Self publishing in the UK - my progress so far
I'm in the process of self-publishing my non-fiction
book, The Golden Web. I'm
following the self-publishing route for the book
because the standard non-fiction publishing route
isn't really available to me. Since I'm not a
television presenter or senior scientist or
academic, it's unlikely a publishing house would
want to commit funds to try and sell my book. I also
don't have any personal connections in the UK
publishing industry so I can't call on any favours
or phone any ex-school publisher friends asking them
to add The Golden Web to their list. That's okay
though, because you don't have to be well known
person to get a non-fiction book published and sold
nowadays. Hooray!
Writers are liars and thieves
Not that long ago, I
watched the British movie 'Tamara Drewe' based on the cartoons
of Posy Simmons. Among the many enjoyable scenes,
one particular quote stood out, spoken by the author
character in the film. He said that 'all writers are
liars and thieves'. It's a harsh statement but, over
the last year, I've realised that it does have a
core of truth. Being an aspiring writer, or an
actual writer depending on how you look at it, I'm
forever drifting into the thought:
'Should my next idea be very original or conveniently
similar to existing, successful works?'
Simon's Cat
Hmm... I think I'm
definitely procrastinating here. Maybe I should go and
sit in the reference library? It's cold out there.
Don't want to move. Actually, I can't move because this
conservatory is about four degrees above freezing. Fine
motor control is one of the first things that go as a
person drifts into hypothermia. Then they get
sleepy.... zzzzz. Only joking! Anyway, that wouldn't
make any sense. Why would someone type 'zzzz'
after they'd fallen asleep? Then again, maybe
that would be sleep-typing? Perhaps my sleep typing
would be better than my awake typing? Is my conscious
mind getting in the way of my creative flow? Am I lying
in bed at night, my thoughts in dreamland while my body
desperately searches for a laptop to pen a brilliant
opus? That's embarrassing; as a writer, I'm better off
unconscious.
This is definitely procrastinating. I did wean myself
off playing with my new iPhone, well, fairly new, it
was second hand but it's still got its internal
compass, accelerometer and pseudo-GPS. I wish I had
those things, well, I've got an accelerometer but I
don't have an internal compass. Birds do. They've also
got some kind of GPS and they can fly. So,
ranked in terms of ability, it's birds first, followed
by my iphone and then me last. Nuts.
I'm definitely writing a stream of consciousness blog
entry here, like Jack Kerouac but without the magical
atmosphere of late fifties jazz, bohemia, the wide open
plains, friendship, exploration, sadness,
disillusionment and, in the end, an early death. So
this blog entry hasn't got anything in common with
Kerouac's writing apart from its long, unwieldy
sentences and complete absence of a plot. Hmm... need
to work on that. Then again, this blog is probably a
healthier version of Kerouac. It's not as memorable or
inspiring but you'll live longer; sort of a Beat-writer
lite. Low fat Beat-writer. Family filtered Beat writer.
Tory party approved Beat writer. This is making me
nauseous.
What was the point of this blog entry? Oh yes, Simon's
cat; it's good. Time for an EMBED tag...
Lisa Hannigan sings 'I don't know' in a bar in Dingle
This has really got
nothing to do with writing but I still enjoy watching
this video even a year on from when I first saw it.
Enjoy!
RSA Animate on YouTube
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