I decided to write a book and an album of songs simultaneously.
I suppose the question is, WHY? All I can say is that it seemed like a great idea at the time.
I’d started writing my fifth novel, Future Proof, and the main female character, Luci, is very musical. I thought, wouldn’t writing some songs for her to sing in the book be a brilliant idea? Up until then, in terms of music, I had played guitar in front of maybe twenty drunk people on a work outing. But I wasn’t about to let that particular truth derail me.
I reasoned how hard can it be? I did a search for others who had gone down this road before me. It turned out to be a road not well-travelled, or maybe no road at all would be a better description.
Did that put me off? Of course not.
I put pen to paper or curser to screen on November 21, 2021. I discussed the idea with my editor at Harper Collins. She was very supportive, but I still hadn’t delivered the manuscript for my romantic comedy Quiet Kisses (I still haven’t). So she was unlikely to get the corporate chequebook out for this flight of fancy.
That made my decision to fly solo easier. Future Proof would be my first foray into the world of independent publishing. Just to add to the learning curve, which was already spiralling upwards out of sight at that point.
The next step
I took stock. I had a half-written manuscript and four song titles, so I set about stringing together some ideas on my guitar and piano and realised very quickly that I didn’t want to sing (I don’t like the sound of my own voice despite what my wife might tell you) and besides, Luci is a girl. I can’t sing like a girl.
Problem 1
I knew nothing about music production. I didn’t think strumming my guitar and burbling into an iPhone Voice Memo would quite cut it somehow. Hiring a group of musicians and a recording studio wasn’t an option, as I had no money.
After some head scratching, some of it quite literal as my daughters had recently come from school with a head-lice infestation, I discovered the wonder of DAWS. (Digital Audio Workstations). Essentially, it is a recording studio on your desktop. I was never one to do things by halves, so I enrolled on a free music production course with the London Guildhall.
One of the weird things about music recording is it has its own language with terms like envelopes, buses, headroom and plug-ins none of which bear any resemblance to their real-world meanings. Most disconcerting for a writer.
My early efforts produced little more than a distorted mess. But eventually, I got the hang of it all. For one of my very early efforts, I drafted in my daughters (aged 11 & 9) and, using their vocals, wrote a song called – “I Like Pizza” – with the immortal lyric – “I like Pizza, I like Pizza – I buy lots of them and keep them in the Freeza.” I wrote about 100 songs across 12 months. Only eight made it onto the album.
Problem 2
I needed to find a female vocalist. I don’t know where female vocalists hung out. Certainly, I couldn’t find any in Aldi’s or Iceland.
Google suggested some musical collaboration websites. I posted a rough version of two of my songs on there, and my inbox was inundated with vocalists singing along to my compositions.
Early listens almost had me running back to the supermarket, but I found some gems eventually. My favourite is the wonderful Luci Riva from Argentina. I remember listening to the first proper recording she sent back to me. Blown away does not justify what came at me through the headphones.
I even changed the name of my female lead character in her honour! Aww.
Publishing the book
Having devoted so much time to the music, I’d neglected the book and ploughed whatever free time I had to ensure the words would be worthy of the music or vice versa. I then set up my own little publishing company, Collective Charm Books and a record label, Collective Charm Records, and off I went. The album is also called, rather unimaginatively, Future Proof, using the stage name (not that I’m on any stage) of Memerine, an anagram of my daughter’s names.
I found the editing process less daunting than I anticipated because I have helped other writers with their manuscripts over the years and, as a by-product, have learned to edit, proofread, and critique. This is less easy on your own work, but it is still possible. I also have a wonderful Beta reader who helped me immensely early on.
The outcome
I released the album and the book on the same day: January 16, 2023. The book (at the time of writing) has won the Page Turner Genre Award and racked up over 540 ratings, most of them 4 & 5 stars, which is heartening. The songs have received over 10k streams (not exactly in Dua Lipa territory), but that was never the point.
Neither the book nor the album will make me rich, but that was never the intention. What I loved was creating something unique. I aimed to do everything myself, which I achieved.
Also, one of my other goals was to do it all for as little as possible. Overall, I spent £80 on everything to do with the project, which I think is remarkable.
About the author
David Atkinson is the author of five novels to date. Love Byte was shortlisted for Rom-Com of the Year by the Romantic Novelist Association. He lives in Edinburgh with his wife, two daughters and a dog called Bea.
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