Michael's Blog – February 2015 Archive (4)

February 21, 2015

I’m taking more faltering steps into self-publishing as the real truth behind it all begins to unravel. Until now I have not needed to get too involved because others have done the work for me. But like the proverbial swan gliding around on the surface of the water; the marketing feet are going nineteen to the dozen beneath it all while above the surface all is calm and under control. Writing books and having them published by professionals is fine. Going into…

February 15, 2015

I seem to be increasing my work load simply by looking into ways of promoting and marketing my books. Despite the ease with which the methods are claimed to be, and that no technical knowledge is required, I find myself scratching my head and wondering what I must do next; or how do I prepare a campaign and list of subsrcibers for Mail Chimp. Do I really need e-pub, mobi and pdf files ready to distribute to those on my subscriber list should they ask? And…

February 7, 2015

It’s been quite a week, one way or another. The highlight though was attending the meeting in London of the International Thriller Writers (ITW). This was for the European members, and hopefully it will be the forerunner of many more. The ITW is really an American organisation, and all the emphasis with regard to meetings and “Thriller Fests” has always been American orientated. Now the European arm finally has a real voice.

For a writer like myself: virtually…

February 1, 2015

Over the last ten days or so I have been circulating round bookshops in the area as a precursor to my next meeting with the Chindi writers group. I have been tasked with getting our books into retail outlets, which is why I have been talking to the owners and managers of said shops. But what a struggle! Two of the shops were advertising closing down sales: “everything must go!” One was no longer in existence; another was without a manager for several days, and the…