My Debut Novel

This is the cover for my debut novel. I am hoping to have the novel uploaded and available on Amazon within the next two weeks or so. 

This blog has been created with two main purposes in mind. Firstly this is an attempt to promote and market my work,including a second novel I am currently on. 

The second main purpose of this blog,is to track my progress as a self publishing author. This blog will either grow and evolve or remain a virtually ignored creation floating about within the electronic ether of life. 

I hope to update on this journey as often as possible and also to open up discussion and debates around the publishing industry. If a fellow struggling author finds this blog useful, then it will be a worthwhile experience.

Me and the inspiration behind my debut novel

 I am 57 years old and have had a desire to write novels from an early age. I grew up on a council estate on the outskirts of the city of Coventry. Though growing up wasn't exactly easy. being in a single parent family with  a brother and two sisters, it was still enjoyable and enriching. This environment also helped to shape both the stories and the characters I wanted to write about. I want to write about believable characters in believable settings that the reader can connect to and relate to. Perhaps this is why my debut novel is based very much on the streets and within the world I grew up in.  I would not like to describe the novel as autobiographical, more a sense of being influenced by. The main stumbling blocks to my ambition of becoming a writer were perpetuated within these said streets, as a lack of both confidence and belief go hand in hand with the environment I grew up in.

The image below is not my own but never-the-less is a very important image for me. It show a park on the edge of Bell Green that I used to play in as a child. In the foreground is a small bridge that spans an equally small river. In the distance, located at the top of the image, in between the two blocks of flats, one can just make out 'The Live and Let Live public house. This particular public house along with Bell Green and other areas of close proximity feature heavily within the novel. The pub and the flats are no longer there, in fact a lot of the area has changed considerably since my childhood. 

The novel itself is set to the backdrop of the 1973-74 football season and centers around the main character, a fourteen year old boy called Philip Knott. I wanted to have the main character face similar stumbling blocks in his life as I have faced in my own based upon his class and social environment. His family life is difficult but both his abilities as a swimmer and as a shoplifter could offer him a better, brighter future. The main character also strikes up a correspondence friendship with his favourite footballer after entering a competition through a comic and it is this friendship that inspired the main narrative and the title of the novel 'The Boy Who Saved Billy Bremner'. 

The Shop Is Closed

As I am sure it is the same for many other aspiring author's out there, my writing is very important to me. Due to having a young family and a full-time job, it may not come as a surprise that 'The Boy Who Saved Billy Bremner' took over four years to write.

Once completed, proof read, re-written and re-written again, I went in search of an agent willing to represent me. However, it did not take too long to discover that for certain authors from certain backgrounds, with certain types of work, the shop is closed.

What do I mean by this? If you care to visit a particular agency online, it will quickly become apparent how drenched in white middle class profiles it is. It would be interesting to look closer at the last ten people the agency took on. To look closer at the type of person, their background, their education and to look closer at the type of work being chosen. It is all well and good to write about the lower classes and their issues but not if you are actually from this environment. One cannot risk you turning up and running off with the family silver. 

It is this closed shop, this narrow minded protective world of the middle classes that hinders so many novelists from the wrong side of the tracks. Agencies will not take risks, will only select certain types, a sense of cultural industries, only prepared to promote a product that is guaranteed to make a profit. To put it simply, certain types that do not fit the profile are not economically viable

If only I hosted a quiz show, or maybe if I was a weather forecaster, a TV chef, a well-known athlete, because as we all know it is easy to write a well crafted novel. Then maybe an agency would look at my work, be interested in my work or will it actually be my name and not the quality of the work that would make me economically viable.

Sour Grapes! No, not really, I do not think so. look for yourselves, see how many times, how many agencies will reject struggling authors out there. They all talk about finding something that captures their imagination, that excites them. What they really mean is something that is a safe bet from the right person and will make a profit.

So I, like many authors out there are now trying to go it alone, trying to be a successful self-publisher. Which brings me back to the purpose of this blog, to record the journey, the attempt to fulfill the dream. My next post will outline the next few steps of this process and will hopefully confirm when my first novel will be available in digital form on Amazon.

It's on Amazon

 The book is now on Amazon, the first step on the road to becoming a author. Here is the link.https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B86LQ97M/ref=sr_1_1?crid=QFF8C49EY47Y&keywords=the+boy+who+saved+billy+bremner&qid=1659346640&s=digital-text&sprefix=%2Cdigital-text%2C69&sr=1-1

Now for the next steps. I plan to sign up to the course below, it is alleged to be free, so will update once  have something to update on. 

I will also be purchasing the following book from Amazon. Again I will update once I have something worth reporting on.

   

There is no such thing as a free course

 I have started the course above and yes it has been a positive experience in the main but as expected also a couple of negatives along the way. Firstly, as I do not own a 'Kindle', and yes I get the irony, I cannot download the free stuff which is part of the course.

 I feel I am okay with photoshop and as I want to drive costs down to a minimum at this stage, I am in the process of designing a fuller book cover so that I can upload a print version to my Amazon account. this will hopefully allow for other people without a 'Kindle' to buy the book. Obviously David recommends having somebody professional design the cover as they may well be able to create something that will appeal more to the target audience of the work. Costs will always be a factor in this process, especially at this early stage.

David also talks about creating mailing lists and connecting with readers but not sure how to achieve this yet, hopefully it will be explained in more detail further along the course. I am already aware that very soon I will need to create a Facebook page, Twitter account and Instagram account, along with learning how to use them effectively.

One issue, not with the course directly but still an issue all the same, is finding the time to devote all the recommendations to my work or 'product' as it is now called. This process would be wonderful for somebody with the finances behind them and therefore do not have to hold down a full-time job. 

Next stage for me is to look at advertising on Amazon and other author / book related sites. It looks promising as you can create an account and set your own budget. Being a working father of two, I do not have an endless supply of money to throw at this, but will see what it costs and will update my spending in my next post. I have a budget of around £500, which is not that bad, I hope but still need to try and spend it as wisely as possible. I haven't purchased the bock yet that I mentioned in my last post. I can also buy the books that are free in digital form on this course but am just waiting to complete the course first. As mentioned there is  no point overloading the in-tray with stuff to do and not having the time to do it. 

I will post again once I have completed the course and invested some of my funds in advertising the product. 

Progress Report

I signed my first novel this week. A wonderful work colleague purchased a copy of the book and asked if I could be so vain as to personally write a brief 'thank you' and sign it. Yes I was more than happy to do so. 

I did however notice a couple of typo's on the blurb on the back cover, these have now been corrected and the book is again good to go on Amazon.

I have had a few issues with Facebook. I have created an account and have been joining groups that may have an interest in the book. However I have had my account suspended on a couple of occasions. The only thing I can put it down to is I may be breaking the rules by trying to tout my book in the group chat of the groups I have joined. It seems to be acceptable to post links of naked women and hardcore porn sites in these chat rooms / groups but not okay to try and promote a book. I haven't done much else with it as yet but do intend to update my profile and upload the link to the book on my wall  / profile page.

I still need to create a Twitter account and an Instagram account with the same purpose, to self-promote the book. Will hopefully have them done when I next update my progress.

Another work colleague gave me a contact of a friend who works at Amazon and I am now waiting for a reply about advertising and promoting the book on this platform. I also now plan to look at other platforms for advertising which were recommended through the 'David Gaughran' Starting From Zero programme that I am still working through. Here is the link if anybody is interested.

https://davidgaughran.com/startingfromzeroresources/

Will update again soon.

Weekly Update of Progress

 It has been an okay week with some ups and downs, all linked to Facebook. Firstly I have really enjoyed posting a few things in a 'Coventry friends' group.  I have been able to hint at my book and direct people to my blog. A chap has purchased the book, even posting an image of its arrival. I am now a bag of nerves as somebody who is not a family member or a friend is actually going to read my work.

I am getting some positive feedback from people in other groups I have joined, such as 'Leeds United Supporter Groups'. Hopefully it will amount to a few sales. 

The downside of the week is my interactions with an awful group called 'Self-Publishing Support Group'. A group I have since exited from. So farcical and hypercritical, I had to leave. Admin would block a post which advertised my blog and in turn my book, yet I scroll down and see a smiling happy lady with a copy of her new book in her hand. when I challenge why my posts are being blocked, I seem to get nowhere. I even had one lady directly tell me that this was not a site to promote your book, HELLO, did you see the image of the lady holding her new book So I strongly advise you not to join this hypercritical bunch of people. 

I have contacted a Leeds United Fanzine 'The Square Ball' about the possibility of placing an ad, but they are full at present, so I have asked would it be possible to do an interview about the book and I am waiting to hear back from them. 

Still need to set up other social media sites and sort out some advertising through Amazon Ads and Book Blurb. A friend at work gave me a contact of somebody who works at Amazon but as yet, I have not heard back from them.

Will update again next week. But so far not too bad and I have acquired my first sale outside of family and friends. Will update if they give me any feedback.

First International Sale

 An interesting week, lots of positive responses and comments to some of the posts I have posted in different groups on Facebook. I have also managed to create some interest in the book and sales have started to rise a little, I currently have 22 sales in total. As I have been quite busy with work and life in general, I still haven't managed to create any further social media accounts or investigated further the prospect of advertising through Amazon Ads. I will attempt to do these within the next week or two. I also need to finish the free course I embarked upon a few weeks ago. I still haven't ordered the self-publishing book from Amazon either. I do have an excuse for this brief period of inactivity as I teach for a living and it has been the first few weeks of the new academic year, which is always very time consuming and tiring. The big news story of the week is I have sold my first copy of the book overseas. A chap in America who lived here in the UK as a child has purchased the book, so I am now describing myself as an international author. The thought of my book being on a bookshelf across the pond is quite rewarding and pleasing.  Will update again soon.

Latest Update

Things have progressed quite well on Facebook but I feel that I have taken it as far as I possibly can. Sales have slowed a little but stood at 62 a few days ago. I will still use Facebook and post the odd update and link in a few of the groups I have joined as overall the response has been fantastic, especially in groups connected to Coventry. Reviews on the Amazon page on the whole have also been great. 

One annoying review though from Spain has damaged my overall rating. It is annoying as it is nothing to do with the book and the story but a review about the actual physical book itself. The reviewer moaned about there being no prolog or introduction, no margins on the pages and how it went straight into page one when you opened the book. Because of this they gave it one star. 

Thankfully all the other reviews are very positive and are all either four or five star reviews. I am hoping for a few more, only if it manages to dilute this pathetic and pointless rating from this arse in Spain. Not sure what the person was expecting from a self-published novel. If I ever find a publisher, I will insist that my books are not sold in Spain. 

So, the plan going forward is to now invest in some advertising on Amazon and to send out a few chapters to a few new agents I have not tried yet, I can now include something about  the book having some good feedback and reviews on Amazon. Hopefully people will see the one start review for what it is and maybe an agent will see the potential in the book. 

Started to use Twitter and have followed a couple of groups that may be interested in the book. Not sure if it is having any impact as yet but will see how it develops over the next few weeks. To get to 100 sales before Christmas would be wonderful. 

To be honest, due to time restrictions, I have not kept up wit the free self-publishing course or ordered the self-publishing book yet. I do have half-term just around the corner, so will try and reconnect with both of these during my week off work. 

All in all though, still feeling positive about the experience and especially about the wonderful responses about the book from people on Facebook. I have become a little obsessed (understandably) about looking at Facebook and Amazon and my KDP page all the time, so this week I am deliberately avoiding looking until Friday night. Fingers crossed, when I do look, I will have had a few more sales and a few more reviews. 

Progress Report

I have lost track of my posts and I apologise as this may well be a few weeks after my previous post. I am making steady progress with sales of the book and am actually closing in on 100 sales. I am on 96 at time of writing this post. I have however lost track of the course i was following and still have not purchased the book on how to self-publish. 

Social media is very much still a learning curve but I am getting better at using both Twitter and Instagram. I have made contact with a few people, especially a very supportive chap who has a bookshop in Leeds and a twitter page. He has given me some good advice and has also forwarded my tweet to an author who also has a Leeds United fan page. The only thing I cannot work out is where my sales are coming from, if they are from Facebook posts and chats or through the other social media. I have not ventured near TikTok as yet, though my daughter thinks I should. I have invested in Amazon Ads though do not think I have set it up as well as I could, so I do not think I am getting the most from it at present. I will look at it again very soon. 

I will post again when I reach 100 sales, so hopefully and with finger's crossed, that will not be too far away. 

Progress Update

Huge apologies. I know I change the dates on my posts so that they run in the same order as my journey, but it has actually been several weeks since I last updated the blog. Firstly sales are going well. I am currently on 194 actual sales and if I translate the number of pages read on Kindle Unlimited into  books, I have over 200 sales in total. 

I have sent the book to a few contacts I have made through Twitter. They are going to review the book, which will hopefully be a positive experience. Not so positive on this front is companies contacting me offering to guarantee sales, for a price of course. I have tried to ascertain how they can 'Guarantee' these sales but I just get sent back figures relating to the promotions of other author's work. 

On a plus side, is other avenues this journey has opened up. The first one being a very close, old school friend, 'Darren Robinson'. We were great mates back in secondary school, the school in the book, and it has to be forty years since we last spoke. So meeting him again on social media  has been a great experience and I will hopefully at some point meet up with Darren for a drink, when I am next in the Midlands. 

I have also made new acquaintances on this journey that have been equally rewarding and interesting, Namely a chap in the States called Peter and his cousin in Lincolnshire called Nigel. They are both originally from Coventry. Peter read the book and contacted me through Twitter. He recommended the book to his cousin. Both have given me great feedback and I am in contact with Nigel through e-mails and we have exchanged some very interesting thoughts. 

Feedback is another area which is currently a mixed bag. I am getting great comments on the Facebook pages I have joined such as 'Fantastic read, fully recommend' but I could do with a few more of these on the actual Amazon page. I have 19 reviews / ratings in total and 72% are 5 star, which is wonderful but I feel I need more, if I am going to have a better chance of getting an agent and in turn an actual publisher. Getting a publisher is still the ultimate goal.

I have lost track of the free course I was on and currently am just engaging with people through Facebook and Twitter. I have used Instagram a little but it does seem less effective, perhaps I just haven't really worked out how to use it properly. I do occasionally get a young and attractive lady wanting to follow me on Instagram but I somehow doubt it is because they have read my novel. 

Well that is pretty much where we are at right now. I plan to contact some agencies over half-term, the week after next. I can at least put some data and sales figures in the e-mail and see if that creates any interest. One thing that I have gleamed from the past few months is that my book is okay, good even, without wanting to sound obnoxious. I believe in the work and feedback seems to endorse this, so I will keep on going and keep my fingers crossed and keep hoping.

Record day quickly followed by a brick wall

This is a post with very mixed emotions around my journey as a self-published author. At the start of the week I reached a wonderful milestone of selling 200 books. If I had been told I would reach this figure when I first posted the book for sale, well let us just say, how delighted I was. Then a few days later I had another wonderful moment. For the first time since its launch, I sold double figures (ten copies) in a single day. I am currently on 215 copies sold. However, since then, sales have literally plummeted and I have sold one copy in the past three days.

Understandably, I am also getting some negative comments on certain Facebook' sites that I am active on, for continually promoting and going on about my book.  I fear that this particular avenue is becoming exhausted. However, I do continue to get some fantastic comments from people who have enjoyed the book. I think some of those ten sales came through  people mentioning the book to others. 

I am still awaiting some feedback and promotion through the people on Twitter that have received a copy of the book for reviewing purposes. To be honest, (middle aged man alert) I still do not really understand how Twitter works, so I am probably not using it to its fullest. 

It is half-term next week. I plan to attempt hitting a few more agencies with the book. I can now  boast some sales figures and positive reviews. I have 21 reviews to date with 90% being either 4 or 5 star. 

So at this point in time, it is a bit of a mixed bag. Positives and negatives have been visited recently along the road. I need to consider other strategies and possibly buy the book I mentioned several posts and a few months ago. I didn't complete the free course as quite a lot was not really relevant and it was more directed at authors who had more than one book to sell and promote. 

Speaking of which, I am hoping to have my first book, which will now become my second book ready to publish before the year is out. More on that when I have more to say. 

Will update again in a few weeks time.