Pete May interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

I’m the author of 16 non-fiction books and as a journalist I have contributed to the likes of the Guardian, Independent, Time Out and New Statesman. I live in London with my wife Nicola, two peripatetic daughters and a border terrier named Vulcan.

When did your love of books begin?

Doing English Literature in the sixth form at school. A combination of The Prelude by Wordsworth, The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce had me hooked.

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

The ambition was always there, though it seemed an impossible dream. After getting a degree in English, writing fanzines in the 1980s and then becoming a journalist it started to seem more possible.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

Journalism was useful in learning how not to waste words and it helped to be able to point to articles published in the likes of the Guardian. Agents are very choosy about who they take on and I’ve only ever had one get me a contract, the other books have been from me approaching publishers directly. The Society of Authors is good for checking contracts. Expect to do most of the marketing yourself unless you are a big name. One frustrating thing is that editors and publishers change jobs all the time so it’s difficult to form long-term relationships with them.

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

Show perseverance and get used to rejection. Write about something that fires you up. And don’t be told you’re not a writer. Publishing is driven by fads and a desire for young debut writers. If you write then you are a writer.

Tell us about your book/books:

I’ve been lucky enough to write books about various obsessions. Four books on West Ham including Goodbye to Boleyn and Hammers in the Heart, Man About Tarn on the Lake District, There’s a Hippo in my Cistern about my misadventures on the eco-frontline, Whovian Dad on Doctor Who, The Joy of Essex on the county where I grew up, Sunday Muddy Sunday on Sunday league football and The Lad Done Bad on footballers behaving badly. My latest book is What Are Words Worth? is the diary of a midlist writer misfiring in the gig economy. 

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

Sitting in cafes and complaining about our low incomes!

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

Thank you, hopefully I’ve given you all a few laughs while toiling at the typeface.

Where can people connect with you?

@PeteMay3 on twitter, @petemaywriter on Facebook, petemaywriter on Instagram. My website is petemay.org.uk.