Behind the Lines at McBooks Press
Posted on October 27, 2015 7 Comments
As a former print journalist and magazine editor Kathy was delighted to take on the assignment of interviewing McBooks Press. She recently spoke with Publisher Alex Skutt and Art Director Panda Musgrove. But first a bit of bio on Alex and Panda.
Alex Skutt and Panda Musgrove
Now over to Kathy
I first asked Alex about McBooks’ publishing philosophy. Like many readers of naval fiction, Alex got hooked on Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin series. Next he read Alexander Kent’s Bolitho novels. But, it was probably Captain Frederick Marryat’s books that turned him into a publisher of historical nautical fiction. Despite having a little difficulty with some of Marryat’s archaic language, he realized that he had found a British sea-going Mark Twain.
Between Captain Marryat, Alexander Kent, and shortly thereafter Dudley Pope, Alex had discovered three outstanding sea novelists whose books were not in print in the United States. Though McBooks Press already existed—mostly publishing books about Upstate New York and healthy living—nautical fiction began to fill the catalogues.
The books sold well and McBooks Press began acquiring rights to other historical fiction writers – mostly British authors whose works were not available in the United States.
Says Alex (as I smile smugly):
- ‘Of course one of our best finds was Julian Stockwin – whose Kydd series is perhaps the finest historical fiction currently being written!’
I then suggested we talk about how McBooks’ publishing schedule differs from the UK publisher of the Kydd series.
Alex explained the process:
- ‘Since our goal is always to release the Kydd books on the same date in the US as in the UK, this can be a challenge. Our partners, Hodder in the UK and Independent Publishers Group in the US each have their own schedule and those schedules aren’t coordinated. Practically this means that we don’t know ahead of time what our portion of the production schedule will look like – or even which tasks we may need to do in order to get a book out. For example, we always attempt to use the handsome British cover art, but it is almost always difficult to secure it by the time our distributor needs it for early marketing materials and they don’t like us to send them a temporary cover that is just for that purpose. So, for several weeks each spring we annoy the heck out of Hodder asking repeatedly for art that they don’t yet have while simultaneously begging our distributor to p-l-e-a-s-e give us another week to procure it. During this time when we are unsure whether we will get cover art the wait can become a little stressful on this end. But, truth be told, Panda always loves getting the opportunity to make a Kydd cover—even if it means she has to do it at the last minute!’
- ‘The text files are another matter. Although these days we tend to make our ARC (the uncorrected book that goes to reviewers) from Hodder’s layout, we have in the past typeset a book twice—once for our ARC and then again after we receive a final file. If Hodder’s text files are not available by the date that we need them we have also sometimes needed to proofread the manuscript in Word before we typeset it. If we are lucky enough to get the final, final manuscript from Hodder by the time we need it then Panda Americanizes the punctuation while simultaneously typesetting the book. Once the book is in pages we always send a printed copy of the layout to one of our proofreaders.’
Asked why he feels the sea tale is still relevant and appealing to McBooks readers Alex responded:
- ‘The adventures of a frigate captain who leads several hundred men halfway around the world on a heroic mission where he must single-handedly decide how to deal with the innumerable surprises that he is sure to encounter is thrilling! The sea story will be relevant so long as we are interested in the problems of command, the mysteries of interpersonal relations, the beauty and power of the natural world, and the desire for excitement and adventure.’
Then I put him on the spot and asked him to pick a favourite Kydd title:
- ‘I think Julian’s writing has become even more remarkable and vivid as the series progresses. Each new book becomes my favorite. It has been great fun to see Kydd and Renzi grow, to watch them learn about life, take on new roles and to watch their friendship mature. Reading the more recent books, it’s important to remember that Kydd was originally just a pressed landsman. The later Kydd, who has developed into such a masterful naval leader had modest beginnings. But, from the start you also could see that he possessed strong character.’
Asked whether he would like to add anything to the interview Alex said:
- ‘One of the rewards of working at McBooks Press has been the good fortune we have had by becoming friends with George Jepson – the voice behind Quarterdeck, our free bi-monthly e-newsletter. George is a huge fan of historical nautical and military fiction, a great writer, and a friend to many of the authors and key figures in that genre so it is no surprise that Quarterdeck has been a great way to keep our customers aware of current events.’
Reader praise
Many American readers have emailed very kind comments about Tyger. Here’s just three:
- ‘All the elements of action, surprise, disappointment, horror and elation were woven by you into a sea story for the ages. It is one of the best Kydd books to date!’
- ‘I was impressed from the beginning, and all through, by the variety and frequent change of scene and action in the smoothly continuous plot. But what really took me by surprise was how strongly my emotions were swept away by complete empathy with those of Kydd and his Tygers through those last 54 pages!’
- ‘I don’t know how you do it but Tyger is better than your last book. The character descriptions are strong … The action scenes are real heart pounders. The political shenanigans read so true and gossipy. It could have been a dull recitation but you made it very lively.’
And this is what The Toledo Blade newspaper had to say about Tyger
McBooks Press has kindly donated two copies of Tyger for a draw (open to US residents). Just email julian@julianstockwin.com with your postal address and ‘Tyger draw’ in the subject line. Two winners will come out of the hat on Nov 2
The Nelson Quiz – How Did You Go?
Posted on October 23, 2015 1 Comment
Here’s the answers to the Nelson quiz in my last blog:
1. Where is purportedly the largest collection of Nelson memorabilia in the western hemisphere?
Frances Nisbet
- The Horatio Nelson Museum, Nevis. Nelson had a number of associations with the Caribbean, especially in his early naval career, and married a young Nevis widow, Frances Nisbet, there in 1787.
2. How many siblings did Nelson have?
- Nelson’s parents had eleven children, of whom three girls and five boys survived. Nelson was the third boy.
3. In what year was Nelson’s Column erected in Trafalgar Square?
- 1843. Almost forty years after Nelson’s death!
4. Which French admiral attended Nelson’s funeral?
- Villeneuve. After the Battle of Trafalgar he was taken on board Euryalus. In England he was placed in open confinement in Bishop’s Waltham in Hampshire, but was given leave to attend Nelson’s funeral. Later that year he was returned to France following a formal exchange of prisoners, but only a few days after his arrival he was found dead in his hotel room in Rennes, stabbed through the heart. The official story was that he committed suicide, but rumour has it that he was murdered on Napoleon’s orders.
5. What was the origin of Nelson’s term ‘Band of Brothers’?
- The famous Agincourt speech in Shakespeare’s King Henry V. Nelson used this phrase to describe the close relationship that existed between himself and his captains at the Battle of the Nile. By extension it has come to encompass all those officers who were particularly close to Nelson.
6. At which recorded public event was the toast ‘The Immortal Memory’ first used?
- Each year Nelson is remembered with a special toast, ‘The Immortal Memory’, at naval Trafalgar Night dinners. Although the word immortal was often applied to Nelson even when he was alive, the first recorded public event at which it occurred was at a dinner held on Trafalgar Day in 1811, at the Green Man public house near Greenwich. The toast was slightly longer than today: ‘The immortal memory of Nelson and those who fell with him.’
7. What wound did Nelson receive on 12 July, 1794?
- While directing his ship’s guns set up in a shore battery during the siege of Calvi a French shot struck the battery rampart in front of him and he was struck in the face with a shower of gravel. Nelson subsequently lost the sight in his right eye; the eye itself remained intact and he never wore an eyepatch.
8. What was unusual about Nelson’s coat of arms?
Contemporary drawing of Nelson’s coat of arms at Trafalgar
- Nelson’s family already had a coat of arms but Nelson’s knighthood entitled him to supporters on either side of the shield. Nelson insisted on having Jack Tar as a supporter – this was a heraldic innovation and set a precedent, which has been followed by a number of naval knights and peers since.
9. In which English county was Nelson born?
- Norfolk. He was born at Burnham Thorpe, close to the coastal town of Great Yarmouth on 29 September, 1758. His father was rector of the parish and the Nelson family lived in the parsonage, now no longer standing.
10. From which English county were the greatest number of sailors in Nelson’s Trafalgar fleet?
- Devon, where I now live. Nelson’s men at Trafalgar included over 1,100 men born in Devon.
11. How tall was Nelson?
- The popular image of Nelson is that he was quite a small man. However, modern research has established that he was about five feet, six inches (around the average male height in the eighteenth century).
12. What was Nelson’s nickname as a child?
- Horace.
13. How many men and officers served in Victory at Trafalgar?
- Her full complement was 850, however at Trafalgar it was only 820.
14. Name Nelson’s first command.
- In 1784, Nelson was given command of the 28-gun Boreas and assigned to enforce the Navigation Act in the vicinity of Antigua in the Caribbean. Shortly after his marriage to Frances Nisbet he returned home to England in Boreas.
15. Who was Josiah Nisbet?
- Nelson’s step-son. In 1793 Nelson took Josiah to sea with him in HMS Agamemnon but their relationship deteriorated with Nelson’s infatuation with Emma Hamilton. Despite this, Nelson used his influence to have Josiah made a post captain at the early age of twenty. He was not fit for this responsibility, however, and left the sea shortly thereafter. He became a successful businessman and after the war ended moved to Paris. Nisbet died in 1830 and was buried in the churchyard at Littleham in Devon, where, just eleven months later, his mother was laid beside him.
16. How was Nelson’s body preserved after his mortal wounding at Trafalgar?
- Brandy and spirits of wine – not rum! Nelson’s body was placed in a large cask that was filled with brandy and lashed to Victory’s mainmast, guarded by a sentry night and day. The popular nickname for rum, ‘Nelson’s blood’, originates from the sailors’ tall tale that Nelson’s body was preserved in rum, and then after the body had been removed, the alcohol was issued to all of Victory‘s Jack Tars!
17. How did the inn called ‘The Wrestler’s Arms’ find a place in Nelson lore?
- When the landlady asked Nelson if she might change the inn’s name to ‘The Nelson’s Arms’ he delightedly told her that the name would be absurd, as he only had one.
18. Which of Nelson’s captains was the only one killed at the Battle of the Nile?
- Captain George Westcott, a Devon man, the son of a baker. After Westcott’s death Nelson made a special visit to his widow and presented her with his own Nile medal.
19. Who is Anna Tribe?
- Nelson’s closest living relative. She is Nelson’s (and Emma Hamilton’s) great-great-great granddaughter. Mrs Tribe is also Life Vice President of the Nelson Society.
20. During his lifetime Nelson was a prolific letter writer. Approximately how many do we know of that have survived?
- Well over 5000! Nelson’s letters were often characterised by an eager and somewhat unpolished style, almost as if speaking – like the diaries of Samuel Pepys, with which they have sometimes been compared.
How did you go? If you managed twelve or more correct answers award yourself a tot of rum!
And there’s still time to enter the latest contest.
For a chance to win a copy of Colin White’s
Nelson, the New Letters plus Victory email me with the name of the first vessel in which Nelson served. Deadline: October 30. Please include your full postal address.
Copyright notices
Villeneuve image: [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Nelson’s coat of arms image: By JMvanDijk (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons
Every effort is made to honour copyright but if we have inadvertently published an image with missing or incorrect attribution, on being informed of this, we undertake to delete the image or add a correct credit notice
BookPick: Nelson’s Band of Brothers
Posted on October 13, 2015 4 Comments
On October 21, on the anniversary of the death of Horatio Nelson, and his victory at Trafalgar, I and many others will be toasting The Immortal Memory. There are legions of books on Nelson and his life and times – and I did wonder what more could be written about this subject. But Nelson’s Band of Brothers is a valuable contribution to Nelsonian scholarship as it contains new information – and overturns a few myths. The book extends the work undertaken by the late Colin White for The Trafalgar Captains, published in 2005. The biographies of some eighty officers that make up this new volume range from lieutenants in command of gunboats at the battle of Copenhagen through captains of line-of-battle-ships at the Nile and at Trafalgar, to admirals in command of squadrons in his fleets.
Nelson possessed a genius for naval warfare and deservedly remains a towering figure of his age. But he did not win his victories alone. He gathered round him a succession of officers to put his bidding into action. They were the captains of his ships and he called them his Band of Brothers.
Some characters are generally well known – Hardy, Collingwood and Troubridge etc. – but many are not household names. For the first time all Nelson’s captains are chronicled in one book, their social origins, their characters and their achievements not only under Nelson’s command but also in their lives and service beyond.
Nelson’s Band of Brothers, ably edited by Peter Hore, is organised into three main sections: The Battle of the Nile, Copenhagen and the Baltic, and The Campaign at Trafalgar. As well there are several additional sections and an extensive bibliography.
The Royal Navy in Nelson’s time was varied and international in composition, as is attested by the chapter ‘North Americans in Nelson’s Navy.’ It points out that at the height of the wars with France roughly two percent of the British fleet’s personnel consisted of North Americans.
One of the features of the book that I found particularly interesting is the photographs of all the monuments and memorials to Nelson’s captains with descriptions and transcriptions of epitaphs, and directions to enable people to find them. A useful map of the memorials around the UK at the beginning of the book provides an overview of their locations.
Nelson’s Band of Brothers is a handsome tribute to both Nelson himself and all the officers, eclectic and diverse as they were, who commanded ships or squadrons of the fleets which fought under his tactical control at his three great sea battles.
Peter Hore Nelson’s Band of Brothers
Published by Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978 1 84632 779 5
To the Kydd Gang!
Posted on October 6, 2015 8 Comments
With the publication this week of Tyger, the 16th Kydd title, Kathy and I will raise a glass (or two…) to all the publishing professionals it’s been our pleasure to work with over the past decade and a half. As my eponymous hero would say, ‘Let’s drink their health in a bumper!’
The Belgian novelist Georges Simenon once complained: ‘writing is not a profession but a vocation of unhappiness’. I certainly haven’t found that to be the case! It’s been one of the most fulfilling times of my life. I’ve met some great people – real and imaginary along the way…
Way back when
But let’s wind the clock back to the late nineties when I’d just completed work on a pretty stressful NATO project. I sank into my armchair and Kathy shoved a tumbler of whisky into my hand. ‘Sweetheart,’ she said, ‘Get a life!’ It was she who started me off as an author – without a single published work to my name, she felt that somehow inside I was a writer (something I didn’t know at the time) and it was she who persuaded me to give away the systems analysis and take a part-time job at the local college. The rest of the time I devoted to learning the nuts and bolts of the craft – and finding a voice.
For me there could be only one subject – the sea. There’s something primaeval, powerful, constantly fascinating about the sea. As far back as I can remember I’ve been mesmerised. Going to a decent grammar school was unfortunately wasted on me: I dreamed all the time, and off to school on the school bus had me staring at these sleek low grey shapes, slipping over the horizon and carrying my imagination with them.
On a wing and a prayer…
Carole Blake, my literary agent
Now Carole and the two of us are friends, as well as having an excellent working relationship. With 52 years in the business Carole is a force to be reckoned with – tardy publishers and errant authors beware!
Nelson’s blood in the board room
I remember the ‘beauty parades’ that Carole organised when an auction for the series started. (That is where the author meets a number of publishers who are keen to buy his book/s.) One thing that impressed us about Hodder & Stoughton was what we saw on the centre of the table when we entered the board room – a bottle of rum! Kathy and I looked at each other and smiled. A pretty good start for what has become a happy long-term relationship.
Oliver & Hazel & Larry
Oliver Johnson, my editor at Hodder & Stoughton
A few books back the decision was taken by Hodder to move to cgi (computer generated image) covers and I’m delighted with the work of Larry Rostant in bringing a fresh and vital feel to the books.
I’ve been extremely lucky in both my agent and in my publishers. There are many people who’ve contributed to the launch of Tyger; space precludes my thanking them all here – but I know I will feel both proud and humbled when I see Tyger in the bookstores this week as I couldn’t have done it without them.
Here’s to the Kydd Gang!
Copyright notices
Carole Blake photograph: Jack Ladenburg
Every effort is made to honour copyright but if we have inadvertently published an image with missing or incorrect attribution, on being informed of this, we undertake to delete the image or add a correct credit notice
Out and About with TYGER!
Posted on September 30, 2015 3 Comments
Hey! Tyger is officially launched in the UK on Thursday October 8 at Chatham Library. I’ll be also signing copies of the book at a number of other venues around the UK.
October 10
Waterstones Drake Circus 1-3 pm 1 Charles Street, Plymouth, PL1 1EA. 01752 669898
October 17
Torbay Bookshop 11:30 am. 7 Torquay Rd, Paignton TQ3 3DU. 01803 522011
If you can’t make it on the day to Waterstones Drake Circus or Torbay Bookshop you can reserve a signed copy by calling the store.
I have a limited number of signed TYGER postcards available on request. Just email julian@julianstockwin.com with TYGER postcard in the subject line. Please include your full postal address. First come, first served!
BookPick: Early Ships and Seafaring, Water Transport Beyond Europe
Posted on September 29, 2015 2 Comments
Although my primary interest is in the Age of Fighting Sail I’m always drawn to books dealing with the engrossing story of man’s exploration and exploitation of waterways and then the sea. In this book, Seán McGrail’s study of European Water Transport (published in 2014) moves out to cover Egypt, Arabia, India, Southeast Asia, China, Australia, Oceania and the Americas. Each chapter presents a convincing picture of ancient boat building and seafaring in that region. The early rafts and boats of those regions were, as in Europe, hand-built from natural materials and were propelled and steered by human muscle or wind power and this volume ranges in time from the prehistoric to today when a number of such traditional craft continue to be built. As a qualified shipwright myself I particularly relate to the extensive and well chosen selection of diagrams and photographs of construction of such craft included in this book.
McGrail served in the Royal Navy before embarking on a career in maritime archaeology. He was Chief Archaeologist at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich and is currently Visiting Professor of Maritime Archaeology at the University of Southampton.
The study of water transport – how early rafts, boats and ships were built and used – is a fairly new and fascinating area of study in archaeology.
In Egypt, not only have accounts, models and illustrations of ancient rafts and boats survived but also a number of the early vessels themselves have been excavated, some dates as early as the 3rd Millennium BC. In regions such as the Americas, on the other hand, few ancient craft have been excavated but we are able to draw on accounts and illustrations compiled from the 16th century onwards by European seamen and explorers.
In most regions of the world a variety of water transport has been built, limited only by the raw materials available. On the island of Tasmania, however, an early rise in sea levels cut contacts with Australia, leaving Tasmanians with simple types of Stone Age water transport that fascinatingly survived in use until Europeans ‘discovered’ them.
McGrail admits that worldwide, much remains to be learnt about early water transport by excavation and by ethnographic studies of those traditional rafts and boats that have survived. I look forward to more discoveries in this compelling field.
Seán McGrail Early Ships and Seafaring Water Transport Beyond Europe
Published by Pen & Sword. ISBN 1473 8255 98
[ my earlier review of Water Transport within Europe ]
TYGER: “A very rich and satisfying reader experience”
Posted on September 22, 2015 6 Comments
A number of early review copies of Tyger, the next book in the Kydd series, were made available by my publishers (Hodder & Stoughton in the UK; McBooks Press in the US). I’ve been chuffed with the feedback from these reviewers, many saying it’s the best book yet! And I’m honoured that the September-October issue of Quarterdeck devotes a whole nine pages to my work and features specially commissioned photographs, taken in my study in my home in Devon. Click on the picture to download this free online maritime/historical fiction journal.
Here’s excerpts from just three advance readers’ comments:
‘All the elements of action, surprise, disappointment, horror and elation were woven by you into a sea story for the ages. It is one of the best Kydd books to date. The fact that you are a real sailorman, like myself, makes what you say and do in your books really authentic. All in all a big thank you and a bigger Bravo Zulu to Sir Thomas and you.’ – Harry Scholer
‘I don’t know how you do it but Tyger is better than your last book. The character descriptions are strong enough I didn’t have to flip back and forth to the Dramatis Personae. The action scenes are real heart pounders. The political shenanigans read so true and gossipy. It could have been a dull recitation but you made it very lively. Your books have many different layers of stories woven throughout and, you added in Baltic history in easy reader spoonfuls! It’s a difficult challenge to make the past come alive, retelling who did what to whom while keeping a reader in eager anticipation of the outcome. It makes for a very rich and satisfying reading experience.’ – Diana Dunn
US Edition
If you’d like to whet your appetite click here for an excerpt from chapter one
And please accept my invitation to attend the Official Launch
Tyger will be published simultaneously in the UK, Canada, Australia/New Zealand and South Africa on 8 October. An ebook and audio download will also be available. It will be released in the US in November
If you’d like a 10-page excerpt of Quarterdeck featuring the interview with me, Tyger review etc. email admin@julianstockwin.com with “Stockwin Quarterdeck” in the subject line and I’ll be happy to send you a .pdf file to download.
BookPick: Across the Pond, a Double Helping
Posted on September 15, 2015 5 Comments
I’m crossing the Pond for this Double Helping of BookPicks! I became fascinated with espionage during research for the Kydd series, in particular for my book Treachery, so I was exercised to read John A. Nagy’s ‘Spies in the Continental Capital’ on the critical role of intelligence operations across Pennsylvania in the eighteenth century and was not disappointed. And in another field of interest for me, Michael G Laramie’s book ‘By Wind and Iron’ provided me valuable insight into America’s rich maritime history, focusing on a natural invasion route into the heart of North America from the seventeenth century through to the early nineteenth century.
Spies in the Continental Capital
It did not take long after the Seven Years War, the French and Indian War in North America, for France to return spies to America in order to determine the likelihood of regaining the territory they lost to Britain. One of the key places of French espionage was the colony of Pennsylvania since its frontier had been an important crossroads of French influence in North America. The French recognized that there was a real possibility that the colonies would seek their independence from Britain. Against this backdrop, Nagy begins his investigation of espionage in colonial Pennsylvania.
Philadelphia played a key role in the history of spying during the American Revolution because it was the main location for the Continental Congress, was seized by the British, and then returned to Continental control. Philadelphia became a centre of spies for the British and Americans as well as a number of double agents. George Washington was a firm believer in reliable military intelligence but after evacuating New York City, he neglected to put a spy network in place: when the British took over Philadelphia, he didn’t make the same mistake, and he was able to keep well abreast of British troop strengths and intentions. Likewise, the British used the large Loyalist community around Philadelphia to assess the abilities of their Continental foes, as well as the resolve of Congress. In addition to describing techniques used by spies and specific events, Nagy has accessed rare primary source documents to provide new and compelling information about intelligence operations on both sides, a fascinating study for those like me who sympathise with both sides.
By Wind and Iron
For more than 150 years, the natural invasion route along the waterways of the Champlain and Richelieu valleys into northeastern North America was among the most fiercely contested in the history of the continent.
Whether the French and their Indian allies attacking British forts and settlements during the Seven Years’ War, the American Continentals striking north into Canada during the American Revolution or the British battling French and later American forces in these wars and the War of 1812, it was clear to policy makers in Quebec, London, Paris, Philadelphia, and Washington that whoever controlled this corridor and its lakes and rivers, controlled the heart of the continent.
Laramie details the maritime history of this region from the first French fortifications along the Richelieu River in the late seventeenth century through the American victory over the British at the Battle of Plattsburgh on Lake Champlain in 1814. Using period letters, journals, and other primary source materials, he examines the north-eastern waterways and their tributaries within the framework of the soldiers and sailors who faced the perils of the campaigns, while at the same time clarifying the key role played by this region in the greater struggle for North America and American independence.
John A Nagy Spies in the Continental Capital
Published by Westholme. ISBN 978 1 59416 133 9
Michael G Laramie By Wind and Iron
Published by Westholme. ISBN 978 1 59416 198 8
Both books are also published by Pen & Sword
Tyger Extra: the Audiobook
Posted on September 8, 2015 15 Comments
‘Listen to any good books recently?’ It seems more and more of us are downloading audiobooks, thanks to the ubiquity of smartphones and tablets – and the format’s popularity on long car journeys. The UK audio market rose by nearly 25% in 2014 – and has grown by an astonishing 170% in the past five years, making it the fastest growing market in publishing.
Christian Rodska
I myself was thrilled when I learned that once again Christian Rodska was to narrate the latest audiobook in the Kydd series, Tyger.
This multi-talented actor/ narrator has a truly superb range of voices — and a real feel for stories about the sea. Let’s hear from Ellie Wheeldon of Hodder & Stoughton’s digital team and Elspeth McPherson, Strathmore Publishing, about just what’s involved in getting my manuscript to a listener.
Christian Rodska
Ellie:
- ‘We had to wait patiently for first proofs to come in before we got started on the audiobook, although we schedule things in months in advance with our studio partners. We work with a number of third parties. Tyger was recorded at Strathmore Publishing, a well-established studio in Farringdon. After estimating running time and costs based on word count (and reading the book of course!) we sent the text and a casting brief to the studio team. In this case we have a long-standing (and excellent!) reader, so that sped things along nicely!’
Elspeth McPherson on how it’s done :
- ‘The the actual process of recording the audiobook begins with the publisher contacting the production company (us – Strathmore Publishing) to say that they have a book that they would also like to include as an audio version, and when it will be published. We get told when final text will be due and when final files (edited sound files) will be needed. At this stage we talk about who will be a suitable reader, often reading an early draft of the text. We usually suggest 3–4 possible readers and these suggestions get shared with the author and the book’s editor and a decision is made. Some books are part of a series so the reader of previous books is the obvious choice. We (sometimes the publisher) then contact the reader’s agent and arrange a suitable time to do the recording. We have a recording studio on site with a large and a smaller recording booth so we can have two projects on the go at any one time. We book a producer for the recording and also a sound editor to take the recording away, fix retakes that were done in the studio and make it all flow smoothly.
Usually the producer and narrator will have some contact beforehand to discuss voices and pronunciations. Often the author might get involved in advising on pronunciations (especially with a sci-fi book where the author might have created the names / words) and sometimes on characterisation. More difficult pronunciations get checked by the production company and we have been known to call the Natural History Museum for dinosaur names, Kew for botanical names, obscure gun clubs in USA and various embassies among others!
Many readers will mark up their scripts extensively. Sometimes in colours for different voices, sometimes like a play scripts with the character names in the margin and the tone of the speech (loud, angrily, whispered etc.). I have seen a script marked up like a musical score with the phrasing and pauses written in too. The more prepared the reader is the more smoothly the recording goes. If the audiobook forms part of a series the production company often keeps reference clips of voices to refer back to when future books are recorded.’
How long does the recording take?
- ‘The recording usually takes double the finished length of the book. So if an audiobook is likely to be 12 hours long it would take 4 x 6 hour days to record.’
Is there is ‘proof-listener’?
- ‘We always use proof listeners who work alongside our editors to check the recording and anything that the editor might have missed.’
Once approved, what happens to the digital audio file of the recording?
- ‘Occasionally the client also wants to check the recording, but usually they are happy to leave it to our check-listeners. Once everyone is happy with it we upload the final recording to Audible and send notifications to both the publisher and Audible that the files are there. We aim to have the files three weeks before publication date (which is almost always a Thursday, so three Thursdays before pub date is the delivery date).’
In the UK and Commonwealth, Tyger will be available as a digital download at Audible and iTunes on October 8, coinciding with the release of the hardback, and a CD set of the audiobook is planned for March 2016 release. The audio download will also be available in the US.
The previous Kydd Series audiobooks (all narrated by Christian) are currently available as digital downloads at Audible in the UK and Audible in the USA.
For those who like to switch between ebook and audiobook format the titles have Whispersync for Voice capability.
All of the previous Kydd titles as CD audiobook sets, as well as The Silk Tree, are currently available From Whole Story Audiobooks where you can also listen to an excerpt of each book.
Christian Rodska fittingly has the last word:
‘It’s always a pleasure when my agent calls to say I have another Kydd adventure by Julian Stockwin to record – Tyger will be the sixteenth. His research is impeccable, his knowledge and understanding of the sea and those who spend their lives upon it unparalleled and I look forward to the next one!’
Sink me the ship, master gunner!
Posted on August 30, 2015 4 Comments
On this day in 1591, The Battle of Flores began, a naval engagement of the Anglo-Spanish War. It was fought off the Island of Flores, one of the Azores, islands set in the Atlantic 850 miles west of Portugal.
Facing each other were an English fleet of 22 ships under Lord Thomas Howard and a Spanish fleet of 53 ships.
One particular incident would go down in history and be inspiration for one of the English language’s greatest poets.
The last fight of the Revenge
Revenge lived up to her name – less than a week after the battle, with a 200-man Spanish prize crew aboard, she was lost with all hands in a vicious storm. The ship’s valiant deeds have ensured that she is one of the most renowned in naval history, and a number of ships have proudly borne her name, including one at the Battle of Trafalgar. The most recent Revenge was a Polaris submarine launched in 1969 and retired several years ago.
Alfred Lord Tennyson celebrated Grenville’s bravery in his poem The Revenge: a Ballad of the Fleet:
- At Flores, in the Azores Sir Richard Grenville lay
And a pinnace, like a flutter’d bird, came flying from far away
“Spanish ships of war at sea! we have sighted fifty-three!”
Then sware Lord Thomas Howard: “’Fore God I am no coward
But I cannot meet them here, for my ships are out of gear
And the half my men are sick. I must fly, but follow quick.
We are six ships of the line; can we fight with fifty-three?”
Then spake Sir Richard Grenville: “I know you are no coward
You fly them for a moment to fight with them again.
But I’ve ninety men and more that are lying sick ashore.
I should count myself the coward if I left them, my Lord Howard,
To these Inquisition dogs and the devildoms of Spain.”
So Lord Howard past away with five ships of war that day
Till he melted like a cloud in the silent summer heaven
But Sir Richard bore in hand all his sick men from the land
Very carefully and slow
Men of Bideford in Devon
And we laid them on the ballast down below
For we brought them all aboard
And they blest him in their pain, that they were not left to Spain,
To the thumb-screw and the stake, for the glory of the Lord.
He had only a hundred seamen to work the ship and to fight
And he sailed away from Flores till the Spaniard came in sigh,
With his huge sea-castles heaving upon the weather bow.
“Shall we fight or shall we fly?
Good Sir Richard, tell us now
For to fight is but to die!
There’ll be little of us left by the time this sun be set.”
And Sir Richard said again: “We be all good Englishmen
Let us bang these dogs of Seville, the children of the devil
For I never turn’d my back upon Don or devil yet.”
Sir Richard spoke and he laugh’d, and we roar’d a hurrah and so
The little Revenge ran on sheer into the heart of the foe
With her hundred fighters on deck, and her ninety sick below
For half of their fleet to the right and half to the left were seen
And the little Revenge ran on thro’ the long sea-lane between.
Thousands of their soldiers look’d down from their decks and laugh’d,
Thousands of their seamen made mock at the mad little craft
Running on and on, till delay’d
By their mountain-like San Philip that, of fifteen hundred tons
And up-shadowing high above us with her yawning tiers of guns
Took the breath from our sails, and we stay’d.
And while now the great San Philip hung above us like a cloud
Whence the thunderbolt will fall
Long and loud
Four galleons drew away
From the Spanish fleet that day.
And two upon the larboard and two upon the starboard lay
And the battle-thunder broke from them all.
But anon the great San Philip, she bethought herself and went
Having that within her womb that had left her ill content
And the rest they came aboard us, and they fought us hand to hand
For a dozen times they came with their pikes and musqueteers
And a dozen times we shook ’em off as a dog that shakes his ears
When he leaps from the water to the land.
And the sun went down, and the stars came out far over the summer sea
But never a moment ceased the fight of the one and the fifty-three.
Ship after ship, the whole night long, their high-built galleons came
Ship after ship, the whole night long, with her battle-thunder and flame
Ship after ship, the whole night long, drew back with her dead and her shame.
For some were sunk and many were shatter’d and so could fight us no more—
God of battles, was ever a battle like this in the world before?
For he said, “Fight on! fight on!”
Tho’ his vessel was all but a wreck
And it chanced that, when half of the short summer night was gone
With a grisly wound to be drest he had left the deck
But a bullet struck him that was dressing it suddenly dead
And himself he was wounded again in the side and the head
And he said, “Fight on! fight on!”
And the night went down, and the sun smiled out far over the
summer sea
And the Spanish fleet with broken sides lay round us all in a ring
But they dared not touch us again, for they fear’d that we still could sting
So they watch’d what the end would be
And we had not fought them in vain
But in perilous plight were we
Seeing forty of our poor hundred were slain
And half of the rest of us maim’d for life
In the crash of the cannonades and the desperate strife
And the sick men down in the hold were most of them stark and cold
And the pikes were all broken or bent, and the powder was all of it spent
And the masts and the rigging were lying over the side
But Sir Richard cried in his English pride:
“We have fought such a fight for a day and a night
As may never be fought again!
We have won great glory, my men!
And a day less or more
At sea or ashore,
We die—does it matter when?
Sink me the ship, Master Gunner—sink her, split her in twain!
Fall into the hands of God, not into the hands of Spain!”
And the gunner said, “Ay, ay,” but the seamen made reply
“We have children, we have wives
And the Lord hath spared our lives.
We will make the Spaniard promise, if we yield, to let us go
We shall live to fight again and to strike another blow.”
And the lion there lay dying, and they yielded to the foe.
And the stately Spanish men to their flagship bore him then,
Where they laid him by the mast, old Sir Richard caught at last
And they praised him to his face with their courtly foreign grace
But he rose upon their decks, and he cried:
“I have fought for Queen and Faith like a valiant man and true
I have only done my duty as a man is bound to do.
With a joyful spirit I Sir Richard Grenville die!”
And he fell upon their decks, and he died.
And they stared at the dead that had been so valiant and true
And had holden the power and glory of Spain so cheap
That he dared her with one little ship and his English few
Was he devil or man? He was devil for aught they knew
But they sank his body with honor down into the deep.
And they mann’d the Revenge with a swarthier alien crew
And away she sail’d with her loss and long’d for her own
When a wind from the lands they had ruin’d awoke from sleep
And the water began to heave and the weather to moan
And or ever that evening ended a great gale blew
And a wave like the wave that is raised by an earthquake grew
Till it smote on their hulls and their sails and their masts and their flags
And the whole sea plunged and fell on the shot-shatter’d navy of Spain
And the little Revenge herself went down by the island crags
To be lost evermore in the main.
This tale (and many other wonders from the Golden Age of Sail) is from Stockwin’s Maritime Miscellany. There’s a copy of the book up for grabs – just email me with the name of the commander of the Spanish fleet at the battle of Flores. First out of the hat on September 4 will be the winner! Please include your full postal address
Copyright notices
Charles Dixon [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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Julian Stockwin 