Monday 20 May 2013

Feed an author

     Before becoming an author I never considered reading an Indie book. Like many  people I considered them to be vanity press. That is no longer the case as I can contest. Since seeing this  Feed An Author picture on the internet I have read a number of Indie books, not all to my taste, but mostly well written and only distinguishable from best sellers by the want of a major publisher to promote it.
     Indie books, either self published or print on demand  receive  little or no marketing budget at all. You are unlikely to find them in a bookstore, or at your local library, but they are often worth searching out on book websites.
    These Indie titles will cease to exist without you, the readers. Your first task, as a supporter of struggling authors, is to select an Indie download, or paperback of your choice, and buy.  Downloads are cheap and some are even free. If you liked what you read tell people about it, recommend it to friends, both on and offline. Share the experience on facebook and twitter, and don't forget to leave a review at the point of sale, authors need to know that their work is valued, and book buyers rely on feedback to avoid making uninformed  purchases.

Friday 3 May 2013

The Tinkerman.


     Before retiring from the daily grind, my boss, who I unkindly referred to as The Tinkerman, would often ask me to write a progress report. After two days away from my desk it would return,  a kaleidoscope of  alterations in coloured ink. After re-submitting my report, typed and pristine, it would return, like a bad penny, covered with still more coloured daubing. Eventually nothing remained of my original report, but even so it would still be rejected by The Tinkerman, who had by this time, written the damn thing himself.
     I thought the man was an idiot, but since writing  novels I have, myself,  turned into The Tinkerman.
     After submitting my first novel to a print on demand publisher, who recommended professional editing but refused to fund it, I was  forced, due to financial restraints, to give editing a go myself, even though I was rubbish at  English grammar while at school, and have not progressed much in that regard in the last  fifty-five years. I had little idea of what standard was required but after doing my very best it was finally published.

     It received mixed reviews with most people agreeing that  it was a page turner let down by poor editing, so  I cancelled my publishing contract and self published. This meant I had editorial control and could tinker  to my heart's content. I did just that, but every time I reached the end I found myself obligated to read through it just one more time, and every time I read it I found more editing to do. Perhaps the reason for this is because I'm becoming more adept at using my newly honed editing skills, or perhaps I have a serious mental disorder which requires urgent medical intervention in the form of a straight jacket and a padded room. I'm just off to the doctors to find out.