I received an odd application for the web development position we have been advertising recently. It started off fairly normally: ‘I have the following skills, experience…’ etc. Then, it continued: ‘My work with Diabetes has been little as I know a friend of mine who has this and I have an idea how painful it is to live with this.’

It’s not really the kind of thing you just throw into a job application. I checked the job posts I had put out… but no, I definitely hadn’t said that any knowledge of diabetes was required to work on our online book community. I thought a bit more. I do eat a lot of chocolate at work…perhaps Oli and Jon had noticed this and thought that it might be sensible to have a diabetes expert on hand, to try and encourage me to manage my sugar intake? I checked…apparently not.

Then the mystery was solved…and it’s that goddam Google listing a press release on the, Completely Novel Action of Insulin just below us in the search results. There was a big breakthrough recently which is all great stuff, but slightly confusing, it seems, for people trying to access CompletelyNovel.com. Previously, every result on the first page of Google search results linked to us. Not so now!

So, for your information…

A Ph.D. student at Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research has uncovered an important piece in the puzzle of how insulin works, a problem that has plagued researchers for more than 50 years. The research brings scientists one step closer to explaining exactly how insulin prompts fat and muscle cells to absorb glucose.

It is actually quite fascinating, though nothing to do with us at all. If you want to know more, just search for CompletelyNovel!

We need another web developer to help us out with the frontend of the website (for all my fellow non-tech people, this means what the users of the website see). Oli’s been learning all sorts of CSS and JavaScript tricks but as he is trying to get all of the other millions of things there are to do sorted, we’re looking for some extra help and expertise.
If anyone is or knows of any freelancers who might like to join the team for a couple of months, then send them in our direction! Oh, and apparently Ajax is nothing to do with Homer’s Iliad. Shame. Read on for more details…

One of the main questions that writers ask me about the CompletelyNovel is: “What makes you different to any other self-publishing service out there?” There is a large degree of suspicion regarding any mention of ‘self-publishing’. Having seen the extortionate prices and questionable services offered by some of the self-publishing companies out there, I can see why. So when we tell people that they can publish their work for free and keep 100% of the royalties, they think there must be a catch. But there isn’t. It’s just that CompletelyNovel has taken a new and different approach to the book publishing industry, based on an alternative business model. This means we don’t have to take money from the writers, the people who keep the whole industry going in the first place!

Hooray! All our beta users will be able to take a look at the CompletelyNovel Launch Anthology, which is now available to view and buy on CompletelyNovel.
Many thanks to our winners Ally Crockford, Alistair Daniel, Keira L. Dickinson, Michael Forester, Rhys Griffiths, Ania Leslie-Wujastyk, R. M. Morrison, Mark Spencer, Rob Stringer, Damien Warburton and Amanda Weeks for their fantastic contributions.

Here’s what the anthology is all about…

An anthology of brand new short stories to celebrate the launch of CompletelyNovel.com.

CompletelyNovel are proud to present twelve imaginative, humorous and innovative short stories written by talented new writers.

And now for something completely different…

This anthology contains the winning entries of CompletelyNovel’s launch competition, asking for stories inspired by the phrase ‘And now for something completely different.’ From recipes for retributive risotto and involuntary ventriloquism to pea psychology and the history of noncommitalism, the published entries are great examples of the wealth of innovative story-telling that is out there.

Edited my members of the Society of Young Publishers.

Despite being accustomed to a typical industry timescale of around two years to take a book from concept to printm these open-minded individuals rose to the challenge, putting it all together in just two months! Using the publishing methods available on CompletelyNovel, they declared it:
“A brilliantly simple process which has really challenged our traditional views on how publishing has to be done. In a publishing world that’s become more and more slick and technological by the day, we were quick to discover that CompletelyNovel’s finger was well and truly on the pulse of change.”

If you would like to read the anthology but you’re not yet signed up to CompletelyNovel.com then just pop over to our home page to sign up.

And here’s a bit more information about the winners…

As those of you who are our beta users will know, we have an area on the website where we have some news and articles relating to writing, reading and the book publishing industry.
I’ve just put an article up there about Polly Courtney, an author who has used self-publishing to launch her career, make a name for herself and get a publishing contract with a major publisher. I thought it would be nice to include it on the blog too, so read on if you are keen to get a bit of insider knowledge and hear about how self-publishing can be worth the effort!

Self-published Successes: Polly Courtney

As an investment banker turned writer, Polly Courtney is way ahead of all those current City workers pondering if their memoirs could supplement the lesser bonuses they will be receiving this year. In 2006 Polly wrote Golden Handcuffs, a novel based on her experience of the city. She then decided to take the plunge and self- publish both Golden Handcuffs and her second novel, Poles Apart. Now, with a three-book deal with HarperCollins under her belt Polly talks about her journey to the editor’s desk and why she thinks the publishing industry is in need of a service like CompletelyNovel.

I have blogged previously about a feature that we have added in to CompletelyNovel – the ability to compile lists of books based on any kind of topic, whether it be your favourite books you read when you were younger, books that have inspired you, or books you would like to re-read. The idea behind this is that it is a nice way to share your thoughts about books and help others find books that they might like.

So, on the subject of lists, as we approach the end of the year, you can bet your life there are going to be about 5 million ‘best of’ or ‘top10’ lists. However, you might find it a bit refreshing to read this list of 10 Books Not To Read Before You Die from Richard Wilson in the Times. I think there are some slightly controversial ones there but some might find it reassuring that there are a few things they could actually cross off their New Year Resolutions list rather than figuring out how it is possible to go regularly to a gym, learn the guitar, write a novel AND read Ulysses … all in January!

Yes, I think the way forward could be to make lists of things you are not going to do, or have already done rather than ‘to do’ lists. I say this as someone working in an internet start-up, wehere the ‘to do’ list grows miles longer by the day! My sister and I had a lovely moment of nostalgia in the car last night (on a 2 hour drive home from the Midlands to London) going through all of our favourite books when we were younger.
I’d forgotten about some great books like Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aitkin, The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier, the Redwall Series by Brian Jaques, I am David by Ann Holme…and loads more. We both read lots of the books multiple times and I’d love to know whether anyone else read them and if they still remember them too!

We’re very pleased to see lots more users coming on to CompletelyNovel.com and we’re getting lots more useful feedback! It’s been really exciting to see people building up their profiles and using the website. We still have lots of things that we want to add in but we do feel pleased that we have come up with a unique service that will be really useful for readers and writers.

If you are interested in trying out CompletelyNovel for yourself, then just go to our website and sign up to join the private trial – we will send you an invite code.

Now…for some sleep!

Well, I’m very pleased to be able to tell you that following some heavy development (and prolonged sleep deprivation) we are now ready to invite our next bunch of beta users onto the website. ..hooray!
I for one am very excited about this – not least because I’ve been slightly hounded by a number of friends and family, and writers who want to try out the website and find out what I’ve been banging on about for the last year!

I imagine Jon and Oli are even more excited about this though. They have been working really hard on the web development and especially on the interaction between us and other companies. As usual some of the easy-sounding bits of development have turned out to be the trickiest…who knew, for example, that PDFs were so complicated? And of course the most complicated-sounding parts have turned out to be …really complicated too (so unfair!). But there has only been a minimal amount of tearing hair out and swearing at the computer. If there was a Scout badge for ‘problem solving and bug-fixing’ then I would summon up the power of Akela (or whichever Jungle Book character is appropriate) and bestow it upon them both!

Whilst they have been doing that, besides throwing some suggestions their way, I have been busy driving the other elements of the business onwards and upwards. The Launch Anthology is almost ready and we have been building up a good stock of editorial content on the website. We’ve been contacting lots of people in the publishing industry to discuss the future of CompletelyNovel and how it can be used by the various different parties. It’s going really well so far and we have lots of ideas and plans for the next few months!

So…when is our public launch date? Well, we will wait a little while to see if there are any surprises following this batch of updates, but we will be releasing to the public very soon. We can’t wait to see what everyone thinks of it!

Well, after a weekend when we finally managed to get some sun and I went completely overboard and tried to fit in a month’s-wort of outdoor activity into two days. The result is that all my muscles ache and to be honest, sitting down in front of computer all day to get through emails, do some research, plan out my diary for the next few weeks and, of course, write a blog has been ideal!

So, time for an update!
It has been an been as exciting couple of weeks. I enjoyed my involvement with the Alrewas Arts Festival. Their Festival Anthology is being created on the CompletelyNovel website as we speak. There were some wonderful contributions made by guests and performers at the festival, and it will be a great opportunity for many of these people to see their work in print for the first time.

Oliver and Jon also made a trip down to a POD printer’s to have a good look at how their systems are interacting with ours and were really pleased with the result. Just a few more tests to put through and we should be ready to get the first CompletelyNovel books runnig directly from our site to the printers without any human interaction.

The Launch Competition
Members of the Society of Young Publishers and CompletelyNovel’s Amanda (remote working in Scotland) have been working very hard on the short story competition. After reading, re-reading and then discusssing all the entries, they have picked twelve short stories to appear in our Launch Anthology, ‘And now for something completely different’…hurray!
There were a considerable number of entries that were really impressive and trying to whittle them down to a group of stories that were both high quality, but would also work well together in the anthology generated quite a few heated debates! There was one story in particular that was described as being very ‘marmite’ i.e. love it or hate it, which polarised our editors somewhat.
Thank you so much to everyone who entered – it was a pleasure reading through your stories and seeing how much talent there is out there!

Once all the entrants to the competition have been contacted, we will be posting up the names of the winners, and will also be giving out further information on the launch of the website. To anyone who missed the deadline; don’t worry! There will be lots more competitions and opportunities to collaborate with others from the publishing industry ithrough CompletelyNovel.

Just had to make sure people knew about Roald Dahl day…it is tommorrow and to celebrate I will be reading my all time favourite RD book again…Danny the Champion of the World.
He was by far and away my favourite author when I was younger and was one tof the reasons I think I read so much when I was a kid.

For some interesting links and comments – check out the Guardian Book Blog

Well, commencing my second week of commuting has certainly taken its toll on my general health, wellbeing and levels of exhaustion.
For the first time, I’ve found myself sleeping in the mornings on the way in to London. Falling asleep in the evenings is sort of common place, as it is a regular sight on the five thirty train to see swathes of middle-aged office workers fast asleep like babies; their heads lolling with the motion of the train.

However, my new-found napping in the mornings is slightly odd. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s my body telling me that at 8.20am I should still be tucked up in bed as opposed to competing for elbow room with the suited and booted I find myself surrounded by.

Once I’ve actually arrived here, the tiredness wears off and the real work begins. I’ve still found that the work load has been steady, and that my previous concerns regarding boredom are unfounded. I’ve managed to happily sit behind the laptop here for 6 hours a day and manage to occupy myself with work.

I must be brief with this post as I am currently in the middle of Staffordshire in a village called Alrewas where there is an Arts Festival in full swing!
The weather has not managed to put a dampner on the enthusiasm here (although not for want of trying!) and there has been a variety of activities going on, from film-making, drama and painting to creative writing…which is where I come in.

I am producing an anthology for the festival – a book which will include creative pieces of writing from local residents and guests of the festival. There will be a mixture of spontaneous stories written under time pressure (Five Minute Masterpieces), pre-prepared submissions and memories and stories of the history of the village.
Recently, a film has been made about the history of the Trent and Mersey canal which runs through Alrewas, and I will be including some of the stories that were unearthed though the research of that film.
The anthology will be an example of the kind of things that you can do with completelynovel – where producing a book can be so easy and fun. And of course there is no up-front cost which is great for a community project where one has to keep a tight grip on spending.

So…off now to collect some poems from the village poet and then to grab some unsuspecting victims and get them to write a story in five minutes…there have been some fantastically random ones so far!

Typically, when you think of a student doing a work experience placement, your mind conjures up images of endless coffee making, stapling and hours spent doing the thankless task of filing. At other placements I have done in the past, some or all of the above have been applicable. I was therefore ever so slightly apprehensive about spending another two weeks of un-paid hard work in order to become a fully-fledged super-stapling maestro.
However, I needn’t have worried. As I come to finishing my first week at CompletelyNovel, I can safely say that I haven’t had a dull thing to do all week. Just some of the stuff I’ve been able to get stuck into includes writing articles for the website, compiling questions for the organiser of a book club and reading through submissions to CompletelyNovel’s short story competition. As you’ll probably agree, these are all really interesting tasks that you wouldn’t typically associate with someone doing work experience to be graced with.

After a month of everyone’s hard work, the CompletelyNovel short story competition drew to a close this week. We received over 60 short story submissions, and the standard proved to be very high indeed! These writers sent in their work from all corners of the globe, from Australia to India, Greece to America. Among the most popular subject matter chosen were relationships and personal strife. However, as always, there were those that broke from any sort of convention and chose to write about the mythical, the weird and the wonderful. Regardless of subject matter, the most frequent perspective written from was that of the first person. Also, unsurprisingly, the busiest period for submissions was the last four days of the competition, with around half of the total pieces being sent in during this time. However, now begins the tough task of finding the winners…

We’ve been talking about making some design changes to our website, here’s a preview of our new look!

This season I will be mostly wearing…
Blue. As you can see from this screenshot, the colours, logo and graphics on the site have changed. We’ve done a bit of re-organising and put a newsfeed into an enhanced sidebar so you can easily keep up to date with what the rest of the community are up to and we have also made the message board more accessible and user friendly. There are also quite a few changes to the mechanics behind the site which will be really useful for developing features for the future. Oli and Jon have been working very hard on sorting all of this out – well done guys!

Extra features

The Birth of the Badger
What you will also discover when you get onto the website (and we will be sending out more invite codes very soon!) is that we have also included more room for editorial content on the community and books pages.
The latest addition to our team is the CompletelyNovel Book Badger. This fine young creature is going to be alerting our users to the latest news in the book industry, recommending books and offering tips to writers. To help him out we have a keen and talented team of editors who will be contributing to the editorial material. We will also be looking for people to submit guest articles which will appear on the front pages of the website…more news on that soon.

Lists, lists, lists
I have to admit, I love lists. They mainly revolve around food i.e. my top five cereals to put in the microwave or best foods to eat with custard (which, incidentally, also includes cereal) but I recently discovered that books are another great thing to put into lists. If you have read High Fidelity by Nick Hornby, you’ll be familiar with the idea of making a top five of pretty much everything. This collective respect for lists has meant that we have added a lovely ‘lists’ feature into the CompletelyNovel website. You can make up book-related lists as a way of sharing your knowledge, taste and thoughts with everyone. You could make a list of
- books you started but never finished (but really should)
- top ten reads for a beach holiday
- top ten books to use as doorstops
- books that made you laugh out loud
…the list goes on!

So, if you are not on the website yet, you can start thinking of your lists…I can see myself spending way too much time on this already!

Thanks again to everyone who has given their support to us over the last few months.