Visit Waterstones in Chiswick on way back from taking car to be serviced. Check that Nielsens have got the fact that I’m being distributed by Central on their database - they have and it should be on all cds going out to shops from now on. No news from printers – I know there is really nothing I can do - BUT I do find it extraordinarily frustrating and worrying. Everything planned down to the last detail – and then something totally untoward happens. Still feel very grotty.
Archive for March, 2008
Feel very sorry for myself – cold which borders on being flu … do very little work. Ring Waterstones in Hampstead; get in touch with school magazine. Still no news from printers other than to say they have no dates yet. I think we should start approaching tv shows … I’m now on Meettheauthor.com
Ring round various branches of Waterstones. Finally get the second video blog onto my site – ‘Why am I self-publishing?’ I manage to upload this onto Facebook but don’t succeed in getting it onto MySpace. Trouble at the printers which means there might be a delay – infuriating. Hear that the Mail definitely want to use an extract which is great news. Discuss how to sell books at Amazon with Bill from Central. Actually do manage to get it onto MySpace.
A friend rings to tell me of an article in yesterday’s Independent about a woman who had had meningitis and had to have both her hands and feet amputated. She has started a charity 500 Miles which aims to provide prosthetics for those in desperate need. Get in touch with Askews the other library supplier, Nicky who I met on Sunday and who works at Waterstones in Tunbridge Wells rings to tell me he has ordered some copies. I have been put on Lovewriting.com - but its still a BETA site, not yet launched. The Mail are definitely interested in an extract.
Apart from telling people about the book – I didn’t do any work over Easter – however someone who works in Waterstones in Tunbridge Wells was at lunch on Easter Sunday. This morning I went to Waterstones in Brighton who were interested, then to Kemp Town Books – a nice shop where I had a cup of coffee. On my way into London I stopped in Kingston – a mistake. I went to the Waterstones there and didn’t have much luck and then got totally lost in the multi-story car park. I remembered the number of the bay in which I’d parked – but still got lost. I hate multi-story car parks. Driving through Putney I stopped at that Waterstones too. Nothing new on the publicity front.
Get in touch with Holt Jackson who want an advance copy – no response from Askews. Ring bookshops in Brighton, Kemptown and Hove. Only set up one appointment for Tuesday but will also go into Waterstones on spec. Do the Q & A for Grove magazine (their May issue) also do what’s needed for Lovewriting – but get in a muddle when my e-mail won’t send – so poor man gets a dribble of different e-mails from me. Very annoying for him. Still no second video blog from Rupert … Post off copies of Inside Notting Hill to BL and Legal deposit. Very late I know, but the 2001 edition of Inside Notting Hill never got into the BL catalogue (even though its on their system). I suppose I felt why should they have the 2nd edition? Anyway they’re now sent.
The proofs arrive back safely at Butler and Tanner – now it really is too late to change anything. Establish that both Gardners and Bertrams will take the book as stock. In the afternoon I drive to Central Books in Hackney Wick to deliver my copies of Inside Notting Hill. Getting there is not too bad but on the way back I hear on the radio that there is a burst water main near Baker Street and traffic is backed up from City Road to the Marylebone flyover. I therefore go south towards Blackwall Tunnel where there has been an accident. So an afternoon in the car – however it was nice to meet Bill at Central. Start looking for library suppliers – have discovered Askews and Holt Jackson.
Ring Butler and Tanner to see whether they want the proofs back (with no changes – I so hope I’m right about that!) - they do. Go to the post office to send them off. Have a day of going all over London including lunch with a bookseller to talk about self-publishing and ending up at the launch at the Traveller’s Club of the reissue by IB Tauris of Gerald de Gaury’s book Three Kings in Baghdad.
The proofs didn’t arrive on Saturday – but they came today. Being a novice I panicked when I saw that every other page was blank – so I rang up Butler and Tanner immediately and they reassured me that when they are doing a proof, they can’t print on both sides. The pictures also look fuzzy but again he told me that they will look better in the final print. Talk to Blackwells in Oxford – unfortunately the buyer won’t be there on Wednesday – maybe I’ll need to reschedule my day there.
Try and set up a day in Oxford next week – but no one rings me back. In fact leave many messages today that get no response … very frustrating. Paul Vlitos has done a really nice introduction for donowdo.com – it won’t go up until the beginning of May though. Depressing day weather-wise transmits itself to me and I spend most of the day fiddling around with the result that at the end of the day I feel very annoyed with myself. I should be getting the proof from the printers tomorrow which is exciting.
