It’s been a funny old week - and it has only just turned Thursday.

The short story submissions are coming in thick and fast! Thanks to everyone for taking part. An anthology can only be as good as its writers, and we’ve had some outstanding stories so far. Great to see there’s a good number of flash fiction coming in too.

I spoke to one of the sales reps today, who has had a meeting at WHSmith about having three new Tonto titles stocked on a national level. It had been my mission since day one to get stocked there ‘proper like’. Our biggest success was getting ‘Sin Cities’ into WHS Travel Retail - airport stores. Other than that, MetroCentre store bought direct from us, sold out immediately and never bothered to phone to re-order (or to pay). This ’hiccup’ was only discovered when I called into the store to hassle them, armed with a Tonto catalogue, to be told ‘people had been asking for most of these, but we didn’t know how to get in touch’.

Eh? A little alien in the 80s could communicate with another planet by using a Speak and Spell, some bike parts, string and an umbrella, but no one thought to get online and have a quick scoot around. Another NE store didn’t even know how to use their ordering system! I called in a number of times and got the same response. During the height of The Burglar’s Dog buying frenzy, they did actually phone to order direct, but  never did get round to making it happen. They were the only bookstore in Newcastle not stocking the biggest-selling book in Newcastle at the time. I think you’re getting the idea.

So just as the sales team were poised to see the three new titles go to WHS UK-wide… they hit a slight snag. Autumn titles cannot be stocked there unless the publisher pays a fee. The fee/ransom is high, and it is for each title they take on. So - if you want to get on their shelves, you have to show them the money. What’s more is that the ransom just means that your ‘couple of books’ will just sit on a shelf as it usually would in any other store. To be positioned front of store, in a window, have any posters, etc, will set you back around the same price as a nice flat in Jesmond. Apparently, this ransom only has to be paid for titles being taken on in autumn - ie, that will be on the shelves over winter - the best time of the year for book sales. The cynic in me realised that it was a way to squeeze money out of publishers desperate to get their books placed on a shelf for Christmas. The cynic was right.

Where does this leave the indies? The small publishers who struggle to make a living at the best of times have to fork out just to get stocked, while the big lads keep paying the huge fees because they can afford to, and in return they are promoted. It’s pretty obvious where the industry will end up if this continues to happen. There is less choice on offer every time you enter a store and more stores are becoming cautious. Small publishers will continue to get pushed out of stores and out of business. I’m waiting to hear what the outcome is about getting stocked nationally. If the choice is paying a large amount of money for them to fulfil their obligation od stocking a book like every other bookstore in the land, then they can fook right off. We know this goes on, but do we have to put up with it?

Another mad one - one big store in Leeds was presented with ‘Dirty Leeds’. The clue is in the title. It is a football book, same target audience to ‘The Damned United’ and even has a cover testimonial from David Peace. It’s being launched in Leeds, has loads of promo set in Leeds and is released prior to Christmas when people in Leeds will probably buy books about Leeds for their relatives who are Leeds fans. ‘I’ll take a couple,’ said the buyer. What can you do, eh? Makes you wonder why you bother.

For love - that’s why. And if you love books, why not have a gander at the Tonto Summer Sale. No doubt it’ll go on for the rest of the year, because of companies like those above.

No, really. Will you please stop calling the company Tonto Press?! It’s really annoying now.

Like, Jeez. It’s been Tonto Books for two years now but today I had three emails praising Tonto Press and a submission to Tonto Press. I didn’t think it was that difficult.

Other than that, pre-production of forthcoming titles is coming along splendidly: Sheila is working on the edit for her next novel and we’re having another meeting on Friday, Dirty Leeds is in the edit with Jill Morris (official Tonto book sorter-outerer), Dirty Leeds covers are designed and looking rather spiffing and Charlie Walduck’s manuscript is almost at final draft.

Soon the publicity for The Road to Hell and Slimmer Charlie will kick off in grand style with the help of Midas PR. Yep, it only turns out that the biggest and best book PR organisation in all the land is going to be heading the campaign for both titles. Hopefully that will mean Tonto will sell more than the usual handful and there will be a staff night out for Christmas. Fingers crossed.

Launches and signings are in the process of being set up, so look out for us in a bookstore near you this autumn.

I’m going to be at the Kite Festival in Sunderland this weekend. I’ll be selling current titles and promoting new ones. If anyone is around, drop by and say hello. Sheila Quigley will be there and I’ll also be roping other Tonto authors into coming along. I don’t see why I should be the only one to suffer.

There’s been a couple of Tonto news items kicking about in the last few days.

First up was an interview on Manchester Radio online - click here to listen. There isn’t a listen again on there, but Tonto author Charlie Walduck has his own show on and is well worth checking out.

feature about Sheila Quigley in the Sunday Sun - click here for the full story.

Then yesterday there was a Tonto feature on Essential Writers website. Looks like this is going to be a really useful resource, so make sure to bookmark the site. - click here to read the interview.

The new short stories writing competition is still ongoing. 27 July is the deadline - there’s been a fair amount of entries so far and loads of enquiries. I think this is going to be the most successful Tonto anthology yet! We’re currently in talks over launching the book and setting up signing sessions UK-wide.

‘The night was dry, but it was raining.’

It’s been a while since I saw ‘Throw Momma from the Train’. The main reason is that I used to know someone who looked like ‘Momma’ and it freaks me out.

Billy Crystal’s character struggling with the opener to his novel is a real classic. It reminds me of my own writing blocks when I’d be pacing up and down the office floor, dressed in the same pyjamas day in, day out, glass of red wine in hand, the cat looking at me like Spot used to look at Hong Kong Phooey. Ah, those were the days.

But enough about me.

Opening lines are crucial. We need to hook our audience immediately… grab them by the ‘you know whats’ and drag them into your story. It’s a real artform, this writing lark. I was interviewed today and one of the questions was ‘what advice would you give to writers?’, and I hate to admit, but I probably didn’t say anything new. I could have easily came out with my usual rant about how not to approach (I actually think I did), but now that another short story comp is on the go, it is making me think.

 I’m sure I’ve been told several times about writers completing a piece and then going back to the beginning and eaither deleting the first paragraph, or having a drastic rethink. As a Creative Writing tutor (I know about stuff, me) I used to run workshops on opening lines - how to hook an audience and how to get them to stay with your story. I think it’s even more relevant with short stories. If you don’t hook them from the start, they’ll just skip to the next story, and you’ll be lost amongst the rest of the collection and forgotten about. In shorts, you need to make EVERY WORD count. Don’t waste any - don’t drag it out, don’t give the reader an excuse to skip through. Hook them! Intrigue them … leave them wanting to know something … leave them needing to know something.

The next Tonto anthology comp has a 27 July deadline. With Caroline Smailes  (that there writer with that there new-look website) stepping in to judge, we were talking about what we should be looking for in submissions. I’m always reluctant to base competitions on a theme. I think themes are ok for workshop exercises and to me, that’s where they should stay. What if you’ve just completed the best short story in the world, but it isn’t based on my theme? Then you may shoehorn it in, compromise your story in the process, or not enter - and then I’ve missed out on publishing the best short story in the world … and that won’t do. Call me shellfish.

This time round, and as the competition coincides with Tonto’s fourth birthday - it’s a competition to have fun with. And why waste a lovely carnival-themed cover. D’oh! Did I just say themed? What I mean is, it’s great for us to see these submissions coming in where you aren’t trying to second guess what we are looking for. We’re looking for page-turning entertainment; we’re looking for comedy, tragedy and ‘humidity’.

How to enter ‘Even More Tonto Short Stories’.

Here’s the cover for ‘Even More Tonto Short Stories’ - hot off the press!

And even better news to announce … author Caroline Smailes will be judging the competition and helping to put the collection together.

The competition is open to new writers as well as experienced writers, as long as the work has not been published. Please click here for full details of how to enter.

Entry fee is £6.99. Everyone who enters will receive a FREE COPY of the book.

We look forward to reading your submissions. Best of luck with it!

Tonto launched as a company in 2005 with its first call for anthology submissions.  Tonto Short Stories and More Tonto Short Stories proved to be instrumental platforms for a number of new writers to launch their careers. Appearing in short story collections has long been a ‘calling card’ for writers on their way to their first novel or to create a buzz about their work in general.
The publication of ‘Even More Tonto Short Stories’ will prove Tonto’s commitment to supporting new writing as well as experienced authors.

Closing date for receipt of entries: 27th July 2009 (midnight GMT).

Maximum of 5000 words with no minimum.

The next person to buy one book and get one free will receive free book stuff forever.

Just follow the instructions on www.tontobooks.com and get an email back from me.

Stay tuned … some new writing competitions will be announced very soon.

Don’t forget - Buy one book, get another book ABSOLUTELY FREE from Tonto.

Don’t forget - Rosalind Wyllie and Caroline Smailes are at the festival tonight and Nik Jones is there tomorrow. Details on previous blogs and on Events page.

And speaking of events - I was at one of the funniest events of my life last night. Gav Webster, John Scott, John Fothergill and Simon Donald held a stand-up show in a bar in Blaydon. I’ve never laughed so much. Really, when you’re known for having a ‘mental laugh’, comedy clubs are usually something to steer clear of. There was enough laughter in the venue to drown me out, so it was ok.  I’ve still been chuckling today.

Anywho - get along to Middlesbrough tonight and tomorrow. I know Middlesbrough is the last place anyone wants to go, but it will be worthwhile.

It’s great getting up at 5am on a Saturday morning … chucking it down with rain, slight headache, fancying a McDonald’s brekkie. On mornings like this, it makes me want to write my own ‘That’s Entertainment’, but then I realise I can’t write songs and would never even attempt to disguise it as a poem.

What’s been going on this week? I hear you ask.

Most of this week has been taken up with writing: a business plan and financial forecast for the Business Account Manager  - who if reading this, is the best business account manager I’ve ever met.

Work is progressing on the three new titles for 2009. Dirty Leeds edit has started, the cover will be finalised very soon and a launch party is in discussion. A couple of actors are lined up to read at the launch party - one of them was already in my list of favourite UK actors (yes, really), so I may have to start an online petition to get him to do it for free. We’ll soon be setting up events in and around Leeds - any bookstore people reading this, feel free to drop me a line to book events and signings for Robert Endeacott.

Slimmer Charlie is also progressing well. Charlie’s PR will soon kick in and I can’t wait to get the ball rolling. A top PR company will be handling the PR for Charlie and the book; he’ll be back on This Morning for the release of it as well as a few more appearances to be confirmed. For those unfamiliar with Charlie’s story, you can view the film inserts from the show here that made him the most talked-about guest in the show’s history.

The Road to Hell by Sheila Quigley is gathering momentum all the time. PR for this title will be handled by the same company as above, with much media planned around it. Sheila’s final draft manuscript came in yesterday and pre-production will resume next week. There’s been so much interest in this title - it’s unreal. To launch this one, we’ll be holding events around the north east in neutral venues and branching out from there into bookstores. Again, anyone reading this and interested in hosting an event for Sheila, get your bids in quick because dates are going fast. A full schedule will be posted up very soon. Phase two is to take to the road on a national book tour. After going on the road with Ashley Hames last year, my liver usually cringes at such fighting talk.

The final cut of Sheila’s book trailer is now complete and will be up on t’internet this weekend.

New Acquisitions:

I’m in the process of acquiring two new titles for next year. I had a meeting yesterday with one of the writers - an extremely funny man whose career I’ve followed for a number of years. Already with a Tonto connection, I look forward to working with him on his autobiography. Contracts have been exchanged and full details will be announced next week.  The other title is a true crime book I’ve been interested in for a long time by a best-selling author and an award-winning photographer.

More news as it happens…