Back to the future.

This could be my last blog entry for a while. This time next week we will be travelling up to Bilbao to catch the boat back to England. Technically we’ll be homeless until we have handed over the money for our Park Home at Pagham (West Sussex). It means no Wi-Fi for a while, but like a lot of people of our age (me and Pat), we have travelled thousands of miles over the years without Wi-Fi, mobile phones, tablets, laptops and all that modern paraphernalia. We will still have our mobile phones with us of course, so we won’t be completely isolated. Something we noticed when we travelled to Australia a couple of years ago was the fast disappearance of public call boxes. No doubt they will become a thing of the past. As technology moves forward and leaves the past behind, a lot of us mourn the passing of the old days but would probably not welcome them back. I would not like to go back to writing novels on a typewriter, even with a correction ribbon in place. And as for carbons: God forbid! But thinking back to the tapping rhythm of the typewriter keys and the zip of the carriage return, I harbour a kind of masochistic desire for those days. I think it’s because it made the acceptance of a novel by the publisher a rewarding triumph after the drudge of bashing away in a lonely corner somewhere. Modern indie writers cannot possibly know that feeling: they can never live the sheer joy of receiving the acceptance letter from the publisher. Publishing a novel now is a fact of life that turns us all into writers. Anybody can pen a story, good or bad, and publish it in Amazon. They become instant writers. Just add water and stir. There’s a kind of metronomic output with some of the writers I’ve come across on various forums. They promote their next series of first time novels that they have yet to complete and invite readers to log on to their blog and sign up for the newsletter, behaving like established writers. And it’s all down to modern technology. So what’s the next step? Who knows? But the fun, the joy and, (dare I say it?) the creativity needed to produce quality will be missing, and this can only be to the detriment of the published word. One day youngsters will seek instant gratification through apps on their mobiles and tablets, apps that will be produced by wizard technology that probably doesn’t exist yet, and books will confined to the dusty shelves of old houses and bookshops. So when me and Pat are finally settled in our new home at Pagham, I will get on with writing and publishing on Amazon because that’s the only way to go for so many writers today. Unless I manage to get my novel finished and accepted by my publisher! Wish me luck.

Amazon or Indie: which way to go?

Two weeks today and we’re off to UK. After all the moving around over the years this will be our last move. (I won’t include the ultimate one that we all have to go through). We will be settled in Pagham and looking at a change in our lifestyle after seventeen years in Spain. Apart from the small sacrifices that are necessary when moving house, one part of my routine that is on hold at the moment is my writing. Although I still have times during the day when I could sit down and write, I find my creative flow is impeded because of other things on my mind. Some writers might say that this is a poor excuse. If I was writing for a living I would agree, but I’m not; it’s only a hobby. So the tools are put away and the ideas will continue to germinate in my mind until they can take shape and form once I am back into a routine.

I’ve been giving a lot of thought lately to the prospect of my next book — the one I am supposed to be writing — and whether I should offer it to my publisher of go straight to Amazon. The reason I am in a bit of a quandary over this is because my next book, Past Imperfect, is due out in January in hardback, and I am looking forward to holding it in my hand and giving myself a gratuitous pat on the back. Having your work published by a traditional publisher is still no mean feat these days, and it is still nice to think of myself as being traditionally published.

But there’s another reason (maybe a ton of them) why I am considering this. Because I am from the old school of writers who have gone through the mill of finding a publisher or an agent — rare as hen’s teeth for many wannabe writers — I have a soft spot for the old way. But as pleased as I am for what I have on Amazon (eight titles), and have sold reasonably well, I now feel that Amazon are moving the goalposts and making it more difficult for writers like myself who do not have a series of books to offer in box form. They have also introduced KDP Prime service for authors whereby they can have up to ten books available at once on a loan basis. This shift in the way they encourage readers means it offers quantity at a low price. I could say quantity against quality, but that has to be the opinion of the people who buy books.

I have had some fun with my books on Amazon and enjoyed good results from time to time, but my rankings almost always sink back to the 200,000 mark after a promotion. When I see my rankings shoot up, it brings a huge smile to my face, but I know it’s only a sale of maybe one or two books. If I have the quality that readers want, then my rankings would be a lot higher, and in a more permanent position. The only way to do that is to build a readership, which is an antediluvian concept from the time before Amazon and the closure of many public libraries. I am failing to do that and wonder why I should add another title to my list on Amazon. Would it make a heap of difference to my position there? Probably not. So for that reason I think I would prefer to see another hardback of mine sitting on the bookshelf next to my other nine titles. My immediate problem of course is to finish the book and offer it to my publisher. She may not like it, which means I will have to resort to self-publishing. I will continue to battle against the odds of course. I will carry on promoting and marketing my books and looking for ways to open the flood gates, but at the moment I am swamped, like thousands of us, by the other indie writers all competing for the same bit of space. Wish me luck!

PC, Proofs and Publicity

I’m back with Andy MacNab after wasting time on other ‘polished’ thriller writers. MacNab’s writing is so clever that you forget that he was basically a foot soldier who we tend to regard as brawn over brains. But taking into consideration the considerable skills and bravery required to be a member of the Special Forces (SAS), it makes you realise just how clever these men are. With MacNab, he has added powerful storytelling to his CV. Imbedded in his writing is the colloquial, non PC jargon of servicemen and women, probably the world over; and it sits very comfortably with his style. I’ve just finished Firewall and am now reading Aggressor. I have read two of his other titles.

I mention the non PC writing because the editor of my next novel, Past Imperfect, took exception to the descriptions I used when referring to a black character of West Indian origin in my book. Black skin, white teeth in the dark kind of stuff. I was told that in today’s PC climate it would probably be better to come up with another choice of words so as not to give offence. I had no argument against that because changing a couple of phrases didn’t impact on the story. But if I had been one of my publisher’s top authors, someone like Andy MacNab, would it have made any difference? I don’t think I would have been asked to change anything.

I’ve done virtually no work on my current WIP since my last blog, and, no, I can’t blame Andy MacNab; it’s more to do with learning to improve my social networking skills. I am currently learning a little more about Pinterest and how to make good use of it. I still have a problem appreciating just how powerful it can be, and do ask myself why isn’t everybody else on it if it’s that good. But I’ll try. At least I have learned a new skill, and that is making bookmark sized quotes for pinning. All I need to do now is find the right targets. Ironically, I dismissed a young lady author several months ago who explained on her website how she had made huge sales of her books simply by using Pinterest. She explained how and offered to help anyone who was interested. I couldn’t be bothered: for me it was just another Amanda Hocking success story that only happens to the few. Perhaps I should have taken more notice.

I did play around with my website (www.michaelparkerbooks.com), looking to see if I could improve its appearance and attractiveness. Perhaps give it a bit of zap. But that will come in time.

As we get closer to leaving Spain (three weeks today), so my days are getting fuller leaving me little time to work on WIPs and social networks. My wife is very busy arranging our ‘going away party’ at church (this Wednesday), and naturally I am involved. She is doing the bulk of the planning and cooking, while I chauffer her around and generally act as a sounding board and general dogs body when needed. She feeds me too! We have different lunches planned (too many for the waistline really), appointments to keep and important processes to remember. The calendar is just about full and that more or less puts paid to creative pursuits like writing and social networking. But why am I keeping up with this blog? Well, it’s in the hope that one day someone other than a spammer will read it and make a comment. It would be inspiring to know that there are followers out there, even if it’s only a few.

My book sales are maintaining their one a day average, which I have to admit is promising. Maybe one day I’ll have them up to two a day. Then I’ll get really excited. If they went stratospheric I think I’d go pop.

Oh yes; another strange one for me. My publisher contacted me last week to say that the proofs would be sent to my West Sussex address (we haven’t got there yet) and could I return them reasonably quickly. I had to remind them that we haven’t moved yet, so in the end it was agreed to send the proofs once we are back in UK. But physical proofs? I used to get galley proofs years ago, but for a long while now it has been digital proofs, PDF style. I must admit I prefer the idea of a physical copy; it makes it seem nearer the day. So, something to look forward to on my return. Wish me luck!