Anyone write books?
Discussion
Doofus said:
BoRED S2upid said:
Can’t I just send it to a publisher? It’s one of those that could be a series of 10,20,30 very easily if could make them a lot of money.
I've not got to the publishing stage with my novels yet, but it was sugfested to me that using an agent can make publishers take you more seriously, even though it'll cost you a chunk of the fortune you eventually make.So next question how does one find an agent that specialises in children’s books? Who’s donaldsons agent?
BoRED S2upid said:
Who’s donaldsons agent?
I've never heard of Julia Donaldson, and yet...https://www.carolinesheldon.co.uk/?clients=julia-d...
Doofus said:
velocemitch said:
From what I hear the chances of getting a publishing company interested are slim to none these days.
But new authors do get published (as opposed to self-published) on a regular basis.BoRED S2upid said:
Doofus said:
velocemitch said:
From what I hear the chances of getting a publishing company interested are slim to none these days.
But new authors do get published (as opposed to self-published) on a regular basis.A half way house on this is to look at companies like this, who provide services for self publishers... at a price obviously!
texthttp://www.yps-publishing.co.uk/ |url[/url]
I’m close to completion of my first sci-fi novel. Currently looking for beta readers and feedback. Volunteers are impossible to find for free, even using dedicated websites. Friends all assume that will be expected to lie that it’s wonderful, when it’s crap. (Don't ask your friends 
)
God knows how many hours I spend on it, but I’m stoopidly writing five other books in the series as I go along. Writing multiples is like building the Great Wall of China a course at a time.
I paid good money for an edit, then rewrote it entirely. (It took longer to edit than write it.) I was completely naïve about first and third person, head-hops, and the rest. My first draft was an embarrassment. The second cut was effectively a new book, but I couldn’t justify the cost for a pro to edit again. I managed to persuade Mrs JC to do it. She found it too technical, so I chopped out ca. 20K worth of background justifications and explanations. (More pain. Throwing out material that took hours to write hurts.) Now it’s readable and only 90K.
The benefit of all the pain was female feedback. I’ve yet to rewrite a scene where my lead is forced to cheat on his soul mate to keep her from harm. My wife was appalled at his actions and lost all connection. (I naïvely wrote it without consideration.) I’m still working on making my lead more appealing to women, so I began a characterisation spreadsheet and plan to modify his personality. He’s too cocky, but I was writing a young man in his early twenties.
I have the opposite issue to P2P Ben, in that my ideas outstrip the pace at which I can record and edit them. I have hundreds of thousands of pages of notes!
Writing is hard work, but I think when I am done it will be one of my greatest achievements (Even if I don’t sell any). I’ve considered a blog about my feckwitted approach to writing, but I fear another distraction.
Good luck to anyone else on the road,
JC
)God knows how many hours I spend on it, but I’m stoopidly writing five other books in the series as I go along. Writing multiples is like building the Great Wall of China a course at a time.
I paid good money for an edit, then rewrote it entirely. (It took longer to edit than write it.) I was completely naïve about first and third person, head-hops, and the rest. My first draft was an embarrassment. The second cut was effectively a new book, but I couldn’t justify the cost for a pro to edit again. I managed to persuade Mrs JC to do it. She found it too technical, so I chopped out ca. 20K worth of background justifications and explanations. (More pain. Throwing out material that took hours to write hurts.) Now it’s readable and only 90K.
The benefit of all the pain was female feedback. I’ve yet to rewrite a scene where my lead is forced to cheat on his soul mate to keep her from harm. My wife was appalled at his actions and lost all connection. (I naïvely wrote it without consideration.) I’m still working on making my lead more appealing to women, so I began a characterisation spreadsheet and plan to modify his personality. He’s too cocky, but I was writing a young man in his early twenties.
I have the opposite issue to P2P Ben, in that my ideas outstrip the pace at which I can record and edit them. I have hundreds of thousands of pages of notes!
Writing is hard work, but I think when I am done it will be one of my greatest achievements (Even if I don’t sell any). I’ve considered a blog about my feckwitted approach to writing, but I fear another distraction.
Good luck to anyone else on the road,
JC
JohnCarlisleApeiron said:
I’m close to completion of my first sci-fi novel. Currently looking for beta readers and feedback. Volunteers are impossible to find for free, even using dedicated websites. Friends all assume that will be expected to lie that it’s wonderful, when it’s crap. (Don't ask your friends )
God knows how many hours I spend on it, but I’m stoopidly writing five other books in the series as I go along. Writing multiples is like building the Great Wall of China a course at a time.
I paid good money for an edit, then rewrote it entirely. (It took longer to edit than write it.) I was completely naïve about first and third person, head-hops, and the rest. My first draft was an embarrassment. The second cut was effectively a new book, but I couldn’t justify the cost for a pro to edit again. I managed to persuade Mrs JC to do it. She found it too technical, so I chopped out ca. 20K worth of background justifications and explanations. (More pain. Throwing out material that took hours to write hurts.) Now it’s readable and only 90K.
The benefit of all the pain was female feedback. I’ve yet to rewrite a scene where my lead is forced to cheat on his soul mate to keep her from harm. My wife was appalled at his actions and lost all connection. (I naïvely wrote it without consideration.) I’m still working on making my lead more appealing to women, so I began a characterisation spreadsheet and plan to modify his personality. He’s too cocky, but I was writing a young man in his early twenties.
I have the opposite issue to P2P Ben, in that my ideas outstrip the pace at which I can record and edit them. I have hundreds of thousands of pages of notes!
Writing is hard work, but I think when I am done it will be one of my greatest achievements (Even if I don’t sell any). I’ve considered a blog about my feckwitted approach to writing, but I fear another distraction.
Good luck to anyone else on the road,
JC
If you need someone impartial to read your first couple of chapters I’m happy to do so. I won’t be scared to tell you it’s crap 😉 or good. Let’s not presume anything. )God knows how many hours I spend on it, but I’m stoopidly writing five other books in the series as I go along. Writing multiples is like building the Great Wall of China a course at a time.
I paid good money for an edit, then rewrote it entirely. (It took longer to edit than write it.) I was completely naïve about first and third person, head-hops, and the rest. My first draft was an embarrassment. The second cut was effectively a new book, but I couldn’t justify the cost for a pro to edit again. I managed to persuade Mrs JC to do it. She found it too technical, so I chopped out ca. 20K worth of background justifications and explanations. (More pain. Throwing out material that took hours to write hurts.) Now it’s readable and only 90K.
The benefit of all the pain was female feedback. I’ve yet to rewrite a scene where my lead is forced to cheat on his soul mate to keep her from harm. My wife was appalled at his actions and lost all connection. (I naïvely wrote it without consideration.) I’m still working on making my lead more appealing to women, so I began a characterisation spreadsheet and plan to modify his personality. He’s too cocky, but I was writing a young man in his early twenties.
I have the opposite issue to P2P Ben, in that my ideas outstrip the pace at which I can record and edit them. I have hundreds of thousands of pages of notes!
Writing is hard work, but I think when I am done it will be one of my greatest achievements (Even if I don’t sell any). I’ve considered a blog about my feckwitted approach to writing, but I fear another distraction.
Good luck to anyone else on the road,
JC
I admire anyone who has the dedication to write a proper book. I heard an interview with one of the serial writers Grisham or someone it takes him 6 months to research each book but I guess if that’s your full time job.
I used to work with someone, now deceased, who wrote a book. He wrote up his genius scheme that got it into the major bookshops. This might be old hat these days but I loved it (the scheme, I never read the book, I'm sure it was great) and re read the write up every so often.
http://winston-11811.if-selected.co.uk/Droplift.ht...
"The Theory and Practice of Droplifting
Or why my unpublished novel is for sale in Waterstones"
http://winston-11811.if-selected.co.uk/Droplift.ht...
"The Theory and Practice of Droplifting
Or why my unpublished novel is for sale in Waterstones"
Ah, just seen this rarely wander in here, although being a (book) publisher I suppose I should do. I'll make up for lost time in this thread with a long post (probably) - once I start typing, I usually don't know when to stop!
First a quick word - why tf people think Kindle is the route to go, is beyond me. Perhaps I'm old-fashioned? Published loads of books over the years (for authors), written and had published a few myself, not one, never, ever, on or for Kindle nor for any mobile or device.
The following might help you, might not. Probably be a few words to read by the time I'm finished (I can still hit the keys!)
If there are literals and errors, excuse them. I haven't time to check it.
Yes, I honestly get it if you’re off on a fortnight’s hols in the sun and happen to be an avid (fast) reader/lover of say, novels. Kindle (or insert fave device) novels saves one the weight and baggage of carrying large books, but other than that… nah.
As said, I still surprise some how fast I can type - I even surprise myself sometimes - I'm talking a normal keyboard here, not like those who can key on i-phones (mobiles), how the f some of them type so quick just using their two thumbs is incredible. In years to come they'll be lined up outside hospitals awaiting thumb replants!
I learnt to key the old way on a sight-and-sound course in a room full of typists (I was the only male!). I managed top marks. Previously I’d been an apprentice in the printing industry, and gone through hot-metal and typesetting on non-qwerty keyboards. With the onset of phototypesetting I needed to learn qwerty fast. Shortly after this point I was introduced into a room full of the first Apple-Macs in the UK. Wow! 128k Macintosh (as it was called). The year, 1984 – Orwellian, or what? We thought 128k was the bees' knees!
When I first set off with my venture back then in the 1980s I'd written and had 3 books published by a well-known publisher. Agents? You don’t need an agent unless you’re a household name or intending to become one. All you need is good solid and concrete advice; same today. The trouble is, even back then publishing was seen as ‘a black art’, to many it still seems so. It’s not.
I’ll carry on…
One day someone asked me how could they get their personal copy of a book (a 1969 hardback) repaired? I knew a little about bookbinding, simply because I’d been in the printing industry. The boards on this book were hanging off, the dust jacket was ripped, sellotaped, and so on. Then the person told me what he had paid (blimey!!) for this book, now quite difficult to get hold of a copy. He knew others who would like to get their hands on said book. I said I'd see what I could do.
It got me thinking.
Next trip to my publisher (who by sheer coincidence actually owned the rights to this tatty book in question – they'd bought out the original publisher some years prior and it was now part of their large group) - this felt like fate awaiting to happen (I thought). While having lunch there, I produced said tatty book and asked: 'What would I have to do to get you to reprint this book? I could do the dogsbody stuff, reset it, do a new dustjacket and so on.’ I’d assisted with some of this before on my own books. The response was not what I was expecting. They as good as laughed at me - they couldn't possibly do it. Why? Because there was absolutely no market for it.
I'd driven home a little despondent.
Next lunch down there (cutting a long story short) I asked what could I do to get it back into print? Simple. Get the author to revert the rights to you.
And?
Then you could publish it. How much will this cost for you to revert the rights to me? They said, nothing. There’s no market. Take it.
Bloody hell, I thought, my mind was whizzing! Got home and I spent a few evenings phoning every person with the author’s name, trawling through the old huge tel. directories. I had no idea where in this country he resided. Remember, no real internet then. I’d almost given up - 'Are you the author of ******* *****?' for the umpteenth time... and I got a 'Yes. Can I help you?' I found the author, he still lived in the same area he’d lived all his life! He was overjoyed at the thought of his book being back in print – he even said he'd update it for me, and did.
I was still in full-time employment then, so this was a spare time venture. I redesigned the book, published it under my new imprint (my wife thought up the business name!), got it printed and bound in hardback, contacted loads of bookshops (this was a time when you could walk into a large bookstore, even WHS, and strike deals, and with specific ones who dealt with titles like this - I sold loads (100s, not 1000s!).
But that was the intention. I wanted to remain small, independent. I had no desire to become 'big'.
I used my lunch hours to sit in my car, scribble notes for other books and penned up a long list of prospective titles to do (all gap or niche fillers – where I would have little competition) and that's when the second book got underway, not a rehash, this was new, an untold story – the authors (joint, two brothers) met me at my workplace, we signed a contract all while I skived off! LOL.
The book was printed and published (hardback again) - I winged off plenty of targeted review copies. I even had the BBC World Service ring asking for a review copy. Of course, I sent them one. I was naïve then. I'll come to this in a mo. The book got super reviews. I loaded my vehicle up with cartons of the books, touted them around London bookshops and to a main wholesaler, even got cheque in my hand after offloading! Drove across the city to another wholesaler who asked how many did so-and-so wholesaler take? I added a few on – ie: said they’d had 350 (they’d had 300!). Ok, we’ll take 400. Cheque in hand again!
(Just so you know how things change, today you’d be lucky to get them to take 20 books and then have to wait 90 days, constant pestering, to get paid!
BBC World Service. Hadn't heard a dickey bird, so rang them. When could I expect to see/hear a review? This lady asks 'what is it?' I tell her it's a 'book' for review, I was asked to send a copy specifically for review purposes. She replied 'Oh, it's probably among the thousands in Room ***' 'Sorry, I asked, does that mean I'm clutching at straws waiting to hear any review?' 'Probably, the majority get donated, sold off or given away.' Another sinking feeling. I'd been had! The good old Beeb, eh? Live and learn. That's what it's all about. They never caught me again!
It got to the point at my workplace where it was impossible for me to do both things, work and run this business. So, come 1990 I jacked it all in.
At the professional advice I received from 'expert's at that point was hilarious - I mean some of those at the top of this game, one with an MA in publishing. There was an exception, a guy who not only knew his stuff, he was clever, had many years experience at some of the top publishing houses - he was near retirement and kindly offered me his help. The other (not so old know-it-alls) waived their credentials at me and insisted they knew the markets best (they were what one terms 'so-called experts') ie that the (physical) book was dead, the paperless office was imminent. Still cracks me up to this day! When they then discovered my aim was to publish 'physical' books, not 'electronic', ie Kindle stuff, once again I was laughed at.
True, things did reach a point some years ago where every sad soul was relaxing round the pool on hols ‘trying’ hard to look ‘cool’ reading books on their new kindles or mobiles etc, while I’d take manuscripts (hard copy) to check, read and mark up while sunning it, and looking to them like I was from a long-gone era. Even the press and news at the time was reporting the end for the ‘book’.
Then it sunk in to many, even diehard kindle users, that the 'physical' book you hold in your hand, can curl up in a sofa, lie in bed at night, to read was not 'dead' at all. Far from it.
Today? Around a pool on hol in Turkey just a few weeks back, I saw books abound. Physical books!
Yeah, if you’re a prolific reader and want a doz novels to read on hol, a kindle saves packing the books. Yeah, some use them still, but I saw ‘real’ books everywhere just like the old days. Do I need to go on?
Stuff amazon - I used to advertise my titles. The discount they wanted was stupid. I looked at their rates for uploading a Kindle version - publishers don't win, authors don't win, only Amazon win. Hands down!
What am I getting to? Today, you have 'print on demand' - I've just ordered 20 copies of a book (paperback) I did 15 years ago. The title in question had been out of print for a long while (sold out of the original copies in about a year). I have simply supplied to those who found out about the title and wanted a copy. That is great advantage with 'print on demand' a book need never, ever, go 'out of print'. You always have the opportunity to do more, if and when. You can even do just one copy if you wished to, for a price. Which sparks another point, how do you tell or even know when you have exhausted your/a market? You don't!
But by printing few in number, gives you the upper hand.
'Physical' books are 'the real' books. The others are excuses.
I've had a wonderful 30 years (well, will be 30 in New Year) doing something I love. I retired (semi) a few years back but kept my hand in. Just doing another hardback non-fiction - a gap filler I had on my list of titles to do back in the mid 80s. Lovin' it!
If you're worried about laying a book out correctly, ie recto, verso pages, imprint, dedication, index (important if non-fiction) and so on, just grab yourself a book and follow the layout and procedure. Important - get a copy of the Writers' & Artists Yearbook - I still have my 1990 edition! Oh, and don't buy it - just go to your library and borrow one! I think mine was 6 quid back then, prob 20 quid now!
Ah, just looked, good ol' amazon has it, £16.31 - how the f do they work out to that 'pence' part of the price? Publishers have always been old fashioned in not rounding up prices, but 31p? Nuts!
Christ on a bike!
The Kindle version is just 71p cheaper. See what I mean about Amazon, the rip-off merchant. You would need your head examined to pay that amount for that version. My 1990 paperback version (83rd annual edition!) is just over 500 pages, the 2020 version is 832 pages (ie a substantial paperback!)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Writers-Artists-Yearbook-...
I remember telling a 'would-be' author who phoned me back in the 90s (I should have set up a consultancy, I'd have become rich!) and he also believed publishing was a 'black art'! I think many still do. He asked if I was interested in publishing his work. What's it about? I asked. Loft conversions. Oh dear, not my forte - so I pointed him in the direction of the 'red' book. I told him to try the mainstream publishers, mass market ones listed. Just send them a synopsis 'not' a manuscript, publishers do not have time to read 'manuscripts' they will be binned or returned. He did as I suggested. He got it published by one of the real big boys - I had Xmas cards from him for about 8 yrs after! I of course got nothing out of it. But the satisfaction was enough.
I still have another book ‘in me’.
Perhaps I should tell the story of how I did all this? Lots of abiding memories, like being welcomed to Butler & Tanner book printers in Frome (sadly no more, now long gone). My company name was highlighted in large type 'B&T Welcome ************** Publishing' as I walked into their offices. Just made you feel great! They certainly knew people and business skills. Nobody - large or small - was better than anyone else. That same day I was checking over the book I was having printed there – just a print run of 1,000 hardbacks, one BBC Cookery book was also being printed – if I recall it was a quarter of a million copies! The author was giving glasses of champagne to the printing machine minders… who was it? Delia Smith!
Then the time when I had a couple thousand copies of a book and my Xmas deadline was missed, the book had been printed but couldn’t be bound because of a binding problem (hardback again) so the company outsourced to a bookbinders in Wales – a huge company. They were ready in January (not a bad thing, get a book published in Dec and it can look dated – eg, Dec 2019 will never look so good as Jan 2020). I'd been at my business Unit awaiting delivery all afternoon when I got a call – I was last on the driver's delivery list. He been out delivering all day. The books would be with me at 5.15pm, at…
‘Oh f
k no! No!! That’s my home address!’ I exclaimed.
Nothing could be done, so I jumped in my car and raced home. Tea-time, traffic everywhere, oh god – I had visions of this artic trying to get down our tiny Close or worse our private drive. I got home first, and waited – then it turned up. I was upstairs looking out over my neighbour's wall at this huge artic and trailer – it had the name of the company with its slogan in massive letters on the side, ‘Bound To Please You!’
I don’t think it pleased the neighbours who were at home!
Oh dear god! I rushed out to meet him. He drove slowly and steadily into the close and pulled up at the far end. He opened up the rear doors and pointed to my lonely, and his last, load right at the cab end – neighbours were now arriving home from work, what a nightmare. Some were giving curious looks and I gave a grimaced smile at them. He jacked up his trolley and wheeled the pallet of books off - we whipped all the shrink wrap off and hurried back and forward up my drive storing the lot in my garage. He was nice about it and apologised saying it was the address he’d been given. That wasn't the end. Now he had the job of reversing out the Close. Mostly all new houses and paths/road recently laid. He gently reversed out, his only option. Where the road curved it was difficult and he had no choice but to mount the kerb up onto the path in places, sinking and marking the tarmac!
If only I’d had the sense to have grabbed a camera or had a mobile back then. So no evidence, just a memory. I thought the council would be after me, but no. Nobody really knew apart from me and a few who saw it and who luckily for me, kept mum about it!
Another tale. Bloody hell, I could go on forever!
I used to get would-be authors turn up at my front door. Usually unannounced. Authors (would be) can become desperate to get their work published! I took some on, local stuff, from poetry books to war reminiscences even other obscure subjects away from my goal. Local publicity is good. Launches in libraries, shops all helps shift books.
Best one was the day this guy knocks on the door and asks me if I’d consider publishing his
‘diet’ book!
Not a chance, not my thing sorry. I encouraged him to get the Writers’ Yearbook (see earlier). He’d done that he explained, he’d even approached all the big guns, all to no avail. I remember thinking to myself, stood there, ‘Well, if the big boys don’t consider it worthwhile, why the f would I?’
I simply wished the guy well and said don’t give up. He said his thanks and walked down off our drive. Before I closed the door I heard this throaty raspy exhaust note and thought what’s that? I walked down the drive and he was at the wheel of a Vegantune Evante (remember them?). I stopped him before he could drive off and expressed my interest in his car and we chatted a little more. I felt it rude to stand there talking so I invited him in for a coffee. Long story short, I asked him his background. Bloody hell, it turned out that he was famous, sort of, in sport. My plotting mind was in whirl mode, out of interest I asked him had he mentioned all or any of this to the publishers he'd contacted?
'No, why would I?' he replied. 'It has nothing to do with the subject matter of diet.' Publicity wise this was a scoop for me. I made some quick calls and just mentioned this and immediately had prospective outlets/reviewers interested. I signed him up there and then. I even got a pic of him on the frontispiece with all his awards and medals. Nothing whatsoever to do with the subject matter of dieting. Ha ha ha. From a selling point it was gold!
Published his book, he even appeared in mags, national papers, even the Wail! The hardest thing for me was pricing it. It could not have a price much above the norm for this kind of title, usually a mass market paperback, so it was hard to make any real money. But boy was it fun!
Got him on radio stations where he quite literally tore so-called nutritionists and experts apart, it was incredible! They simply could not handle him. This was at a time it was one in ten Britons who were beginning to having a weight/health problem with obesity, in spite of the new so-called ‘healthy eating’ regime where the word ‘fat’ would become this evil word. With each reprint the numbers of obese increased, and we added updates of this to the preface of each reprint. He was correct with his predictions, obesity continued to get worse. (FFS! Look at where we are now!).
I was lapping it up. Great time again. No money spinner, but money is not everything in life. I was my own boss, no bd telling me what to do. I craved it. I sat in one radio station studio laughing to myself as he tore some of these people to ribbons. One host reprimanded a nutritionist who swore at the author on live radio – this is daytime radio - I curled up at one point having to shake my head, wondering if this was really happening!
Then it started, they ganged up, he started getting detractors saying his diet advice was nonsense, even dangerous. Another nutritionist, so-called top notch, made herself look f. stupid. All over that word ‘fat’. She said something really nuts like ‘if you eat fat, you will get fat (obese!)’. Little wonder I have no time for ‘so-called experts’. I used to have all tapes and would listen to them for a right laugh.
That book spent five years in print, updated each time. Then it approached the time for yet another reprint and I awaited any updates – it would have been the sixth year of it in print. He called me to say he had some bad news, for me, not him. Would it ok for him to call and see me? I said Yes. I greeted him and he came in and sat down. I asked him what’s up? He told me that another publisher was to do his next book, or rather the update of the 'our' book, and it would have a new title. Oh fk that I thought, no chance!
He said he was really sorry, but this was a chance in a lifetime for him and that he would be eternally grateful to me giving him that head start.
Who is this new publisher? I asked.
Only the largest in the world, Random House!
Oh st, what do I do? I'm thinking. Court battle? Don’t be daft! Nah, I didn’t even sleep on it - I thought it’s just been another step along my long road. I left it there. He did quite well. But the new title was imo silly, compared to his/our original. The printing was typical cheap mass-market B paperback, ours looked quality in comparison, white crisp 90g bookwove, theirs 60g that old sun-faded look, that spit- through, can read the other side paper, and printed abroad. No sour grapes, the cover price was similar to what I’d planned. He gave me a copy personally signed saying without me his book (new one) would never have happened. I still have it, a nice memento. The guts of the text looked like it had been lifted straight from his book I published, more pages obviously, because smaller format. No illust, mine had only a few line illust, but at least a pic of author on frontispiece with his awards and medals in the sport he excelled, none in this one, and at least we had photos on the front/back cover final edition. Theirs was an inferior product, done to a price.
Sadly, the author died some years after. Perhaps I should have sought legal advice? I’d won another case earlier, well, not won, but my solicitor succeeded with a threat of me suing for loss of sales should the claimant not drop action – they did, this was a single person not a company, who was eventually found to be a litigation nut! I was not the first who had been a target of this person. Trials and tribulations of being a publisher, eh?
Talking of sad - today virtually every well- known British book printer is gone, inc as said, Butler & Tanner. Well, not strictly all, a lot have though, the survivors, nearly all old famous British names, are all under the umbrella of foreign printers. A lot reside under a French owned company, who have a huge base here in the UK - I used them, still use them. The best option for quality and price is China, but really only if you have large print runs. India is big too with typesetting and book printing as are others in Europe. My advice to any small wannabe author? Do it yourself! If you have a PC or a Mac, hit the keys! I did my first book on a floppy on an Amstrad. Get a short run of physical books printed and see your buyer’s faces light up when they hold it in their hands. Tell them to get it on kindle – will they even bother to read it? Kindle? Pah!
I must add the subject of standards. My god, how they have fallen. Gone are the days of proof-readers. Errors creep in, they’re unavoidable, the printed item lands in your lap and you invariably spot one - htf did we miss that? But some today are more than clangers, they’re downright embarrassing. But when you get glaring errors in newspapers, on the tv, in all sorts of media, what else do you expect? I’m no top notch expert in grammar, although I like to think spelling is important. Today, it’s glossed over by many as not being so.
I’ll leave you with this clanger on a recent motorsport book on Moss. Classic & Sportscar gave it 'book of the month'. I checked it out, over 300 pages, hardback, 20 quid? Seems a bargain. They even said the cover design was 'excellent' - I agreed until I actually saw a copy. It's done like a novel (paper/finish etc), handful of pics in the middle. The weight is that of one of my paperbacks. Now I see why it's not a higher price but that of a normal novel (with a name author) they're all invariably 20 quid these days. And as per the other norm today, it's only been on sale five mins and it's reduced - just 14.99 on amazon!
Anyway, can you spot the glaring clanger? Clue. It's not grammatical.
First a quick word - why tf people think Kindle is the route to go, is beyond me. Perhaps I'm old-fashioned? Published loads of books over the years (for authors), written and had published a few myself, not one, never, ever, on or for Kindle nor for any mobile or device.
The following might help you, might not. Probably be a few words to read by the time I'm finished (I can still hit the keys!)
If there are literals and errors, excuse them. I haven't time to check it.
Yes, I honestly get it if you’re off on a fortnight’s hols in the sun and happen to be an avid (fast) reader/lover of say, novels. Kindle (or insert fave device) novels saves one the weight and baggage of carrying large books, but other than that… nah.
As said, I still surprise some how fast I can type - I even surprise myself sometimes - I'm talking a normal keyboard here, not like those who can key on i-phones (mobiles), how the f some of them type so quick just using their two thumbs is incredible. In years to come they'll be lined up outside hospitals awaiting thumb replants!
I learnt to key the old way on a sight-and-sound course in a room full of typists (I was the only male!). I managed top marks. Previously I’d been an apprentice in the printing industry, and gone through hot-metal and typesetting on non-qwerty keyboards. With the onset of phototypesetting I needed to learn qwerty fast. Shortly after this point I was introduced into a room full of the first Apple-Macs in the UK. Wow! 128k Macintosh (as it was called). The year, 1984 – Orwellian, or what? We thought 128k was the bees' knees!
When I first set off with my venture back then in the 1980s I'd written and had 3 books published by a well-known publisher. Agents? You don’t need an agent unless you’re a household name or intending to become one. All you need is good solid and concrete advice; same today. The trouble is, even back then publishing was seen as ‘a black art’, to many it still seems so. It’s not.
I’ll carry on…
One day someone asked me how could they get their personal copy of a book (a 1969 hardback) repaired? I knew a little about bookbinding, simply because I’d been in the printing industry. The boards on this book were hanging off, the dust jacket was ripped, sellotaped, and so on. Then the person told me what he had paid (blimey!!) for this book, now quite difficult to get hold of a copy. He knew others who would like to get their hands on said book. I said I'd see what I could do.
It got me thinking.
Next trip to my publisher (who by sheer coincidence actually owned the rights to this tatty book in question – they'd bought out the original publisher some years prior and it was now part of their large group) - this felt like fate awaiting to happen (I thought). While having lunch there, I produced said tatty book and asked: 'What would I have to do to get you to reprint this book? I could do the dogsbody stuff, reset it, do a new dustjacket and so on.’ I’d assisted with some of this before on my own books. The response was not what I was expecting. They as good as laughed at me - they couldn't possibly do it. Why? Because there was absolutely no market for it.
I'd driven home a little despondent.
Next lunch down there (cutting a long story short) I asked what could I do to get it back into print? Simple. Get the author to revert the rights to you.
And?
Then you could publish it. How much will this cost for you to revert the rights to me? They said, nothing. There’s no market. Take it.
Bloody hell, I thought, my mind was whizzing! Got home and I spent a few evenings phoning every person with the author’s name, trawling through the old huge tel. directories. I had no idea where in this country he resided. Remember, no real internet then. I’d almost given up - 'Are you the author of ******* *****?' for the umpteenth time... and I got a 'Yes. Can I help you?' I found the author, he still lived in the same area he’d lived all his life! He was overjoyed at the thought of his book being back in print – he even said he'd update it for me, and did.
I was still in full-time employment then, so this was a spare time venture. I redesigned the book, published it under my new imprint (my wife thought up the business name!), got it printed and bound in hardback, contacted loads of bookshops (this was a time when you could walk into a large bookstore, even WHS, and strike deals, and with specific ones who dealt with titles like this - I sold loads (100s, not 1000s!).
But that was the intention. I wanted to remain small, independent. I had no desire to become 'big'.
I used my lunch hours to sit in my car, scribble notes for other books and penned up a long list of prospective titles to do (all gap or niche fillers – where I would have little competition) and that's when the second book got underway, not a rehash, this was new, an untold story – the authors (joint, two brothers) met me at my workplace, we signed a contract all while I skived off! LOL.
The book was printed and published (hardback again) - I winged off plenty of targeted review copies. I even had the BBC World Service ring asking for a review copy. Of course, I sent them one. I was naïve then. I'll come to this in a mo. The book got super reviews. I loaded my vehicle up with cartons of the books, touted them around London bookshops and to a main wholesaler, even got cheque in my hand after offloading! Drove across the city to another wholesaler who asked how many did so-and-so wholesaler take? I added a few on – ie: said they’d had 350 (they’d had 300!). Ok, we’ll take 400. Cheque in hand again!
(Just so you know how things change, today you’d be lucky to get them to take 20 books and then have to wait 90 days, constant pestering, to get paid!
BBC World Service. Hadn't heard a dickey bird, so rang them. When could I expect to see/hear a review? This lady asks 'what is it?' I tell her it's a 'book' for review, I was asked to send a copy specifically for review purposes. She replied 'Oh, it's probably among the thousands in Room ***' 'Sorry, I asked, does that mean I'm clutching at straws waiting to hear any review?' 'Probably, the majority get donated, sold off or given away.' Another sinking feeling. I'd been had! The good old Beeb, eh? Live and learn. That's what it's all about. They never caught me again!
It got to the point at my workplace where it was impossible for me to do both things, work and run this business. So, come 1990 I jacked it all in.
At the professional advice I received from 'expert's at that point was hilarious - I mean some of those at the top of this game, one with an MA in publishing. There was an exception, a guy who not only knew his stuff, he was clever, had many years experience at some of the top publishing houses - he was near retirement and kindly offered me his help. The other (not so old know-it-alls) waived their credentials at me and insisted they knew the markets best (they were what one terms 'so-called experts') ie that the (physical) book was dead, the paperless office was imminent. Still cracks me up to this day! When they then discovered my aim was to publish 'physical' books, not 'electronic', ie Kindle stuff, once again I was laughed at. True, things did reach a point some years ago where every sad soul was relaxing round the pool on hols ‘trying’ hard to look ‘cool’ reading books on their new kindles or mobiles etc, while I’d take manuscripts (hard copy) to check, read and mark up while sunning it, and looking to them like I was from a long-gone era. Even the press and news at the time was reporting the end for the ‘book’.
Then it sunk in to many, even diehard kindle users, that the 'physical' book you hold in your hand, can curl up in a sofa, lie in bed at night, to read was not 'dead' at all. Far from it.
Today? Around a pool on hol in Turkey just a few weeks back, I saw books abound. Physical books!
Yeah, if you’re a prolific reader and want a doz novels to read on hol, a kindle saves packing the books. Yeah, some use them still, but I saw ‘real’ books everywhere just like the old days. Do I need to go on?
Stuff amazon - I used to advertise my titles. The discount they wanted was stupid. I looked at their rates for uploading a Kindle version - publishers don't win, authors don't win, only Amazon win. Hands down!
What am I getting to? Today, you have 'print on demand' - I've just ordered 20 copies of a book (paperback) I did 15 years ago. The title in question had been out of print for a long while (sold out of the original copies in about a year). I have simply supplied to those who found out about the title and wanted a copy. That is great advantage with 'print on demand' a book need never, ever, go 'out of print'. You always have the opportunity to do more, if and when. You can even do just one copy if you wished to, for a price. Which sparks another point, how do you tell or even know when you have exhausted your/a market? You don't!
But by printing few in number, gives you the upper hand.
'Physical' books are 'the real' books. The others are excuses.
I've had a wonderful 30 years (well, will be 30 in New Year) doing something I love. I retired (semi) a few years back but kept my hand in. Just doing another hardback non-fiction - a gap filler I had on my list of titles to do back in the mid 80s. Lovin' it!
If you're worried about laying a book out correctly, ie recto, verso pages, imprint, dedication, index (important if non-fiction) and so on, just grab yourself a book and follow the layout and procedure. Important - get a copy of the Writers' & Artists Yearbook - I still have my 1990 edition! Oh, and don't buy it - just go to your library and borrow one! I think mine was 6 quid back then, prob 20 quid now!
Ah, just looked, good ol' amazon has it, £16.31 - how the f do they work out to that 'pence' part of the price? Publishers have always been old fashioned in not rounding up prices, but 31p? Nuts!
Christ on a bike!
The Kindle version is just 71p cheaper. See what I mean about Amazon, the rip-off merchant. You would need your head examined to pay that amount for that version. My 1990 paperback version (83rd annual edition!) is just over 500 pages, the 2020 version is 832 pages (ie a substantial paperback!)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Writers-Artists-Yearbook-...
I remember telling a 'would-be' author who phoned me back in the 90s (I should have set up a consultancy, I'd have become rich!) and he also believed publishing was a 'black art'! I think many still do. He asked if I was interested in publishing his work. What's it about? I asked. Loft conversions. Oh dear, not my forte - so I pointed him in the direction of the 'red' book. I told him to try the mainstream publishers, mass market ones listed. Just send them a synopsis 'not' a manuscript, publishers do not have time to read 'manuscripts' they will be binned or returned. He did as I suggested. He got it published by one of the real big boys - I had Xmas cards from him for about 8 yrs after! I of course got nothing out of it. But the satisfaction was enough.
I still have another book ‘in me’.
Perhaps I should tell the story of how I did all this? Lots of abiding memories, like being welcomed to Butler & Tanner book printers in Frome (sadly no more, now long gone). My company name was highlighted in large type 'B&T Welcome ************** Publishing' as I walked into their offices. Just made you feel great! They certainly knew people and business skills. Nobody - large or small - was better than anyone else. That same day I was checking over the book I was having printed there – just a print run of 1,000 hardbacks, one BBC Cookery book was also being printed – if I recall it was a quarter of a million copies! The author was giving glasses of champagne to the printing machine minders… who was it? Delia Smith!
Then the time when I had a couple thousand copies of a book and my Xmas deadline was missed, the book had been printed but couldn’t be bound because of a binding problem (hardback again) so the company outsourced to a bookbinders in Wales – a huge company. They were ready in January (not a bad thing, get a book published in Dec and it can look dated – eg, Dec 2019 will never look so good as Jan 2020). I'd been at my business Unit awaiting delivery all afternoon when I got a call – I was last on the driver's delivery list. He been out delivering all day. The books would be with me at 5.15pm, at…
‘Oh f
k no! No!! That’s my home address!’ I exclaimed. Nothing could be done, so I jumped in my car and raced home. Tea-time, traffic everywhere, oh god – I had visions of this artic trying to get down our tiny Close or worse our private drive. I got home first, and waited – then it turned up. I was upstairs looking out over my neighbour's wall at this huge artic and trailer – it had the name of the company with its slogan in massive letters on the side, ‘Bound To Please You!’
I don’t think it pleased the neighbours who were at home!
Oh dear god! I rushed out to meet him. He drove slowly and steadily into the close and pulled up at the far end. He opened up the rear doors and pointed to my lonely, and his last, load right at the cab end – neighbours were now arriving home from work, what a nightmare. Some were giving curious looks and I gave a grimaced smile at them. He jacked up his trolley and wheeled the pallet of books off - we whipped all the shrink wrap off and hurried back and forward up my drive storing the lot in my garage. He was nice about it and apologised saying it was the address he’d been given. That wasn't the end. Now he had the job of reversing out the Close. Mostly all new houses and paths/road recently laid. He gently reversed out, his only option. Where the road curved it was difficult and he had no choice but to mount the kerb up onto the path in places, sinking and marking the tarmac!
If only I’d had the sense to have grabbed a camera or had a mobile back then. So no evidence, just a memory. I thought the council would be after me, but no. Nobody really knew apart from me and a few who saw it and who luckily for me, kept mum about it!
Another tale. Bloody hell, I could go on forever!
I used to get would-be authors turn up at my front door. Usually unannounced. Authors (would be) can become desperate to get their work published! I took some on, local stuff, from poetry books to war reminiscences even other obscure subjects away from my goal. Local publicity is good. Launches in libraries, shops all helps shift books.
Best one was the day this guy knocks on the door and asks me if I’d consider publishing his
‘diet’ book! Not a chance, not my thing sorry. I encouraged him to get the Writers’ Yearbook (see earlier). He’d done that he explained, he’d even approached all the big guns, all to no avail. I remember thinking to myself, stood there, ‘Well, if the big boys don’t consider it worthwhile, why the f would I?’
I simply wished the guy well and said don’t give up. He said his thanks and walked down off our drive. Before I closed the door I heard this throaty raspy exhaust note and thought what’s that? I walked down the drive and he was at the wheel of a Vegantune Evante (remember them?). I stopped him before he could drive off and expressed my interest in his car and we chatted a little more. I felt it rude to stand there talking so I invited him in for a coffee. Long story short, I asked him his background. Bloody hell, it turned out that he was famous, sort of, in sport. My plotting mind was in whirl mode, out of interest I asked him had he mentioned all or any of this to the publishers he'd contacted?
'No, why would I?' he replied. 'It has nothing to do with the subject matter of diet.' Publicity wise this was a scoop for me. I made some quick calls and just mentioned this and immediately had prospective outlets/reviewers interested. I signed him up there and then. I even got a pic of him on the frontispiece with all his awards and medals. Nothing whatsoever to do with the subject matter of dieting. Ha ha ha. From a selling point it was gold!
Published his book, he even appeared in mags, national papers, even the Wail! The hardest thing for me was pricing it. It could not have a price much above the norm for this kind of title, usually a mass market paperback, so it was hard to make any real money. But boy was it fun!
Got him on radio stations where he quite literally tore so-called nutritionists and experts apart, it was incredible! They simply could not handle him. This was at a time it was one in ten Britons who were beginning to having a weight/health problem with obesity, in spite of the new so-called ‘healthy eating’ regime where the word ‘fat’ would become this evil word. With each reprint the numbers of obese increased, and we added updates of this to the preface of each reprint. He was correct with his predictions, obesity continued to get worse. (FFS! Look at where we are now!).
I was lapping it up. Great time again. No money spinner, but money is not everything in life. I was my own boss, no b
d telling me what to do. I craved it. I sat in one radio station studio laughing to myself as he tore some of these people to ribbons. One host reprimanded a nutritionist who swore at the author on live radio – this is daytime radio - I curled up at one point having to shake my head, wondering if this was really happening! Then it started, they ganged up, he started getting detractors saying his diet advice was nonsense, even dangerous. Another nutritionist, so-called top notch, made herself look f. stupid. All over that word ‘fat’. She said something really nuts like ‘if you eat fat, you will get fat (obese!)’. Little wonder I have no time for ‘so-called experts’. I used to have all tapes and would listen to them for a right laugh.
That book spent five years in print, updated each time. Then it approached the time for yet another reprint and I awaited any updates – it would have been the sixth year of it in print. He called me to say he had some bad news, for me, not him. Would it ok for him to call and see me? I said Yes. I greeted him and he came in and sat down. I asked him what’s up? He told me that another publisher was to do his next book, or rather the update of the 'our' book, and it would have a new title. Oh f
k that I thought, no chance! He said he was really sorry, but this was a chance in a lifetime for him and that he would be eternally grateful to me giving him that head start.
Who is this new publisher? I asked.
Only the largest in the world, Random House!
Oh s
t, what do I do? I'm thinking. Court battle? Don’t be daft! Nah, I didn’t even sleep on it - I thought it’s just been another step along my long road. I left it there. He did quite well. But the new title was imo silly, compared to his/our original. The printing was typical cheap mass-market B paperback, ours looked quality in comparison, white crisp 90g bookwove, theirs 60g that old sun-faded look, that spit- through, can read the other side paper, and printed abroad. No sour grapes, the cover price was similar to what I’d planned. He gave me a copy personally signed saying without me his book (new one) would never have happened. I still have it, a nice memento. The guts of the text looked like it had been lifted straight from his book I published, more pages obviously, because smaller format. No illust, mine had only a few line illust, but at least a pic of author on frontispiece with his awards and medals in the sport he excelled, none in this one, and at least we had photos on the front/back cover final edition. Theirs was an inferior product, done to a price. Sadly, the author died some years after. Perhaps I should have sought legal advice? I’d won another case earlier, well, not won, but my solicitor succeeded with a threat of me suing for loss of sales should the claimant not drop action – they did, this was a single person not a company, who was eventually found to be a litigation nut! I was not the first who had been a target of this person. Trials and tribulations of being a publisher, eh?
Talking of sad - today virtually every well- known British book printer is gone, inc as said, Butler & Tanner. Well, not strictly all, a lot have though, the survivors, nearly all old famous British names, are all under the umbrella of foreign printers. A lot reside under a French owned company, who have a huge base here in the UK - I used them, still use them. The best option for quality and price is China, but really only if you have large print runs. India is big too with typesetting and book printing as are others in Europe. My advice to any small wannabe author? Do it yourself! If you have a PC or a Mac, hit the keys! I did my first book on a floppy on an Amstrad. Get a short run of physical books printed and see your buyer’s faces light up when they hold it in their hands. Tell them to get it on kindle – will they even bother to read it? Kindle? Pah!
I must add the subject of standards. My god, how they have fallen. Gone are the days of proof-readers. Errors creep in, they’re unavoidable, the printed item lands in your lap and you invariably spot one - htf did we miss that? But some today are more than clangers, they’re downright embarrassing. But when you get glaring errors in newspapers, on the tv, in all sorts of media, what else do you expect? I’m no top notch expert in grammar, although I like to think spelling is important. Today, it’s glossed over by many as not being so.
I’ll leave you with this clanger on a recent motorsport book on Moss. Classic & Sportscar gave it 'book of the month'. I checked it out, over 300 pages, hardback, 20 quid? Seems a bargain. They even said the cover design was 'excellent' - I agreed until I actually saw a copy. It's done like a novel (paper/finish etc), handful of pics in the middle. The weight is that of one of my paperbacks. Now I see why it's not a higher price but that of a normal novel (with a name author) they're all invariably 20 quid these days. And as per the other norm today, it's only been on sale five mins and it's reduced - just 14.99 on amazon!
Anyway, can you spot the glaring clanger? Clue. It's not grammatical.
Edited by dandarez on Friday 8th November 22:31
Yup same here, though to be fair I use the kindle app on my iPad.
I read three times as many books as I used to do when I read hard copies.
I don’t buy magazines anymore either, well I do as I subscribe to Readly and use my IPad for those too.
When I have an hour or so to spare i will probably read your post on the IPad too.
Better recharge it first though.
I read three times as many books as I used to do when I read hard copies.
I don’t buy magazines anymore either, well I do as I subscribe to Readly and use my IPad for those too.
When I have an hour or so to spare i will probably read your post on the IPad too.
Better recharge it first though.
People that write off kindle as useless are simply old fashioned luddites. Everyone has personal preference of course but the content is what is important, not the medium it’s held on. I like the feel of a paper book as much as the next man but the story is what I’m interested in.
All of the most successful authors in the world have their books available on kindle. To say it is pointless is just daft.
All of the most successful authors in the world have their books available on kindle. To say it is pointless is just daft.
JohnCarlisleApeiron said:
I’m close to completion of my first sci-fi novel. Currently looking for beta readers and feedback. Volunteers are impossible to find for free, even using dedicated websites. Friends all assume that will be expected to lie that it’s wonderful, when it’s crap. (Don't ask your friends )
God knows how many hours I spend on it, but I’m stoopidly writing five other books in the series as I go along. Writing multiples is like building the Great Wall of China a course at a time.
I paid good money for an edit, then rewrote it entirely. (It took longer to edit than write it.) I was completely naïve about first and third person, head-hops, and the rest. My first draft was an embarrassment. The second cut was effectively a new book, but I couldn’t justify the cost for a pro to edit again. I managed to persuade Mrs JC to do it. She found it too technical, so I chopped out ca. 20K worth of background justifications and explanations. (More pain. Throwing out material that took hours to write hurts.) Now it’s readable and only 90K.
The benefit of all the pain was female feedback. I’ve yet to rewrite a scene where my lead is forced to cheat on his soul mate to keep her from harm. My wife was appalled at his actions and lost all connection. (I naïvely wrote it without consideration.) I’m still working on making my lead more appealing to women, so I began a characterisation spreadsheet and plan to modify his personality. He’s too cocky, but I was writing a young man in his early twenties.
I have the opposite issue to P2P Ben, in that my ideas outstrip the pace at which I can record and edit them. I have hundreds of thousands of pages of notes!
Writing is hard work, but I think when I am done it will be one of my greatest achievements (Even if I don’t sell any). I’ve considered a blog about my feckwitted approach to writing, but I fear another distraction.
Good luck to anyone else on the road,
JC
Writing several at once might not be a bad idea. It can add depth to the world that you present to the reader. )God knows how many hours I spend on it, but I’m stoopidly writing five other books in the series as I go along. Writing multiples is like building the Great Wall of China a course at a time.
I paid good money for an edit, then rewrote it entirely. (It took longer to edit than write it.) I was completely naïve about first and third person, head-hops, and the rest. My first draft was an embarrassment. The second cut was effectively a new book, but I couldn’t justify the cost for a pro to edit again. I managed to persuade Mrs JC to do it. She found it too technical, so I chopped out ca. 20K worth of background justifications and explanations. (More pain. Throwing out material that took hours to write hurts.) Now it’s readable and only 90K.
The benefit of all the pain was female feedback. I’ve yet to rewrite a scene where my lead is forced to cheat on his soul mate to keep her from harm. My wife was appalled at his actions and lost all connection. (I naïvely wrote it without consideration.) I’m still working on making my lead more appealing to women, so I began a characterisation spreadsheet and plan to modify his personality. He’s too cocky, but I was writing a young man in his early twenties.
I have the opposite issue to P2P Ben, in that my ideas outstrip the pace at which I can record and edit them. I have hundreds of thousands of pages of notes!
Writing is hard work, but I think when I am done it will be one of my greatest achievements (Even if I don’t sell any). I’ve considered a blog about my feckwitted approach to writing, but I fear another distraction.
Good luck to anyone else on the road,
JC
I started writing a sci-fi book in my head as a way to get to sleep... Now have 20k words down as about a third of the content. Cannot get the ending, though.
It was a lot easier writing the technical book I have had published. The issue of the tricky second book was avoided by just updating the first.
On the other thread I mentioned that I had written 60,000 words of a book but it was not getting anywhere.
A few years later I in the same position lol. 70,000 of a (different) book that has a much stronger narrative. I plan to get it to over 100,000 then decide how to go about publishing it.
What I do is write a bit, think it is pretty good, then put it away. I look at it with fresh eyes days, weeks, months later and it has somehow turned to rubbish. So I rewrite it. And repeat. Whenever I look at it I cannot resist tweaking it. What I should do it plough on through to the end.
It is first person historical fiction from the POV of a Spanish monk who becomes a conquistador. I wouldn’t mind seeing the film.
A few years later I in the same position lol. 70,000 of a (different) book that has a much stronger narrative. I plan to get it to over 100,000 then decide how to go about publishing it.
What I do is write a bit, think it is pretty good, then put it away. I look at it with fresh eyes days, weeks, months later and it has somehow turned to rubbish. So I rewrite it. And repeat. Whenever I look at it I cannot resist tweaking it. What I should do it plough on through to the end.
It is first person historical fiction from the POV of a Spanish monk who becomes a conquistador. I wouldn’t mind seeing the film.
Sebring440 said:
Great post dandarez, big long post, great stuff. If if Kindle/self-publishing is not the way to go, what do you advise? I'm quite sure you have not mentioned the solution in your post?
Publish it yourself in pdf form and sell it online. The trick, if trick it is, is that you need a reason for people to come to your website. If you are writing, for instance, sci-fi novels, then you could blog on sci-fi films, or TV programmes. Come on social media, such as FB, maybe a forum dedicated to the genre, or one that is more general, such as one with a subheading Books and Literature - can't think of one at the moment. Make yourself known, get yourself talked of, and get them onto your website. There's nothing stopping you selling via your own website as well as Kindle.
One of my books was recently criticised quite dramatically on Facebook. My reply was polite, factual and humerous. I sold 8 copies that day. All advertising and that.
I've written a book on the Merc SLK. When I was plugging it on forums and FB, it sold quite well. Since I've concentrated on other books, sales have more than halved. It takes application to keep sales up.
Whether Kindle is for you or not depends on what you want from it. I've published six books on Kindle and will probably sell 500 this year to April. The norm is that I sell one a day, although I sold 40 in one day and 57 in two days recently. I'm never going to survive in the harsh world on that level of sales without some other form of income, and as an RoI, it is lacking. Yet I write books, what I've always wanted to do. I get an income, which is easily surpassed by my writing for blogs and websites. I go to places for research and claim expenses. In essence, I get money off tickets to Goodwood FoS, Silverstone Classic, Hampton Court Classic, etc. Last year I got money off an update to my desktop - MB, processor, SSD - and this year there's my laptop.
I enjoy writing. I also enjoy creating the book in pdf. It's fun. And it pays. A little.
A better way of earning money from writing is articles. I once had 26 unsolicited manuscripts for articles published without a rejection. On top of that, editors came to me, fairly frequently, and asked for articles on specific subjects. I also illustrated the articles where I could. I got an average of around £100 for each unsolicited article, mostly around 1000 to 1500 words, and around 50% more when told what to write. If writing is your thing, then there's an opportunity there if non-fiction is what floats your boat. Mind you, it took a bit over 10 years for me to get noticed.
I had plenty of copy for a guide to a model of car. I put the idea to a number of publishers, and got one reply. I was told how many images, what copy to supply, what headings and more constraints. No fun at all.
I have also made pen friends with people around the world: Antipodes, the Orient, countries ending in -stan, other European countries, Africa and both ends of America. I've got readers all around the world, including Russia. I've eased my way into India, Indonesia, Malaysia and one or two others around there, but China seems to reject me. I'm an author. I'm a writer. I enjoy the role.
It's easy enough to set up a website. I use free Wordpress software, with £40pa hosting. The storefront is Ecwid, free for 10 products. Oddly, people comes to the site, go onto a page for a specific book, then click through to Kindle and pay a little more for it there. Strange.
Kindle might not be, as some suggest, proper publishing, but it is publishing. You will, if you push it a bit, get a bit of money. People will read your books. You will be an author. Unfortunately, like the overwhelming majority of authors, Kindle or printed, you will not make much money out of it. You won't get anywhere near minimum wage even if you are fairly successful.
If you want to make any money writing, then go along the article route. Magazines are crying out for copy. The ones down the lower end of the scale don't pay much, and in the initial stages you might have to go pro bono. Once you get going, you'll get better at it. Bung in a few images, and your acceptance rate will quadruple. (A bit of a slap in the face for a writer, but what the hell. It gets the copy accepted.) You'll be on first name terms with an editor or three, and when you get a phone call from one, you'll know it'll pay for a 4-star hotel in London for the night even before you have spoken to the person.
My daughter-in-law is a writer. She runs two blogs, one on travel, and is an influencer. She was asked to be part of a state-sponsored travel video to Puerto Rico. When on honeymoon, she and my son went to pay for a meal, and the proprietor refused payment, thanking them for coming. My son asked how they knew they were honeymooners. The Maitre d' said that he didn't. He'd recognised my d-i-l as the writer. How cool is that? She makes a very good income from writing, more than, for instance, a Met inspector. Mind you, she's very good at her job. I've written for years, and she's just another level. Very impressive. But she wasn't always. She went via the common route of rejections.
Lots of opportunities for writers. Pick your type, and go for it. Those who tried and failed, didn't really try.
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