James Calbraith is a Poland-born Scottish writer of history-adjacent novels, coffee drinker, Steely Dan fan and avid traveller.
Growing up in communist Poland on a diet of powdered milk, “Lord of the Rings” and soviet science-fiction, he had his first story published at the ripe age of eight. After years of bouncing around Polish universities, he moved to London in 2007 and started writing in English. Now lives in Edinburgh, hoping for an independent Scotland.
His debut historical fantasy novel, “The Shadow of Black Wings“, has reached Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semi-finals in 2012. “The Year of the Dragon” saga sold over 30,000 copies worldwide.
His new historical fiction saga, “The Song of Ash” has been on top of Amazon’s Bestseller lists in UK for months.
Connect with James:
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Bookbub | Wattpad | Quora
Before you started writing your book, what kind of research did you do to prepare yourself to write it?
I bought several books on the subject of the Crusades and Venice in the Middle Ages. I went to Greece, to see the locations for myself. I use wikipedia a lot, but always check the primary sources if there's any doubt.
Did you pursue publishers or did you opt to self-pub?
I always self-pub. I like the control it gives me.
If self-published, did you hire someone to format the ebook version for you or did you do it yourself? Can you tell us what that was like?
I use Amazon's Kindle Create for ebook formatting. Now that it can also export to epubs it replaced Calibre as my go-to tool for ebook creation.
If self-published, how did you determine the price?
From experience - this is my 18th published novel. I change the prices often, for promotions and to keep up with the changing trends.
Did you write your book, then revise or revise as you went?
I write in consecutive drafts, revising the whole thing all over again every time. These days I'm done after about 4-5 drafts.
What’s your opinion on giving your book away to sell other copies of your book?
One thing I steer clear of is paying for reviews on blogs. That just feels like throwing money down the drain, especially if you're not a well-known author. I'd much rather focus on building genuine connections and letting the quality of my work speak for itself.
Do you have a long term plan with your book?
This is book one of a trilogy - I'm hoping to release the second book before the end of this year, and the third one next year.
Inside the Book
Title: The Flying Barons of Negriponte (The Aether Empire Book 1)
Author: James Calbraith
Publication Date: September 20, 2023
Pages: 134
Genre: Historical Fantasy/Candlepunk
They killed her father. They took her ship. But nothing will stop Ikaria's vengeance.
Forty years since Constantinople fell to the Venetian flying citadels, high-altitude Aether racing is the favoured pastime of bored, wealthy Latin nobles. Ikaria, proud daughter of a legendary Aether engineer and one of the best racing pilots in the Aegean, is determined to uncover the truth behind her father's mysterious disappearance at the end of the last Grande Regatta of Negriponte.
Driven by the thirst of vengeance and pursuit of engineering excellence in equal measures, Ikaria vows to win the next Regatta herself - and to find out what really happened to her father. But there's a catch: a new Imperial edict bars her, and anyone not of noble blood, from taking part in Aether races. To her rescue comes Sire Mikhael of Chiarenza - an enigmatic handsome young Greek turncoat in the service of new Latin masters. His motivations unclear, the source of his funds and supplies a secret, Ikaria nonetheless agrees to accept his help: together, they set out to challenge the supremacy of the six Hexarchs, the infamous Flying Barons of Negriponte.
Pick up your copy of The Flying Barons of Negriponte at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJKXXQB1 .