Self-Publishing

Did absolutely NOTHING to do with the book today – indeed I didn’t want to think about it as I’d spent an almost sleepless night worrying about the printers and as a result felt lousy all day.

Talk to Waterstones in Woking who sound positive. Join Contact an Author (www.contactanauthor.co.uk) which I read about in The Author. It will be interesting to see if anything comes from it – it seems to be a forum where people find authors to speak at various events. Printers now say the book won’t be available … Read more

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 … Read more

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 … Read more

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, … Read more

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 … Read more

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 … Read more

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 … Read more

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 … Read more