How did you come to self-publish?

When I turned thirty, I'd been doing the same job for a while. I wanted to try doing something different with my life, and made a list of things I thought I could do if I put a bit of effort in. "Professional sportsman" was unfortunately a long-disappeared aim, due to my increasingly dodgy back and, more likely, an utter lack of ability. It's also hard to make a living from sitting on your sofa playing The Elder Scrolls. I had been working as a journalist for almost ten years and figured I would try to write a book. It sounds a bit simplistic but I just went for it, working every day around my job until I was finished. I looked at the traditional publishing routes - three chapters, stamped addressed envelope and a tiny piece of your soul to an agent, wait six weeks for the rejection and go again - but figured life was too short. I saw the "self-publish with us" button on Amazon and never looked back.

What sort of books do you write?

My crime series with DS Jessica Daniel set against the backdrop of a rainy Manchester is now five books long, with the sixth coming out in October. The rights were bought by Pan Macmillan and I am working with them on a total of 14 novels, which seems a bit surreal considering where I was two years ago. I have a young adult/fantasy series coming out through them from 2014 and am going to self-publish something else - an urban thriller - by the end of the year.

Did you work with an editor or designer on your novels?

In the sense that I worked within journalism and know a few people who can help out. My friend Claire was invaluable. I had a pop at the covers myself. They were basic but kind of worked because of that.

Do you think this is important?

My biggest regret is that I didn't get a proper literary editor involved to kick my arse a bit. It's more important than the actual writing.

Talk us through how you're publishing - print and ebook? DRM or no DRM? How are you pricing it?

After writing Locked In, I always knew I was going to write more in the series because I had so many ideas left over. I wrote and wrote more or less every day for a year - early mornings and late nights. Because I knew there was more to come, I put Locked In at 98p, trying to sell in bulk, rather than worrying about money. The subsequent books sold for increasing amounts. Pan Macmillan have more or less continued that.

I've seen fellow authors saying it's awful that books sell so cheaply, before putting their own stuff up for 99p and then crowing at sales figures. There are a lot of hypocrites, when people should just be honest and say they want their books to sell. I'm proud that the Jessica books have sold tens - hundreds - of thousands of copies for higher prices. It's simply not true that self-publishers can only be successful if they sell for under a pound. Readers like the character of Jessica and, as long as they don't feel ripped off, they are happy to invest.

As for DRM... I'd rather they were DRM-free. Publishers shot themselves in the foot by looking to be draconian and saying books shouldn't be copied, and then realising they had helped to create a near-monopoly in the e-book market. Consumers don't want to buy a book for a Kindle and then not be able to move it onto a different e-reader, say a Kobo or Nook. As such, many people bought a Kindle and stuck with it. That said, I have a Paperwhite and it's brilliant.

DRM doesn't stop piracy. Pirates are always way ahead of any DRM methods and, if they want to copy something, they will. I think most people will choose to pay for something they enjoy.

Has it been an eye-opener making all these decisions yourself?

Not really - I just get on with it. If things work out, then great. If not, life goes on. I would have figured something else out.

What are the positives of self-publishing?

The freedom of being able to act quickly. I could fiddle with prices, change descriptions, link my own files, and so on. I am a bit of a tinkerer with my listings and try lots of little tweaks to see how they might affect a day's sales.

And the negatives?

When you have a publisher, you know there are professionals doing their absolute best to make things work for you. When you're on your own, it's a lot of experimenting.

Would you do it again?

Definitely - and I will be in the near future...

How did you come to be spotted by a traditional publisher and what sort of deal is it?

I'm not naive - the initial interest came because I'd sold a lot of books, but my editor - Trisha - liked the character of Jessica and the publisher's decisions came from that. Publishing is a business but editors still have to be invested in what they're working on because, otherwise, there's no passion and they may as well be putting out a phone book. It's nice to work with professionals who are keen on your work because they've seen so many things before. I've signed five separate publishing contracts now for a total of 14 books. I'm also published in around 10 languages around the world, plus AudioGo produce audiobooks of my work

Give us a short passage from your work

(This is from a future Jessica Daniel novel)

Jessica blinked her eyes open. 'What time is it?'

Dave's phone lit up the front seat. 'Twenty-to-ten.'

'Have you got any money on you?'

'Dunno, maybe a fiver?'

Jessica sat up straighter and held her palm out. 'Let's have it?'

Dave delved into his coat pocket and pulled out a scrunched-up note. 'What for?'

Jessica grabbed it and reached towards the back seat. 'Arch, you awake?'

'Aye.'

'I've got a really important job I'm going to trust you with - take this money, head directly down the road, second left, first right and keep going until you see the row of shops. Ignore the pizza place and first row of shutters, then follow your nose. I think I saw a chippy down there. I'm large chips, battered sausage and gravy, Dave's small chips, and get whatever you want.'

'With a fiver?'

'I'm sure you've got a few quid on you. Whatever you do, don't forget my sausage and don't let them scrimp on the gravy - now chop, chop: most places around here close at ten so get a move on.'

Archie grumbled his way out of the back seat, complaining that he hadn't spent all the years in uniform and training just so he could end up on the chip run but Jessica told him to stop moaning, else she'd get him tarted up in a short skirt to patrol the estate and see how he liked it.

What other self-published titles would you recommend?

The thing with writing all the time is that you get so little time to actually read. Teen Idol Terror by Paul Plunkett is a novel for young people, a sort of Famous Five-style traditional tale, with mobile phones and modern technology. It's a much-ignored genre among self-publishers. I helped with a little of the editing and really enjoyed it. There's a sequel out very soon.