“I published my first book 25 years ago. Having been turned down by at least two dozen publishers, I was just happy to get accepted at last and never gave much thought to the amount of the advance and the royalties. One lives and learns. Later, having been commissioned by Thames Television to write a sitcom series, I acquired an agent, who subsequently found me no work whatsoever over a lengthy period of time. Apparently it was all my fault. We parted company and I joined the Writers’ Guild, not only for the support it could offer but also to meet like-minded people.
“I was flattered to be asked to join the Books Committee and later became Chair of the Books Committee and member of the EC. The Writers’ Guild does make a difference in all sorts of ways. One small example: In a breach of copyright claim I made against a major publisher, the Guild was instrumental in obtaining for me a sum almost 10 times the publisher’s original, niggardly offer. QED.”
James Skivington was born in Ireland, lived in England for over 20 years and now lives in Ireland. During his career as a management consultant he published two non-fiction books and various technical papers. For some years he was a member of a British Standards Institution Committee.
He was subsequently commissioned by Thames Television to write an original situation comedy series, starring Karl Howman and Bradley Walsh. He has also written comedy and drama for television and film.
The Miracle Man was his first novel and is a comedy, set in rural Ireland. James is currently writing a sequel, Pot Luck. In 2013 he published The Confession of a Paedophile Priest, the story of an alcoholic journalist’s pursuit of a priest accused of child abuse. He has recently finished a feature film adaptation of of the classic Irish novel The Crock of Gold. In 2014 he was nominated for the Playwright’s Award in Cork, Ireland, and again in 2015. He has written a full-length play, An Incorrigible Irishman, about Sir Roger Casement, which is scheduled to be premiered in Belfast in August 2016.
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