The Storyteller: James Bailey

Hi and welcome to a brand-new issue (#14) of The Storyteller!

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Happy New Year! I'm so excited to introduce you to the authors who have already confirmed to appear on here in 2021 and the line-up as it continues to develop over the year (suggestions and wishlist authors welcome - just drop me an email!)

First up is James Bailey. We talk about his debut The Flip Side (a heartbroken young Brit whose entire carefully planned life has collapsed over a very short span of time decides to let all his decisions be led by the flip of a coin), being a first-time author, writing as a man in the women-skewed world of romantic comedies, writing practices, critique groups and more. So let's get to it!

 

Anu: You’ve had quite the journey to publishing your debut novel. Could you talk us through the roots of your reading and writing and how you got to where you are today?

James: Yes, I am not sure if there’s a natural route into writing a novel, but mine probably started back at school. I always enjoyed studying English, and I wanted to be a journalist.

During my time at university I worked as a showbiz reporter on the red carpet of film premieres. After graduating, I took a variety of jobs, all the time jotting down notes for a potential novel. In 2018, I signed up for a Six Month Novel Writing Course, and this made me take the writing process a lot more seriously. Fortunately, a year later I had my first draft ready.

Anu: How do you juggle being a writer with your day job? 

James: It’s tricky. And it has become more tricky in the last couple of months as I’ve been trying to balance promoting The Flip Side, writing ‘Book 2’, working the day job, and generally living through a global pandemic! I’m fortunate that my job is fairly flexible in terms of hours. I also think that it’s better to keep busy, and get out, and interact with people. I’m not sure I’d be able to write if I was just sitting in my flat all day every day alone. Lots of my creative inspiration comes from real life and watching other people.

Anu: What was the hardest and the most joyful part about writing your first novel? Was there anything that surprised you?

James: I think I was surprised by just how much work goes into a book! That may sound daft, but I don’t think I was previously aware of the process which occurs between a publisher offering you a contract, and the book being published. There’s a lot of hard work at this stage. The most joyful moment was definitely seeing people enjoying my book, and it providing some comic relief during these difficult times.

Anu: What motivates you to write and tell the stories that you do? Are there any obvious literary influences?

James: As a teenager I loved reading the books of David Nicholls, and Nick Hornby, and loved the movies of Woody Allen, and Richard Curtis. I enjoyed their portrayal of love and life, told from a male perspective.

Anu: What are the challenges and advantages, according to you, about writing romance novels as a man?

James: I think the biggest challenge is writing for a predominately female audience - in the sense that you want to be true to how a man would think, feel, and act, but also wary that it’s mostly going to be women reading the book and they need to connect with the character, if that makes sense. When writing the novel, I wasn’t really thinking of an audience, so this is something we had to look at during the editing stage. I suppose the advantage of writing romance novels as a man is the book stands out more as a rarity.
 
Anu: What was your experience like with finding an agent and then getting the manuscript picked up?

James: I was actually very fortunate with finding an agent. I queried four agents, and two offered me representation within a few weeks of sending them my full manuscript. I’m very aware how lucky I was. It was rather nerve-wracking when we then sent the manuscript to publishers, waiting for one of them to respond positively. Fortunately Penguin Michael Joseph in the UK loved it, and within a few days, we’d found a US publisher too in William Morrow.
 
Anu: What has it been like being a debut author during the pandemic? Any standout moments – whether good, bad, unexpected, challenging?

James: It’s not been ideal! Back in March when everything was kicking off in the UK, I thought ‘oh, it will all be fine by November’. How wrong was I?! In November, when my book came out, we were in our second lockdown, and bookshops were closed. I couldn’t even have a very small launch party, nor visit a shop to see my book. I think with bookshops being closed the numbers they ordered have also been affected unfortunately. The positives have been the launch of virtual events, which I’ve been able to take part in both in the UK and US. Hopefully when things return to normal, I’ll be able to visit the US and promote the book in person!

Anu: Is there any advice you wish you’d gotten when you first started out? Or just any advice for aspiring authors from your own experience, something that’s really helped you in your writing and publishing journey so far?

James: I think finding a writing group is really important if you’re trying to write your novel. Receiving feedback and critiques from a supportive group can really help, and motivate you.
 
Anu: Could you give us a glimpse into your writing process? Are you someone who plots down to the last detail? Do your characters grow first or the plot? How do you work from conception/idea to the final version?

James: I’m certainly not a model to copy with my writing process! I write when I can, frequently procrastinate, and get distracted by Instagram constantly. The Flip Side developed over a few years, and eventually came together without much forward planning. I’m currently working on my second novel, and given I had a much shorter deadline to write it, I’ve had to plan a lot more. One quirky thing I do, which I’m not sure if it’s common, is I like to write the end first and work my way there.
 
Anu: What’s in the works going forward?

James: So, as I just mentioned, I’m currently working on my second novel. I’ve finished my first draft, and am currently in the dreaded editing stage. I’m not sure how much I am allowed to reveal at this point, but it’s another romantic comedy, told from a male perspective, set over two time periods.

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1. What's the last book(s) that you read that you'd recommend and why?

I’ve got a huge stack of books on my TBR list, as I’ve not had much time to read recently. A couple of books which have really stood out for me this year are Keeping Mum (US title: Bear Necessity) by James Gould-Bourn, and The Reader on the 6.27 by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent. The latter came out a few years ago but I only recently came across it, and I loved it. 

2. What's the last TV show or movie you watched that you'd recommend and why?

With cinemas being closed, I’ve not watched many new films, but I have spent too much time binge watching shows on Netflix and Amazon Prime recently. I watched all of Schitt’s Creek in record time, and adored it.

3. What's the last song you listened to that you'd recommend and why?

I’ve been enjoying listening to ‘The Big Moon’ recently, and ‘A Hundred Ways To Land’ is a great song.

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Thanks, James, for helping kick off 2021 in great fashion!

As always, I've included both mine and James's social media links below. There are buying links as well, which include links through my own online affiliate shop for Bookshop.org, which supports independent bookstores. I have a separate section on there titled "The Storyteller newsletter" so you can access the relevant buying links for all the authors I've had on here so far.

In Issue #15 heading your way on January 15, we have Nev March whose debut novel, Murder in Old Bombay (published by Minotaur Books, Macmillan in November 2020) won the prestigious Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award.

If you enjoyed this and know someone who would, as well, please forward this to them! I'm also always up for a book (or general) chat so feel free to turn this into a conversation at any time by replying to the email, even if just to let me know your thoughts on an issue or if you have any feedback, but also if you must share with someone how awesome something is that you've recently read, watched, or listened to.

Thank you and until next time!

Anu

Currently reading: In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner (I'm grateful to have access to an ARC of this book coming out in August 2021. Jeff was on The Storyteller last year and you can read his interview .)
Currently watching: Just finished Bridgerton season 1 and am now waiting for This is Us (back tonight) and The Discovery of Witches season 2 (later this week).
Latest writing: I wrote this little letter seeing off 2020.

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James' social media:

Website
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook

Buying links

Bookshop
Amazon