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“Why don’t you write a book that’s a bestseller like Harry Potter?”
This question was asked in all innocence by a 10 year old boy – at least I hope it was all innocence – and it got me thinking about just what it is that makes a book successful. Why do people buy one book rather than another? I’m not about to contemplate that here as I don’t really think I’ll come to any definite conclusions, but the question did lead me to think more about my own writing - what I was trying to do and who I was writing for?

As well as writing I have another (part-time) job that just about pays the bills each month. Ideally, I’d like to give up the other job and try and make a living writing but it’s not easy. Of course, if I wrote a bestseller that wouldn’t be as much of a problem.

Many writers say they only write to please themselves, but I definitely have readers in mind and always have. When I first started writing, I wrote picture book stories that would be of interest to both myself and our three daughters (my readers) then gradually expanded my writing into educational reader books, early readers and other books for young children – again, this was to interest both myself, young readers and a commissioning editor. Visiting schools and libraries I soon found myself talking to older children, and though they were entertained by my presentation of books for younger readers they were keen to read something of mine that was aimed more at their age.

After finding myself this group of keen readers I got to work - still writing to please myself, but now with these new older readers in mind. It wasn’t long before I realised that what I was writing could be of interest to boys… Now this realisation brought on a brief panic attack, after all, I’ve heard that boys don’t read, and writing books for an audience that doesn’t read is probably not good if you’d like to make a living.

My Robo-runners series is currently only available in hardback (paperback in the new year) but I’ve talked about the books to groups of boys and girls and have been delighted, and a little relieved, to find that they appeal to both – in fact there’s been lots of excitement - of course this doesn’t mean the books are going to be bestsellers and it doesn’t mean I’m going to be able to make a living out of it but it does make me feel that I still know what I’m trying to do and who I’m writing for… it might not be much of a career plan but it’s the best I’ve got at the moment.