Michael Robotham – Ray Bradbury and Empty Cradles led to Writing Success
It has been said there are as many ways to become a writer as there are writers. Michael Robotham is an internationally successful crime writer, but some of his earliest writing was as a ghostwriter. His first ghostwritten work was “Empty Cradles”, a book which recently received renewed publicity because it has just been made into the movie “Oranges and Sunshine” starring Emily Watson, David Wenham and Hugo Weaving.
Darrell - What made you become a writer?
Michael - When I was very young, I lived in small country towns in Australia and went to a little Catholic primary school. I used to sneak into the back storeroom and steal those small green-covered exercise books and imagine I was going to write something amazing.
The blank page kept me spellbound. Of course, I was never happy with the words I wrote. I felt as though I had spoiled the pages. I would have to start again.
When I was in my mid-teens I devoured Ray Bradbury’s novels and short story collections books like FAHRENHEIT 451 and THE ILLUSTRATED MAN. Not all of his titles were available in Australia, so I wrote a letter addressed to a publishing house in the US. Months later a parcel arrived in the post. It contained all the books that I hadn’t been able to get in Australia, as well as a handwritten letter from Bradbury himself, saying how thrilled he was to have a young fan on the far side of the world.
I became a writer because of Ray Bradbury.
Darrell - I understand you've ghostwritten some autobiographies for some very well known people. How did you get into that line of work?
Michael - I was working as a feature writer for The Mail on Sunday newspaper in the UK when I met and commissioned someone to write a piece and discovered that he was a ghostwriter. I was fascinated with the process that he went through and how he captured the voice of a subject.
Through him I met a literary agent and mentioned that I was interested in ghosting. It wasn’t until I quit journalism that I had the time to accept any projects. And those early books weren’t for big names. Unknown ghostwriters don’t get offered big books. You have to gain a reputation by tackling smaller projects and doing them well.
My first book was Empty Cradles by Margaret Humphries the story of how she uncovered the child migrant scandal. It has just been made into a film called Oranges and Sunshine.
Darrell - I believe you write about 500-1000 words a day. Do you ever get writer's block or do you just 'power' through?
Michael - I don’t plot my books in advance, which makes the writing process very organic and exciting, but also quite scary. It’s like being an acrobat on a hire wire, working without a net. Sometimes this means I make mistakes. In the past I’ve had to ditch novels after 30,000 words because I wrote myself off a cliff and couldn’t see a way back.
As for writer’s block there are days when writing seems very easy and flows. Others it is like wading through treacle and every sentence is a chore. On the very worst days when you realise that you have to ditch weeks of work it is a terrible feeling. Imagine a computer crashing and wiping out an assignment then multiply this by ten or a hundred.
Darrell - What is the best way for a writer to market themselves i.e. Facebook, signings at bookshops etc?
Michael - The best way for a writer to market himself or herself is to write the best damn book possible. Write your socks off and then find an agent, who will hopefully find a publisher and so on. I see too many writers, who spend too much time worrying about marketing and not enough time writing.
Marketing is important, of course. I have a website and a Facebook page and I try to keep readers up to date on where I’m appearing and when books are coming out. Some writers are very successful bloggers but I feel as though I’ve got nothing to blog about unless I have a new book in the offing.
My most successful marketing tool has been appearances. I have always done a lot of travelling, giving talks in libraries and book shops. Through journalism and ghostwriting I have a wealth of funny anecdotes and stories I can tell. I don’t sell my books, I sell myself. If people have been entertained and intrigued if they’ve made a personal connection they’re more likely to pick up the book.
Darrell - You started out in the era of printed books, but you seem to have embraced Kindle ebooks with no problem. In what way has this been a successful move for you?
Michael - I don’t know if I would say that I’ve embraced Kindle. It’s simply another format just like hardback, paperback and audio books. With more and more people buying e-readers and purchasing their books digitally, it is a commercial imperative to cater for them.
I do feel sorry, however, when I imagine the next generation of writers who may never hold a physical version of their book in their hands or see it on the shelves of a bookshop.
Darrell - What advice would you have for a writer about to publish their first novel?
Michael - Finish your second one.
You may be one of those very lucky writers, a shooting star that blazes a trail with your debut. More realistically, you should hope to sell a reasonable number, impressing your publisher on the upside. Work hard on marketing and promoting, but not to the detriment of the writing. Show your publishers that you’re in this for the long haul. You’re not just a one-book wonder. You’re a career writer. A professional.
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