A Bonza Time

January 27^th 2019

Today I’m starting off with our CHINDI Author of the Week, Rosemary Noble. Rosemary has written three excellent historical novels that begin with the transportation from England to Australia of a sixteen year old lass called Nora. Her follow up novel is about Jane, a tough pioneering woman of the nineteenth century in Australia. Her third is about Sadie who returns from Australia during the depression and subsequently through the Second World War. Rosemary has earned great reviews for her trilogy of historical novels that sell really well in Australia. The books can be read as stand-alone, but all three are stories to savour and enjoy. You can find Rosemary at https://www.chindi-authors.co.uk/rosemary-noble/

My week began with the realisation that there were three people in our marriage. I had to retune our DAB radio to Virgin because the DJ, Chris Evans began his new, broadcasting life there last Monday. It was my wife’s wish that we followed. And there was me thinking I was the only man in her life!

I am making pretty good progress with my pulp fiction thriller. I am 7000 words ahead of my daily target of 1000 words. Pat has asked if she could read it, so I’ve printed off the opening chapter to see if she really wants to continue. She understands that it usually takes me a year to write a book, so there will be obvious defects with this one. But I have to say I am having a lot of fun writing the story. Pulp fiction is exactly what it is, and one of the key things in a thriller is an element of extremism. I try not to justify certain scenes and actions, because in trying to do that, I would need a lot more research and counter arguments to events that might need some explanation. Then I would get myself bogged down with prose. So here I am, flying by the seat of my pants and having a great time.

My sales on Amazon are moving at a steady pace, most of which are of Roselli’s Gold; the book I am advertising (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00S9SPMXA). I am picking up other sales too, which is a bonus. My ROI is rubbish, but I have to hold my nerve and push on.

On the domestic front. Pat goes for a bone marrow biopsy tomorrow which will be sent to London for analysis. Hopefully they will soon be able to start her treatment. Wish us luck

Memories

January 19^th. 2019

Today, me and Pat are celebrating our 59^th Wedding anniversary. Fifty nine years where we’ve shared all the decision making. Pat made the easy ones, I made the hard ones. Funny thing is, I don’t remember having to make any hard decisions, but everything got done! (Hmm?). We are at that stage in our lives when anniversaries aren’t celebrated in the same was as they used to be; we’re not fit and agile enough. However, today we’re going out for lunch and then to the pictures to see Mary Queen of Scots. Looking forward to it.

I’m making reasonable progress with my pulp fiction thriller. Yesterday I’d completed almost 27000 words, which means I’m nearly two thousand words ahead of my target. But today being different of course, I doubt if I’ll get any further ahead, although I might grab some time later this evening: there’s nothing on the box for me after the football’s finished, so perhaps I’ll write (perhaps!).

I am seeing constant sales on Amazon as a result of my AMS ads, but nowhere near as much as I would like. I am just keeping ahead of one sale a day, but that includes D2D, which is on the low side. But when I see a sale on my KDP graph, and it’s for Roselli’s Gold, I know my ads are at least hitting some targets. My ROI is terrible, but for me that isn’t the objective at the moment. My ads have cost me about $160 so far, and my sales have grossed about $70. And of course, my royalties will be 70% of that figure. For me it’s about getting my work out there among the reading public.

Another thing I’m looking into is advertising on Amazon.co.uk. I contacted Amazon about the fact that my AMS ads only reach USA, but I want to advertise here in UK. They sent me a link through which I can set up an account. There are several options, one of which is the Pro account. £25 up front and then £25 per month. I’m still debating over that because there is no guarantee that my sales in UK will be any better than they are in USA. That would make my ROI terrible.

I watched part of a Mark Dawson podcast yesterday on the value of maintaining links with subscribers. I gave up watching in the end because I just can’t see my way to developing a weekly ‘to and fro’ between me and my subscribers. Each time I send an email, (once a month), I get about ten unsubs and an open rate of about 3%. I will persevere, but I don’t hold out much hope.

I received the new book jacket for my thriller, The Boy from Berlin, and uploaded it to KDP. The paperback arrived yesterday but the reproduced colours means it needs more work. This is not the jacket that Christine Hammacott is producing; that’s still to come and is a completely different work of art. I contacted the designer and he will address the problem. The book itself is fine: feels nice, looks nice, but just a pity it needs a little more work.

Pat is still waiting for news from the hospital about her treatment. It’s now ten weeks since the X-ray revealed the shadow in her lung. We are expecting a call from the hospital on Tuesday with the prognosis and an appointment for treatment to start. We’re not happy!

On the subject of anniversaries; my elder brother Jim was eighty years old three days ago. I remember sending him a birthday card on his 65^th birthday when he was lying in hospital after having suffered a heart attack. When I spoke to him, we had a laugh about it. He said if it wasn’t for the skills of the doctors, the stents and the pills, he wouldn’t have got this far. We all need some kind of prop to keep us going. I’m a couple of years behind my brother, but with luck I’ll still be writing (and selling) when I reach my eightieth. Wish me luck!

Winging it: have I really got time for this?

January 12^th. 2019

I’m up to my neck in muck and bullets as I write my pulp fiction thriller for Mark Dawson. It’s a bit of fun really; this is not the kind of thriller I would normally write, but I’m winging it and have reached 16000+ words on day 16, so I’m still on target. Looking at my daily word count over those last sixteen days, I see that I underachieved on eight of those days. Thank goodness I was able to make up for it by going over my target on the other eight. By focusing my mind on the daily target, I find myself taking advantage of those moments when I usually twiddle my thumbs in front of the TV and actually write. It’s just not me!

Another project that’s currently taking up some of my time is changing the book jacket for my political thriller, The Boy from Berlin. I’ve had a new jacket designed for it by Paul Casselle. It was the result of a small promotion I did for Paul, a subsequent free comp and the offer of a heavily discounted jacket design job. I asked him to re-design the jacket and I’m in the process of changing that on KDP.

And yet another project. This time it is a book jacket for my Romance, Past Imperfect. I’m using Christine Hammacott, a professional designer, and one of our Chindi members. We spent half an hour on the phone yesterday going over the changes I asked for. Christine had already provided eight jackets, six of which I sent to my boys and a couple of the Chindi writers. As a result of trying to explain by email what I wanted, we thought it best to chat in real time. As a result of that we have finalised a jacket. It will probably need minor adjustments. We’ll see. Most of those who plumped for ‘The White One’ may be surprised with the jacket I’ve chosen.

Now some of you who read my blog might wonder how I can find time for all this when I’m looking after Pat. Well, I have to squeeze it in, and it’s not as if I have to go out of the house to do this; I can always drop what I’m doing if Pat needs me. We’ve had two trips to the hospital this week for consultations with specialists, which has proved a bit tiring for Pat. She is managing to do a little more at home because the swelling in her leg is slowly going down, so psychologically she is in a better place. We are hoping Pat will start her chemo next week sometime once some final results have arrived from Southampton hospital.

I am seeing marginal improvements in my book sales on Amazon through my AMS ads. I still have a long way to go, but once I find some more time, I’ll set about tweaking my ads and maybe adding something. My BookBub ads are not doing well at all, but at least they have started moving.

The Chindi group are winding themselves up for a busy year, with lots in the pipeline. We are spreading further afield and have today welcomed an indie author from Australia. I won’t be able to give much time to the group because of my commitment to Pat, but I’ll be able to promote the Chindi events here and through Facebook.

It’s Pat’s birthday on Monday and we will be seeing our No. 2 son, Terry, our grand-daughter, Gemma and our No.3 Great-grandson, Orin. Should be bedlam! At least I don’t have to cook for them (Vegans and vegetarians!); we’re going out to lunch. Should be fun. Wish me luck!

On a Roll

January 5^th. 2019

First of all let me wish all my readers a very happy New Year. I hope 2019 holds some really good stuff for you all. My year has got off to a good start with my current WIP, but more of that in a short while. Pat has had her lung biopsy and we now wait for the results which we expect will be in about three or four days’ time. I’m also having two (yes — two!) book jackets designed for me. Christine Hammacott has taken on my Romance, Past Imperfect, and a writer by the name of Paul Casselle is doing The Boy from Berlin. Christine has been in the graphic design business for a good number of years, and already has produced six jackets for me to consider. Meanwhile, Paul has also produced the same number. I decided to try Paul because he offered a major discount as a result of a competition of his I entered. I’ll show the jackets later in the month when I have them finalised.

My current WIP is now the 60,000 word novel I’m writing for Mark Dawson, although truth be told I’m writing it for myself. Mark has already warned me that the plot is not suitable for his main character, John Milton, but still wants to see the end result. So with that in mind, I decided to write 1000 words a day which will take me up to the end of February. If Mark doesn’t want it, I’ll publish the book myself. I am currently on 9565 words on day 9, so I’m still on target. The plot was something I wrote fifty years ago. My sister Joyce typed it for me, but it never saw the light of day until a couple of years ago when Joyce moved into sheltered accommodation. It was rubbish (the story, not Joyce’s accommodation!). However, it was 60,000 words long, so I shook the dust off it and am re-writing furiously. It looks in better shape now than it did a couple of years ago.

My other WIP, the one I’ve been struggling with, has taken a temporary back seat, but I intend finishing it and plan to release it this year, but not as a full length, 90,000 word thriller. I’ll probably settle for the shorter length. It may look like a cop-out, but it’s the only way I can see me getting through it.

I find writing to a target and with a plot already planned out certainly reinforces the mind and makes you focus on the job in hand. I’m already getting annoyed when I think I might miss the hour or so I need to knock out 1000 words, but I know I will see days when I can’t get on with it. I’m thinking of the times I’ll be caring for Pat and shoving everything else to the back of my mind. I might even find my emotions getting the better of me and giving in. I hope not, because Pat has encouraged me to go for the Mark Dawson project. If he likes it, he pays.

I am seeing a steady (very steady) growth in sales on Amazon. Most are for Roselli’s Gold (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00S9SPMXARoselli's Gold), but I’m also picking up a few for my other books. I even sold a Roselli’s Gold paperback yesterday, and that’s unheard of with my account. Now I need to keep an eye on my AMS ads and try to keep the balls in the air. On the other side of the coin, my BookBub ads are not performing at all, so I need to address that problem. Oh, I think the reason my sales through AMS are working is because I used 500 keywords on the campaign. It should have been 1000, but in my technical ignorance, I made a balls-up of the ad. Still, I will go back soon and copy the ad and use 1000 keywords. For those of you who are wondering how I managed to come up with all those keywords, the answer is, I didn’t; it was Brian Berni of Authorstech. He had a very low Christmas offer: 1000 keywords for $27. I don’t often go for these kind of ‘cold-call invitations’ from entrepreneurs, but I’ve been associated with Brian for a while, so I took up his offer.

So now I need to calm down, focus on my priorities, and Pat will be No.1: everything else must come second. Hope you all have your sights set on some intriguing goals this year, as I have. Wish me luck.

Challenging Times

December 22^nd. 2018

I expect this will be my last blog post this year. I would like to say that 2018 has been a tremendous year from the book point of view, but what began with me in high hopes has practically ended as a damp squib. On the domestic front of course, the main focus is now Pat’s cancer diagnosis: not so much a damp squib; more like a bombshell. However, let’s talk books for a moment.

As readers of my blog will know, I have been struggling with my WIP and failing to get to grips with something I’ve been pretty useful at for some time now: writing. I came up with the idea of introducing another character into the story, and that has helped. But yesterday, while mulling over something else, I decided I would bring the WIP to an end and publish it as a novella. It sounds like a cop-out, but there’s little point in stretching the story and making it weaker. So, one novella coming up (maybe!).

Another direction for me is the prospect of ghost writing. Most of you know I am a member of the Mark Dawson group. Mark has asked the thriller writers of the group if they would be interested in a project he’s working on. I threw my hat into the ring, as did many of us, so much so that he’s swamped with interested parties. He knew he would be. I made Mark’s short list with a small submission and as a result he spelt out the details of what was to be expected. Although I made the short list, he will only run with two or three ghost writers. If I’m selected, it will mean a lot of intense writing with a kind of self-imposed deadline. The only kudos for me would be the fee: quite generous too. Other than that, there will be no acknowledgement of the ghost’s input, which is understandable.  I have a kind of thin plot to hand which needs a lot of work, and once I’ve buffed it up and lifted it to the standard Mark requires, I’ll submit it to him. If it’s a go, I’ll be happy. If it’s a no, I’ll publish it myself: another novella!

On the subject of ghost writing; some years ago I came across a group of writers who called themselves The Curzon Group. They are still around and one of their luminaries is Jeffrey Archer. One of the group was a ghost writer for Random House. He wrote action stuff the kind of which Andy Macnab writes. No, he wasn’t writing Andy Macnab thrillers. But he had decided to give up ghost writing and write for himself. He admitted it would be a wrench because he was earning £100,000 per year as a ghost writer.

Incidentally, the Curzon Group are up in arms with what they call thriller factory books coming out of America. Writers like James Patterson, John Grisham, Dan Brown and David Baldacci employ other writers to help them churn out thrillers. They claimed that Patterson has eight writers working for him, which kind of dilutes the authenticity and style of the Patterson books. They believe thrillers should be more cerebral like John le Carre novels. Not sure I entirely agree, but those writers in America are simply writing to a market and selling books.

Back to thoughts much closer to home now. I took Pat to hospital last Wednesday, both of us expecting to hear how the tests went and when the treatment could be started, only to be told that neither of the tests were any good and would have to be done again. Pat was extremely upset. Me? I was just pissed off! I felt so sorry for Pat, but she has Hobson’s choice and has to go through the tests again. She had one yesterday and the other will be on the 3^rd. January. It would have been next week, but Christmas got in the way. This is probably the only time I wish they could have cancelled Christmas. So instead of singing The First Noel, I’ll sing The First Novella, and see what comes up.

Happy Christmas everyone. I’ll see you in the New Year. Wish us both luck!

Going through the valley

December 15^th, 2018

The old year is almost out and the new year about to begin. I’m looking ahead with a certain amount of doubt and uncertainty, but also with optimism. My doubt is that 2019 will not be a successful time in my literary life as I would like it to be, and the optimism is that Pat will come through her illness with flying colours. The reason I have doubts about my books is because I am beginning to see the reality of the burgeoning indie world. It’s often easy to look back and find excuses and reasons why things didn’t work out, and to immerse oneself in metaphorical self-harming, but the truth is, the world of indie publishing is metamorphosing into a giant that will soon rival, if not outstrip, traditional publishing, and the keys to the executive rooms will only be held by those who truly know how to play the long game.

So what brings me to this conclusion? Well, I see how I have trod the same path as other successful authors — been there, got the tee shirt — but without having a clue how to use the tools that were available to me to take me to the top. I have the plaudits like “Gifted narrator”; No.1 best seller; given away thousands of books; built an email list, picked up some cracking reviews and sold lots of books through BookBub featured deals, but I still can’t sell books in the usual way even though I spend money on advertising. Oh sure, I sell a few, but nowhere near enough to get my head over the parapet for other readers to see me. So what’s the answer to this conundrum? I must work harder. Simple. I think.

I am optimistic though because I will be releasing two books next year. My romance, Past Imperfect, should be ready to roll by the end of January. I intend spending some cash on promotion for that. I also expect to have my next Marcus Blake thriller ready by the Spring. It’s my current WIP, and although I’m struggling to stitch the plot together, I am making inroads. I admit that I prevaricate a lot: I find all kinds of reasons not to get my head down and write, but that’s an affliction many of us indie writers are familiar with. One good excuse is Christmas of course. I had to put time aside to sit down and write out the Christmas cards, wrap some presents for posting and spend time shopping. I’m still looking after Pat, so that’s another reason not to write, but the truth is, I do find time later in the day to sit in front of my computer and fall asleep!

I dug my digital voice recorder out the other day. I decided I had to keep it handy for those ideas that pop into my head when I’m out walking Tuppence on the beach (another excuse!). It’s infuriates me when I get a good idea that I can work into my plot only to forget what it was when I want to use it. I also have the unusual problem of running two plots in my head, two completely different stories, when I should only be concentrating on one. I’m constantly thinking of one of my characters, Conor Lenihan, who was a nasty piece of work in my thriller, The Eagle’s Covenant, and using him in a new book. Believe it or not, I’ve already written about 15,000 words for that, but they are stored in the dusty shelf of my PC.

Looking ahead then, I have to give a lot of consideration to Pat now because she should be starting her treatment in January. She had a lung biopsy earlier in the week (she wasn’t happy; said it was like being shot!), and the diagnosis will be dealt with by the specialists next week. We have been told that nothing is likely to happen before Christmas, so we have to hope it will be very soon after. I will try not to let the workload I’m expecting with nursing Pat to swamp my own free time. The writing will definitely come second of course, but I know Pat will want me to snatch those moments when I can put pen to paper and try to keep sane. Wish me luck!

A Mixed Bag

Decorations going up, a few more words added to my WIP and another book sale. Three actually. An elderly lady came round to the house during the week to buy two of my books. She wanted them as a Christmas present for a friend of hers who has read a couple of mine and wanted to read more. I sold one at the HSBC stall earlier in the week — well, not me really, one of the Chindi volunteers — so that makes three. You know, even then I can’t be sure because D2D keep adjusting my previous months sales, even though we are well over a week into December they’ve adjusted the number up by a count of three. Add a couple already sold this month on D2D and, hey, I’m looking good!

Staying with D2D, I received a royalty statement telling me I had earned $0.56 for the sale of three books on Bibliotecha. No, that’s not a typo: $0.56! I tried to log on to the Bibliotecha website, but it wasn’t available, so I contacted D2D asking them to confirm the royalty. They have contacted me and said they will have to consult their accountants and get back to me. It could be a library loan, but unless I see something to convince me otherwise, I’ll be asking D2D to remove all my books from that site.

I’m looking ahead to 2019 and the re-launch of my novel, Past Imperfect and wondering how best to promote it. I know I could do a countdown deal with Amazon, but I’m reluctant to let it remain exclusive to them for three months. That’s a decision I’ll come to later. I finished the read-through and made a couple of changes to the book. That makes two readings in less than two weeks, and I still think it’s good. I’ve been in touch with Christine Hammacott, a member of our Chindi group, and we will be producing a new jacket for the launch. Christine has been a graphic designer for over twenty years and has done a couple of jackets for our members. This is a professional contract by the way, not a freebie.

I am committed to and book talk next year at the local women’s friendship club in our village hall. This was booked a year ago! The event will be the first week in March. I hope the women get real friendly and buy lots of my books.

I would like to mention one of our Chindi authors, Rosemary Noble, who has written a trilogy about a corner of Australian history, each a stand-alone novel, but all linked. The trilogy was inspired by the transportation to Australia of British felons in the 18^th and 19^th century. Rosemary has attracted some terrific reviews, and is currently on blog tour. Why not look her up? https://dbgreviews.blogspot.com/2018/12/sadies-war-australian-saga-by-rosemary.html

My current situation at home with Pat still means I am the chief cook and bottle washer. I cooked a stir-fry last night. Pretty good it was too! Pat’s leg swelling is going down but at a very slow rate. Next Tuesday she has her lung biopsy for the cancer treatment, which we hope will start as soon as possible. Pat’s in good spirits under the circumstances, but it’s something we have to deal with. We have Christmas to look forward to though. After that? Well, wish us good luck.