holidays – Maria Gibbs

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.

As the year nears its end, we all take a little bit of time to reflect on our year and make plans or resolutions for the year ahead.

For those who have enjoyed a good 2015, their hopes are that 2016 will be just as kind and for those who have suffered through 2015 the hope is that 2016 will be a better one for them.

Earlier today I saw a friend on Facebook mention that it is in reality only passing from one day to another as it does every other day of the year. She mentioned that she set goals or resolutions throughout the year. She is correct, and I think we should all do that, but there is something about the idea of an ending and a beginning that we as a species tend to like. It feels as though you can package the previous year up in a box, gift wrap it, tie it with ribbon and consign it to the dusty realms marked as the past. As the clock chimes midnight signalling the beginning of a new year we take out a new box, all neatly wrapped up and inside is a blank journal that we will write our new experiences, joys and sorrows on. It seems exciting because we feel as though we can do anything, fill it with adventure. It lets us know that we still have hope and while we have hope we can achieve so much.

I have been blessed with a good year. In January, I self-published a short story and followed up with another short story in February. Since then I have been working on a number of projects all in various stages of completion. I have learnt to do things that I wouldn’t have dreamt possible, faced things that scared the bejeebers out of me. I have made some amazing friends that I have never met and may never meet. I have read books that have transported me to other worlds. I have been lucky enough to have gone on two holidays this year: Malta and Maldives. I have also experienced some personal sadnesses this year that I won’t dwell on. I also achieved a half-marathon and a whole day sponsored silence. I also am now the proud owner of a Honda CG125 motorbike which I love.

I would like to thank everyone who has been part of this year with me, those who have bought my books and kindly left me reviews. More than anything I would like to thank my family and friends who are always there when I need them.

2016 for me will be about pursuing my writing further, publishing my WIPs and hopefully getting some more sales.

So I will bid a fond farewell to 2015 and greet 2016 with open arms and a bottle of Prosecco 😉

Both of my books are on sale until the end of Friday 1st January 2016. If you are interested in making me smile on New Years Day then click & buy

🙂

As Dreams are Made on: myBook.to/Adamo

A Lifetime or a Season: myBook.to/ALifetime

Tag: holidays

Hello 2016, Goodbye 2015

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: