I have been very busy self-publishing one of my novels. For those who don’t know, I have three novels published by two publishing houses but the income they bring in is pitiful, as it is for many authors. Only a tiny percentage of authors actually make money. The whole self publishing gig has exploded in the last year or two and another published friend has persuaded me to try this route. I have 18 unpublished manuscripts – yes 18. I think that at least 13 of them are worth being published and I am going to start with 8 of them. The first novel I have self-published on Amazon is the one I am most proud of and I would love you to check it out and, if you like the look of it, download it for only $2.99. Kindle books are ridiculously cheap these days. I will be publishing a new one every few days until the 8 are up there on Amazon. If it goes well, I will explore the arena of print on demand as well. You can find the book here. It’s called Merciless Truth. Did I say I am very proud of this novel? Well, I am. I think you won’t regret reading it. On the Amazon website, there is a summary of what it is about and you can read several chapters free to see if it is your kind of story before you purchase.
While I write, I need sustenance and these ginger crunch bars are a great treat to keep the energy levels up. These are a classic bar here in New Zealand but I am not sure about the rest of the world. The hit of ginger is what makes these perfect. Ginger is one of those spices which has lots of healthy benefits.
- 190g/6.7oz butter, softened
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1¼ cups of my gluten free flour mix
- 1 cup white rice flour
- 1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 75g/2.65oz butter
- 1 cup Icing Sugar
- 2 tablespoons golden syrup
- 3 teaspoons ground ginger
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Sift the dry ingredients.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured board. Knead well.
- Press dough into a greased 20 x 30 cm slice tin.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until light brown.
- Add everything to a saucepan,
- Heat until butter is melted, stirring constantly.
- Pour icing over the base while hot and cut into squares before it gets cold or the icing will crack.
It looks actually heavenly and delicious. I’d love to eat a piece of that crunch .
Thank you. It is pretty good.
Great looking crunch bars! And congrats on self-publishing the novels. It’s smart to have 8 to come out quickly – so many people, once they discover an author, want to read more. I agree with you that self-publishing is great for most authors. I used to be an acquisitions editor, and although some of my authors made a great deal of money, most did not. The real secret to making money in books — for most people — isn’t to write them, it’s to publish them! And since authors need to do almost all of the promotion these days anyway, self-publishing makes so much sense — particularly since ebooks are the way many people want to read. Good luck!
I love that you have so much knowledge of the publishing industry. I have been actively writing for 13 years and know it pretty well too but from the perspective of the author and you are right, the expectations these days of an author are ridiculous. We have to wear many hats and the self-promotion part doesn’t come naturally to us at all. The writing is hard enough but the marketing is a killer.
You are such a talent and your time-management skills must be vastly superior to mine. When did you write 18 manuscripts? That would take me 18 years. Good luck with the self-publishing. I hope it goes well for you xx
Thanks, Charlie. I started writing 13 years ago but I stopped writing a few years back when I realised there was never going to be any money in it. I wrote several a year during the central part of that time then slowed down and eventually stopped. The publishing industry has changed a heap in that time and so it’s time to give it another go.
O wow, Suzanne, you’re amazing! And very talented. I’m going to check out this novel.
Thanks, Marta. I hope you like it.
I love desserts with ginger, this sounds super delicious! You are very talented Suzanne, congrats on getting the book out.
Thanks, Nik. I do like writing though it is much harder work than cooking.
Self-publishing sounds like quite the feat, congratulations! You’re right, these bars would make a perfect afternoon snack.
Self-publishing is a feat but I had guidance through the process, fortunately.
Your ginger crunch bars sound wonderful and congratulations on writing so many books. You’re a woman of many talents!
Maureen, as long as I am doing something creative, I am happy. I also trained in Italy as a fashion designer and ran a business in the industry for a decade before selling it. I like to try different things.
These look delicious! I have a question though,could you convert from grams to cups and the baking temperature to farenheit ease? Here in the U.S. we dont use grams and celsius that often. My husband, who has Celiac Disease would LOVE these!! Thank you!
I usually do put ounces but slipped on that recipe. I hope there are not too many others. I have updated the recipe but have used ounces instead of cups because the amounts were strange. The 75grams was 1/3 cup, which is fine but the 190grams of butter was .84 of a cup, which would be difficult to measure.
By the way, there is a great site for converting butter measurements and other foods: https://www.traditionaloven.com/conversions_of_measures/butter_converter.html
Good luck with the recipe and I hope your husband loves them.
Oh, how I love ginger treats…and your bars with the double dose look spectacular. And congrats on the novel…you are multi-talented!
Thanks, Liz. I love doing anything creative and cooking is the art of the moment. Getting these books up on the web is long overdue.
Thank you for this fab recipe!!! I’ve had to put it in the freezer to help us not devour it so quickly. A winner with the whole family – YUM!
That’s good to hear. The freezer is a good place for gluten-free baking anyway. It keeps it much fresher.
Question — do you think you could substitute maple syrup for the white sugar and the recipe would still turn out?
I have never made it with maple syrup but you could try. Maybe Google what the best amount to substitute would be between sugar and maple syrup. Good luck.