Tuesday 2 July 2013

SHOULD I HAVE PUBLISHED MY BOOK ?

Well that is the big question should I have published PUTTING RIGHT THE PAST ?

My book has now been on the market for three months and that's the question I've been asking myself during this last week. I'm not going to bore you again with why I wrote it, but just in case you don't know the reason behind the book you can go back and read February and March's blogs.


So back to the question should I have published it? One things for certain I am so glad I've written it, that was a very exciting experience and something I have wanted to do for over thirty years. To sit at the laptop and create all those characters not really knowing where they were going to end up was such a buzz and something I want to carry on doing forever.

Writing it was one thing but getting the story of Carole and all her friends published was another matter. Would I have changed anything ? Of course I would but I'm not going to harp on about that now. So should I have done it? The amazing thing is people have actually bought my book and I think this is the time for me to say thank you.



My first thank you goes to everyone who has bought, read and enjoyed PUTTING RIGHT THE PAST, your comments and reviews have made me so happy. One of the biggest kicks I've had, is when a lovely lady in Australia tweeted to say she had ordered my book in paperback, waited six weeks for it to be delivered, then tweeted to say she had really enjoyed reading it. My little book all the way to the other side of the world, to me that was so amazing.


The second thank you has to go to everyone on Twitter, Facebook and all those people who have told their friends, you really have helped promote and sell it for me. The lovely tweeters who RT and tweet day after day, week after week I cannot thank everyone enough. Not forgetting all the blogs that myself and PUTTING RIGHT THE PAST have been featured in.

A big thanks to Julie a friend who lives in Tenerife even shows holidaymakers the book on her Ipad telling them, ' You need to download this one as it's set here in Tenerife' 






Finally I would like to thank all the people who read it and did not enjoy it for one reason or another, you could have given a bad review but you didn't and I really thank you from the bottom of my heart for that. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea and that brings me back to the big question should it have been published?

Perhaps the answer should be no, I don't have an agent and I self-published without any experience whatsoever. I would have loved to have been able to sit down with someone who had years of experience, to advise me if certain characters worked or not, or to tell me to rewrite chapters, or maybe change the ending, but I didn't have that opportunity.

So after weeks of mulling this over I really don't know whether I have done the right thing or not, the only conclusion I have come to is PUTTING RIGHT THE PAST hasn't hurt anyone or anything, but it has brought a little pleasure to some people , Especially me!

13 comments:

  1. I think you've answered your own question, Ian. If you've enjoyed it and others clearly have, then the answer to whether you should have published is, of course, 'yes'.


    Sue
    :0)

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    1. Thank you Sue I think I would have always said 'what if' X

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  2. Ian, this is an interesting blog because I think all self-published writers have asked this question of themselves. Should I have done it? Did I make a mistake? I think the answer is always your gut feeling and only you will know that. I personally think you did the right thing. If it's meant to be a worldwide success then it will be, regardless of how it is published. It will find its way out there through word of mouth, in time. I personally think every self-published book is a triumph. Well done on getting it written, getting it out there and getting it sold! x

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    1. Thank you Lacey my problem is I read it again a few weeks ago and wish I could make changes to somthings, thank you for taking the time to comment x

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  3. You self-published a first novel...people read it and liked it. End of. This is a massive achievement. I have just binned my agent as she has been useless, so don't believe for one minute that your book would have been better. Probably your agent would have been unable to place it in today's picky, unpleasant market. So...Mr Ian, massive congrats. Hope you're working on that second novel!!!!

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    1. Thank you for commenting Carol, as for the second one it's been finished since November very different from the first , but not quiet sure if it will get published. You don't need an agent with your teaching and experiance of the english language, your the perfect person to self-publish x

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  4. Of course you should have Ian, I read it and enjoyed it and if you enjoyed writing it then that's great. I do hope you're going to write another if you have one in you then you have more,so get writing. Why not self publishe,I'm sure you have made a lot more contacts now that you could have more help with what you thought you may have done wrong,plenty of advice on twitter and blogs just ask.

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    1. Thank you Anne for your lovely comments and for reading my book, I will continue writing but gettting another published I will wait and see.x

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  5. Oh Ian! Of course you did the right thing. I'm so envious. You are a published author - w0w! I can't wait for the day when (hopefully) I can say the same - savour every moment : )

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    1. You can do it Amanda. If it was not for Amanda Egan I think it would not of happened (that blog coming soon) but with her encouragement I got it done. x

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  6. Ian I think you know the answer to that, you worked hard & it's paid off...and you're always welcome on my blog when you have time! X

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  7. Thank you very much for the kind words Donna, I think it just came down to the right time for me to do it. Life is very strange how it pans things out for us, five years either side it would not have happened. X

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  8. Mr Wilf! Of course you should have published and you should also be giving yourself a massive pat on the back. No one ever said the Indie route was easy but it's certainly an interesting journey which never fails to teach us new things.
    You get that second book out there or you'll have me to answer to ;) x

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