An article: From Novice Writer to Full-Time Author by Tony Riches

 

From Novice Writer to Full-Time Author
 By Tony Riches

Like many writers, I began with articles for magazines. There were mostly business and professional but I couldn’t afford to give up my day job. Eventually I became a regular book reviewer for Computer Weekly and was inspired to write a book myself. 

I enjoyed reading historical fiction, and playing chess, so decided to begin with Queen Sacrifice, where every move in a famous game of chess provides the narrative. I’d realised the game would work as a medieval drama set in 10th century Wales, with kings and queens, bishops, knights and castles – and sixteen ‘pawns’ each with their own back story. It sold well enough for a first novel – but most importantly I learnt a huge amount about the novel writing process.

After two more novels I felt ready to tackle a long standing ambition. I was born in Pembroke, close to the medieval castle where Henry Tudor was born, but could not find any books which brought his story to life. I was inspired to write the Tudor Trilogy, where Henry is born in the first book, comes of age in the second, and becomes king in the third.

There are real benefits of tackling any story as a trilogy, and now I’m convinced it’s something any novelist should consider. The scope of a trilogy offers writers a liberating sense of space and freedom, as ideas hinted at in the first book can be developed and explored over the rest. This means the writer has space to explore the complexity of relationships that evolve over time, as well as the shifting social, political and economic context over years – or even generations, offering readers a more ‘immersive’ experience.

There are also practical and commercial considerations. If you follow the fashion for longer books, you have one opportunity to sell it and the promotion can only begin once it’s available for pre-order. I was able to promote book one of my Tudor trilogy while writing book two (and I’m pleased to say it became a best-seller in the UK, US and Australia).  Readers began contacting me to ask when the next book in the trilogy would be available and I soon built an international reader base for the trilogy.

Similarly, although each book works as a ‘stand-alone’, I’ve seen evidence in my sales that people reading tone of them tend to buy the others. Amazon (and other retailers) are happy to promote and market a trilogy (or any series) as a discounted single purchase, which is good value for readers and means your books are more likely to be ‘discovered’.

Tony Riches

Tony Riches is a full-time UK author of best-selling Tudor historical fiction. He lives in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the history of the Wars of the Roses and the lives of the Tudors. For more information about Tony’s books please visit his website and his blog, The Writing Desk and find him on Facebook, Twitter and Bluesky  You can find out more about his research on his popular podcast series, ‘Stories of the Tudors’