Rebirth of the Short Story

Once the short story was all but dead; mainstream publishers were reluctant to publish them with the excuse that they did not sell.  However, the arrival of the ebook has changed all that.  Authors may now self publish in a variety of digital formats which can be made readily available through online stores or the writers’ own websites.

A number of portable electronic platforms such as the laptop, notebook, tablet, smart phone and kindle are now available so readers can download text while on the move.  Short stories are ideal for this purpose as they can be dipped into while on a train, at a station, airport or during breaks in the working day.  Text to sound features make it possible to become engaged behind the wheel of a car and also enable written stories to be more accessible to the visually impaired.

The short story allows the reader and writer to explore single themes in a condensed style which can focus the interest of the busy traveller in a way that novels with their intertwining plots and subplots can not do.  In this way the reader and writer are able to enjoy the craft of story telling in much the same way as it was when first formed in the oral tradition when tales were passed from parent to child or to one and other by the evening firelight.

Peatmore Press has published its first anthology of short stories.  It is available on the Amazon Kindle Store or at http://peatmore.com/crimeandpassion.htm.  The short story has returned and is back in a big way.

Dealing with Digital Gadgets

The Digital Age has produced a vast collection of apparatus which have improved the lot of the modern writer/publisher.  It is now much easier to produce written works and photographic images of professional quality.  But using the equipment can be exasperating.  Manuals are complicated and gadgets that once worked well suddenly cease to function properly if accidentally damaged or software is upgraded.

Most recently, the equipment pictured above has brought great despair to the smooth workings of Peatmore Press Limited.  The pda is old technology and no longer synchronises with the laptop PC now that the operating system has been upgraded.  The mobile phone is also prone to fail to synchronise with both laptop and desktop PC for no apparent reason.  The compact camera has been damaged by leaving batteries in it too long causing them to leak, corrode and jam the memory card inside.

The problem with the pda has been solved by limiting its synchronisation use with the desk top PC which still runs on Windows XP and giving up using it with the laptop and its Windows 7 operating system.  The mobile phone was sorted by removing the battery and rebooting it in much the same way as PC problems are resolved by switching off the power and turning it on again.

The camera posed a different problem which has affected electrical equipment since the time batteries were first invented.  An attempt to remove the corroded memory card using WD40 oil succeeded but ruined the camera as the oil penetrated too far into the mechanism.

On the bright side, technology did come to aid as some of these issues were solved by typing the problem relating questions into Google.  Unfortunately, it was too late for the camera.  These gadgets can now be regarded in the same way as family — frustrating but indispensible.

Book Promotion

Our Christmas campaign has long past but we continue to promote our books.  Long into January a friend who did not know I was a writer spotted an advert I had posted in a local post office window and asked to buy a copy of Cogrill’s Mill which was duly supplied.  Encouraged by this success Peatmore Press has produced the video advert below.

Although this has not resulted in many sales it has increased interest in the book.

Book Promotion Campaign — Final Part

It is December 22^nd and there are only three days to despatch books for Christmas Day so it seems logical to end the promotional campaign now.  I will still carry copies of my books with me on the off chance someone will seek to buy but I have suspended the online adwords campaign which has proved expensive for almost negligible return.

On the plus side eleven books have been sold which would not have happened without the campaign.  On the negative side, the campaign has not been aggressive enough as I need to be more confident when approaching potential customers.  Peatmore Press is also in need of more product to sell.

The plan for the New Year is to concentrate on writing and also to produce some audio books, promotional videos and make the most of the free opportunities the internet provides for marketing.  Adwords is a useful resource but at the moment is not worth the cost.

Book Promotion Campaign — Part Four

I have donated three copies of Cogrill’s Mill to the Woking Hospice Bookshop in Horsell village near Woking.  This is a worthwhile charity which I am happy to support.  I have paid £4 to a local Newsagent to have a Cogrill’s Mill placed in their shop window among the customer adds.  I have added more keywords to the Amazon pages showing my books.  While doing this I found that someone is advertising a used copy on the page for Cogrill’s Mill.  At least it shows the books are circulating.  I can only trust that they are being read.

Book Promotion Campaign — Part Three

Three weeks into the campaign and it is yet to gather momentum.  Free offers are being taken up but not  many books have been sold.  The Peatmore Press website is gaining an increase in hits mostly due to Google Adwords but a small number of these can probably be attributed to Twitter, Facebook and Blog.  The cost of campaign currently greatly out weighs profit from books but at least potential readers are being made more aware of them and a few more are being read than before the campaign started.

Book Promotion Campaign — Part Two

It is still early days into the campaign.  I have approached two local independent bookstores.  Corfe Books have held copies of Cogrill’s Mill for over a year now.  The other, The Chertsey Bookshop, has two copies.  One of the manager’s is reading it and says its good but they are yet to get back to me.

I’ve sold ten copies directly to relatives in Bristol and began a new advertising campaign with Google’s Adwords.  I am also waiting to hear from the editor of a local newspaper about the possibility of an interview.

I still need to brush up on my selling techniques as I am reluctant to approach people I only know casually.  I am also not sure that Jane Wenham-Jones’s tip for fly posting in local libraries and bookshops is a good idea as it could damage relationships with both.

Book Promotion Campaign — Part One

Marketing and promotion is not easy for writers who are use to working alone and are self conscious about their work.  Christmas is approaching and is an ideal time to beginning selling.  Books are relatively cheap compared to other small gifts and make ideal presents.  With this in mind, Peatmore Press intends to enter the marketing arena to actively promote Jack Lindsey’s novel, “Cogrill’s Mill”, and the outcome as to whether the campaign will be successful or not will be reported here.

It takes a great deal of courage for people who are shy about their work to actively shout out how wonderful it is but if their books are to be successful this is what they have to do.  Fear of ridicule and being embarrassed about setting one’s self up for public display is a powerful deterrent.  However, inspiration has been provided by Jane Wenham-Jones’s excellent manual, “Wannabe a Writer We’ve Heard Of”, which graphically shows the fears and lengths the successful writers must overcome so that their work can reach the public.

With this in mind, promotional badges and postcards have been prepared and armed with these Peatmore representatives have set out to woo prospective readers.  The first foray in this arena took place on Friday 21^st November with a stall at the local leisure centre with Woking’s One World Party.  Not many books were sold but useful contacts were made.  It now remains to be seen where the promotional trail will lead.

Promotion material

Postcard

Badge

Demise of the independent bookshop

So glad to see  my novel, “Cogrill’s Mill”, is still stocked by Corfe Books in Addlestone.  The proprietor tells me that the shop is expanding to larger premises a few doors down.  This is good news and bucks the current trend.  Retailers like Corfe Books also carry out-of-print and second-hand books.  Their survival should be encouraged and nurtured.

Not long ago another of my local outlets, Corbett’s Bookshop in West Byfleet, closed.  It still stands with empty shelves, forlorn in the village shopping precinct.  Large bookshop chains and supermarkets now dominate our high streets, which makes it so difficult for the small publisher to get their books noticed.

Video Marketing Self-Published Books

There are now many ways to publicise a book on the internet.  One of the most exciting and perhaps the most creative is the use of video.  Digital cameras are relatively keep and readily attainable.  Most have automatic modes that enable point and shoot which makes them simple to use.  Many people have webcams that can easily be utilised.  Practically all this equipment comes with easy to use software and can be attached to the USB port of a PC.

By using a tripod a simple story can be shot single handily.  All it needs is a minimal script, some graphics and someone to stand in front of the camera.  Many social networks such as Utube encourage uploading of short video clips so that your visual advert can be distributed worldwide free of charge in no time at all.

The Independent Publisher, Salt Publishing, provides a good example. Wena Poon is interrupted whilst being interviewed about her forthcoming novel, Alex y Robert