Tuesday 22 May 2012

If I read my own book, do I create a time paradox that is equal to Dr Who?

I'm sure that as I'm typing this, an alternate story is being played out in a backwards timeline with me discovering what being a Dr Who's assistant is really like whilst fighting off stone angels (shudder) and Time Lord knows what else. Actually, that would really rock. I'll go read over my novel some more to find out. Perhaps I'm writing this from the future (or past, or both) somehow.


Anyway, onto the subject matter of the post. Lulu.com is a fantastic resource for those who want to self publish but without the fuss of vanity publishers. You keep a lot more control over the content of your work, but the downside is of course the lack of service that you'd get from a publishing house. Getting your stuff printed by Lulu.com is easy, perhaps too easy, a toddler could do it. I had a couple copies of my novel done (typos and spelling errors galore, don't get me started on how bad it is) just to hold my beloved baby book in my hands. I was reading through it the other night, and something magical happened that can only come about reading in print. The cliff hangers felt real, just by having a white page between chapters, character's ending the chapter with actually held some gravity. It was reading like a proper novel.


My profit is zilch from this little endeavour, it isn't cheap getting copies, £7.07 for the book, then £3 postage. But they do deliver quickly and the quality is just wonderful. It satisfies my want to see my novel looking semi professional. I would have to charge £15 per copy, and even I wouldn't buy one for that much, but I'm happy to charge it at cost if someone is serious in buying a copy (I check a few times in-case they're pulling my leg, which happens often.)


But reading my own novel feels like I'm doing something vaguely filthy, like my 1950's housewife mum has told me numerous times that I'll go blind if I keep playing with my novel. Heck, if I do go blind or open up a Tardis time paradox, at least I've seen my book for what it could be.

Tuesday 15 May 2012

Sold my first book

Today fortune must have been smiling upon me, as a trio of what I would call the dying breed of English gentlemen happened into the pub and I got chatting to them about my writing. Much to my delight they actually approved of me having an education and my ambition to write. One chap kept rambling on about the love of writing and how it should be spread about, so in I approve of his attitude, the world needs more people like him. I showed him a copy of my novel and he spent a few minutes looking it over and causally announced he would like to buy it and offered a tenner. Needless to say I took him up on it. 


My dad thinks I should frame the money, but I think I'll spend it.