Features
34 Attempts at Success: Author Bryce Thomas on Why He Never Gave Up
March 28, 2012 Nicola  |
Bryce Thomas’s book Rhamin has been on the best sellers list in Wales, so we went to him for advice.
Bryce Thomas, a renowned writer from Llanelli, published his successful work Rhamin in June 2010 and it even featured in the top 10 bestsellers listed by the Welsh Books Council.
Described by fans as an addictive read, and “a book they simply couldn’t put down”, Bryce Thomas’s well deserved new found fame provides hope for writers and authors who, like him, have had their work rejected.
His inspiration for his novel began when he was a young boy: “I was told a story when I was a little boy by a cousin from America, who I had never seen before or since, of a wolf that had stolen a puppy and raised it as a wolf, and a year later the puppy had been seen running with a small pack of wolves. The idea had always been in my head.
“I had written short stories for years, but I never got anywhere with them. Then in 2005 I was softly retiring and still had no success with my short stories so my daughter suggested writing about something I knew. So I wrote about wolves. It only took me six to eight weeks to write; it all came out of my head and with the help of my wife, we edited it to make it readable.”
Some authors have a phase where they struggle to put their ideas onto a page, but thanks to his relative’s vivid tale as a child, Bryce found it easy to write his first draft. “I knew where it started and where it finished. I knew where I was heading. After finishing my final chapters my wife and I cut it down to get the overall picture of the story,” he explained.
“I find when I get a story in my head my words flow. I was writing a chapter every night. After, it takes a long time to steadily write, and so redrafts and edits are a must. My wife read it out loud and then I’d go to the computer and make each sentence fit and make sense. We’re a team.”
Writing has always been Bryce’s passion and he has written regularly for nearly 30 years. “In 1986 I bought my first word processer. I started to put everything down that was in my head. It was an Apricot computer that at the time cost £3000 with a printer and a 10MB,” he laughs. “It got me into writing. I learnt how to type and began to write all sorts of things, some were quite good and some,” he chuckles, “were quite rubbish.”
Bryce admits that he does occasionally revisit some of his old stories but at the moment he is concentrating on a sequel to Rhamin called Blue Tooth.
However, getting Rhamin published was far from easy and Bryce confesses that he reached the point where he considered quitting. At one point, he received interest from one publishing company who claimed they would be keen to represent him if he cut his novel down. “So once again I re-wrote the story cutting it down in size and completely re-writing each chapter. That took a year or so and my wife read the story aloud time after time while I re-edited each and every sentence. However, when I re-submitted the novel to that agent I could not get any response, not even a rejection letter. But I was glad of their help at the time. Rhamin is a better book for it.”
Even when he felt like giving up, Bryce’s wife never lost faith in his work. She was proved right when after the 34th attempt, Thomas Hamilton & Co Publishers showed interest in the book and signed him.
“When I got my book published, I thought, great!” chortles Bryce. But he admits he did not realise how the system worked within the publishing business.
He revealed that big publishers work in conjunction with brands like WHSmith and Waterstones. They pay the shop to have their books ranged in the top 100, meaning that often the best sellers are in the ‘3 for 2’ offers. The stores, therefore, are told by the big publishing houses what is best seller and what isn’t. Furthermore, Bryce claims that the publishers organise for these books to be placed in more prominent positions within the stores to attract more attention. Small publishing companies, however, cannot compete with these tactics. “It is very uneven competition,” he remarks.
So, with the aid of Thomas Hamilton & Co, Bryce did lots of book signings, and press interviews to get his name known.
“It was important to get out there,” he says.
Bryce believes his novel has been such a success because it is different and “slightly paranormal.
“It’s important not to jump on the bandwagon. Publishers will pick celebrities and popular authors unless the work you produce is completely different. People want to read different. They want excitement; they want to read a page turner!”
His advice to writers and authors is to be persistent.
“If you don’t succeed go out and be persistent. That’s what I did with Rhamin. Persist and someone will publish your work!”
To find out more about Bryce’s work, visit http://www.brycethomas.co.uk.
By Kate Wilson
[Image courtesy of Bryce Thomas]
