I realise during the last month you
have all had a welcome holiday from my rambling on as I have been inactive on
the web for this time. Two short breaks away, some good books to read, problems
with computers ug!, and an attempt to catch up on my creative writing,
including two short story completion deadlines have to be my lame excuses. I am now past 940,000 draft words.
I am about to return home after a
few unexpected days away in Tenby. I met up with Eifion Jenkins today who I met
at the Tenby Arts Festival. He has published following the traditional route a
fantasy sci-fi book called - If you fall
I will catch you – which I read last month. I may prepare a specific post
on the topics raised and discussed.
I would love to say one reason I
have not been active would be the heavy sales of my little book. Alas sales, as
expected in my head, have not been good even with some helpful increases in web
activity from three web postings. The comfort I derive is looking at others who
I know have spend far more in time and money on marketing and promotion with
disproportionately poor results.
I converted a MS word file with
simple formatting through HTML into Kindle and other E book format yesterday.
Given what I spent to get my book converted this is something I will develop to
use on larger files and also look at the whole process uploading to Amazon and
the other sites. I understand Kindle e books are outselling other platforms by
eight to one. So on low sales volumes why bother with anything other than
Kindle?
I have also provided five free
copies of Ywnwab! to the British and other Libraries for posterity. Where on earth are
they going to keep all these books? This as an overhead on a small print run is
in my view significant.
During a visit to Bath I went into the Topping
and Company bookshop http://www.toppingbooks.co.uk/ and came away pretty
depressed. The front line competition from best selling authors expressed in
all its might. Signed first editions wrapped up in cellophane at up to £100
each.
My front cover to Ywnwab! was
called a good example of a poor 1970’s holiday brochure last week. It is
certainly interesting to get a full range of comments!
I have also been commenting on a
publisher’s book contents comment from a friend whose draft book I have read.
He felt it is the hardest thing he has done. To me he is too close to the book
to see the wood for the trees. This seems quite normal per a web post I picked
up a few days later from an author who had written twenty or so books and
learnt the hard way what to do.
I wonder whether there is room or
potential for an e book marketing co-operative.
Best wishes to you all
Alexander
