Tag: Editor

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

Round-up of the week 10 March 2019

gibbsdream

World:

An Ethiopian Airlines jet with 149 passengers and eight crew members onboard a flight from the Ethiopian capital and bound fro Nairobi in Kenya, has crashed shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa, killing all on board.


It is reported that 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, eight Americans and seven Brits were among the passengers. The crash happened six minutes after the Boeing 737 Max-8 took off.

An eyewitness at the scene reported an intense fire as the aircraft hit the ground. “The blast and the fire were so strong that we couldn’t get near it,” he said. “Everything is burnt down.”

The cause of the crash is not yet clear, however, the pilot had advised of difficulties and requested a return.

My thoughts:

What a terrible tragedy, my thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.
We never know when our time is up and should make the most of what we have in the here and now.

London:
A woman jailed for four-and-a-half years for fraud after posing as a Grenfell Tower fire survivor lost a challenge against her conviction.
The 48 year old watched via a video link from prison as three Court of Appeal judges in London threw her case out.
The woman claimed to have escaped from the horrific fire in west London in 2017, where her husband and sister-in-law had died. But she was in fact, single and living miles away in Sutton, south London.
Msokeri claimed about £19,000 in cash donations, goods and hotel costs.

My thoughts:

I still remember the cold that seeped into my body as I watched the horror of Grenfell Tower unfold, the horrendous loss of life, a community scarred for life and to think that an unscrupulous individual would try to take advantage of this tragedy for personal gains is beyond comprehension. Personally, I think her sentence was too light. If she can be so heartless as to wish to benefit from the loss of others what else is she capable of?

My World:

I can’t believe that I’ve now been in my new job for a month, each day is different, interesting and with scope for many challenges. I’m loving it!
This weekend has been another one where I’ve had quality family time, a meal at the local Nepalese restaurant with my sister, nineteen-year-old niece and long-term friend on Saturday night.
Sunday we took Mum and Dad out for a meal to celebrate their 54th wedding anniversary.

My Writing:
This weekend I’ve seriously hit the writing as I’ve realised that I have so much to write and so little time as it’s booked in with the editor for April 15th and I’m still on the first draft. The plot thickens as the story takes another twist that I hadn’t expected. I’m really loving getting into the head of this narcissistic character.

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

Round-up of the week

gibbsdream

Chuckles-3

 

World

Gary Martin, 45 from Illinois who was being fired from his job of 15 years, shot dead five people and injured several others at his workplace. He was then killed during an exchange of fire with police officers. Five officers were shot and wounded.

My thoughts: “How sad that someone who has worked all those years for a company is pushed to such terrible and tragic actions. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of his victims and his own. We can never know what hell a person is going through, even someone we know well. Be kind to each other. ” Maria

London

The police were called to Tesco’s in Osterley, West London on Sunday at midnight after reports of forced entry into the store. Brazen thieves carried out a ram raid on the store, making off with the safe from the bureau de change. Police are still looking for the culprits who left disarray in their wake.

My thoughts: “This is a little close to home for me, being less than four miles from my home and the place where my parents shop each week.” Maria

My week

I started a new job this week after being out of work for 6 weeks. It’s early days yet but my first impressions are favourable. The training schedule is better than any other role I’ve been in and the team has been warm and welcoming, making me feel as though I’ve been there for ages as I’m so comfortable. The role is varied and will take a lot to learn but it has captured my imagination and I’m excited at the prospect.

Watch this space!

Saturday was spent riding about on my motorbike and catching up on chores & Sunday writing and family meal.

I’ve also been extremely fortunate to be allowed to beta read for one of my favourite authors Sherri A Wingler for her new book which will be released soon.

My writing

So, I’m working on book 5 of a 6 book series. Children from the Streets has tugged at many a heart string for both books 1 & 2 which have been published and the feedback on books 3 & 4 from editor and beta reader is that they will cause the same reaction. However, for book 5 I’ve had to take a detour and get my evil on, which I’ve found myself enjoying immensely.

I’ve set myself some tight deadlines so I have held books 3 & 4 back and will finish the edits on them at a later stage to enable me to do a rapid release on the rest of the series.

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

A Lifetime or a Season- Teaser

gibbsdream

lifetime-3

My Mother had bee one of those alluring women, a flaming redhead, who had men baying at her feet like enslaved dogs. Not for her the indifference of men, she had played the game to the hilt and every man that walked out of her life was a man she had send packing.

Find out more about Athena’s journey to self-discovery as she throws aside the shackles that bind her in.

Novelette pricing:

Kindle 0.99

Paperback: £3.50/ $5.00

Amazon Link: http://mybook.to/ALifetime 

For more information and reviews: https://gibbsdream.wordpress.com/my-published-stories-a-lifetime-or-a-season/ 

 

 

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

West Midlands Attending Author: Nikki Ashton

gibbsdream

 

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1. Can we start with your name and where you’re from?

My name is Nikki Ashton and I’m from Cheshire – Crewe to be exact, it’s not pretty but it’s home.

2. Most authors love reading, is this true for you and if so who was/is your inspiration?

I love reading and probably read three or four books a week.  Everything I read is inspiration – I don’t mean I copy the storylines, but the different styles of writing.  Writing in the first person wasn’t something I ever considered until I read other authors books.  Now I love it as you can get so much more across to the reader.  My biggest inspiration to start writing though was Marian Keyes.  I love how she can make you laugh out loud and then cry with the next sentence.

3. What genre do you write in or do you cross over into many?

I have always written romantic comedy but recently have crossed over into contemporary romance, and absolutely loved the change.

4. If you could take any character from someone else’s book and make him/her your own creation who would it be and why?

Ooh that’s hard.  I suppose it’d have to be Christian Grey, purely and simply because the books became such a phenomena.  They gave EL James a tremendous amount of success and to reach that level with something that I’d actually written would be amazing.

5. When did you first start writing?

I’ve always written stories from the age of 7 and then wrote my first full length book about 15 years ago.  I shelved it though until 4 years ago with the rise of self-publishing.

6. Do you plan every inch of your books or do you just let the words flow?

I do a rough plot line, write the first and last chapter and then just see where the words take me.

7. Who is your favourite character and why? (your own character)

As I write a character they become my favourite, so at the moment it’s Jesse Connor, the rancher in my book that’s coming out in the summer.  Although Roman Hepburn from my February release, Roman’s Having Sex Again, is a very close second.  Both are pretty Alpha Male but have a romantic side too.  As for female characters it has to be Summer from Roman’s Having Sex Again – she sarcastic and strong and has a fine collection of amazing shoes!!

8. Was there an event in your life that triggered a particular book, or even a scene in a book? If so what was the book and what was the event?

The whole of my teenage and early twenties pretty much inspired my first book, Guess Who I Pulled Last Night?  Some scenes were a little exaggerated, but generally the three heroines are me and my friends.

9. Are you working on anything at the moment? If so can you share any tasty morsels?

I’ve just finished a joint venture with Victoria Johns, so we’re currently doing edits for that.  Other than that I’m doing the follow up to my rancher story.  It’s about Jesse’s brother, Garratt and it’s going to be emotional.

10. What one piece of advice would you give to someone starting out?

Just do it, what do you have to lose?  Oh and make sure you get a good team behind you in the form of an editor and proof reader. There’s a lot of competition out there and lots of discerning readers.

11. What do you do when you’re not writing?

Read and people watch for inspiration.

12. What is the hardest part of the whole writing, editing, marketing process for you?

The marketing side of things for definite.  I love interacting with my readers but I never know how much it too much marketing, plus I’m not particularly organised.

13. We all have those friends or family members who make sweeping statements about our writing or the process, which is your particular bug bear?

The fact that people don’t take you seriously because you self-publish and don’t see it as a job.  I have a part-time job and people always say ‘yeah but you get two days off every week’ – actually I don’t because I’m doing my other job then.  I might have more flexibility but if I don’t write in the day I’ll probably be up until the early hours writing.

14. What is your idea of happiness?

My family.  Spending time with my husband, or spoiling my nephews and nieces is when I’m most happy.

15. For this one I want you to showcase your creativity by painting me a picture, with words, of your ideal setting to write in.

Music plays quietly in the background, as the glow from the desk lamp shines onto the computer screen.  The aroma of fresh, steaming, black coffee fills the air and there is a constant tap, tap, tap of the keyboard as the words flow easily.  A voice from the sofa breaks into my thoughts as a bare chested, Micah Truitt says, ‘Okay stop writing now love, it’s sexy time.’

16. What makes you laugh/cry?

Observational humour makes me laugh, so I adore Peter Kay and Victoria Wood.  I always laugh out loud at Helena Hunting books – she just has my sense of humour; coarse and smutty.  I am quite an emotional person so lots of things make me cry, both happy and sad.

17. You’re stranded on a desert island and you can take three men/women who would they be and why? This can be practical or purely sexual in nature.

Apart from my husband being an obvious choice, family members would be difficult as I love them all dearly.  So, looking at this purely from a ‘whoa, check you out’, point of view it would be; Micah Truitt, Pep Guardiola and Jamie Dornan.  Without books or TV, I’m sure I’d find something to do!

18. What is your most annoying habit?

Self-doubt and being over sensitive

19. Please tell me about your books? For each one please send a pic (kindle cover would be perfect)

Guess Who I Pulled Last Night? This a story of three friends in their early 30’s and the ups and downs they go through for love. There are parts to the story that we can all relate to at some point in our lives.

 

No Bra Required, is a humorous, romantic love story about Lucy and Ed.  After spending weeks in bed wearing a bobble hat, due to being unceremoniously dumped by her cheating husband, Lucy decides to make a fresh start living with her dad for a while.  That’s when she meets Ed.  But, in true romance tradition, things don’t run smoothly when his bitchy ex-wife, and mother of his son, suddenly appears.

 

Get Your Kit Off is the story of Molly Pearson, who doesn’t have children, but as the Player Liaison Manager for a premiership football club, does have twenty-two professional footballers and one jealous fiancé to take care of. With having to deal with problems from players buying zoo animals as pets, to losing their false teeth and a whole lot more, Molly can’t wait for the season to end. But, her life becomes even more complicated, when the man who broke her heart six years earlier, comes back into her life. Hail the returning hero, Joe Bennett, now one of the best footballers in the world and the club’s most expensive signing. Every woman wants him, every man wants to be him, and he’s returned for one reason only – he wants Molly back.

 

Rock Stars Don’t Like Big Knickers follows Luke and Martha.  Luke ‘Luciano’ Mahoney is the arrogant and sexy lead singer of the mega rock band, Dirty Riches, and he finds it highly amusing that his flirting embarrasses Martha, his new housekeeper/cook.  Despite a shaky start involving a naked Luke and a mortified Martha, they start to grow closer and their friendship starts to develop into something more, but will he ever manage to prove to Martha that he’s the right man for her.

 

Rock Stars Don’t Like Ugly Bras, is the second in the Dirty Riches series and is all about their Lead Guitarist, Jake Hughes and the band’s PA, Amber Mahoney, who also happens to be Luke’s cousin.  Jake irritates Amber more than anyone she’s ever met before. Jake, however, thinks that Amber is sexy but scary. Now they’ve got to share a house for six weeks – what could possibly go wrong?

 

Cheese Tarts and Fluffy Socks: Complex, Enthralling Romance Novel Proves Sex & Work is a Cocktail Best Left Unshaken.  The story zeroes in on a steamy one-night stand that, unknown to either party, is about to kick-off a working relationship that is far more than awkward. A hotel badly in need of investment, a young entrepreneur has been sent in to decide if it’s a good investment, but the daughter of the owner is…well…you get the picture.

 

Rock Stars Do Like Christmas Stockings, is the final book in the Dirty Riches series, and is all about Tom Davies, final member of the band to settle down, or so everyone thinks. What they don’t know is that Tom has been having a relationship with Jake’s sister, Abbie, for the past year.  With one secret affair, one unwelcome Santa suit, five excitable children, four foul-mouthed band members and two days to organise a party for hundreds of people, Christmas is certainly going to be interesting for the Dirty Riches boys and their families this year!

20. Lightning Round:

Tea or Coffee? Tea

Cash or credit? Cash
Cats or Dogs?    Dogs
Beach or Mountain?  Beach
Summer or Winter Summer
Sweet or Savoury Savoury
Early riser or late riser? Late Riser
Morning or Night? Night
Christmas Tree – real or fake? Fake
Sex – Lights on or off? On (unless we’re in the car of course ☺ )

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions.
Please leave Facebook, Twitter, Website links so we can check you out further.

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NikkiAshtonBooks/?fref=ts

Twitter – https://twitter.com/NikkerAsh

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/nikkiashtonauthor/

Amazon.co.uk page – http://viewauthor.at/NAPage

Amazon.com page – http://viewauthor.at/AmazonCom

 

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

#Booksarenotfree

gibbsdream

 

There is a growing trend in society to believe that books should be free or heavily discounted and we have all been guilty of feeding into it. I pick up freebies but I am also happy to pay for the books I want. Maybe I can’t get all the ones I want but hey isn’t that just life? I see lots of clothes I like and I might be able to pick up a new dress for a special occasion or a new pair of jeans because my old ones have holes in where no self-respecting forty-something wants holes but I can’t buy every item that my heart desires. Certainly not on my non-existent income as an author. Just as well I have a full-time job that stops me from being a starving artist languishing in a garret with only bread and water to sustain me. My day-time job takes up a huge portion of my week and often leaves me drained but from somewhere I have to find the time for my passion which is writing. My dream would be my writing to take off and be able to write full-time but alas that can’t be at the moment.

Everyone of us has had people who ask for a free copy, I’d like to quote my friend and fellow author Chris Turnbull “erm No! There is no such thing as a free copy…even I don’t get a free copy and it’s my book.” 

We do have a free copy on our computers, sure and we can send it to our Kindle device but if we want a print copy of our book, we have to pay – the proof copy isn’t even free. But let me tell you a bit more about what we’ve paid for: A beautiful cover, a feast to the eye, to tempt you, an editor to shape our words and spot mistakes and inconsistencies. And let’s be clear on this my editor and cover designer, both wonderful women who are also authors won’t accept it if I ask them to provide their services for free–which I wouldn’t do. Some people pay for marketing and do promotional giveaways.

I have three novelettes on the market at the moment and a pending novel (having the red pen treatment). A novelette is small, doesn’t require the same time frame to write it but I still used my time and I still paid for the above items. Yesterday was the two-year anniversary of my first novelette ‘As Dreams are Made on.’ Based only on the cover and editing alone I have lost £36.00 on it. So to recap, two years on and with 104 kindle sales and 16 paperback copies I am still in the red. I haven’t set my price high 0.99p/c because it is a short read. An hour or so of entertainment for under £1.00/$1.00 but still people want it for free. You could argue that if they like it they might buy one of my other books and yes that is true but lets also go back to the earlier paragraph where I acknowledged that I can’t buy all the books or clothes I like. So maybe it would generate sales–but maybe not.

Books aren’t just entertainment they are often an escape from reality –a reality that many people find challenging so given the duality of the product why do we question its value?

I’ve got an experiment for you to try (I won’t do it myself as I previously mentioned my busy schedule 🙂 )

Walk in to or phone your hairdresser and ask them if they will give you a free haircut.

Ring your garage next time your car needs a service or MOT and ask them to do it for free

Who loves having their nails done? Manicure? Pedicure? Facial? Let’s see about this freebie

The list is endless.
I would love to hear back from anyone who gets a freebie. Good luck and happy hunting.

But for this author who works endlessly and pays for the services I receive the only freebies I will consider are those that I choose to give for a promotional event which will require your participation.

For anyone who believes that authors should be paid for their work please leave a comment in support and it you are so inclined please share it with the hashtag #Booksarenotfree let’s get it trending.

If you are interested in my books follow the links:

US: https://www.amazon.com/Maria-Gibbs/e/B00SDDJV1U/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maria-Gibbs/e/B00SDDJV1U/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

If you want to know more about my books have a look at the other pages on this website. You can even see the reviews that I have left for the books I’ve read recently.

 

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

West Midlands Attending Author: Nicola C. Priest

gibbsdream

 

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  1. Can we start with your name and where you’re from?
     I write under my given name, Nicola C. Priest, but people tend to call me Nicky. Midlands girl, born & bred.
  2. Most authors love reading, is this true for you and if so who was/is your inspiration?
    Completely true.  When I was younger, I used to love reading Stephen King and James Patterson, mainly because my mom loved to read those authors so I picked up her books, but now I’m predominantly a romance girl and love to read Nicole Edwards and Kristy Bromberg
  3. What genre do you write in or do you cross over into many?
    Most of my books are contemporary romance, but one of my in progress books, Perception, leans towards the Crime genre, with a touch of romance thrown in.
  4. If you could take any character from someone else’s book and make him/her your own creation who would it be and why?
    Just one character? Don’t think I could do that, but Id happily take all seven of the Walker Brothers from Nicole Edwards’ Alluring Indulgence series.  Seven hot, sexy cowboys; what’s not to love there?
  5. When did you first start writing?
    I’ve loved writing since I was in school. Our creative writing classes were always my favourite.  I started writing fanfiction based on various TV shows but it wasn’t until a certain trilogy came out that I decided to have a go at writing something original. I figured if she could do it, then so could I.
  6. Do you plan every inch of your books or do you just let the words flow?
    I do plan to some degree, but I tend to just write and go where the characters take me.  I never know how a story is going to end until I get there. Two of the books I’ve released ended in completely different ways to what I originally envisioned.
  7. Who is your favourite character and why? (your own character)
    Tough one, but I’d have to say Jackson MacKenzie out of Somewhere Love Remains.  I won’t go into details, but there are parts of that book that mean a lot to me and I’ll leave it there.
  8. Was there an event in your life that triggered a particular book, or even a scene in a book? If so what was the book and what was the event?
    Somewhere Love Remains.  I had an armed forces penpal back when I was a teenager.
  9. Are you working on anything at the moment? If so can you share any tasty morsels?
    Yes.  I’m working on the sequel to Heart & Soul, called Mind & Soul which has a couple of twists people won’t see coming.  The second I’m working on is Perception, which is a little different to what I usually write.
  10. What one piece of advice would you give to someone starting out?
    Just write.  I’m a firm believer that everyone has at least one book inside them, but you won’t get anywhere unless you write.  All the editing and formatting comes after, just get the words on the paper and the rest will follow.
  11. What do you do when you’re not writing?
    I work full time as a financial services contractor so that takes up most of my day.  When I’m not working or writing, I go to the gym and catch up on my reading list.
  12. What is the hardest part of the whole writing, editing, marketing process for you?
    Definitely the marketing.  Getting a new book out there is hard and I hate pestering people or posting repeatedly on pages/groups.  I know how it makes me feel seeing the same post over and over, but then I remember that this person is trying to do the same things as me, they’re just being a bit more forward lol
  13. We all have those friends or family members who make sweeping statements about our writing or the process, which is your particular bug bear?
         I hate it when people assume that just because I have a book on Amazon, I must be raking in the cash.  I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve heard “You’re an author? You must be loaded” or words to that effect.  I wish I was loaded, but as most of us indie authors can attest, that’s just not the case
  14. What is your idea of happiness?
    Being able to give up my full-time job so that I can write for a living instead.  I’d love to be able to earn my living as an author.
  15. For this one I want you to showcase your creativity by painting me a picture, with words, of your ideal setting to write in.
         For me it would have to be a log cabin in the middle of nowhere, with an open log fire and huge armchair.  I’d have a glass of my favourite wine next to me with the fire roaring, warming the room and casting a soft glow over the furnishings.  I’d have my Macbook on my lap and just let the words flow.
  16. What makes you laugh/cry?
    I’m a big softie.  Anything that my nieces and nephews achieve always has me in tears, and they’re not even m kids!  My niece recently took park in the Children in Need choir which was televised and when I caught a glimpse of her on the TV I teared up.  I’m a sucker for sappy movies too.
  17. You’re stranded on a desert island and you can take three men/women who would they be and why? This can be practical or purely sexual in nature. Hmmmmm.  I think I’d take the inspirations behind my leading men.  Henry Cavill inspired Alistair Lockwood; there’s just something about him and I could look at him all day.  That man can wear a suit like no other.  Canadian actor Yannick Bisson inspired Jason Harper, again, very easy on the eyes, but also a fantastic cook so he’d be able to keep all of out energies up.  The last one, and I’m not giving a name here as it’s personal, is the inspiration for Jackson MacKenzie.  He’s a good friend of mine and has helped me through some tough time.  I wouldn’t be without him in my life.
  18. What is your most annoying habit?
    I’m the queen of the saying “I’ll do it in a minute.” It drives my husband mad as whatever it is never gets done and he ends up doing it himself.  My memory is terrible so unless I do something there and then, I completely forget about it.
  19. Please tell me about your books? For each one please send a pic (kindle cover would be perfect)
         I have three books out at the moment: Heart & Soul is part one in the Heartland series.  You have Alistair Lockwood, Hollywood moviestar and heartthrob, you meets clerical assistant Samantha Westfield during a meeting.  There’s an instant attraction, but both have dark secrets that they want to keep hidden.

Somewhere Love Remains tells the tale of Olivia and Jackson, two people who connect when Olivia places an advert for an armed forces penpal.  Throughout the years Olivia falls for Jackson, but he falls for someone else and they lose touch.  Jump to 14 years later and a chance encounter has them reconnecting, but they’re both different to what the other remembers.

Chase the Knight is a novella you can read in 45 minutes.  Abigail’s life is threatened by her dad’s shady work dealings so he hires Alexander Chase, and undercover cop, to protect her.  Can’t really say much more without giving it away.

Mind and Soul & Perception are currently in progress. Mind & Soul carries on six weeks after Heart & Soul ended with Alistair and Samantna trying to move on with their lives.  Perception is a little different to the other books in that it is a crime book where several girls have gone missing, with two turning up later, apparently murdered.

  1. Lightning round
    Tea or Coffee? Tea
    Cash or credit? Cash
    Cats or Dogs? Cats
    Beach or Mountain? Beach
    Summer or Winter? Summer
    Sweet or Savoury? Savoury
    Early riser or late riser? Late Riser
    Morning or Night? Night
    Christmas Tree – real or fake? Real
    Sex – Lights on or off? Both

    Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions.
    Please leave Facebook, Twitter, Website links so we can check you out further.

 

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nicola-C.-Priest/e/B00GW2VPUE/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1484058652&sr=1-1

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicolacpriest

 

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/NicolaCPAuthor

 

Website: https://www.nicolacpriest.co.uk

 

 

 

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

Black Friday Book Sale

gibbsdream

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Black Friday is a new thing in the UK but sales are not. We have historically always enjoyed the Boxing Day and New Year’s sales and the usual end of season bargains that can be picked up. Where this is different is that this is a ‘before’ sale, a month before Christmas giving everyone a chance to spend their hard-earned money and allowing it to go further. It can also be a chance to buy items that you would normally not have been able to afford, luxury items not part of the monthly budget. Either way we all love a bargain even for those of us who can’t stand the physical side of being in a rugby scrum environment.

As an author I also have a product to sell although it is a sad reflection on where we have come as a society and as an industry that many people believe that I should give it away for free. Let’s put aside for the moment all the long hours I have put into the writing, any research that I’ve undertaken and the agonising over characters that have a mind of their own. I have overheads when I publish whether that be via Amazon Kindle or Createspace print on demand which is available via Amazon.

The three books that I currently have on the market are short stories, novelettes and I have kept the kindle price down to 0.99 whether that be UK or US and any other country that it is feasible to have it at that price and that nets me a tiny profit per sale. The paperback copies are more expensive because print on demand is just that – you want a copy, a copy is printed and sent to you. The big publishing houses can lower prices because they print in bulk and all the retailers want the authors they represent. I haven’t gone down the route of approaching local shops as I don’t think the small books would be of interest to them, however I will look into this once I release my novels but I know this will involve me jumping through more hoops than an acrobat on a training session. The market is small for me and sales are pitiful but I get the most intense satisfaction out of each one. I filed my tax return for my writing and was able to declare a loss – which comes back to my overheads.

I have beautiful covers but they cost money, I am fortunate enough to have the services of a fabulous designer who doesn’t charge much, but £45.00 for one cover is still money I have paid out. I also need an editor (I tried to publish without one to start with I’m ashamed to say, but she has now polished all three for me) she also charges me for her service. Of course she does it’s a business and she needs to earn a living.  Lets call it approximately £40.00 for one novelette. So that is £85.00 that I have spent to package and make it acceptable to you the buying public.

I receive approximately £0.29 for each kindle copy I sell and slightly more for a print copy. In order for me to recoup the cost of my expenditure I have to sell 293 kindle copies or slightly less print. Remember that costing is per book. Between all three of my books I have sold a grand total in nearly two years of 240 copies. So I haven’t even reached the target to break even for one book out of the sales of three.

So when you think that an author should allow you to read their work for free think about the above. I love writing and my dream would be to be able to make a living from it instead of having to work a 40+ hour week to pay the bills and then write when I’m exhausted. I didn’t cover the endless hours of editing and formatting and promotion that goes into this role.

I would love to sell my books at their full price but if the wave of popularity for discounted (but not free) items helps me to sell a few more copies then I will sell the print copies for less for the Black Friday sales.

Why should you buy my work? I’m an unknown quantity and we all like to buy things we know will give us value for money and enjoyment. If we never try new things, read books by unknown authors then how do we know what we’re missing out on. We think nothing of buying a new flavour coffee at well-known coffee chains for £3.50. A short burst of pleasure and its gone, the same price for a book and you get a longer period of enjoyment and you can re-read it. How much do we pay for manicures and pedicures, to get our hair done? We don’t think twice about it because it gives us a feel good factor-so does a good book. You can curl up with it anywhere and it will take you out of your life and place you into the one that an author has created. What we pay for books isn’t a fortune, it isn’t that luxury item it’s affordable. If you want to buy from an unknown author like me, go to Amazon and you can read a sample to get the flavour of the writing.

For Black Friday only my paperback copies will be priced at £3.00/$4.00/€3.30.

Suitable for Christmas or Birthday stocking fillers

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maria-Gibbs/e/B00SDDJV1U/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

US: https://www.amazon.com/Maria-Gibbs/e/B00SDDJV1U/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0