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Apologies for the delay in posting. I am going through some stuff which has affected my anxiety levels and writing and other things have suffered.
I had a lovely mini-break with a friend to celebrate our 70th birthdays and while I was away, my son had a prang in his car, and despite the damage being only cosmetic, the insurance company wrote the car off. I could have sat down and cried. This was my cousin's car which I gifted to him and he named Mollie-Sue after my cousin and her little dog. It was all very emotional. It seems the other guy, after verbally abusing my son and getting his insurance details from him, locked himself into his car and refused to speak to my son. The guy was speeding and knew it.
I had to get my head around all this while I was going around Shakespeare's birthplace and stepped out of the gift shop to talk to my son on the phone. In some ways, it was good to be distracted and to be with a friend, but for a while I couldn't concentrate.
Things are sorting themselves out, but all this came on top of other things. My go-to help is plugging my earphones in and listening to music (this time it was Depeche Mode and Tears for Fears) and reading almost non-stop just to fill my head with something other than all the problems.
This wasn't how I was going to start my post, but life has just thrown a lot at me all in one go and maybe now the tunnel isn't quite so dark. Hopefully.
So, to writing and the subject line of this post. I was so thrilled to hold my book How to Take A Lawnmower Home on the Tube.... in my hands. My author copies are down to two left as friends have been buying from me. However, I learned something else (you never stop learning), and this may be obvious to other writers, but not to me....ratings go up when you sell through Amazon and reviews are from 'verified buyers', though I get most royalties selling direct. It's a minefield of swings and roundabouts. My publisher also put the eBook on Kindle Unlimited where I get paid per page read. I didn't do this with my two previous books, so it will be interesting to see how this works and whether it helps with my royalties, but right now I've had around 35p sent to my account! Oh, lets all go out on that, ha!
Thanks to all who have bought so far and left reviews. I've sold more books than I have reviews so far, but I know some are still reading!
And so, to the next book. Tinsel Street is now out for pre-order through Troubador and Amazon, and no it's not too early to talk about Christmas! Again I was thrilled to clutch my box of books and it looks fantastic, and of course it is a fantastic read.
Here are some links to Tinsel Street:
Troubador: https://troubador.co.uk/bookshop/contemporary/tinsel-street
Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/55vAWLt
You can also get it through Google Play and Apple Books and order through bookshops.
I'm currently looking for a venue to set up an author event locally and hopefully I will have some news on that soon.
So, publishing a book is not the end. There is the constant marketing/promoting one has to do to keep it noticed and looking for new readers. Word of mouth is good, so recommendations and reviews are vital. I've also learned that not all friends will buy my books. I remember once doing a talk to a group I am a member of. They loved the talk, but not one of them bought a book (and I gave away a little booklet of my poetry I had put together on my laptop). If you have bought and read my books, I thank you. If you've left reviews, I am very, very grateful. My goal has always been to share my stories with people. I love writing and cannot imagine life without it.
The life of a writer is never smooth, but I have learned to just about cope with the lows. You need to be thick skinned and I'm not. I know others have given up and some people look down on writers who do. But I understand. I've been there and somehow worked through it. Not everyone can, and I didn't think I could, but I'm still here. I'd never be so disrespectful to those who can't face the rejection and give up. It's just sad that so many good writers never make it, never get the break, never have the support and choose to stop.