Dylan Dronfield

I’m delighted that Britain’s leading crime reporter, Sky News’s Martin Brunt, has read Saturday Night Jack and has written this blog for me. Martin is a big fan of crime fiction and I’m delighted to say, is also a big fan of SNJ. Dylan Dronfield’s debut novel, Saturday Night Jack, is a gritty and grim crime story with a strong whiff of reality.

In the last few weeks I’ve talked to a lot of people from all walks of life about my book and there is one tricky area I come to each time – when do I first mention the dirty word? Mention it too early and some people lose interest; leave it too late and it’s like you’re hiding it; don’t mention it at all and you’re a fraud. So – when do you first say it? When do you first say “self-published”? I’ll be honest, I still feel a bit awkward about self-publishing. Why?

Ok, so I check my Amazon listing – a lot. Sometimes up to 10 times a day looking out for new reviews. I know it’s sad, but I’m really excited when I discover a new review has been posted. I hoover up every word and analyse carefully what’s been said. Can you blame me? After all, reading opinions about your work is one of the great bits of being a writer and the digital age makes it sooo easy.