Umbrella Books.com

Did an AI for Inside Notting Hill – which I feel is being rather neglected – and send it out to around 80 London bookshops. I didn’t have Central distributing it before but now at least anyone will be able to order it. I’m thinking of possibly doing a cheaper edition of Halfway to Venus – if and when it comes to a reprint. But I would need to get the cover redesigned, a new ISBN etc etc. I was rather taken aback by Bertrams returning 10 copies to Central – when they had only relatively recently ordered 450 – but it turns out it was a shortage being credited. Nice customer reviews on Amazon for both Venus and Notting Hill. A review of the book has gone up on bfkbooks.

Help what a gap – so what’s been happening? Daily (or rather hourly) checks on my rating on Amazon. Fluctuates from 2 thousand and something up to twenty thousand and something. But that must mean its still selling. The reviews I sent to Amazon STILL haven’t been added – or rather only the very first lot that I sent – and my e-mails querying this just get an automated response. I gave a talk at Waterstones, Notting Hill on June 5th – I think there were about 50 people; many of the people already had books but several more were sold. There was a review in the Observer on May 24th during the Hay weekend. I was there (not to speak) – miserably cold and wet and windy. A review has also appeared in Oremus magazine and in the June issue of the Literary Review. Rosie Boycott also writes about the book in her Out and About column in the July issue of the Oldie and Martin Goodman has written a nice review for his blog. I’m still getting quotes from printers – but sales seem to have stabilised – so the reprint won’t happen yet. I now have direct access to the Central figures – so can check those daily. I can’t think how authors cope with not knowing their sales figures.