In February I reviewed Was William Wallace a Jacobite? A Private Tour through Scotland’s History by James A. Johnstone. Now I am pleased to say that James is on my blog answering some questions about his book.
In spring 2020, when the tourist industry (and everything else) was hit by the pandemic, James found himself with nothing to do, unable to continue the job he had loved for almost forty years – driving visitors around Scotland.
James, when lockdown happened people reacted in various ways to that extraordinary situation. Many took the opportunity to finish DIY or handicraft projects, perfect their sourdough or banana bread or get a dog … you wrote a book. Was that something you always wanted to do?
Yes, it had been on my mind for some time and, like most people who have such plans, I had always considered that it might be a retirement project – when, and if, I ever got round to retirement. From that point of view, lockdown became an opportunity.
How did you start? Had you kept diaries or notes of your travels?
Over the years I have put together a lot of material, both as notes for guests and ‘training notes’ for driver/guides who came to work with me. The latter contained quite a few stories but the answer to your question is that I really wish I had kept diaries. It is not so much the big things as they can be fairly easily recalled – it is the smaller details, such as people's names, that I regret not having available to me. Although recollections and stories from journeys with guests do feature in the book there is really more historical content as I was aiming to put it together in a way that replicates an actual tour – as far as that is possible.
Did you have the structure of the book from the beginning or was there a bit of shuffling chapters around when you’d got it all down?
Although I had the basic idea in my mind, yes, there was a bit of ‘shuffling’ as I had originally set out to intersperse the historical narrative with separate chapters about locations of interest relating to that specific history. I felt this was getting a bit messy so then decided to stay with the history and, for the time being, set aside the information about places to visit.
The intention at that point was to write a second part to the book giving my thoughts on the best places to visit, relating them to the history I had written about in the first part. I have frequently come across advice/comments suggesting that a successful book (particularly a first book) should not be too long and there is no doubt that it would have been, at least, twice as long if I had included this second part.
Was William Wallace a Jacobite? runs to about 75,000 words and I had almost completed all of that before it dawned on me that I really needed to look at this as two separate projects and the first one (primarily concentrating on history) was already complete.
The guide to locations of interest will now be a different, second, book though it will still allow me to add in stories and opinion. It is already partly written.
It’s one thing (a big thing I know!) to write a book but publishing it is another – was that a learning curve for you?
Yes, it most definitely was though I was very fortunate that I came across Duncan Lockerbie at Lumphanan Press, who helped me through the process. Like most who self-publish I had set myself a budget as I really did not want to spend a fortune but, equally, I did want to go for a reasonably high quality product and I very quickly felt that Duncan shared my thoughts. I also liked that he did not try to oversell the whole idea and was honest enough to state that many who self-publish do not even recover their initial costs.
I am fortunate that I had time to visit bookshops throughout Scotland in order to promote the book and having reached a distribution agreement with Lomond Books it means that even the larger shops can place an order – if they like the book. I was really impressed by the warm welcome I received in every bookshop I visited. [see picture of signing session below]
Whether I spoke to sales assistants or store managers they all had a very obvious enthusiasm for the job they do. All very encouraging.
So, yes, it has been a learning curve and the biggest lesson, as anyone who has ever self-published will know, you have to be pro-active or your book, however good it may be, will go nowhere.
I believe that the book is available and doing well in Waterstones as well as in many other outlets. Will there be an electronic version in due course?
For the moment I prefer the idea of my book going out as a traditional paper product though I recognise that a digital version would broaden the appeal, so it is likely that I will, at some point, follow through on this. Relating it to your previous mention of a learning curve I think the biggest revelation for someone with no previous experience of the publishing world is how little money a writer makes, and how many books you would need to sell if you had any thoughts of ‘making a living’ from this.
A number of my American guests have asked about an audio version and, sooner or later, I hope to get round to that. As you might guess our American friends ‘love my Scottish accent’ so they have all been adamant that I should be the reader!
I look forward to the audio version! The title of the book is a question you were asked. What is the question you get asked most?
Weather is a common part of any conversation no matter where you live so ‘What is typical Scottish weather?’ crops up quite a lot. However, as mentioned in the book, the most frequent questions can relate to myself and how I got into this line of work. That is why I felt the need to include a chapter about me (effectively a very brief biography) as it is hardly surprising that guests want to know a little more about the person who will be their travel companion often for several days.
What is your favourite period of Scottish history?
What initially looks like an easy question is actually quite difficult to answer as I would really be looking at all of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Clearly I need to narrow that down so I would then go for the second half of the 17th century and the first half of the 18th as this was the foundation period (particularly the late 1600s) for significant changes to come – the Jacobite cause, the formation of the United Kingdom, the enlightenment and, of course, the consequences of the Reformation.
All of this, not least the Presbyterian reformation, shaped the Scotland we live in today – not to mention the influence these events had on many other parts of the world, and that, most definitely, includes the USA.
If you could have a chat with one person from the past who would it be and what would you ask them?
Now that really is a difficult one. Given the influence John Knox has had on the image we, as a nation, often project, I would like to first explain to him that very image we associate with him, before asking if it is one he recognises. I am not sure that I would have particularly liked John Knox but he was a fascinating figure who I think, possibly, had a worse press than he might have actually deserved. I have a feeling that he might have difficulty recognising himself given his frequent portrayal as someone who is constantly dour, serious minded, and humourless.
I know you said one person but if John Knox was not available I would love to be able to speak to Lord George Murray who commanded Jacobite troops during the 1745 rebellion. The question would simply be: ‘What would your strategy have been had you not been encumbered by Prince Charles Edward Stuart?’ It was interesting that another James Johnstone (Chevalier de Johnstone) who was aide-de-camp to Lord George later wrote: ‘Had Prince Charles slept during the whole of the expedition, and allowed Lord George Murray to act for him according to his judgment, he would have found the crown of Great Britain on his head when he awoke.’
Well, there’s a thought … Hopefully, you will be back on the road this year showing telling visitors about Scotland’s history – certainly you’ll never run out of stories for them! Have you any plans to write another book?
A second book is already in the pipeline and, as mentioned, it will, to some extent, relate to Was William Wallace a Jacobite?. To some extent it will be a guide book but, hopefully, an entertaining one.
The Reformation fascinates me so I would like, at some point, to write about that period. However, the day job is picking up again so my time is slightly more limited though I do not think I am alone in that Covid has changed my priorities and caused me to re-evaluate how I use my time.
Thank you for answering my questions, James, and all the best with your writing.
Was William Wallace a Jacobite? is available from Amazon, from all good bookshops and in gift shops and tourist attractions.
James can be
contacted through his website.
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