Work: just another four letter word.

 

15^th. August 2020

When I worked for a living, I did a lot of twelve-hour shifts. Never liked them, but at least at the end of my shift I could go home, go to bed and relax for a while. Yesterday, Friday, my day began at around 6 am, and finished last night at 2.30 am — just over twenty hours. Looking after Pat is hard work. I did manage to get my head down but was up again at 7 am to start the shift again. There’s a lot to this ‘Full-time carer’ business. Pat’s situation isn’t good, but I have to accept it for what it is and hope I can keep her as comfortable as possible. We have a steady stream of nurses coming in. One came this afternoon and dressed Pat’s wounds, checked her physically and departed. Pat seems a little more settled at the moment. We have the positional bed in the front room, which has been an absolute boon: so much better for Pat. It’s amazing just how much support is out there, most of which is free.

Tuppence goes away tomorrow, probably for about three months or until this is all over. If Pat goes into a nursing home, I will have Tuppence back. It won’t make a great dal of difference to me in regard to how much time I have, but it will make a heap of difference to Tuppence.

In my book world, I see no changes in my sales or my expectations. Now that I don’t write, I ignore a lot of advice that comes pouring on to my PC by way of social media book groups. But one thing I do see, and understand, is that as a stand-alone writer, I have very little chance of attaining high rankings and sales in the indie world. I have even seen patronising comments about stand-alone writers as though we were some sort of interlopers in the world of series authors. I did get a smile on my face when I saw one author complaining that her book sales were down, and what on earth were Amazon up to for goodness sake? — “I’m trying to make a living as a writer!” — seemed to be the complaint as though Amazon should pull their socks up.

As I mentioned last week, I am joining 10K Readers author Mike Donald on a thriller promotion, due to begin on September 1^st. I downloaded Mike’s book, Louisiana Blood (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07WVHCL6S) so that I could have something to say when the promotion gets under way. Mike’s book is set in the USA and UK, and what struck me about this was the fact that his characters are playing out their scenes in their own language (English of course), and that he uses double speech marks, which is normal for American publications. I’ve seen authors on some the FB groups of which I’m a member, worrying themselves over the use of the American way or the British way. They’re often told to go with whatever they feel comfortable with, something which Mike Donald is doing with no hang-ups. I’m hoping I can reach a lot more readers through Mike, but I have to say that in terms of which of us is the longest in tooth, it’s me. So perhaps Mike is hoping to hang on to my coat-tails. Hope I don’t let him down. Wish me luck!

Decisions, decisions.

8^th. August 2020 

I’m sitting here eating a bowl of cornflakes wondering what the day will bring in my on-going struggle with Pat. She’s fast asleep on the settee having been up since about 4.30 (and a pit stop during the night). I just love the way she catches up on her lost sleep while I mooch around, bleary-eyed, showered, changed and wondering why I’m eating cornflakes instead of a full English to build me up. Yesterday we were expecting a nurse to come and change Pat’s dressing. I phoned at 5.45 and asked where the nurse was only to be told it had been deferred until today. I blew my top: why didn’t we get a phone call? This happened last Tuesday as well, but they managed to find a nurse quick after my mid-day call. Last night two ‘Twilight’ nurses came and changed Pat’s dressing. No doubt the day nurse will turn up today. Or maybe not.

Now, I have a BIG, BIG decision to make. Tuppence is coming home on Monday. She’s been having a wonderful time with two doggy friends, playing together, going down the beach and even going in the sea. Now, our No.2 son, Terry, has suggested that he takes Tuppence to live with him and their little dog, Saxon, until…. Well, even Terry couldn’t say ‘Until Mum dies’. Sounds awful, doesn’t it? I have to admit that it would probably be fairer to Tuppence, rather than getting under my feet, getting into trouble and not getting the exercise she needs every day. The problem of course is me: I don’t want the little blighter to go. But my heart needs to be ruled by my head in this case. My son is coming over tomorrow to talk about it and will almost certainly persuade me that it’s the right thing to do, given the circumstances.

 

Now, about my book world. We won’t even talk about my book sales. I made a decision to finish with Voracious Readers. Over the last year I’ve attracted about 300 subscribers through giving away The Devil’s Trinity. (A lot of them unsubscribed as soon as they had the book). I think I attracted a handful of reviews on Goodreads. I’ve been thinking for a while about finishing with them, but it took a new venture to persuade me. I’ve joined in a promotion being run by a 10K FB author Mike Donald. He’s new at it and wanted to give it a shot. But to achieve the email sign-ups, I had to upgrade my Book Funnel account. I did this and cancelled my VR account. Works out about the same price each year anyway. Once Mike has all his ducks lined up in a row, he’ll start the ball rolling. It will take very little of my time to support the promo although I don’t hold out much hope for it; these things never seem to work for me.  So, all I have to do is hang on to that hope and make a decision about Tuppence. Wish me luck!

With love comes hope.

1^st. August 2020

If I had to write up a detailed report of what has happened to Pat this last week, I would be able to publish it in book form such would be the number of pages. Suffice it to say we have had four visits from medical professionals, a late evening consultation with an emergency nurse, and the delivery of a contraption to help Pat get up and down: the first of several items promised, including a hospital bed. In the seven days since my last blog post, Pat has had one good day. She was so bright, I even managed to persuade her to let me take her out for a drive. This meant the ramp had to be assembled, but that didn’t prove a problem. In fact, I was so pleased with it, I gave it a second coat of paint. If Pat recovers some of her good health, I will get her out a little more often, but at the moment she is too unwell.

 

My book sales are just holding at one sale a day spread between Amazon and D2D. Total sales 31. Cost of ads? Massive! Doesn’t make sense to carry on at the rate I’m spending money. But I remain optimistic and will start another campaign on BookBub, which seems to outsell Amazon in my case, and keep an eye on targeting etc. I do have small opportunities from time to time to look at my results and figure out what kind of changes might improve my sales. What I can’t do though is spend time on videos and following explicit instructions.

 

Oh, I made a pitch to an on-line publisher too. Well, not so much a pitch, but a tongue in cheek approach that will almost certainly yield nothing. The SPF bosses, James Blatch and Mark Dawson, have set up an on-line publishing company called Fuse Books. They have one author on their books (yes, one). They have asked the members of the SPF group for crime/mystery submissions but have warned that they will only take on a couple of authors with at least 3 books in a series. My tongue in cheek submission was to offer my three Marcus Blake thrillers which were never intended as a series. A betting man wouldn’t put money on my books even getting past first post, but I live in hope.

 

A book was released on Amazon yesterday: one in which I contributed a small piece. It’s called With love, comes hope: stories & inspiration during the 2020 pandemic. It’s available here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Comes-Hope-Inspiration-Pandemic-ebook/dp/B08CRWWT82, and all proceeds go to Bridge 2 international humanitarian charity based in Guernsey. Why not have a look? My piece is on page 242.

 

I made a decision this afternoon to send Tuppence away for a short period, simply to stop her leaping all over Pat, getting under our feet, barking at every Tom, Dick & Harry, and generally being a nuisance whenever the nurses or paramedics turn up. I contacted Barking Mad, a franchise dog boarding organisation I’ve used a few times, and within one hour, the agent was here having sourced a ‘host’ for Tuppence. The woman who will be looking after Tuppence has had her before. So, two hours after making the decision, Tuppence has gone and peace reigns in the house. Aahh….. Wish me luck. (Well, Tuppence really).

How many?

18^th. July 2020

Well, I said the pattern may not change but the intensity will, and I wasn’t far out. Pat’s demands became intense to the point of me having to change her up to ten times in a 24 hour period for about three days. The conversations I had with the medical people were mounting, and eventually a GP came to the house. Two days later once the blood test results were known, she was put into an ambulance and taken to hospital. But instead of invasive intravenous treatment, it was decided by the consultant, after talking to what he referred to as the ‘ECHO’ team, that Pat would continue with the antibiotic tablets the GP had prescribed, and she was released the next day into my hands as her carer to continue with her palliative care. There was a discussion about this of course, but the next event, which will probably be sooner rather than later, will almost certainly involve hospice care with the implication that comes with that.

So, what about my other world? I’ve been invited by Lucinda Clarke to be her nominated author of the month on her blog post. I was pleased and surprised. I’ve followed Lucinda for some time, and she produces an amazingly informative and professional looking blog post. It might happen next month, but I won’t complain if Lucinda puts it off until September.

For some reason, I am receiving a flow of emails from individuals offering to review my books. I’ve no idea why this has happened; perhaps something I triggered inadvertently. I think I know what these people are about, and it can only be a ruse to get money out of me, which I’m not about to fall for. And while I’m on the subject of reviews, I dismayed with the paucity of reviews I get from the readers who sign up to my email list in return for my freebie, The Devil’s Trinity’. I collect my subscribers almost entirely through Voracious Readers and add about three of four a week. I only pay VR pro rata, which is about £7 a month, but I’m seriously considering giving it up and falling back on the offer that is on my website for the same book.

My advertising campaigns are showing an improvement with the BookBub ads, but still nothing with Amazon. I closed the campaign for my WW2 book because that sold nothing, and then opened a new campaign for my crime/mystery thriller, No Time to Die. So far, nothing has stirred in that campaign. Meanwhile, I’m selling about one book every other day through my BB campaign, and this is reflected in my D2D sales. And yesterday I sold three copies of The Eagle’s Covenant as a result of a promotion with a site called Book Adrenaline. This group was recommended by David Gaughran in a blog post, so I was happy to give them a try.

We all like a laugh now and then, right? But a laugh at ourselves? As a result of my inability to read the Amazon product pages correctly, I managed to order two scrubbing brushes (I wanted one); three jars of Vaseline (I wanted one); four, 400g bags of ceramic bio rings for my fish tank (I wanted one bag), and twelve pink flannels (I wanted two). Mea Culpa; no-one to blame but myself. Anyone want 1.2 kg of ceramic bio-rings? Going cheap! Maybe one day I’ll look at the Amazon product pages properly and might find my books languishing at a ranking of 100 instead of the usual 100,000, and not even notice. You never know. Wish me luck!

Now I know what King Sisyphus felt like!

11^th. July 2020

My poor Pat. I thought I’d lost her last Monday. I phoned the surgery to get some advice and told them I wasn’t asking for more pills because she has just about had enough and won’t take any tablets. Neither was she eating. After a discussion with a paramedic and the GP, it was decided to pass on this and see what help our local hospice can offer. We’ve been under the watchful eye of St. Wilfrid’s Hospice since last December, with regular communication, so it was no surprise to them when I rang. Our usual contact, Andy, came out to see Pat on Wednesday, spent an hour with us and explained what we could expect and what they would do if and when it was needed. He didn’t have to be economical with the facts; we already know what to expect. Fortunately, Pat has picked up a little, but I know it won’t last. She is very frail, both physically and mentally. So, I soldier on and wonder how much longer it will go on.

My Facebook ad for June cost me £175. My royalties were about one third of that. It doesn’t take a great mathematician to figure out the ROI sucks. But if I had the balls to follow the expert’s advice, I would press on and throw more money at it. Trouble is, I can’t be bothered. Whatever I throw FB’s way will only make Jeff Bezos richer, but not Mick Parker. This month I am back on Amazon who are afraid to take my money. I scaled up in an effort to attract readers and sales, but I’ve still sold nothing. And so far I’ve spent $5.37. And it’s not for the want of trying. I’m advertising with BookBub as well, and have sold eight books on D2D, which is where my BB ads tend to populate. This has cost $50 so far. So, not good either. Looking back at those figures, it would make sense to ditch BB and Facebook and throw the money at Amazon.

I’m still reading Paul Asling’s book about Westminster Wars. I know Paul has a lot of fans, so he should do OK with this book; I’m sure they will lap it up. I’m about halfway through, so might have it finished by next week.

I had a phone call from Spain this week to tell me my old snooker mate, Richard (Ricardo) had passed away. Ricardo and I played snooker every week for about ten years. We always had a laugh. Sometimes he would beat me, other times I would win. We were both Speedway fans too and spent a lot of time talking about the sport. Although not together, we both travelled over to Cardiff each year for the British Speedway Grand Prix at the Millenium stadium (now called the ‘Principality Stadium’). Great times. I was sad to hear of his passing, but that’s life. He was 84.

One other task I’ve been involved in this week is the garden. Hands up who likes gardening? I need a young, strong teenager to volunteer to work in my garden at the minimum wage, but while I’m keeping Jeff Bezos in small change, I can’t afford it. But if I offered, say £20 for a couple of hours work, it might be worth it. But it’s unlikely I’ll find any youngster willing to take it on. Not at that price anyway; not enough to keep them in spliffs for a week.

So what next? The pattern may not change, but I expect the intensity will. Wish me luck!

Hoping for a lot of luck

Pat’s situation is getting slowly worse. Small drops each day, and little to inspire any hope. Talking to others who have found themselves in this situation simply confirms the direction her illness is taking her, but not the longevity; it could be a few months or maybe a few years. I find my levels of frustration are only matched by my feelings of guilt when I get annoyed with her, because I know that none of this is her fault. You learn a lot about yourself in a situation like this: levels of patience; fortitude; mental strength; physical strength. Fortunately, Pat is sleeping a lot better, but to counter that blessing, she isn’t eating and is refusing to take her pills. It’s difficult.

Looking at the marginally brighter side of life, I can now watch the ‘footie’ on TV. I hadn’t planned to watch so much, but I’m afraid that’s another of my weaknesses. And it interferes with my reading time too. Currently I’m reading my Chindi colleague Paul Asling’s crime thriller Wars in West London. You can see it at https://www.amazon.co.uk/CARTERS-WARS-WEST-LONDON-ebook/dp/B08BVWS9RJ.

And on the subject of Chindi authors, I would like to introduce you to Isabella Muir whose latest crime novel, Crossing the Line was published today. You can learn more of Isabella and her history, her previous literary work, and where her new genre is taking her with this link: https://www.isabellamuir.com. I think Isabella will probably be joining the ranks of best-seller fairly soon.

My ambitious attempt at creating a different kind of campaign on Amazon has resulted in precisely zero sales so far. Ironically, my recently started campaign on Book Bub ads had given me two sales. The Amazon ad was constructed using the advice of ex Amazon marketing professional, Jane Margot, while the BB ad was constructed simply and wholly by ‘yours truly’. I don’t blame anyone for my failures, but I couldn’t help smiling to myself when I saw on Bryan Cohen’s Ad school (of which I am an alumni) that he currently had over 1300 ads running. Now I know why I’m not selling! (Yes, that’s right: 1300!)

I’ve been coming up with some terrific opening scenes for my latest WIP. This was the one I started four week ago with the plan to knock out 60,000 words by the end of July. So far I’ve written 1200 words. I managed to produce an opening in which two mysteries need to be solved. One at the beginning of the chapter, and the other at the end: all separated by 1200 words. And I haven’t a clue what the mysteries are. It makes it fun writing something like that providing I can come up with an answer, but at my present rate of progress, it’s unlikely.

So, today is July 4^th. Independence Day. Our American friends will need to be extremely careful about their Independence Day celebrations if what I understand about their pandemic figures is correct. And likewise we British have to be careful too because the Press are dubbing this day as our Independence Day. We can all go to the pub! I usually finish my blog post asking you all to wish me luck, but today I think we ALL need a huge chunk of it. Stay home and stay safe.

Managing the excitement levels.

27^th June 2020

Life is still up and down for Pat, and consequently for me too. Good days and bad days, good nights and bad nights; all served up in a haphazard fashion and never knowing which way the coin will fall. Pat is back on antibiotics again having just finished last Wednesday. Our local GP made a house call last night to check Pat out for himself. He gave us the option of having her admitted to hospital so the infection she has, which won’t go away, can be dealt with intravenously, but we (Pat) turned that down. The doctor understood why and wrote the prescription so I could treat Pat here at home.

I got to thinking about levels of excitement the other day, and how they impact on our daily lives. For me and Pat, like most people, we’ve had our fair share. Sometimes an unexpected gift or windfall. A visit from a family member. A holiday abroad for the first time. Babies arriving — four in our house! Moving to Spain and enjoying a big villa with a big pool. Pat and I used to like skinny dipping late in the evening in the pool. It did wonders for my excitement levels, as you can imagine. But as we approach our final years, the excitement levels are moderate and less frequent. With Pat’s condition, I can get excited if she manages to finish the small meal I cooked for her, or if she manages to sleep through the night. Life can be fun, can’t it?

But my excitement level went up a notch during the week: I heard from Joffe Books, and they have scheduled publication of my book, Past Imperfect for the autumn. I wanted to swing Pat around like I did years ago each time my publisher agreed to publish my latest manuscript. But Pat’s emotional responses are miniscule, so I had to enjoy the moment in solitude. However, it will happen and I’m tremendously excited about getting in with such a successful company. I know one swallow doesn’t make a summer, but with luck I may be able to persuade Joffe Books to take on more of my other titles. We’ll see.

I’ve started an advertising campaign on Amazon but have taken the advice of a new member of Mark Dawson’s long list of experts: Janet Margot. Janet worked for Amazon for eight years on the ads team and brings a new kind of expertise to Mark’s team. Her advice was to begin a campaign (for beginners) with one book and run two ads: one with auto targeting, the other with manual (keywords). I decided to try with my World War 2 thriller, Shadow of the Wolf. By stepping away from A&A, thrillers, crime etc., I believe I can have a better idea of what kind of impact my ads have. So far, very little has happened. I’ll give it a few days before I start tinkering. Will this turn out to be a successful campaign for me? Hope so. Wish me luck.