Things are Becoming Increasingly Progressingish!

Well yesterday, a Thursday, was the day for me to be at my favourite Cafe in Gawler or possibly in the entire world - Poetic Justice Cafe Gallery. On Thursdays I go to Poetic Justice Cafe Gallery (PJs), and basically stay there, talking, writing, have food and coffee, until it's time for me to head off to another Gawler venue for my writing group meeting.

I've been a little sidetracked recently with my writing, I'm certainly blaming Christmas for that ... Things are all skew-if, that's for sure. Anyway, I decided to do some pre-preparation, and printed out some things to do with my work-in-progress "Dog Buddha's Thoughts". When I arrived there were people I needed to talk to etc, but eventually, I had the chance to get to work on my own writing. And work I surely did.

By the time I left PJs yesterday, I had my next book in the 'Buster the Dog' series organised and I had the writer for the foreword of the book organised (Michelle Kynenburg, who did the same thing for me for book two (Doggone It! Mindfulness from a Dog's Point of View). This is a great thing, but even greater is the way I managed to get all of the snippets of book put into separate sections. I whittled my original plan of eight chapters down to three sections, and assigned all of the 'thoughts' I've written so far to their correct chapter.

I need more thoughts still though. around another four thoughts for each section I think. And then once that is done, by the end of January 2017, I hope, I will send the thoughts all off to my illustrator (Allyson Hean), and also send the manuscript to Michelle for her to begin thinking about and writing the foreword for the book. This is fun! And then once those parts are all done, I do a final read of it, give it to a couple of readers for feedback perhaps, and then off to the printer for getting the books done!

I love the freedom of doing it myself, instead of the tedious and sometimes disappointing method of the traditional method of getting books out into the world (or facing rejection after rejection and then giving up, another disappointed wannabee writer ... I am perfectly happy to be a self-publisher. These days, this form of publishing has gained far more respect, and most people no longer look down on those taking this path.

So that's it, my next book is well on the way to being ready to be launched at the Adelaide Plains Festival of Words 2017! And that Festival was also talked about yesterday, and some tasks assigned to sub-committee members. All good again!


I love my life!

Doggone It! Mindfulness Ready to Take Over!

Well to say it's ready to take over is going a bit far, but the time for the next book in the Buster series to be released to the world is getting closer and closer. This book, "Doggone It! Mindfulness from a Dog's Point of View" will be a further look into the thoughts of Buster the Dog, and the varied ways he sees the world.

Getting this book written, and then put together with lovely images from illustrator Allyson Hean was fun and frustrating. The frustration didn't come from Ally's work, it was from the wresting with the Publisher program, and with my head. Buster wisely stayed in the back of my head and left this part of it to me. He's happy to help me write the words, and then he steps away.

Self-publishing is people business, and Buster knows that. I did the text and Ally did the illustrations and putting together part way back when the first book "Dig It! Gardening Tips for Dogs" came out. I was glad that the book that came from her work has been a popular book, and in recognition of that popularity, I have printed some more copies, getting ready for the glorious day we launch the follow up book. There may well be people at the book launch who haven't already got themselves a copy of Dig It, and want to have the set ...

Having said 'the set', I have to say I don't actually know what and when the third book may be. I've thought about a couple of different things, but realise I still have plenty of time for the next book. 2017 will be the year to work on that one. Plenty of time. This book creating thing is fun and creative, but there are many other things going on at the moment too. Money is always an issue to consider, and marketing is not my most fun part of it.

Marketing and doing it well, they are skills I'm certainly no expert in. I can talk about my books, no problems with that, but getting bookings to do so, and keeping things organised, I sure don't star at those things. Still, if I wanted to make mega bucks, I probably would be writing quite different things, and going about the making of the books in a different manner ...

If you've ever self-published a book, and done well with it, please leave a message, I could do with some tips, and I'm sure others who visit here would appreciate it too!

Blogs Created for Books

As a writer, particularly a self-published author, I am interested in the idea of making mega bucks from my books! Well to be honest, that's not true - I'm a realistic person, and don't expect to make mega bucks. The genres I'm interested in writing, and my views on life aren't the kind that would necessarily attract millions of readers.

What I hope to do with my writing is to amuse people, entertain them and perhaps give them interesting ideas to think further on. This book "Dig It! Gardening Tips for Dogs" was initially created with my friend Ally Hean, who likes to draw, and does it well. We were coffee and chat friends, our sons were friends at Mallala Primary School. I shared a little article I'd written about a dog that liked to garden, and things took off from there.

I'd never self-published a book before, but had been successful with Victorian School Reader Publisher with a book called "My Dog", and I was and still am a keen exponent of creative writing. Ally and I took this initial writing, with me doing more writing and Ally drawing relevant pictures of what was going on. The text and pics went together well, Ally worked at turning it into a book and we sent it to a local printer.

Grandeur Press, in Balaklava was the printer, and they did a fine job. We did a small print run, and set about selling copies of the book. That first print run sold out, and there was enough money left over from sales for another print run, and so it went on. There are copies of this book available in the National Library and in some libraries in South Australia. Ally has moved on, and I have shifted my literary focus to Gawler, and so my third print run was with a printer in Gawler - Bunyip Press. I'm happy with their work too, and will continue my connection with them for future printing needs.

There is more to creating books than just printing them though, and that's actually selling the books. This is the marketing side of things. The nuts and bolts gritting and sometimes grubby side! Haha! Not really - marketing can be as nice as having a chat with someone and showing them your book, accepting money or in kind payment if the person would like a signed copy. This is a way that connections and friendships can grow and strengthen.

But there are other ways too, having books in bookshops, or promoting them online. One of the online ways is to set up a blog for your book, and/or for yourself. My first 'book blog' was this one, set up with details about the book, and about how to buy a copy of the book. Blogs are something I have an off/on relationship. I became extremely keen on this blogging at one stage and created quite a few blogs, posting and commenting on them, and gaining readers.

Then the passion for it waned, and outside things rather than online ones became more important to me, as can happen. I've kept up some presence in the blogging world though, having created separate blogs for my next two books - "damaged children, Precious Gems" - a book about child sexual abuse, and abuse in general, and - "Mick Jane and Me - Living Well with MS" - a memoir about my life with Multiple Sclerosis, written soon after I was diagnosed with MS in 2010. This blog is the one that gets the most of my blogging attention.

I will continue blogging and I hope selling my books, and I with continue writing more books - I'm currently thinking and doing the initial stages of planning for two books to follow on from "Dig it!" - it's fun, and I'm hoping it all goes well, with one of the new books out at the end of this year and the other in 2016! Keep your eye out here for more news!

Yes, Third Print Run, WooHoo!

Today I visited the printer who I've chosen to do the third print run of my book, Dig It! Gardening Tips For Dogs. Peter, from Bunyip Print gave me three copies of the book, for me to check and to get back to him if there were any changes needed, and to let him know if he could do the printing. (I'm a writer, a self-published one so I have to do all of these things myself. It's going well, and I'm enjoying myself with this!)

I had a quick look at it at Bunyip Print, and it all looked pretty good to me. I was advised by the woman who works there (sorry, I've forgotten your name), that I should take it home and give it a good look, to make sure it was all ready to go.

I didn't really think I'd need to actually do anything, but once I got home today, I fired up the computer and sat down with the book, and my copy of the manuscript that is on the computer. Imagine my horror when I discovered some paragraphs missing in the proof copy of the book!

On checking it back against an older copy, I was able to fill in the gaps, deleted an image that I'd used to fill in a gap, not realising there was a gap because I'd somehow deleted a paragraph of text. I hope I've fixed all of the errors. I changed the text in the caption of one of the illustrations, and in general checked everything.

After I did all of that, I sent the revised copy to Peter at Bunyip Print, with a list of the changes made. I've heard back from Peter, and I have to say, I am impressed by his promptness. I'm certainly going to talk up Bunyip Print - such attention to detail, and promptness is always impressive, and I feel they will do the best for my book, this one and any others I may produce in the future...

Dealing with the local businesses always feels good to me, and when they seem as good as this one, it makes me even happier to be doing business locally!

So Buster the Dog is going into the third print run of his book, and I launch back into promoting his book for him! I think my next move will be to produce some bookmarks, with words of Gardening Wisdom from Buster! Keep your eye out on this website, and please get in contact if you'd like a copy of the book - it will be $10.00 $AUD, with no charge for postage, unless the cost is huge...

Time For A New Print Run?

When a person self-publishes a book, it's up to them to decide when and whether it's time for a new print run. My book, 'Dig It, Gardening Tips for Dogs' had its first print run in late 2009/early 2010. I've sold or given away almost all of those books, and now that my name is out there, I feel it could be time to have more of this lovely funny little books for people to have.

I'm a writer, covering a range of genre, from this book of humour, to my first poetry collection that is serious and sad/to positive, and my current work in progress which is a memoir in verse, about my new life with my new chronic illness of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

I've written a lot about dogs, and have various articles online at this site, some serious, some funny. I also have another blog, focussed on dogs and family here.

Having this broad range of books, will give something for everyone, at least that's the way I'm thinking. If someone has suffered as a child, I have the poetry book to help them to find hope. If someone thinks dogs are hilarious or if they're being driven mad by their own digging dog, I have the book to help them find the funny side. And if they have MS, or know someone who has it, I have a book that tells them how living with MS has been for me.

So, decision time - obviously, I need to get the money for another print run, these things aren't free. I need to suss out the market for such a book - I know a couple of people who would probably buy a copy of the book, but I need more than just a couple of buyers to make it worthwhile.

So this post is to see if anyone out there thinks they's like to have a copy of my little book. I think it's funny, and the pictures done by my talented artist friend Ally Hean are wonderful, and well worth looking at. The cover picture on this website gives you an idea of her talent, and the illustrations inside the book are terrific. This book would appeal to anyone who's ever known a dog, or had a garden. 

Dogs don't do gardening the way people do gardening, and the chapters in the book should give you a giggle! And if you'd like to know more about me and my writing, click on the links and read what I've written!

If you think this book is one you might like to see, let me know! If I get enough of a response, I'll get the second print run happening. It's all up to my readers!

Writing the Next Book in the Series

Hello to everyone who has popped in for some news about my venture into self-publishing. I have been thinking lately about getting down to my works in (no) progress. One of these is the next book in the series begun with 'Dig It! Gardening Tips for Dogs'.

In the last part of that book another book to come is hinted at, and now that stocks have run low in the third print run of the first book, I have decided it may be time to get serious about getting book two written.

I have an idea, I have a working title, but I am woefully low on money to buy myself time to write the book. The idea is for a funny book about sex from a dog's point of view (slightly raunchy but certainly not pornographic), the working title would be Doggy is not the Only Style, the money to buy some time? Well, dear reader, this is where you come in.

If I can get enough donations, I can get down to writing this book, and paying my wonderful illustrator Allyson Hean to create some funny but only slightly naughty pictures.

So that is my plan, checkout this website just above the blog posts to donate if you want to help this plan come into fruition.

Thank you

Self-publishing My Book

How did I go about self-publishing? OK, first book first “Dig It! Gardening Tips for Dogs”.
This little book started out as an amusing article in a dog club magazine. It then sat in the drawer for more years than I care to think about, before I decided to do something with it. I read it, expanded it, edited it, then I mentioned it to a friend who is quite good at drawing. She asked to see a copy, I gave her a copy, she did a drawing (very good).

We talked about the whole thing and decided to have a go at printing it ourselves. The friend did more illustrations, I organised an ISBN number and barcode, my friend put the whole thing together, I took it to a local printer and Hey Presto, I had a book.

The first print run was for 50 copies, they sold or were given away, I did another print run, same story, sold or given away. Third print run. I still have about half of the third print run left, and won’t be going for a fourth print run this year, unless somehow there is a run on people wanting copies.

It’s been fun, but I know I’m not brilliant at marketing, I have a lot to learn.

Second book was quite different. “How to Lose Weight and Keep it Off”. I had this one done online by Lulu.com. I wrote a small book, and uploaded it to Lulu for publishing as an Ebook. The only copy sold was bought by me, and I would certainly use this method again. The copies are available from Lulu, but there are millions of books there, and mine doesn’t stand out, hence the lack of sales.

For both of these books have a website each, on Blogger.com, and they get a few clicks each, but it hasn’t led to sales at this time.


Adelaide Plains Poets Inc have self-published two anthologies, using the same local printer, who I think does a good job at a fair price. Grandeur Press is the name, in Balaklava.

So that’s my story