B J Toniolo is the author of Here’s to Sweet Revenge, a ‘stunning tale of love, lust, greed, evil and revenge’ published with hybrid publishers Shawline Publishing. Toniolo spoke to Independent Publishing about the inspiration behind his debut novel, his experience working with Shawline, and his advice for other first-time authors.
Please tell us what your book Here’s to Sweet Revenge is about, and some of your inspirations for writing it.
Here’s to Sweet Revenge is the story of Jack Newton, a man who lives a seemingly wonderful life in Melbourne with his wife and baby daughter. This is until one day, when cracks begin to appear after a series of events, and the world that he thought was perfect comes crashing down around him. When certain news comes to light, he decides to seek revenge on the people who were responsible for the almighty downfall of his life.
The inspiration for the story came from an album cover for ‘Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge’ by My Chemical Romance. The cover has two people staring lovingly into each other’s eyes, splattered in blood. It made me wonder, what could make good people do bad things? From there, the idea was born. It lived in my head for a while, before I finally had time to write it. Then after I begun, it took on a life of its own and morphed into the finished product.
Please tell us a little bit about yourself and what your background is with writing.
The written word has always been a passion of mine. Back in school days, I used to love creative writing, which developed into a love of writing poetry and reading in adulthood. I had always wanted to write a novel, but never had the time, with work and life getting in the way. So, when I finally found a stretch of uninterrupted time to make a serious attempt, I took it and wrote the story that had lived in my head for a long while.
What did you hope to achieve by publishing your book and have you been successful at reaching this so far?
Getting published was the initial goal, with no expectations after that. So, when the news came through that I had been accepted to be published, I had to set new goals. My current goal would be to make this book as successful as possible, and reach as many people as I can. I want people to love the book as much as I do. I suppose, the ultimate goal would be to make this my sole profession and have a few books published. That would be the dream, but I am pragmatic also, so I can settle for a lucrative hobby if that’s all that eventuates.
Can you tell us about your experience with Shawline, why you decided to get with them, and what other services you used in the process of publishing your book?
Shawline were great and made the process easy. It wasn’t that I decided to go with them per se; I submitted to a few publishers unsuccessfully before Shawline. Despite denials, I knew that my manuscript was good enough to be published, so I kept submitting to various publishers and luckily Shawline came to the party. They provided everything, including a great editor; the only thing that I utilised myself was a graphic designer friend of mine. He drew the illustration for the front cover and did an absolutely amazing job. (Thank you, Nicholas Winter.)
Where have you been selling your book, and how else have you approached the marketing and publicity of your book?
The book has been sold online mostly, apart from family and friends buying from me directly. I have approached a few bookshops around my local area in Melbourne, who have started to stock it, which is really exciting. (Can’t beat a good bookshop!) Marketing has been mainly through social media, which has been a fun process to learn as I go. My girlfriend is in marketing, so she’s been a great help so far.
What would you have done differently in publishing your book if you were to have your time again? Do you have plans to write and publish more books in the same way?
I wouldn’t do too much differently to be honest. I think I’d allow more people to read the manuscript and provide feedback before I submitted to publishers. I have had a few friends read my book who provided great additions or plot points, which I hadn’t thought of and would’ve been great to use. I have plans to write and publish more books for sure. I am in the middle of another manuscript currently, and have a great idea for my next story already.
What advice would you share to someone looking to publish their first book?
Be patient, persistent and confident in your work! I submitted to a few publishers and got knocked back before I was accepted. But with every rejection, I refused to become despondent because I was confident in my writing ability and the quality of my work. Reading is subjective, and I knew all it would take would be for one reader to connect with my manuscript. Overall, just enjoy the process. If it doesn’t get published, at the very least, you are producing something that is important to you and the feeling of accomplishment is amazing when you finish.
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