A book shop is willing to stock my book - yeh !!!

Today the postman bought a lovely present in the form of a letter from the Chalice Well to say that they will put the copy of the book I sent them in their shop for 3 months. If it sells within that time, they will order some more via one of their two main suppliers. This is brilliant news, and exactly what I have been waiitng for. I know the Chalice Well is only a small shop, but it is also one of the biggest, in fact, the biggest (after the Tor) tourist attractions in Glastonbury, with visitors from all over the world. I will be very surprised if it doesn't sell within a few weeks. If for some reason it doesn't, I have asked them to donate it to the library at the Little St Michaels retreat house, so that visitors people can see it there. There are other shops in the town as well, like Growing Needs and Gothic Image, who may be interested ...

I was so pleased at this news that I decided to take the bull by the horns and ring Waterstones in Piccadilly and Oxford Street, Piccadilly being the largest book shop in Europe. They asked me to Email the buyers from the Mind, Body and Spirit departments respectively with my information sheet, which I have done. Coran and I then walked into Kingston for a celebratory lunch (nothing exotic, only Pizza Hut salad) and I delivered a copy to the Manager of Waterstones. I did not get to see him personally as he was having his own lunch, and was due at the University store across town carry out some interviews, but the girl on the information desk delivered it to him in the staff room while I browsed the writers section.

Reading the new edition of the Writers and Artists Yearbook, there seem to be a real explosion of self publishing as more and more writers get fed up with endless rejections and Editors who never get back to them, earning a pittance if and when they do secure a mainstream contract, and having virtually NO control over their own creation, as Editors change the book title and do cover designs without asking the author his or her own views. I predict that in the years to come this will lead to a wholescale revolution in the publishing industry, where writers take back control of their work and pull the strings, where the practise of heavy discounting becomes a thing of the past, and booksellers no longer take bribes from the large publishers who pay them huge amounts to put their books on prominent display. At the moment the booksellers have all the power, and that needs to change, so that writers, the people who create these works get adequately compensated for their work.

The only way to do this at present is self publishing, or being one of these mindless celebrities (most of whose books are incidentally ghost written - do you honestly think the likes of Daniella Westbrooke for example can write!?). The only way to effect change is for more and more writers to self publish, but to do so professionally and in the right way.

Another update

I can't remember all that has happened, or what I have done since Friday, which is why I decided to buy an exercise book (recycled of course) to write it down, as that way I can remind myself of who needs chasing up and when ...

Things will quieten down for a few weeks now our Church is closed for the summer break. Coran and I have been busy yesterday and today helping them clean and redecorate. Coran has also helped with some minor DIY problems - sorting out the speakers for the hi fi system and clearing out the gutters, that sort of thing.

I have only sold one copy this week, and unless some cheques arrive in the post, do not expect to sell any more. That is fine as I can use the time to do other things like ringing round some more groups and book shops. Yesterday was a busy day for me. I rang the Chalice Well to see if the copy I sent them had arrived. The lady I needed to speak to wasn't available, so I emailed instead. It was the same with Watkins, so I emailed them as well, and said, very boldly than I will be in London on Friday (Coran has a hospital apppointment), so will drop into the shop with a copy of the book and some information to try and see the Manager then! I will see if he is available, and if not, I am sure the book will be passed on. It will be worth it for the price of a free copy (£7.17 to me).

I slso phoned Waterstones in Kingston. Buying decisions for Waterstones are made on a local rather than national level, so they asked me to send them a copy. I said I will drop in to see them next time I go town, which will be tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed then. I said I am more than willing to help with publicity by doing a talk, book signing or both, so that should help. I will try and ring Epsom as well this week, and see what they say. I expect they will want another free copy. All these free copies are beginning to add up, but it will be worth it if they decide to go with the book.

I Rang Borders again and left another message on their anwerphone. They have not rung me back, so I will have to take the bull by the horns and send them - you guessed it - another free copy! Phew, I hope this is all worth it.

I was just getting in from shopping when I heard the phone ringing. It was a friend from Church, who bought a copy last week, to tell me that she had shown it to a friend who is doing a course with Diana Summer, who is mentioned in the acknowledgements. She took the book to the latest course meeting, and now they all want one. Several of them said that they would contact me. So far there is nothing, but I can wait. Another lady who bought a copy, has shown it to her friend, who also wants her own one. Another friend from the nearby Kosmon sanctuary made some lovely comments when we went there for healing on Monday - she said that my sense of humour really comes through, and it is like having a proper conversation with me rather than reading a book.

My friend from Church suggested that I try Cygnus book club (she is the third person to have mentioned this now). I did contact them a few months ago, while it was at the proof reading stage, and they said they would need to see an information sheet. I telephoned Richard to run it past him, and he said that some of his authors have had success with book clubs, but that Cygnus would need to negotiate the discount (probably around 65 percent!) with him, so I sent them the information sheet, front and back cover proofs and chapter by chapter outline by email, with a copy to Richard so that he knows what is going on. If they do buy them at 65 percent discount that will leave me with a royalty of only £1.09 a copy, but it will get my name out there, and once the book is on their list, it will stay there, so it will be worth it.

The other thing I have done is contact some of the websites I have already linked to and asked them to link back. Some of these are well known, like the Nibiruan Council, which could drive a lot of traffic to my site, and boost sales no end. Finally, I registered the new site with Yahoo. Other crawlers also use this engine, so I will get listed on Lycos and others.

Tomorrow I shall deliver the copy to Waterstones in Kingston and ring some more groups re giving talks.

Had a nice surprise yesterday

I have not heard back from Borders, after leaving a message on their answerphone, and there is nothing from Watkins either, so I will chase them up after the weekend, knowing that these things take time. I checked the Borders website, and it says you have to send your book to their Buying Department in London for consideration, together with information sheet, so I will do that in the next day or so.

I had a nice surprise yesterday. It got to mid afternoon and Coran wanted me to get out of the house, as I was distracting him from his work, as tends to happen, so I went to the park for a cup of tea. On the way out, I had the thought that I ought to take a copy of the book with me, just in case, as one of the men who works there clearing tables has been saying for some time that he would like a copy. I dismissed this thought and jumped in the car. I bought my pot of tea and was just finding a table when who should walk over to me but him. He asked that if he gave me the money, could I bring a copy in for him tomorrow. What a nice surprise that was. It was lucky I had a £5 note for change (I have to always make sure I have them now, since the book costs £14.99 - luckily most poeple don't seem to bother with the penny). I finished my tea and raced straight home to get a copy and bring it back, which I think he appreciated.

Things will be quieter from next week as our Church is shut for their annual spring, or should I say, summer clean. Coran and I will be helping with painting etc, but there will be no services or workshops, the last one being this Sunday, until the Sanctuary re-opens in September. I need to think more long term about what will happen once everyone I know has bought a copy, or at least everyone who wants to, because as I am finding out, people often say they want a copy, and then don't buy one, at least not straight away ... Such is life ...

I will use this time to post on all the websites I can find (I joined another writers one yesterday, and already have one member who is interested) but I have to be careful as not all of them like advertising, and I don't want to get blacklisted or banned. I will also start to ring round some local groups, such as the one that meets at our Church once a month, Surrey Dowsers, etc and maybe try some further afield, like Brighton, or even Glastonbury. We haven't been to Glastonbury for a while, so maybe I will think about booking a weekend. I will have to see if there are vacancies, but will wait until the 15th after the credit card statement is due!

I am going to one of Edwin (Courtenay's) talks on 21st, and plan to give him a free copy in return for all the help he gave me during the writing process, allowing me to use his material without course to copyright. Quite a few others will be there, some from further afield, as he has quite a following, so this may be an opportuntity to sell as well. Some of the Bulgarians from my Paneurhythmy group have expressed an interest, so I will take some copies with me on Sunday.

I have 19 copies left from the 50 I ordered (some have gone out as review copies etc), so I will have to order some more on 15th, as they take around 10 days to arrive and I don't want to be caught without any.

This then is what I have done since my return from Lundy

Monday 24 July - no sign of the books I ordered while away, and which should have been here on my return. Rang Gaynor at Authors OnLine to find out where they are. They are being printed today, and should be with me tomorrow or wednesday. Checked emails from when I was away - at least 1 person has ordered copy from publisher, and one also via amazon.co.uk

Tuesday 25 July - still no books! Spent day updating my website, opened nochex account so people can order signed copies, and added necessary links. Sent email to all those on my mailing list to let them know. Phone call from Jane at St Michaels - would I like to do a wednesday gathering on 9th August - said yes, if I can talk about the book. No problem, so all booked in. Emailed reviewer at Paradigm Shift magazine to see if she is interested. Wait to hear back.

Wednesday 26 July - books finally arrived - 50 lovely copies. Went to St Michaels in the evening (our local non denominational church) and sold first 2 copies. Another one has been sold direct via the publisher. It arrives while the recipiant was on holiday unfortunately and got sent back to the printer, as he did not ring them to collect it. Richard at AOL is trying to sort it out for him!
Thursday 27 July - sent out review copy to a friend, who promised to write a review on a website that I used to moderate, until I was banned from it that is! There were loads of people on there that will remember me and would I am sure love to buy a copy, once they know it out there, but since I was banned, I can't contact them myself. Also sent copy to HarperCollins in accordance with copyright requirements, and copy to another friend, who sent me his own book in part exchange. Got my first order from the Nochex link - Nightingale (Gillyann) from Stairway of Life. Sent her copy as well - all by first class post. Also sent copy to Peter and Pat, friends that I know from Lundy, as per their request. They will send cheque by return.

Friday 28 July - last Journey group at St Michaels until September. Sold another 5 copies.

Saturday 29 July - last day of Earth's Cycles course at the nearby Kosmon Sanctuary - sold 4 copies, one to each group member, plus one to the facilitator. Received cheque from Peter and Pat.

Sunday 30 July - Went to St Michaels evening service and sold 3 more copies. Sold 20 copies this week already!

Monday 31 July - healing day at St Michaels - acting as receptionist in the morning. Didn't sell any copies, but shown to several people there.

Tuesday 1 August - Set up Paypal account so that people overseas can also order signed copies. Added link to website and updated a few more pages. Sent email to everyone on mailing list to them know.

Wednesday 2 August - appointment with my friend Julie Ann for cranial sacral therapy. Sold copy of the book in part exchange for treatment.

Thursday 3 August - received cheque in post for a signed copy (one of Coran's clients). Sent by first class post.

Friday 4 August - checked amazon.com - sold my first US copy. Nightingale posted review on amazon.co.uk - added to my own website - thank you!

Saturday 5 August - sent postcards to various friends who do not have email/internet - including one in Amsterdam - hopefully they will write back reqeusting books.

Sunday 6 August - Went to Park for Paneurhythmy (Bulgarian dancing) - distributed postcards to several of them. Did some more website updates. Sold 3 copies this week. A lot of people are on holiday though.

Monday 7 August - rang Chalice Well and Watkins Books in London about stocking my book. Sent copy to Chalice Well as per theire request. Sent review copies to Nexus magazine and Writers Forum. Went to St Michaels in the afternoon and sold 2 copies. Kosmon Sanctuary this evening and sold 2 more.

Tuesday 8 august - a quiet day at home, doing other things and not really concentrating on the book. Sunny afternoon in the park, talking to Coran

Wednesday 9 August (today) - I have today taken the very bold step of phoning my local Borders to see if they would be prepared to stock my book. I spoke a very nice lady called Charlotte, one of several of their managers, and she has directed me to the buying department at their head office, since apparently decisions are made on a national rather than branch level. I will then get on to them as soon as I have stopped hyper ventilating ! What she also said though was that they are setting up a mind body and spirit group in the store, and looking for speakers, so they have taken my contact details as a possible speaker, and will get back to me in due course. This would be a great opportunity to get much better known in the local community and spread the word.

Have also received my first order via Paypal this morning, to a lady in Arizona whom I got to know via another writers site (Writers Net for those who are interested). She said that as soon as she heard about my book, she knew she had to get a copy, so I am very happy and honoured that she spent nearly double what amazon.com charge to get signed one. I think when the prices were being set, the exchange rates must have been more favourable to Americans, and so the price in the US is therefore less then than the UK equivilant. I have tried to keep the cost of these signed copies down, but with the amount that Paypal charge, plus the fact that the exchange rates they use are 2.5 percent less than the published ones, and nearly £5 postage to countries outside Europe means that there is little I can do. I have though advertised the signed copies on the books page on amazon.co.uk as collectable signed copies, which may be a little cheaper to buy that way. Amazon issue me with a credit for postage, which is not quite as high as the actual cost of sending them out, so I end up earning less, but it should hopefully help to get some more interest.

Didn't sell any tonight, which I am very disappointed at if I am honest. Everyone said that I enjoyed the talk, and did very well, but I felt like a bumbling idiot. Will defiantely have to get some more practise then and prepare a bit better as well next time. It is very hard though not to get disheartened, when you have so much invested in making this a success. Maybe I am just trying too hard and I need to, as Coran suggests, step back a bit and let spirit help me rather than trying to control the outome. Very difficult to do though when there is so much at stake.

Rang the Buying Department at Borders anyway, five minutes after ringing Kingston. Think they must have still been at lunch though as got the answerphone, so left a message explaining who I am, and asking to contact me and then went into Kingston to get some more padded envelopes etc. Got back around 5.30 to find no one had rang. Such is life. Will try again tomorrow then. Ii guess they are busy people who must get quite a lot of requests.

Also need to contact Richard tomorrow, to let him know about Borders and everything else I am doing, as he may need to deal with these big chains himself. will also ask him about Waterstones though, although I think buying decisions there are made on a branch level, at least that is what one of my writers books says. Will check their website tomorrow and see if there is any information on there. Also need to get my login for the authors area on Richard's site to see how many have sold that way. Hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised.

where has the time gone?

It seems like forever since I got back from Lundy, yet is only 2 weeks.

Since I got back I have been busy selling books. I had hoped that the 50 copies I ordered would be here waiting for me when I got back, but no. I rang Gaynor who takes care of ordering, and then I realised that when she said it takes 3-5 days to get the books, what she meant was it takes 3-5 days for the books to be printed. You still have to wait for delivery after they are printed, meaning that I could double that time to around 10 days. The books finally arrived the Wednesday after I got back, within 12 days of ordering. I will have to remember this when it comes to do the Questing Conference and any talks that I organise ...

Talking of which, I have arranged the closest thing I can to a book launch, at our local church on 9th August. I should have enough copies to go round, as I still have 28 left. 20 have been sold direct, mostly to friends at the church, but also 4 to the various members of the Earth's Cycles course that I completed last weekend. One copy has also gone via my own website.

I decided to add the link to my own website so that people can order signed copies from other areas of the country, as several people on my own mailing list have asked. Several in America and Canada have also expressed an interest in signed copies, so they can also get them using the Paypal account I set up. My first American copy was sold this week, and I am sure there will be many more to follow. So far, within just 10 days of returning home I have managed to recoup around 13 percent of my publishing costs. Just over £1000 to go and I have broken even. This does not include the cost of writing the book which runs into several thousand pounds more. This is though a long term thing, and I would rather go for slow, steady sales than have a sudden flash in the pan and then nothing.

How the time has flown

Since writing this blog it seems that so much has happened, yet at the same time, nothing has happened. The book finally went to print about a week ago, and I am waiting for my own sample copy to arrive, which I was told would take 7 - 10 days. I was hoping it might arrive today, which is my birthday, but the postman did not bring anything (except a copy of a friend's book whom I have arranged to do a swap with). Once it does arrive, assuming all is okay and nothing has gone horribly wrong, people will be able to order their own copies. This may be tomorrow, or it may be next week. It will though be within the next week, that much I can say with 100 percent certainty.

It is just under a week until I go to Lundy for my 21st visit. This time I be gone for three whole weeks, the longest I have ever been away from home, before or after I met Coran. He is very good not to make a fuss about this, as I know some men who throw a wobbly if their girlfriend so much as goes shopping on her own - they would get very short shrift from me. Coran knew that I was going to Lundy long before I got involved with him. I always imvite him along, but he doesn't like boats and helicopters and has never been much of a traveller. Truth be known, I am not sure if I would want him to go with me anyway, since I need the time on my own, and feel that it does us both the world of good to spend time apart every so often. Absense makes the heart grow fonder ...

Almost there

It seems like ages since I wrote in this blog, yet such a lot seems to have happened. Britain is in the grip of a heatwave, and knowing how us Brits have a reputation for moaning, everyone is doing just that. I must admit it has been a little too hot for me, with the mercury hitting 31 degress today. Thankfully things are set to cool over the next few days.

Things have been hotting up in my life as well. This afternoon, in fact five minutes ago, I finally approved the last round of alterations. All I am waiting for is my proof copy, before it finally go to print. I was amused to find that my ISBN adds to up to the number 11, the numerical number for Master Jesus. This speaks volumes. I only hope the critics will not crucify me as they did him!

I have been working hard inviligating various exams at the college - I did 18.5 hours last week over 5 days, but only 6.5 hours this week. I had exams this morning and again tomorrow. This morning was maths GCSE. I am not sure what it will be tomorrow, but will have to wait and see. Whatever it is I am sure it will be fascinating. I feel really sorry for the kids taking exams in this heat, with the pollen so high. I am glad it isn't me!