Selling Our Anthology

It is hard selling books-harder to sell the books than write them-but the role of the author is also to sell. Our anthology Of Cake And Words was aimed for the Christmas market. It is the perfect stocking filler or Christmas present.


Yesterday it snowed. Today it is the Christmas Fayre. We've paid for our stall and so armed with cakes and books we slither through the snow and ice. We offer a piece of cake and some people buy our anthology. A whole day, but we sell twelve. One of the buyers works for the Book Council. Would we like our book listed on their site? A brilliant moment!

So a cold hard day, but worth the effort.

Copies Of Cake And Words are available through The Cwrtnewydd Scribblers website.

Of Cake and Words

Our writing group anthology has just been published and it's an excellent read. Only £3.50, with 50p from each copy going to the Air Ambulance. I sold some the other day and was asked to sign them-I felt like a celebrity. Perhaps we haven't produced enough with them selling well and sure to become collectible. We have booked a stall at the Christmas Fayre and hope to sell plenty.

Seeking

I am searching for grants to help defray the publishing costs of a writing group anthology. I know there are funds out there....... somewhere.

Our editor applied to the Arts for all Lottery fund. His Arts Council advisor was sure we'd be successful. We had a constitution, accounts, project all ready, but we didn't get a grant.

It is very disappointing when that happens, so I've taken up the baton and am seeking, searching, delving for some small grants to make a dream a reality.

An Anthology is a perfect achievement for a writing group. It is inclusive and showcases the group. It is wonderful for morale, a good opportunity for a launch party, and the publicity re-energises the group,and often new people join.

As I phone and email and find that a lot of community funding no longer exists I am down-hearted. Local projects are important for communities. The village shops and post offices have been closed, many of the smaller schools also, and the pubs can't make a living. A community needs its meeting places.Ours is a 1950s hall, their committee are busy fund raising to upgrade. There is a graph of progress on the wall. We met in it when it was cold and we had to wear our coats and scarves. Now they have put in double-glazed windows and new heating. We can write without our coats and scarves. Like them ,our fund raising is piece-meal:raffles, book sales, car boot sales. A small grant would boost our fundraising, and make seeing work in print a closer reality.

We will get there, but somewhere there is a grant for a small rural based writing group. I have to seek it out so we can apply.