14th February 2023
Report by Sarah Noon
Tonight, we have HWS’s first “virtual speaker” who joins us via a Zoom link. Committee member Mark Eyles interviews Nick Cook in his study.
Nick is a science fiction writer. He met Mark when they were both working in the gaming industry. Much of Nick’s writing is inspired by the question “what if?”, as well as his love of travel.
Mark first asks Nick about his background – before he became a writer. He says he began in the early 1980s working in gaming during the early days of home computers, “Suddenly there was a whole games industry which came from nowhere.” Nick started as an artist and art director, with the intention of working in special effects in film. However, he stayed in the games industry for 22 years. “It wasn’t a flash in the pan!” in 2006, he co-founded two award-winning games studios. Because he had shares in the studios, he ended up with “…a pot of money” which presented him with the opportunity to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time writer – a dream which, Nick tells us, started when he was twelve after reading Lord of the Rings (Nick’s “gateway book”). He explains that the book really caught his imagination.
This inspired him to write his own version of Lord of the Rings – “I got all the way to the third chapter and then promptly gave up.” However, this did ignite Nick’s love of reading and writing. He describes how this permeated his professional life, despite being an artist rather than a writer.
By his own admission, Nick doesn’t “…do things by halves” and rather than writing alongside his work, he gave up work and jumped straight into full time writing. He took a course run by a literary agency and his work was analysed and critiqued. He said they loved what he had written – a piece which became the first of a series of books, Fractured Light. The agency signed him up and partnered him with an editor who was “…absolutely amazing”. He tells us that he was told he could write action well, but needed to work on developing characters, and so he worked with his editor for about two years (“I viewed this as my apprenticeship.”). Nick shares with us that his agent pushed him and returned his manuscripts with lots of positive criticism, but always with something that he needed to develop.
The result of this partnership was his breakthrough novel, Cloud Riders, which later became a trilogy. He was also paired with an agent in order to get a publishing deal, getting very close to signing a deal with Bloomsbury, but sadly that never quite happened. However, he says he “dusted himself down” and got signed by small publisher, “Three Hairs,” getting his work traditionally published.
Mark asks Nick how long it was from leaving work to getting his first book published, and he tells us it was ten years. Nick says that most writers don’t take that long, but it can do – “…be tenacious.” He reminds us that, “It’s very much about not giving up.”
Nick is then asked what inspired him to write science fiction. Nick replies that some of it is down to growing up with the moon landings – something he describes as “a profound moment in history.” He tells us that the film 2001: A Space Odyssey also really inspired him, as did Blade Runner, leading him to read lots of science fiction books.
Nick began writing for the Young Adult market and then switched to Adult. Mark asks Nick why he did this. Young Adult writing, he tells us, is incredibly hard and is a very good discipline, citing Northern Lights to demonstrate how good YA writing can be. This motivated him to write for this audience. He later switched to adult sci-fi, saying that writing for adults gives a writer a “far wider palette you can work with.” He explains that there are certain restrictions and conventions that have to be considered when writing YA. Nick describes the move to adult writing as “very liberating.” He explains that for YA, publishers have lots of boxes that need ticking.
After working with publishing companies for some time, Nick decided to go down the self-publishing / indie route. Mark asks him why and he tells us that there were a few traditionally published writers that decided to self-publish around the same time including several of his friends. One of them pointed out the amount of freedom a writer has when the indie route is chosen, as well as potentially earning more money.
Nick suggests that in order for this to be successful, a writer must work as a one-person publisher. There is a lot of competition, so it is vital the marketing is good, as well as potentially working with editors, voice artists and others. He says, “It sounds daunting, but it is really rewarding.” He also points out that when a book is published the traditional way, books have a shelf life, but once they’re removed from the shelves, they can be self-published. The downside, Nick tells us, is that the books are unlikely to get into bookshops; they’re generally limited to online sales – although this is not always the case. He advises us that there are some excellent courses out there to support writers who wish to go down this route.
Mark goes on to ask Nick why he writes series of books rather than standalone stories. He explains that he liked the Ian M. Banks approach to series – it was always part of his plan to write in this way.
Nick currently has 17 sci-fi books out and another project in the pipeline. His output works out at about three books per year – “I cannot write faster than that.” He writes three drafts and then enters what he calls the “noodling phase” or “book whispering” to fine-tune the book. He strongly advises us to make sure that we make enough time to do this.
Nick is asked how ensures he stands out amongst the crowded sci-fi market. He recommends a newsletter to his readers, alongside strong marketing and social media advertising. It’s about keeping your profile raised and gaining fans over a period of time. Nick has now got a large fan base for whom he loves writing and receiving their feedback. He says “When you’re having a tough time … it can really make your day.”
“Talk us through your writing day,” Mark asks Nick. He explains that he starts writing at about 6.45 am until 8.30 am, then has breakfast and uses his home gym (“when you’re a full-time writer it’s important to look after yourself.”) He then writes from 10.30 am through until 1.00 pm. After lunch, he will work until 5.00 pm. He tells us that it’s really important to have a regular working day and this helps keep him productive. He points out that it is really important to have an end to the day where the laptop is switched off, to prevent writing right through the evening – “then you would start to burn out.” It’s important, he tells us, to have a routine that can be sustained.
Given that he has such a harsh writing schedule; Mark asks how Nick continues to come up with new ideas. Nick explains that having ideas is never a problem. The issue is working out which ideas are worth making into a book. He advises us to ensure that we always write our ideas down in a notebook and “consume books” whether that’s through reading or an audiobook. This, he says, is a “…great excuse for watching Netflix.” He describes the imagination as a muscle that works better the more it is exercised.
Nick is asked what the future of self-publishing look like. He describes what he foresees as a “hybrid” way of publishing. Publishers, he explains, are looking for something that is going to do well. He believes that increasingly, they will look to the indie market to see who is up and coming, possibly approaching writers with deals. He goes on tell us that indie success can give a writer considerable negotiating powers with larger publishers.
When asked what advice he would give to aspiring writers, he begins with the words; “It can be soul-destroying at times.” The waiting, he says, can seemingly go on forever. He describes it as being one of the hardest things for a writer as it feels as if nothing is happening. “It really is about tenacity.” He also advises that we don’t write for a publishing deal – we write for ourselves. He explains that he always suspects that writers who give up are on the verge of success but they will never know. He suggests that we should prepare to do lots of re-writes, and if we can afford to work with an editor then that can also be a successful route. Sometimes, the best work we produce is the hardest piece we have written. Be disciplined and carve out a regular amount of time to write each day. Also, he advises, “… read your work aloud.”
The final thing that Nick is asked to talk about is his current project and where he sees his writing going in the future. He confides that he has a brand new pen name, J. R. Sinclair. (J.R. from J.R.R. Tolkein, and Sinclair from the first computer he worked on which launched his career). J. R. Sinclair is a crime writer and his first book is due out on 16th March. He says he has “really hit this one hard.” This includes the use of beta readers for the first time, as well as feedback groups and the creation of an audiobook. He is taking what he describes as a mini-break from sci-fi. He will be writing three crime books. He points out that this will be a difficult thing to do with a traditional publisher, but as an indie writer changing pen names and genres is easy to do. He feels that this is a way of “keeping himself fresh.” “Writing is a tough old business sometimes, but the highs are worth it – I promise you.”
Leave a Reply