Author Spotlight interview with Paul Flint
"As a science tutor for over 10 years, I can make a huge difference to kids. I teach the stuff that's not taught in schools - how to pass exams, revision learning skills, those things that teachers just don't have the time for. But I can only teach about 30 to 35 kids a year, and whilst they all do very well, there are thousands of other kids that don't know about these techniques. So that's why I wrote this book..."
Three years after this first realisation, Paul Flint launched The Exam Slayer - the first of four books he has planned. In our latest Author's Journey Spotlight, Sheryl Andrews drills down into Paul's experience of writing this book and how he might apply what he's learnt to the next ones.
Sheryl and Paul recorded this interview on the day of the book's launch, and Paul shares the best bit so far, and that's the feedback he's already had from the kids he teaches and their parents. You can watch the video below or click here to listen to the audio.
Here are some of the highlights from the interview with Paul Flint
- Paul spent three years working on the book and his top tip is to get help. He had coaching from Karen Williams, editing help from Louise Lubke Cuss and publishing support from Sam Pearce. He said "when I look at the first draft of my book compared to what it is now, it's so far apart. It's like light years away, and you don't realise that. You think you've written something and it's great, and then it just completely changes."
- Although sometimes the process felt like swimming through treacle, what worked for Paul was consistent action towards his book writing goal and remembering why he was doing it. He said "being consistent is key. Doing a bit every day, and once I started to focus on that, it started to get better."
- Make sure you include stories in your book. The stories in Paul's book are relatable to the kids it is written for, as well as their parents. He said "I've had so many parents say 'I wish I'd had this when I was younger.'"
- The feedback that Paul got whilst writing the book was invaluable and the motivation of being able to help more people helped him to finish and publish it.
You can get a copy of Paul's book via Amazon or your preferred book retailer.