Copyright © Paul Feeney 2013 -
Frequently Asked Questions ARE YOUR BOOKS BASED ON PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OR RESEARCH? They are based on personal experiences and backed-up with research to check dates, names, and other factual material. ARE YOU PLANNING TO WRITE MORE CHILDHOOD BOOKS? At the moment, I have no plans to write any more 'childhood' books but should I do so in the future then any such book would have to be largely based on my own childhood experiences and memories of life in the 1950s and 1960s. I prefer to write from personal experiences rather than rely wholly on research. I feel it makes factual work more credible. ARE YOU PLANNING TO WRITE MORE HISTORY BOOKS? Yes, most likely based on post- World War Two British social history, or perhaps a biography. YOU ARE KNOWN FOR YOUR NON-FICTION SOCIAL HISTORY BESTSELLERS, HAVE YOU CONSIDERED WRITING A NOVEL? Watch this space. ANY ADVICE FOR ASPIRING NON-FICTION AUTHORS? From personal experience, my number one tip for aspiring non-fiction writers would be to choose your subject and book title well.
Before entering the world of publishing, I naively thought that all authors took pride in creating their own original work, but sadly this is not the case. Be aware that if your book is successful there will be unscrupulous authors and publishers looking to earn off the back of your success.
The subject of your original work might stimulate other credible authors, for genuine reasons, to write a book giving their own take on the subject, and I see nothing wrong with that. However, there are unscrupulous authors who will simply take your idea and look to publish a similarly titled book in the hope that it will pick up sales on the back of your book's success.
They may even use your original book as their main source of research for their similarly titled book.
Unfortunately, unless you are a well known author it is likely that the book's title will be uppermost in the book buyer's mind and not the author's name, which can result in the wrong book being bought.
So, my advice to any aspiring non-fiction author is to protect your work as best you can and don't rely on your publisher to do it for you. After all, it is your prized masterpiece. WHERE CAN I BUY YOUR BOOKS? They are available from all good bookshops and online booksellers including Amazon, Waterstones, Foyles, and W H Smith. They are also available from other book selling outlets such as visitor and tourist centres and garden centres. DO YOU USE SOCIAL MEDIA OR SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES? Only Twitter. You can connect to my Twitter account using the link at the top of this page, or search for @postwarhistory using the search box on your web browser. MEDIA AND RIGHTS ENQUIRIES Contact Publisher: The History Press, 97 St George's Place, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, GL50 3QB