Today is nearly two weeks since I gently pushed my debut novel London Calling out into the world and watched it take its first breath. The past 12 days have been exciting, tiring, liberating and exhilarating. But most of all, it’s been an absolute blast to watch my book climbing the charts in the US & Oz, to hit No.1 in the UK & Canada and then yesterday, to hold it in my hands for the very first time…
And boy, have I had a crash course in publishing and marketing over the past month. Being a self-published, independent author comes with its own challenges but also its own rewards. I don’t have an agent or a publisher to answer to, I only have myself. Luckily, I’m a pretty hard task master…
But the sense of accomplishment is pretty immense – knowing you’ve done it all, from idea, to writing, to publishing and publicity. Of course, I’ve had a bundle of help along the way from numerous great friends & fellow authors and I’ll be eternally grateful for that too. It’s been a near 24/7 job over the past month but it’s awesome because I’ve fulfilled a long-held dream. That the book’s selling well and people seem to like it is an added bonus.
Phase two means London Calling has now been shipped to other digital retailers and should be available to download at Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes, Sony and a myriad of other stores very soon. I also just got the print book back this week which means if you want a copy to hold in your hands, the wait is nearly over – watch this space. Exciting innit?