Not Quite an Ordinary Week

The week went well, but not much to talk about really. I completed the re-edit of my manuscript and signed the agreement with my publisher. Now it’s a waiting game. Sometime in the New Year I will receive a PDF galley proof for PAST IMPERFECT, and hopefully there will be nothing for me to add other than a dedication etc. I get a good feeling out of this; knowing another hardback of mine is on its way. I know it won’t rock the literary world, but there are a lot of library readers out there who read my books and, hopefully, look forward to the next one. This time though, they’re in for a surprise, and I suppose I ought to apologize beforehand because Past Imperfect is not a thriller: it’s a romance with a rough edged back story. There are elements in it that could satisfy some of my readers like murder, mystery, sadness, joy: all the ingredients of a novel to curl up with at bed-time. But now the romance is out of my system, it’s time to think of my next book; and I expect I will be going back to the thriller genre no doubt.

I’ve made a start on clearing out my room. It’s where I write, play my keyboard and generally run that side of the house that my wife leaves to me: finance, bills etc. The room is a bedroom but will be left empty when we sell the house. It will be the only room to be left that way because our buyers want almost all of our furniture. Isn’t it amazing how much stuff you can accumulate over the years? Because we do not have to move out until the end of March, it gives us time to plan our move in relative calm. The only black spot of the horizon is the possible treatment for my Lymphoma. I will be getting the blood test results tomorrow and no doubt will know what to expect and for how long.

I’ve been keeping an eye on the sales figures for NORTH SLOPE. I use NovelRank for this, which is not entirely accurate, but the signs are encouraging. My promotion with BookBub ended November 1^st, but since then the book has continued selling. It isn’t breaking records, but compared to usual month on month sales, the figures have increased by a substantial margin. It encourages me to consider another BookBub promotion in the New Year. It has also given a fillip to my other titles. This is what I need to increase my readership. Apart from a lucky break on Amazon, the only way for a writer to become established is to build a flank of readers who like the work and are prepared to recommend it to others. It’s a slow process, but one that will come if the product is good, which I believe mine is. Wish me luck!