Proof of life after newspapers – former editor publishes 5 books in just one year

A FORMER weekly newspaper editor has just edited and published his FIFTH paperback book in the past year.

Multi award-winning editor and writer Nic Outterside quit his 28 year career in newspaper and magazine journalism following a nervous breakdown in June 2013.

He began the slow road to recovery under the watchful eyes of his doctor. Part of the suggested therapy was for him to begin writing about the life experiences which had led to his breakdown. He did a lot of this through poetry.

His first paperback book The Hill – Songs and Poems of Darkness and Light, was published in November 2014. It was met with international orders and the first edition has almost sold out.

Nic spent the next three years writing for himself and doing PR and subbing work for online clients.

Then a chance meeting with a young Indian author from the Himalayas set in train an express of book publishing.

“In November 2017 I was approached by a 25-year-old writer from Almora in Northern India, who asked if I could edit her first novel,” he explains.

“I agreed, but the problem was she wanted it ready to publish in just five weeks… and she hadn’t even written the first word!

“It was at times hectic – communicating endlessly through emails and Skype calls – but we managed to publish Gauri – A Sin Between My Legs on time, on 9 January last year.”

The publication set in motion a chain of more contacts and other book projects from Nic’s small office in Wolverhampton.

Over the next 12 months Nic edited and published in paperback and Kindle e-book: Luminance – Words for a World Gone Wrong – an anthology of international poetry by 14 writers from as far afield as Australia, Japan, Palestine and the USA, and Asian Voices – an anthology of essays, letters and poetry by 20 writers from India, Pakistan and Afghanistan – both books have been met with widespread critical acclaim.
Nic also found time to write, edit and publish his second book of songs and poems called Another Hill, plus a homage to his musical hero Bob Dylan entitled Blood in the Cracks.
He is currently working on a seventh book, with a working title of Death in Grimsby – a collection of short stories about following his home town football club Brighton and Hove Albion over 50 years. It is set for publication in May this year.

Further titles are scheduled for later in 2019 and 2020.

“I enjoyed a fabulous career in newspaper and magazine journalism,” says Nic.

“And along the way also edited all kinds of publications, including leaflets, brochures and football programmes.

“But, book publishing was a whole other world and I had to teach myself as I went along; especially with things like pagination and measuring the correct size margins and gutters for large format paperbacks. I am also lucky that my partner is a superb proof reader

“Now I am getting as much fun out of books as I did with newspapers or magazines.”

The books are available from:

Gauri – a Sin Between My Legs

Kindle e-book – £2.21

www.amazon.co.uk/GAURI-SIN-BETWEEN-MY-LEGS-ebook/dp/B078XMK42N/

Blood in the Cracks

43 page slim-line paperback – £3.99

www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Cracks-Nic-Outterside/dp/1794666001/

Luminance – words for a world gone wrong

123 page large format paperback – £7.50

www.amazon.co.uk/LUMINANCE-Words-World-Gone-Wrong/dp/1796270032/

Asian Voices

240 page large format paperback – £6.99

www.amazon.co.uk/Asian-Voices-anthology-Pakistan-Afghanistan/dp/1795571217/

The Hill – Songs and Poems of Darkness and Light

100 page paperback – £1.99

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Hill-Songs-and-Poems-of-Darkness-and-Light-Nic-Outterside-Paperback/223163293082

Another Hill – Songs and Poems of Love and Theft

134 page large format paperback – £6.99

www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Hill-Songs-Poems-Theft/dp/1796807575/

Poetic homage to the greatest LP of all- time now available in paperback

A POPULAR poetic homage to Nobel prize-winning songwriter Bob Dylan is now published worldwide in a slim-line paperback.

Blood in the Cracks by award winning writer Nic Outterside was first released as a Kindle e-book last September, to rave reviews.

The book tips its hat both lyrically and stylistically to Dylan’s critically acclaimed album Blood on the Tracks – originally released in 1975.

Nic describes his own work as a “lifetime labour of love”.

“It’s almost a journey’s end,” he says. “The works of Bob Dylan are the soundtrack to my life.

“I was a mere teenager when I first discovered his music, his words of truthful vengeance and his vignettes of love and theft.

“For me Blood on the Tracks, remains a lyrical and poetic touchstone. And my soul is forever wrapped within its entire 51 minutes and 42 seconds.

“Overtly autobiographical, the LP is full of tales of a lover relating a series of unrelated events, set in a mythical America. Like a series of impressionist paintings of life the tales are without geographical or chronological boundaries.

“Over 10 iconic songs, Dylan alludes to heartache, deception, anger, regret and loneliness. It’s a world-weary, nostalgic and ultimately a poetic Bob Dylan; and that is what makes Blood on the Tracks so timeless.

“The poetry is in each and every song,” adds Nic.

“So to create my own poetical homage to that album – in places borrowing the patterns of some of Dylan’s songs – is a true labour of love and a dream come true.”

Blood in the Cracks is now available worldwide in paperback at just £3.99.

United Kingdom: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1794666001/

Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1794666001/

Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/1794666001/

France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/1794666001/

Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/1794666001/

Rest of the world: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1794666001/

It is also still available on Amazon Kindle e-book at just £1.70

www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Cracks-Nic-Outterside-ebook/dp/B07H4S3DSM

Notes:

1. Nic is an award-winning editor, journalist and writer. Among more than a dozen awards to his name are North of England Daily Journalist of the Year, Scottish Daily Journalist of the Year and Scottish Weekly Journalist of the Year. In 2016 he was awarded an honorary doctorate in written journalism.
2. You can buy Nic’s first poetry book The Hill – Songs and Poems of Darkness and Light on Amazon Kindle, priced at just £1.43 at: www.amazon.co.uk/Hill-Songs-Poems-Darkness-Light-ebook/dp/B07CNZ75MZ
3. You can still buy the First Edition paperback The Hill – Songs and Poems of Darkness and Light at £1.99 with £1.80 for UK post and packing via Ebay at: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Hill-Songs-and-Poems-of-Darkness-and-Light-Nic-Outterside-Paperback/223163293082?hash=item33f5919d9a:g:3O0AAOSwdjha6DvY:rk:1:pf:1
4. Nic’s second book: Another Hill – Songs and Poems of Love and Theft is priced at £2.20 on Amazon Kindle at: www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Hill-Songs-Poems-Theft-ebook/dp/B07CXYJTV4/
5. The full story behind his first book of poetry can be listened to here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2N2X7t7awo

Poetic homage to the greatest LP of all time published by award-winning writer

AN award-winning writer and editor has published his life-long labour of love as a homage to his muse, American Nobel prize-winning songwriter Bob Dylan.

The book, Blood in the Cracks, tips its hat both lyrically and in style to Dylan’s critically acclaimed “greatest album” Blood on the Tracks – originally released in 1974.

Nic Outterside is a multi-award-winning journalist and creative author, who over 32 years has worked across all forms of media, including magazines, weekly and daily newspapers, radio broadcasting, books and online.

In 1994, 43 MPs signed an Early Day Motion in the British House of Commons praising Nic’s research and writing.

In 2016 he was awarded an honorary doctorate in written journalism.

Now, after publishing two widely acclaimed books of his own poetry, and editing other poets’ work, Nic is at last releasing what he describes as his “labour of love” Blood in the Cracks.

“The works of Bob Dylan are the soundtrack to my life,” says Nic.

“It is now 45 years since I first came to his music, his words of truthful vengeance and his vignettes of love and theft.

“One particular album, Blood on the Tracks, remains a lyrical and poetic touchstone.

“My soul is forever wrapped within the songs of its entire 51 minutes and 42 seconds.

“Overtly autobiographical, the LP is full of tales of a lover relating a series of unrelated events set in a mythical America. Like a series of impressionist paintings of life itself, the tales are both timeless and without geographical boundaries.

“Over 10 iconic songs, Dylan alludes to heartache, deception, anger, poignant regret and loneliness.

“It’s a world-weary, nostalgic and ultimately a poetic Bob Dylan; and that is what makes Blood on the Tracks so timeless.

“The poetry is in each and every song,” adds Nic.

“So to create my own poetical homage to that album – in places borrowing the patterns of some of Dylan’s songs – is a labour of love and a dream come true.”

 

Notes:

1. Nic is an award-winning editor, journalist and writer. Among more than a dozen awards to his name are North of England Daily Journalist of the Year, Scottish Daily Journalist of the Year, Scottish Weekly Journalist of the Year and a special national award for investigative journalism. In 2016 he was awarded an honorary doctorate in written journalism.
2. Blood in the Cracks is available world-wide on Amazon Kindle: www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Cracks-Nic-Outterside-ebook/dp/B07H4S3DSM
3. A paperback version of the book will be published this autumn
4. The full story behind his first book of poetry can be listened to here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2N2X7t7awo
5. You can buy The Hill – Songs and Poems of Darkness and Light on Amazon Kindle, priced just £1.43 at: www.amazon.co.uk/Hill-Songs-Poems-Darkness-Light-ebook/dp/B07CNZ75MZ
6. You can still buy the First Edition paperback (120 copies left of the print run of 1,000) The Hill – Songs and Poems of Darkness and Light in paperback, is priced at just £1.99 with £1.80 for UK post and packing Ebay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Hill-Songs-and-Poems-of-Darkness-and-Light-Nic-Outterside-Paperback/222959978770?hash=item33e9734912:g:3O0AAOSwdjha6DvY
7. Nic’s second poetry book: Another Hill – Songs and Poems of Love and Theft is priced at £2.20 on Amazon Kindle at: www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Hill-Songs-Poems-Theft-ebook/dp/B07CXYJTV4/

 

Letting blood and poetry flow

My new book Blood in the Cracks is set for publication later this week. As a taster for readers, this is the introduction:

Blood in the Cracks – Liner Notes

Early one morning the sun was shining and I was lying in bed, pining the death of Different Voices, lost souls, abandoned dreams, broken guitar strings and love’s mortality.

In the end, the world has been betrayed by the old and corrupted by the young.

The cancer of capitalism has destroyed all that once was good… the Gates of Eden closed a long time ago and as the cars roar and hookers score in the Empire Burlesque, it is the money men, the media barons and launderers who grin as the corporate knife goes in.

A screenplay to the evil scourge of ordinary people by the most arrogant, privileged and fascist governments our world has ever witnessed.

For more than 700 years, their arrogance has conquered peaceful countries, imposed Western values and Christianity upon those countries, murdered millions and taken millions more into slavery.

They have sown war and hatred all over the world… because war creates money and wealth underpins the corruption of the powerful.

For the past four years, Saudi Arabia has pursued a vicious bombing campaign in Yemen that has left thousands of innocent civilians dead.

Government figures show that in one six month period alone, the UK sold Saudi Arabia £1,066,216,510 worth of weapons, including bombs and air-to-air missiles.

That is just part of £4.6 billion of UK arms sales to Saudi since the war in Yemen began.

The UN says more than 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen’s war, including more than 5,000 civilians.

Many more have perished due to starvation, or a lack of access to healthcare and medical aid.

Meanwhile, back at home the young are corrupted for their souls…

They have been sleep-walking into a world of personal greed, arrogance and self-importance; with TV totems, tanning studios, face lightening cosmetics, designer clothes labels, supermodels and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Human kindness, gentleness, peace, society and social justice have been jettisoned for a ‘winner takes all’ mentality and a scapegoating of the homeless, those claiming benefits, Muslims, asylum seekers and the poor.

It is underpinned by a malicious mainstream media who smear and pillory anyone who dares question the status quo or suggest alternatives.

The press barons and their big business buddies are terrified of those alternatives, because they threaten the capitalist inertia where the five richest families in the UK now own more wealth than the poorest 25% of the population.

Meanwhile, thousands of families survive on the breadline, make weekly use of food banks or starve due to draconian benefits sanctions.

Yet this is the First World… the land of cherished democracy and freedom.

As Pete Hamill wrote in 1974: “In the end, the plague touched us all. It was not confined to the Oran of Camus. No. It turned up again in America, breeding in-a-compost of greed and uselessness and murder, in those places where statesmen and generals stash the bodies of the forever young.

“The plague ran in the blood of men in sharkskin suits, who ran for President promising life, and delivering death. The infected young men machine-gunned babies in Asian ditches; they marshalled metal death through the mighty clouds, up above God’s green earth, released it in silent streams, and moved on, while the hospitals exploded and green fields were churned to mud.

“And here at home, something died. The bacillus moved among us, slaying that old America where the immigrants lit a million dreams in the shadows of the bridges… and through the fog of the plague, most art withered into journalism. Painters lift the easel to scrawl their innocence on walls and manifestos.

“Poor America. Tossed on a pilgrim tide… Land where the poets died.

“Except for Bob Dylan.”

Ah… Dylan!

The works of Robert Allen Zimmerman have bestowed the soundtrack to my life.

It is now 45 years since I first came to his music, his words of truthful vengeance and his vignettes of love and theft.

A lifetime’s inspiration.

One particular album, Blood on the Tracks, remains a lyrical and poetic touchstone.

My soul is forever wrapped within the songs of its entire 51 minutes and 42 seconds.

Overtly autobiographical, the LP is full of tales of a lover relating a series of unrelated events set in a mythical America. Like a series of impressionist paintings of life itself, the tales are both timeless and without geographical boundaries.

Over 10 iconic songs, Dylan alludes to heartache, deception, anger, poignant regret and loneliness.

It’s a world-weary, nostalgic and ultimately a poetic Bob Dylan; and that is what makes Blood on the Tracks so timeless.

And it is also what makes it the template for my own album of poems… the album you open here.

Welcome to Blood in the Cracks… no plagiarism, just inspiration and words.

These 10 poems are my life and my blood…