A.J. Aberford’s Publication Journey
A.J. Aberford’s – Publication Journey
Welcome to A.J. Aberford’s Publication Journey, another in the occasional series of guest posts by authors who reveal their journey to getting published.
Over to Tony:
From the moment you sit down to put those first words to paper, a writer will ponder, how do I get this published? There is a sense of achievement in completing a book and you can say you have done it purely for your own satisfaction. However, you’ll want people to read it, don’t you? That’s the whole point! Seeing your book sitting on a bookshop shelf, alongside all those famous names, it’s a big deal. Choke back those bad feelings of imposter syndrome, enjoy the moment, it’ll have been a long time coming!
How did it happen for me? Well first I had to write a book, or rather three books. As a first time author, who had never been to a creative writing class, had no contact with other authors, I never believed that I’d attract an agent, let alone a publisher. After some half-hearted efforts to query one or two agents I thought life was too short to wait three months before having to accept that silence signified a rejection. Agents tell aspiring authors they are besieged with manuscripts and far too busy to have the courtesy to send a one line email saying a script is not for them. Well, I decided early on, if that’s how it is, agents were not for me.
For someone as impatient as me, it seemed that self-publishing would be the best way to get my manuscript into the form of a book. Then at least I could say, I’d done it. This was all happening during the time of Covid. Living in Malta, with sick parents in the UK, meant I spent a lot of time in self-isolation and in quarantine at both ends of my frequent visits between the two countries. So, one book, featuring a hapless Maltese detective, Inspector George Zammit, quickly became a series of three. All the on-line marketeers suggested, in the crime genre, it’s always best to launch a series, rather than a stand-alone, as readers are more likely to commit to a series. There’s probably some truth in this.
Throughout the process I had the good sense to work with an editor, Lynn Curtis, who knocked the plots into shape and polished the prose. The best of her comments included: ‘This is all dragging on a bit.’ ‘What is the point of this chapter?’ ‘Rather than the girl next door, why not make this character a psychopathic killer?’ and ‘Is it still Wednesday, an awful lot has happened!’ As a new author I found her frank feedback invaluable! I was working with a cover designer and just about ready to self-publish, when Lynn said she had recommended me to Hobeck Books, an independent publisher of crime fiction, and suggested I contact them. Hobeck’s website said they were closed to submissions, but I nevertheless sent them the manuscript of the first book, Bodies in the Water.
I clearly remember pushing a trolley around the local supermarket and taking my phone out to check a shopping list, when I saw I’d received an email, from Adrian Hobart, one half of the couple who run Hobeck Books. It said they had considered the script and would like to work with me! I went straight to the wine section and bought an expensive bottle of Barolo in celebration! As the books had already been edited by Lynn, with whom they had worked on other projects, and the cover design concept had been agreed, it did not take long for Bodies in the Water to be published.
I live in Malta, a small island served by one distributor of books. Adrian and Rebecca at Hobeck managed to negotiate a deal with them that meant the Inspector George Zammit series is on shelves in bookshops and supermarkets across the island.
A publisher always sends a box of freshly printed books to the author to grace their bookshelf or to distribute to friends and family. Opening the box from Hobeck and seeing your book in print and encased in its glossy cover is a moment! It has been the same for each of my six books that Hobeck have published. I am so excited that I record the box opening ceremony and post it on my socials!
No one will love your book as much as you do. Friends and relatives will claim they’ve not got round to reading it yet, but they promise they will! Sons and daughters will find better things to do with their precious time. But then, if you’re lucky, you’ll see a stranger on a plane, on a bus, or on the beach and you’ll recognise that cover from a hundred meters away. They’ll be reading your book.
It's happened to me three times. I approach them and say:
“I wrote that book!” When they look at me askance, I say, “Check the photo on the back!”
That’s my Publication Journey!
About the Author
Tony Gartland (writing as AJ Aberford) has enjoyed a varied career, having been both a corporate and banking lawyer, owning and running a private investment company, and founding a leading Yorkshire craft brewery. Changing direction again, he is now a debut author of the Inspector George Zammit crime and thriller series. The Car Horn revolution is the sixth book in the series, after which the Zammit family will take a well-earned rest – for a while at least!
Tony still keeps his house in Yorkshire, but lives primarily in Malta, which is the inspiration for the Inspector George Zammit series. Upon moving there, he soon became enthralled by the culture and history of the island that acts as a bridge between Europe and North Africa
Malta’s position at the sharp end of the migrant crisis, as well as the rapid growth of its commercial and offshore-financial sectors, provide a rich backdrop for his writing. The culture, politics and geography of the southern Mediterranean continually throw up surprises in this fascinating part of the world. Nothing is ever what it seems, with the lines between right and wrong often blurred and twisted.
Tony lives with his wife, Janet, and has two grown-up sons, as well as grandchildren. He is a keen cook, an adventurous traveller, a cyclist and is currently writing a new series of mysteries set in his home county of Yorkshire.
Socials and links
All the books in the Inspector George Zammit series are available from Amazon in paperback and Kindle. They’re all free on Kindle Unlimited. They are also available in paperback from the publisher, Hobeck Books – check out their website! https://www.hobeck.net/
The first three books in the series are available on Kindle, as a box set, for only £3.99! https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CMPS9TXC
Book 1 in the series, BODIES IN THE WATER, is also available as an audiobook on Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/show/2zPQ27dQcCWbRAKOJaxloG?si=fhn8A8-6QKODz-q_LwTWTQ&nd=1&dlsi=b5fb959d62774380
Book 6 in the series, THE CAR HORN REVOLUTION, came out in October 2024. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DDHSWZKL
And finally, there is a prequel to the series – a short novella, set some years before the series begins – which is available to download free from Tony’s website: https://ajaberford.com/
Social Media
Tony says: I would love your readers to follow me on social media on any or all of the following:
X: @AJAberfordFacebook: AJ Aberford
Instagram: AJ Aberford
Threads : ajaberford
TiKTok: ajaberford109
I hope you enjoyed A.J. Aberford’s Publication Journey. Here are links to other authors who share their Publication Journey stories on this blog: