Self-publishing: Making sure your book's a winner

Jason Mann’s self-published historical novel The Silver Tide has won Cornwall’s 2026 Holyer an Gof Award for General Fiction ahead of books from some of the largest publishers, including HarperCollins, Hodder & Stoughton, Head of Zeus and Bookouture. In the past three years, his ‘Wild Cornwall’ novels have won or been shortlisted in eight major awards in the UK and the United States. Here, the Devon journalist and RNLI volunteer, who writes as J.H. Mann, talks about how he got into self-publishing and how he ensures his books can compete with the best.

About seven years ago an event happened that changed my life. A major reorganisation by my employer of more than 20 years resulted in myself and many others being made redundant.
At the time it came as a real shock. When you’re tied to deadlines, early retirement sounds idyllic – until you begin wondering what you’ll do with the rest of your life.

As I took the train home from my last business meeting in London, I realised I needed something that would challenge me every bit as much as my work had done.

It didn’t take long to find an answer. Since childhood, when I devoured Enid Blyton’s adventure stories, I’d harboured a desire to become a novelist. Having spent my career as a journalist, I hoped I could tell stories readers would enjoy.

There was no question where my novels would be set – Cornwall’s wild north coast, steeped in myth and legend. I have strong family connections with the county. In fact, my dad was one of Cornwall’s early lifeguards.

And so, the journey began, full of a few successes and hundreds - and I mean many hundreds - of rejections.

Three years later, my first novel had won a couple of awards but been turned down by numerous publishers, many complimentary before ending with the familiar: ‘Regretfully, it does not fit with our current lists.’

The self-publishing route beckoned, full of possibilities, endless unknowns and the opportunity to get my stories out into the world. If I was going to self-publish, I wanted readers to judge the novels on their quality rather than how they had reached the shelves.

All my books are professionally edited, proofread and formatted by trusted freelancers. My covers are designed by a talented team in Lviv, Ukraine, recommended by fellow writers. They have done a wonderful job at a very reasonable price. In fact, the whole process of producing a book costs surprisingly little in pure monetary terms.

Research is essential, even in fiction. I spend weeks exploring each subject before I begin writing. My first novel, Hidden Depths, is a thriller centred on a long-distance swim between Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Only three people have ever completed the 28-mile swim solo, two of whom helped me with the novel.

The Echoing Shore and The Silver Tide, my second and third novels, were both inspired by true stories I heard while acting as a shore-based volunteer for the RNLI.

The research for The Silver Tide was particularly extensive, involving the RNLI Archive, the National Meteorological Library and Archive and the National Maritime Museum Cornwall.
It was inspired by the astonishing 19th-century story of Margaret Brown, a fisherman’s daughter who saw her father and three brothers killed in a summer storm before helping establish her community’s first lifeboat, never missing a launch for more than 50 years.

The Silver Tide was entered in the General Fiction category of Cornwall’s prestigious 2026 Holyer an Gof Awards, now in their 30th year. The shortlist included books from some of the largest publishers, so I was naturally delighted when my novel was named among the final five.

On awards night at Kresen Kernow, Cornwall’s archive centre in Redruth, I was completely taken aback when Cornwall’s Grand Bard, Jenefer Lowe, announced The Silver Tide as the winner.

Sales of my books have continued to grow, reaching nearly 30,000 paperback sales and ebook downloads. That’s small beer compared with the millions sold by bestselling authors, but the journey has brought an enormous sense of achievement.

Sometimes, though, the success of a novel is about more than numbers. As I left the ceremony, a librarian who had helped judge the awards stopped me in the car park simply to tell me how much she had enjoyed reading The Silver Tide.

Knowing that something you’ve written has touched the heart of a reader makes all those long hours at the keyboard worthwhile.

My fourth novel, House of Twisted Shadows, inspired by another remarkable true story, was published on July 24. My fifth, The Last Light, recently won the Ancient History category in the Historical Novel Society’s international First Chapters Competition against entries from 25 countries. Whether it ultimately finds a traditional publisher or becomes my next self-published novel remains to be seen, but it has already been an exciting stage in the journey.

My ‘Wild Cornwall’ novels are available from a variety of retailers, including Amazon. Find out more here: jhmannauthor.com

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