There’s something I need to get off my chest. I’m not the first author to talk about this, and I certainly won’t be the last. And that is the value of books. Every so often I Google search my name. Not for vanity reasons but to find the websites that are illegally distributing my books. It’s deeply demoralising to discover websites that have somehow turned my books into pdfs and eBooks and are allowing anyone to download them free of charge. It’s theft. Piracy. Infringing my copyright.
Either my publishers or I fire off an email to some dodgy sounding email address in the hope that the links will be removed. The trouble is, there is no internet police. In America, digital infringements are governed by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), but even so, it costs the legal owner of the work to enforce any infringement. In the UK, it’s even harder. Especially as the owners of these websites are often invisible and there’s no way of knowing in which jurisdiction they’re located.
I’m as guilty as the next person for wanting to get a good deal. I’m always checking coupon and voucher code sites when making online purchases. Sometimes I get lucky; mostly I don’t. But I would never expect to get something for free. That just doesn’t make commercial sense.
Sometimes I wonder if the publishing industry and by default authors, are partly to blame. With the sale of eBooks at just 99p / 99c at launch, have we devalued our work to such a degree people think a book is worthless? My publishers set my launches at 99p / 99c rising to £1.99 / $1.99 for an eBook three months’ post release. All my books are in Kindle Unlimited, where I’m paid by page numbers read. For me, this price strategy works. We’ve sold close on 700,000 books, so it’s a volume game.
But it’s a bit ridiculous really. A book typically takes an author a year or so to write. At my peak, I can write four books a year, which is approximately 500 hours of work per book, plus all the many hours put in by my publishers to cover editing, cover design, formatting, marketing and the myriad of other processes that go into releasing a book. And I get paid absolutely nothing up front to write the book. As I’m indie published, I’m essentially doing all that work for free in the hope that we’ll earn enough money when the book is actually published. The same goes for self-published authors – but it’s even more costly for them as they have to pay for editing, cover design, marketing etc. themselves. If I was traditionally published, I would get an advance and then I’d have to earn it out before receiving royalties. That business model doesn’t work for me, and I’ll share why in a future post.
So back to those websites that list books for free – illegally. Not only are authors and publishers being cheated out of the paltry sum that they earn per book, but it also means publishers are in breach of their agreements with Amazon. If a book is in Kindle Unlimited / KDP Select, the eBook copy cannot be listed or sold anywhere else. That’s the deal. Yet unwittingly, that deal is being broken.
So what can we do about it? I know money is super tight for everyone, but please, please don’t download books free of charge from unofficial websites. Authors earn a pittance per book anyway. A largescale survey of 60,000 authors in the UK, carried out in 2022, found that the average annual sum earned by authors is £7,000 per annum, and that only 19% of authors earn all their income from their writing. Bearing in mind the average annual wage in the UK is £34,963, that’s a deeply shocking figure.
If you love books and you love reading, then you, I, and everyone who reads, need to support authors. I’m not of the mind that art doesn’t pay. For sure, I write popcorn thrillers and I’ll never win any literary prizes, so I wouldn’t define my books as art, but they will give you a good time, a few hours of thrilling escapism. And for that, and my expertise in creating that experience for you, I should be paid. Even if it’s only a few pennies. To be very blunt (and us Brits don’t like talking about money!), if I’m not going to get paid, I won’t be able to afford to carry on writing. And then I’ll just write for my own enjoyment, and I’ll likely produce books that no one will want to read. I’m thinking a mashup of romantic speculative fiction, with thriller subplots and canine superheroes. Oh, and let’s throw in a time-travelling, ski-loving, piano-playing dragon too, with a mountain goat yarn-obsessed partner. Mmm… Now you know why I need to stick to the day job!
Every Breath You Take has been out in the world for a month and as I write this, it has nearly 800 ratings on Amazon, with 53% of people giving it 5 stars! It’s had some awesome reviews. If you haven’t read it yet, please check it out! Might just be my best psychological thriller yet… 😉 Only 99p / 99c on Amazon. (Too cheap??!!)
As you might have gathered, I’m a reader too. These are the books I read earlier in the summer along with my mini reviews.
📚 Into the Storm by Cecilia Ahern
This is a claustrophobic, multi-layered novel about Dr Enya Pickering, who when driving through a storm, comes across and administers CPR to a teenage boy who has been the victim of a hit and run. Enya is a complicated character with a terror of dying at 47, the same age that her mother passed away. The Irish symbolism and the way the author interwove it with Enya’s mental health issues was fascinating.
This was an introspective story with a satisfying ending, following the mid-life journey of a character I found interesting, even if I didn’t particularly warm to her. This is certainly more character-led than a typical psychological thriller, although the tension and twists ramp up in the final chapters of the book.
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📚 The Couple On The Train by Claire Cooper
The Couple On The Train is a fast-paced thriller that opens with a bang when Laura sees a woman on a train who looks as if she’s being coerced by her partner, and then proceeds to leave a handwritten message saying, ‘Help me’. The story alternates between Laura in her teens and the current day. The novel kept my attention throughout, although I did find Laura a frustrating narrator, particularly as an adult, and considerable suspension of belief is required, particularly towards the end. Why was Laura so obsessed with this stranger? Nevertheless, this was an enjoyable, quick and entertaining thriller and I look forward to reading more by the author.
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📚 The Hotel Maid by Michelle Dunne
This is an interesting thriller that left me with a sense of unease throughout the reading experience. The dual narratives wove together well and although I wasn’t surprised by the big reveal, I nevertheless enjoyed the story. It wasn’t the fastest read for me, probably because I didn’t feel that engaged with the (generally) unlikeable characters, and personally would have found the book stronger if it had been written in the first person. It’s worth noting that The Hotel Maid is a darker story than the blurb suggests, particularly regarding the sections about self-harm and suicide.
The premise isn’t new (but then what is today?) so the book may appeal more to newer readers of the thriller genre. Overall, I enjoyed it, and that tense, unsettling feeling has remained with me.
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📚 My Daughter’s Revenge by Natali Simmonds
My Daughter’s Revenge tells the story of Jules, a married mother in her forties, and her teenage daughter, Leah. Although I really enjoyed the plot, I didn’t warm to either of the main characters, particularly Jules, whom I found immensely frustrating with her poor-me, negative outlook. As an avid reader of psychological thrillers, I wasn’t surprised by the twists (although I expect many readers will be) but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the various curveballs throughout the second half. The story really picked up pace in the last quarter and I raced through to the end. Overall, I found the writing to be excellent and the storyline engaging.
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📚 The Clique by Rhiannon Barnsley
This is an entertaining read about the stressful life of a corporate lawyer. When Sara, Cass’s friend and colleague appears to jump to her death, Sara is compelled to investigate. The plot then centres around a secret society for female high-flyers, although the novel also focuses on misogyny in the work-place.
I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns of this easy-to-read thriller. The book required a little suspension of belief, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment and I raced through the novel.
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📚 The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable (not a psychological thriller but I loved this book!)
An exquisitely written book about the fictionalised life of Anna Maria della Pietà, the student and muse of Antonio Vivaldi. Anna Maria, who was brought up in an orphanage in Venice in 1704, grew up to become a maestro of violin and this story shows the difficulties she faced in a male-dominated society. I have considerable knowledge of the contemporary world of classical music education, and assuming at least some of what the author portrays is historically accurate, it is indeed depressing to see how little has changed over the centuries.
This is an engrossing story with beautiful descriptions and characterisations that pull in the reader, even when the characters are deeply flawed. Historical fiction isn’t a genre I normally read, but The Instrumentalist is a fabulous book and I look forward to reading more by Harriet Constable.
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🎧 Truth, Truth Lie by Claire McGowan (audiobook)
This took me a little while to get into because there were so many characters and so many points of view, but once I was clear as to who was who, this was a gripping, fun story about a group of friends marooned on a remote Scottish island. Very Agatha Christie like (although with more gore and unpleasant characters) it was a fun journey, frustrating at times and perhaps a little unlikely (would someone who couldn’t swim really get on a paddle board on the chopping Scottish sea?) but nevertheless suspenseful and atmospheric.
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🎧Prima Facie by Suzie Miller (audiobook)
Wow – this was a completely brilliant audiobook narrated by the extraordinary talent, Jodie Comer. The book is about Tessa Ensler, an outstanding young barrister, who against all odds gained a first class education and went onto become one of the most successful barristers of her generation. But then, when faced with a horrifying incident herself, she has to question the legal system which she had so strongly defended. This was one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to and whilst it may be a little less interesting for non-Brits, I can’t recommend it more highly.
Finally - this post is going to all my subscribers. However if you’re an aspiring author and would like to know the secrets of writing multiple bestselling books, then please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Lots of exclusive tips and tricks…
If you’re in the UK - have a great Bank Holiday Weekend. And wherever you are, enjoy the last few days of August.
Miranda x