing department at my disposal (or my publisher\u2019s disposal at least), I still find it very unnatural to promote myself, yet I understand how vitally important it is for a self-published author.<\/p>\n

What would be your top tip for those starting out in self-publishing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get professional help, and be prepared to pay for it. \u2018Self-published\u2019 does not necessarily mean \u2018DIY\u2019.<\/p>\n

What will you publish next?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have a pretty solid idea for a story set in the Hunter Valley, exploring intergenerational relationships, but I\u2019m so busy as an editor, and I love that so much, that it\u2019s difficult to make the time to write. However, the good thing with self-publishing is that I can work to my own schedule, and when I do write another book, I\u2019ll be able to release it as soon as it\u2019s ready to go.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This month, author Dianne Blacklock spoke with Independent Publishing about self-publishing her latest book, after having nine novels traditionally published. Describe your latest book in under 50 words. Jack and Kate is a story of first love and second chances, set against the backdrop of Sydney in the 1980s, the fashion houses of Paris, strife-torn<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1855,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,20],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1854","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-profile","8":"category-newsletter"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1854"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1854\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksandpublishing.com.au\/independentpublishing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}