How did the idea of writing a novel develop for you – did you always know that you wanted to write?
I had never even thought about writing a book. One night I was so angry about an outcome for a case, and I started writing down my feelings and it felt rather therapeutic. I started off running several stories all at once. I had to start the whole process again, and make it very simplistic.
Can you tell me about your writing/ creative process?
I was reined in by my friend, who had read English at Cambridge and taught English at University level. He was retired and acted as my editor. He knew just how far to push each story. All the time he told me to “hold the readers hand.” He didn’t want any complexity to it. Sometimes, I didn’t know when to stop. My ideas were coming through thick and fast and I could have done with attending a creative writing programme. But I just wanted to get the book finished and had so much material that I never faced writers block. The opposite - I had too much information to put in.
Did you purposely alter information to protect your anonymity? As it's the biggest thing I worry about in writing a book, that people are identified.
Every single word in the book was fiction. Some characters were created from many that I had come across. I used general themes that some social workers I came across seemed to live rather isolated private lives. Some struggled with their own demons. Yes I was very anxious that I should not be identified. Even now, social workers following and contributing on my Facebook page have been approached asking if the book is about a certain authority. One team leader took it a step further and worked out what period this individual had worked there. She stated that she had recognised herself and that the dates hadn’t matched! That was interesting considering all the cases and characters were made up and the team was set in a fictitious small northern town.
How did you format your book for publishing?
I had no idea how to format it and had to use an independent typesetting company to produce the book for Amazon. I also paid to have it copy edited for a second time.
I understand that you self-published. Can you tell us a bit about how that process worked for you, and what people can expect from self-publishing?
Self publishing is extremely difficult. My topic is niche and I received many sales from my social media pages. It has been impossible to get a publisher because they are saying that due to me being anonymous, this would hinder sales. Authors are getting out there, doing book signings etc. I can’t show my face or use my voice. I pulled out of a podcast, despite the fact that the interviewer had changed my voice.
Do you have plans to write more in future, and if so, are you able to tell us about any future projects?
My sequel was going to be nonfiction - the truth. But a publisher needs to take this on as I can’t risk one single word being published without a lawyer checking it. I have also been hindered by providing the Facebook page, using social workers to respond anonymously to questions. I hate the way that most people receive a substandard service from social services. I hate how children in care are treated by their so called “corporate parents”. I have become an advocate for some, and this has distracted me from getting further on in my sequel.
What are your top tips for any budding writers who are reading this?
I have been very lucky. I have heard that most authors sell between 20 and 200 copies. Only my very inner circle know the title of this book. So I haven’t made sales from friends and family. It has been a very healing and absorbing process. A cosy way to spend a winter evening - but you have to see it through. I did not do English A level. I studied social work, not creative writing. I read but not excessively, mainly on holiday.
The odds were that I would not have been able to produce a book that has sold very well in a short space of time. I certainly couldn’t have written it without Dominic, my editor. He got me focussed. It’s quite an obsessive project. I love the feedback from readers, but you have to develop a thick skin. Social workers have written fake unverified reviews to try and ruin my ratings.
My top tips...well, I haven’t paid for any advertising so I don’t know if that would have been successful. I would say that personal recommendation of a book is probably the best. Another tip, It took about a year to get the book finished, but two further years to tweak it. That bit was very frustrating and seemed never ending. If you self publish, then you are working very much on your own, and every time I looked at the draft, I knew with some work, it could be better. Eventually you realise that you have to let it go.
One issue I have is that I have to be grabbed by the very first page. After two or three paragraphs, I give up on a book. I know what books I like reading. I know that if I am having to learn about lots of characters on the first page, it feels like too much hard work.
I am really not an expert at all. Just an ex social worker who came across many horrendous situations and tried to heal from what I saw.
Memoirs of the Secret Social Worker is available on Amazon
You can follow the Secret Social Worker on Twitter
Coming soon: a review of Memoirs of The Secret Social Worker by Annie Hope. Watch this space!
My name is Annie Hope. I am a writer with lived experience as a family member of someone who had the Knock. I am a professional writer, and I am able to work with your organisation, charity or with you as an individual in a variety of different ways. Please have a look at my website to find out more.
I also run a free writing group for family members of those who are convicted of sexual offences. You can find out more about the group here. You can find blog posts with free advice about writing and helpful tips in my main blog index here.
You can contact me by email anniehopewriter@gmail.com
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