I often wonder whether I have sold my literary soul for the temporary glitz and schmaltz of Amazon Kindle. The established authors would cry foul at such a cheap trick, but after five years of writing, and only one short-story published in Philosophy Now magazine, I was getting desperate. The thing I love about the self-publishing industry and Amazon Kindle is the creative tinkering one can do in the process of writing a book.

Not only are you engaged in the writing process but also have a say in creating a book cover and learn how to market and advertise the book. No mean feat I have to say. Let me also note the difference between those with wads of cash and me who has been skint since leaving University as a mature student. Or should that be low-paid jobs teaching English in Beijing. Of course ours is not to whinge and cry, ours is just to do, and get on with it you moaning sod. And the Amazon self-publishing phenomenon offers you several tools to get you there.

After cobbling together what I felt was a decent book cover which supposedly should see my sales shoot through the roof. I waited, and waited, and you guessed it, waited some more. Not a thing. Nada. Of course the book could be a pile-of-poop. I did some more research that told me the need for good book reviews. I know. I’m a dreamer, (but I’m not the only one). And thus begun the very painful process of finding websites and bloggers who have an interest in my specific genre. Meanwhile (don’t ever start a chapter with that word) 250 emails later I have six reviews. Three 5 star reviews for my novella, Once We Were Human, and three not so five starry reviews for my other novella, 369. And what I have learned so far is that the 5 star reviews on Amazon kindle have given me a boost of confidence and let me see what the reader sees, and I don’t. And the not so five starry reviews tell me I must do more work. Click on the image below and add to my glowing reviews : )