A.G. Taylor: Meteorite Strike

A.G. Taylor has just had his first novel, Meteorite Strike, published in the UK. We were lucky enough to have him along to do an event with us last week. When he left us here in Edinburgh he was off to Dublin. Despite being unbelievably busy he found time to write us a blog about what life is like now that he's a published author. Thank you A.G. Taylor!

“It’s on the tables,” my sister informed me on the week Meteorite Strike was published in the UK.  “It’s also on the shelf with the cover facing out.”  Three weeks ago, I hadn’t even arrived from Australia, but already my family and friends were book-spotting in any shop they could find.  I think that was the exciting moment it hit home that Meteorite Strike was finally “out there” and available for people to pick up and read.

When you write the first draft of a book, it’s a very private experience - just you and the story for several months.  Then your editors get involved, along with a whole load of other people at your publisher - all part of bringing the book to print.  As I live in Melbourne, Australia, this required lots of email communication and occasional telephone calls with the brilliant people at Usborne, people who I finally got to meet in person during the last fortnight.

Before the two week Meteorite Strike tour began I was warned it would be very tiring, but I don’t think I really believed it at the time.  Now, on the last night of the tour, I certainly do.  With the team of Usborne publicists I’ve been to London, Edinburgh, Dublin and Belfast, spoken to almost 1000 kids about the book, executed a mad book-signing dash around 9 London Waterstone’s branches in a day (not as easy as it sounds!) and attended the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize ceremony.  Phew!

And this is the most amazing thing about having a book published: it can take you some great and inspirational places.  Places like The Scottish Book Trust and the Fighting Words school in Dublin, both of which I visited on the tour.  It can also introduce you to some fantastic people, all of whom are united by their love of books.  Best of all, as a writer, it gives you the chance to meet your audience and hear their questions.  Questions like “Are there any giant spiders in the book?” and “What’s your favourite superpower?” that make you think about your book in a whole new way.

Now at the end of the tour, I’m looking forward to having a rest and getting back to the quiet work of writing: I have to finish off the sequel, Alien Storm, and start work on the third book in the Superhumans series.  However, I won’t forget my travels around the UK and Ireland in a hurry, or the amazing people I’ve met on that journey.

You can follow A.G. Taylor on Twitter, or find out more about him on his website.

Other News:

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The winner of The Waterstone's Children's Book Prize 2010 is The Great Hamster Massacre by debut author Katie Davies.

The title of the third book of the Hunger Games trilogy has been announced. Hunger Games: Mockingjay will be published by Scholastic on 24th August 2010.

The latest Astrosaurs book - The Robot Raiders - is out this month.