My proof copy of Oak and Mist – each sticky note marks a correction!

So here’s something interesting. The paperback version of Oak and Mist is outselling the e-book version by more than two-to-one.

When I published, it was very important to me to have a paperback version of the book, as I personally feel that there is a wonderful permanence to being able to hold a book in your hand. To be able to mark the pages, flip back to bits you want to re-read, get those white creases down the spine that show a book has been read again and again. For this is how I read. I have a bookcase filled with books I love, books I go back to over and over, even though I know how the story ends. I just enjoy being able, for a little while, to step back into a world familiar and strange all at the same time. And I find that when I do, even if it’s a story I’ve read several times, there are still passages that are fresh to me, things I hadn’t noticed the last time around.

A small section of my home library 🙂 Those books are stacked two deep.

I had a friend who, once she had read a book, got rid of it. Her feeling was that, once she had read it, she didn’t need to do so again. I can see her point but cannot relate in the slightest. Perhaps it is a skill we need to have as writers, the ability to go back to a story. For that is what we have to do each time we edit. We have to revisit our work and read it with fresh eyes and an open mind. If we’re lucky, we will love what we read and it will be a pleasure to go back over it again and again.

I love the thought that my book is out there in the world, being shelved in bookcases across the globe, read and hopefully re-read. A regional library has also ordered some copies, which is a huge thrill (I love libraries) – this wouldn’t have been possible had I only published as an e-book.

To fellow writers out there, have you found this to be the case for your own work? And what about my fellow readers – which format do you prefer? I do have a Kindle and enjoy the convenience of it, especially when travelling, but it seems the humble paperback is still preferred by many (including me, if I’m honest).

And thank you to everyone who has bought a copy of Oak and Mist, whether digital or paperback – I hope you’re enjoying the read xx