Websites, Plans & Schemes.

My latest website is almost complete. My son took it upon himself to get me out of a jam and has built a new site for me. It isn’t finished yet; still a ‘work in progress’. Thankfully he will be over here in Spain in a few weeks, so we can do some work on it together. What I really mean is that he will show me what to do. I’ve been on the site and thought how good it looks. If I do manage to get to grips with it; I should be able to change it as I go along, developing my creative skills as a web designer (who am I kidding?). But it’s there and it will happen. I will then begin to add my titles which are currently available on Amazon through Acclaimed Books Ltd. and eventually enjoy a ‘hands on’ control to changing prices and offers etc. I have no problem with Acclaimed Books (AB.c), but because we are moving back to UK, and in view of my age, I decided the time was right to manage my own affairs. I have been involved from the beginning with AB.c, a small group set up by Peter Lihou, and his stewardship has seen the group potential increase dramatically. It has more or less evolved into THE BOOK AWARDS, and you can learn more at www.acclaimedbooks.com. It’s worth taking a look, particularly if you are an author looking for an opportunity to find professional services, an chance to help with getting your books published, and even voting for your own titles in the monthly books awards. AB.c already has publishers interested in the awards scheme.

The first book that will appear on my new website will in fact be a work of non-fiction. My anecdotal story of how God changed my retirement plans. It’s called A WORD IN YOUR EAR, but before I ask readers of this blog to check it out, I am still having a problem with Amazon. Last month they ruined the ‘Look Inside’ sample on their book page. They admitted their error and said that they had put it right, which they hadn’t. Anyway, I went ahead and began preparing the book for CreateSpace; Amazon’s paperback publishing arm. The digital proof showed that I needed to re-edit. I done this and uploaded the re-edited file. I should know within a few days if that has come through the mill without any problems. Once I’m happy with that, I’ll do battle with Amazon again. Then I’ll buy a few copies and hand them out to the people I have on my (secret) list. They don’t know what they are in for. I will probably promote the e-book on Amazon’s KDP Select programme, but at its current price of $0,99 (£0,75), it’s a steal anyway.

On the health front, I am still battling with my cancer treatment, but it shouldn’t be long now and I’ll be clear. Our house move is developing slowly, and the packing is being done mostly by Pat because I get exhausted too quickly as a result of the chemo. We have secured a rental property and will be taking ‘ownership’ of it within a couple of weeks. We have a good contract which will cover any unseen eventuality with my treatment, including having UK TV and broadband installed. So, by and large, we have our plan and hope to see it all through and get back to UK permanently later this year. Maybe I’ll sell a few more books too! Wish me luck.