Mike Gayle: Being a "real life" author is nothing like you would imagine

Apr 4 2008 by Laura Davis, Liverpool Daily Post

AUTHORS. They all talk in posh accents and, when not scribbling away in their icy garrets, are busy attending exclusive literary lunches, Mike Gayle mused as he tackled his first novel.

Snapped up with a speed more associated with panthers than usually plodding publishers, My Legendary Girlfriend – chick lit for blokes – was soon on the bestsellers list and Mike joined the chosen few.

"By a quirk of fate I found I was writing the kind of thing that publishers wanted at that time. Had I been writing a few years earlier or even a few years later I would probably have found it quite difficult," he says.

"One of the tips I tell people who want to be published is to look at the market and see exactly what publishers are buying."

The down-to-earth writer from Birmingham is nothing like the authors he imagined before he had ever met a real life one, as those attending the Wirral Book Festival next week will find out.

He will be appearing alongside Romantic Novel Award winner Jojo Moyes and international bestselling writer Jenny Colgan, who he describes as "great friends" of his.

"If people will buy our books all round the country then we should be going out and meeting people all round the country too," says the former NME journalist and Just 17 agony aunt.

"I don’t think people view us as being celebrities, I think it’s more that they find the whole concept of creating a story quite interesting.

"The nice thing is, with the growth of book groups and the whole Richard and Judy thing, people are so much more into books now, not just to get the story out of them but also to find the story behind the story.

"I think people feel that meeting an author will inspire them to pick up a pen and have a go."

Gayle has written seven novels and the paperback edition of his most recent, Wish You Were Here, about a lads holiday in Greece, will be released in July.

Being a "real life" author is nothing like he imagined, he reveals.

"There’s a lot of being slumped in front of your computer, tearing your hair out, not quite knowing what to do next.

"When I first started out writing I thought the thing to do was to treat it like a full time job, so I attempted to sit at my desk from nine to five but invariably what happened was that somewhere around 11.30 I’d find myself trying to overcome the urge to go and make a cup of tea.

"I don’t even drink tea – I just wanted an excuse to leave my office and go and do something else. These days I think the important thing is the quality of writing rather than the quantity of time you spend doing it."

Earlier in his career he admits introducing himself to strangers he saw reading one of his books, but now restrains himself because "it’s far too embarrassing for everyone involved". His characters have also matured since he was given his first publishing contract 10 years ago.

"My first protagonist was 27 and my current ones are in their mid-30s and are experiencing different things. My Legendary Girlfriend was about trying to get over your ex and the books I’m writing now are about trying to my long-term relationship work."

Gayle, who grew up on Just William and Adrian Mole, believes the first stage in becoming an author is to read as many other people’s books as you can. Many of his own ideas for novels come from reading newspapers and magazines, but he also takes inspiration from his friends’ lives.

"My best ideas usually come when I’m stuck on the current idea and I need some form of escape. By the time I’ve finished messing about with that I realise how to deal with the problem I’ve got with the current novel.

"Also I’ve got a group of friends who I meet once a week on a Sunday night and they’re all in their early to mid-30s and they’re my real inspiration. Between us there are marriages and divorce and girlfriends... there are enough stories amongst the group to keep me going for the next decade."

"I like to write the sort of book that I want to read and just hope there are enough people out there who feel the same way," he adds. "I’ve had emails from people in their 80s and in their early teens so I must be doing something right."

Although sales alone should be enough to convince Gayle he’s on the right track, he says this is nothing compared to stumbling upon someone reading one of his novels.

"That’s the biggest compliment you could have, that someone will walk into a bookshop and hand over £6.99 in order to read something that came out of your head."

* Mike Gayle is appearing at a Meet the Authors event at Bromborough Civic Centre, 7.30-9pm on Monday. Book tickets, £3 including wine, from 0151 334 1650. Further details on the Wirral Book Festival at www.wirral.gov.uk/bookfest

lauradavis@dailypost.co.uk