I published my first full length book a year ago,
but as it’s a facts and fiction fused kind of book, it’s not considered a novel.
Many have said that I have written it for a narrow reader-ship, ie that of the
writer/ budding writer/procrastinating writer, but it wasn’t meant to be. It
had some absolutely fab reviews on https://www.authonomy.com/ , but I seemed to
spend all my time reading other people’s manuscripts, in order to get people to
read mine. I needed to keep writing, so I pulled out of there, in order to
actually finish writing WBP’s story/diary.
It’s still there, in part, but I have added the
published cover and the fact that it is published. ‘Diary of a Would-Be-Protagonist’ sold fairly
well in the initial months, and WBP has become my sparring partner and my
friend, now waiting for me to complete The Lost Manuscript (now found).
I ‘set up’ my
own imprint, Midnight Scribbler Publishing, as I made the decision to go it
alone, and self-publish WBP through Create Space, after realising that I wouldn’t
get a Mainstream publisher, let alone an Indie publisher, interested in
something that didn’t belong in any of the popular genres.
That may or
may not have been a mistake – as a year on I took a further step, deciding to
publish all my books on my own terms, under my own imprint (but of course, it
is still self-publishing). I used Lulu this time around, as I have published
several anthologies in aid of charities using this service, and published my
first novel ‘The Loss’ last month (September 2014). I think it’s a pretty good
story, and the book looks good, too (it had very good feedback in the
beta-reading stages), but it’s not yet available on Amazon, or as an e-book.
Which means – despite a free postage offer – not a single sale. It will be
interesting to see if it will make a difference. I have of course bought author
copies. One copy has gone off to be reviewed on Graham Sclater’s December show
with John Peters, on Venture Radio, and there are signed copies to be sent out
as well as copies going into a few book shops.
But why, oh why, do I feel like an outsider these
days? Is it because I want to be a paperback writer (with the e-book only as an
addition)? I should say ignore me, but please don’t. I have stories to tell
a-plenty.
I like a good launch party on Facebook, and have had
great fun in a few, helping fellow writers along, but I’m wary of arranging a
FB launch, and calling it a party this time. I wish I knew why! Perhaps I
should just get on with my writing...
