Self Publish - Attract Buyers to Your Novel

The draft of your book is complete. You are very pleased with your achievement and rightly so. Now you are in a new realm of, perhaps, writing a worthy synopsis and trying to find a Literary Agent who, in turn, will try to champion your work to various good publishers. Maybe you can achieve this and if so, fine – I wish the very best for you and your book. You will not need to heed the rest of this because these things will be done by the worthy publisher and editors of their choice, who will be very good. For many of you, however, there will be the endless attempts at trying to get your work looked at and even when you do get a publisher to view your writing; it will most likely be a disappointing outcome. Sorry to be gloomy, but then one can always keep trying or maybe look at self-publishing.

To try and self-publish a book in this day and age is easier than it has ever been before. However, this is where the first problem will be; because you can get published easily, you really need to be careful not to become too lax due to over excitement with what you are presenting. Your work will not be worthy without proper editing. People are fussy so your editorial work being of good quality is an absolute must. This has got to be the first thing on your agenda before you go ahead with self-publishing. Generally readers will steer clear of amateur written work because most of the time it is sloppy and unprofessional. You will need an independent editor and the web is full of them. Again, there can be pitfalls here too, because anyone can advertise on the net as an editor. Therefore, look for an organisation that has an agency of editors on their lists. These might be editors from various parts of the world that are vetted and have portfolios about their work. I cannot stress the total importance of this because no matter how often you go through your work; there will always be glaring things that you will miss. I can remember working with my editor for one of my novels and some of the things that came back were very obvious, yet I had missed them time and again. Also there will be other less noticeable things that you’ll be grateful of too. When you go to a listing sight of editors; you’ll put your work up for tender and you’ll get various editors bid to do the editorial work for your book. If the novel is about 90,000 words, I think you might be looking at about UK £500 minimum for a basically good editorial job over all. If you are in another country; you’ll need to convert to your currency to get an idea of the outlay. Some might be more and others may be less. Less is not always a good sign unless it is a new editor to the agency books and he/she is trying to break into the sphere. It might be about £450, if it is less; I would be surprised against a word count of 90,000. Obviously if your work consists of about 50,000 words, then you would look at less expense. You might think that this is a lot to pay for editorial work, but I would stress that it is money well spent to get your writing flowing and trim for your readers. Always ask to see a sample and they’ll do one if they want to win your business. The sample usually comes in the form of two presentations. One attachment will be your work with all the corrections clearly plastered about it and suggestion in the right column. The second attachment will look as it does with all the corrections added. When you read this section, you’ll be encouraged by the flow of your work and discover it is usually better. You might get so many good examples, that it will be hard to choose which editor you want. Obviously, you’ll get particular editors that specialise in various different agendas and you’ll be able to choose one suited to your book’s subject matter.

http://www.freelance-proofreaders.co.uk/ (Check out this sight for editors)

At this point you might stop and reflect on self-publishing before you proceed. After all, now you have your work well edited, you might want to consider publishers and Literary Agents again, who might look at your work in a more favoured light. It is worth thinking about for some people. If not, then on with the notion of self-publishing.

Next might be artwork. Most of the publishers you come across will have artwork ideas for your book, but not all of these might be to your taste. You might want to go for an independent artist and once again there are on line agencies that have various artists for such work. This can be costly, so it is up to you.

http://www.freelanceuk.com/find-a-freelancer/art-directors (Check out this site)

As I have mentioned before; there are pit falls along the way and this can become a learning process. Because of the Internet and eBooks, the market is very versatile and there are many people you can reach all over the globe. The problem is trying to reach them because many of the publishers might be small concerns. They’ll get your novel up on the main eBook sights like Amazon, Fictionwise, Diesel etc. However, they will be among thousands and there will be punters sifting through many choices. You will need to attract shoppers to your story. Most of the small publishers don’t have an advertising program for your self-published book and this you must bear in mind. Therefore I would recommend a blog like the one you are reading now. Fill it with all sorts of things of interest and advertise your novel among other adverts. Try to advertise with subtle ways and write things in your blog that you enjoy doing. You’ll learn what type of things will attract people and build links to your blog via YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Use AdSense and advertise other independent products with your own advert among them.

Again in short:

1.     You decide to self-publish (Get editorial work done properly. Do nothing until this is in order)

2.     Once editorial work is done (Stop, think in case you want to try Literary Agents and Publishers again)

3.     If deciding upon self-publishing (Remember you’ll have to try and plug your book too. Blogging with link to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter or other visited sights. If you know anything on SEO it will help to)

One Lonely Night - REO Speedwagon

REO Speedwagon are an American band and this was one of my favourites from this very good group. It is a song that brings back memories of my youth - a little way of touching back.

George Formby - Fanlight Fanny

George Formby was everyone's favourite in the UK. During the 1930s decade he was the highest payed entertainer in Britain. He was famous for his humorous and sometimes saucy lyrics that he sang while playing his ukulele.

Fanlight Fanny was one of my all time favourites and is about a die hard swinger in her sixties that is still trying to live her version of a glamorous lifestyle, while failing without realising it. Only those observing her do and that is just about everyone except poor old die hard Fanlight Fanny - the Saturday Nightclub Queen - Hoora!

As kids, we all loved George Formby films. They were usually comical and he would play a few songs along the way. He would like to say at the end, "Its turned out nice again."

Mikasa - The Champion Battleship That Refused To Die.

In 1895 Imperial Japan decided upon a more substantial naval building program. Her nation was rapidly modernising and was seeking territory and raw resources that her island homeland could not acquire within. Mainland Asia held the answer and many of the imperial European countries of the world had claimed territories from Asia and were benefiting from the exploitation of raw resources. It was an age of empire building and though many did not know it at the time; empires were soon to crumble in the chaos of two world wars. At this time, however, countries like Great Britain, France and Russia served as examples of what could be exploited through empire and naval power.

Japan had just won victory over China’s Qing Dynasty and gained much-needed lands in China and Korea. To preserve and protect her territorial gains Japan decided to build six more battleships and six cruisers for her growing navy. She could see the threat of imperial Russian expansionism and realised that conflict with the vast Tsarist ruled nation could come about in the near future.

The United Kingdom saw Imperial Russia as a greater threat than Imperial Japan and readily agreed to build one of the Japanese Battleships. The Battleship Mikasa was ordered from Vickers builders in the shipyards of Burrow-in-Furness in 1898. The great ship took three years to build and was supplied to Japan in the year of 1902.

She became the Flagship of the Japanese fleet with Admiral Togo aboard her. In 1904, the Russo-Japanese war started and Battleship Mikasa went into action at the Battle of the Yellow Sea. She was hit around twenty times during the naval engagement but held her ground and gave a good account of herself. The Russian Navy had tried to break out of Port Arthur and link with other Russian ships from Vladivostok. The Imperial Japanese Navy foiled the enemy attempted breakout. Nine months later, the Mikasa would be Admiral Togo’s flagship in the famous Battle of Tsushima. This is reported to be one of the most important naval battles since the Battle of Trafalgar. Japan’s navy smashed the Russian fleet and destroyed all the Tsar’s hopes of gaining territory in Asia.

How gun crew looked on board Mikasa during the Battle of Tsushima

After this war ended, disaster struck the Mikasa. The great ship had come through trials and tribulations, during the Russo-Japanese War, with her bold crew, surviving great perils. But in the September of 1905, a fire started while in the harbour of Sasebo. It caused a magazine to exploded and rupture the ship’s hull. She sank in the harbour claiming well over 350 sailor’s lives. Mikasa was resting beneath the harbour’s water of around 10 meters and would take almost another year to re-float her. The ship underwent extensive repairs caused by sea water damage including new guns that had become corroded.

Because new design ships were coming into service, the Mikasa was relegated to service and importance in the Imperial Japanese Navy. Eventually, she was just a coastal defence vessel, though her adventures did not end here. In 1921 the Mikasa was sent to patrol the Askold Channel off the coast of Russia. This was during the Siberian Intervention of allied nations against Russia’s Red Army of Bolsheviks who were fighting a civil war against Russia’s White Army.

The Mikasa run aground in dense fog and needed to be rescued by other Imperial Japanese ships. She was taken to Vladivostok which was then occupied by Japanese forces for repair. After she returned to Japan and was taken from active service and put into a reserve fleet for a short time. However, it was agreed that the Mikasa should become a monument ship because of her part in the great Battle of Tsushima, and remained so during the Second World War, surviving air attacks from the United States. When this war ended with Japan’s defeat, the US forces stripped and dismantled her guns as Japan was forced to accept demilitarisation. The Mikasa was in a complete dilapidated state.

Stern of Mikasa today - Museum

But the Mikasa is a ship that will not die, and in the 1950s a restoration project brought the grand old Battleship back to former glory where she remains today, in great condition and a prime museum piece of well over a hundred years of age.

Tsushima Sea Battle - Imperial Russia's Monumental Mistake (1905)

The Battle of Tsushima (May 27 - 28, 1905)

The first and biggest battle of dreadnought battleships took place in the Sea of Japan in 1905. It was between the Imperial Russian Baltic Fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was the large-scale encounter of Ironclad fleets and would be a disaster for the declining might of Royal Russia and her Tsarist rule. The Baltic fleet of the Russian Navy sailed all around the world towards the nation of Korea, where the armada aimed to destroy the Japanese fleet led Admiral Heihachiro Togo. This Imperial Russian venture had come about on the orders of Tsar Nicholas II – the monarch that would perish along with his entire family during the Bolshevik revolution thirteen years later.

The reason for sending the Baltic fleet was because the Japanese had gradually destroyed the effectiveness of the Russia’s original Pacific fleet that had been based at Port Arthur. This had come about during the beginning of the Russo-Japanese war (Feb 1904-Sept 1905.) Both of these Imperial powers were looking for territory in this part of Asia, mainly Manchuria and Korea. The Russians wanted a deep water port and Port Arthur in Manchuria was ideal for their purposes. Their home territorial port of Vladivostok was able to operate in the summer months only. Imperial Japan also wanted Manchuria and Korea for their Empire and went to war with Russia. With mines and torpedo attacks, the Japanese had inflicted serious casualties upon the Russian Pacific fleet and also in a fleet action in the Yellow Sea. By August 1904, Imperial Russia’s Pacific fleet could not confront Japan’s well-commanded navy.  Soon the great naval fortress at Port Arthur was under siege by Japanese land forces too. The Russians tried desperately to hold the much prized Port.

The Tsar of Russia (Nicholas II) gathered as many of his Baltic ships as possible. Among them were battleships built from a French design, coastal defence ironclads with low hulls, not designed for the open sea. There were also antiquated and outdated vessels too, including sailing rigs and a converted yacht. The Russian fleet looked a fine sight but was mostly inadequate to deal with the monumental task before them. This Baltic fleet became known as the second Russian Pacific fleet and set off on its journey with ill-deserved confidence to confront the highly organised Imperial Japanese fleet. The Russian Admiral of this fleet, Zinovy Rozhestvensky led the armada 18,000 miles into the North Sea and around Western France, Spain and Portugal. The Russian fleet had been refused permission to use the Suez Canal. Therefore, they continued around Western Africa and the Cape into the Pacific. On the second day of January 1905, Port Arthur fell, so the new objective was to reach Vladivostok and from here plan a campaign against the Japanese navy. The original plan to relieve Port Arthur was gone.

The Russian fleet tried to creep through the Tsushima strait between Korea and Southern Japan on route to Vladivostok. This ambition was dashed when the Imperial Japanese fleet came upon them on May 27.

The Imperial Japanese navy was a formidable fighting force with well trained and practised crews. In contrast, the Russian crews were comprised of convict labour and peasant conscripts that had little experience of seamanship. As the two fleets clashed the Russian lack of capability was dreadfully evident.

The Russian fleet gunners were lacking in experience and had only fired in practice once along the way. Before this was the foolish Dogger Bank incident when the Russian’s had opened fire on British fishing trawlers in the North Sea. They mistook the fishing vessels for Japanese torpedo boats.

Russian Fleet encounters Japanese Navy

The Japanese Fleet was waiting in complete readiness for the Russian ships because they had been spotted them a day before. As Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky led his Russian Fleet in two columns into the Tsushima Straits, Admiral Heihachiro manoeuvred the Imperial Japanese Fleet to cruise parallel with the Russian Fleet’s portside. The Russians began to fire at long range and scored a hit on Mikasa, but the damage was minor. Togo opened up with full broadside while the Russian Fleet’s firepower was halved. Also, the quality of seamanship was superior for Japan. It rapidly became a slaughter as the Russians were outmanoeuvred in every way. Accurate shells rained down upon the Russian Ships with deadly intensity.

The Russian sailors tried their utmost to return fire and showed great bravery in their efforts, but they were not on the same level as the more highly organised Japanese naval forces. The Russian crews were too raw with inadequate resources to match Japan’s more advanced ships.

Captured Russian Ship after the Battle of Tsushima

An hour into the battle saw the Russian crews struggling in wrecked and burning ships with dead comrades lying amid the fires of the torn and twisted metal. A Hell that was caused by their underperforming ironclads and the effective firepower of Japan's navy. Soon the Russian vessels were surrounded and within the developing route, Japanese ships pounded away at the many stricken Russian ships without mercy.

As dawn came the Japanese Fleet stood down, having sunk many vessels and badly damaging more. The Battle of Tsushima was all but over, though, on the next day, Admiral Togo led his fleet in a mopping up campaign which sunk many more ships and captured others. Imperial Russia’s ambitions in the Pacific were no more than a pathetic dream. Admiral Rozhestvensky was captured in a badly wounded state but was able to pull through, though a more subdued man for the remaining four years of his life. He was made the scapegoat for the disaster of the Russian Fleet. Japan had come of age in the new world of warfare and in the Pacific; she was the powerful new kid on the block. For imperial Russia, it was, perhaps, the beginning of the end.

Mikasa today (Survivor of the great Battle of Tsushima)

Moyra Melons' Fluffy Bunny Ear Rings

Can you imagine the delight that fell upon Moyra Melons' husband as he walked in from a hard days work to see his darling wife practising her dance routine for the fancy dress party they would be attending over the weekend?

She had her costume ready and was strutting away with disco lights and music blaring away.

"Hi, what do you think of these?" asked Moyra who was wearing her party piece and sporting large fluffy pink earrings.

"Well... They look, wonderful darling," he replied, feeling his pulse quicken at the sight of the huge things that were bouncing about to the rhythm of the music.

"They're not too big are they?" She asked looking for reassurance.

"Oh I don't think anyone is going to worry about your wobbly things being too big dear," he replied enthusiastically. "It's all part and parcel of what people look forward to with you my treasure."

"Really?" she said excitedly. "Do they look forward to my various earrings?"

"Yes," he replied. "Among other things."

"Other things?" she frowned.

"Yes, would you like me to elaborate in my own way?" he asked with a wicked glint in his eye.

"Well if you must," she answered, looking perplexed.

Getting perplexed did not last long as her husband closed the door and she got something else that was slightly more intense than getting a good old perplexing, as one might well imagine.

Moyra Melons hopes the reader can understand and not be deviated away from the real issues that our retro British news media omits. Peddling economic truths and pussyfooting around obvious concerns can never do. Don't let the news media control the argument because they'll just bang on about the lesser things to hide the bigger things. Political correctness is destroying British culture. 

Don't be blinded by the economic truth.

Giving You King Canute verses King Edmund II (Ironside) Battle of Ashingdon - forming England of today

Work mate Dave in front of logo in Ashingdon

Where I work in Essex England; I do verge cutting in the district of Rochford and all surrounding areas. One such parish is Ashingdon. It is a small place and unassuming, but it has a distinct claim to fame that not too many English people know of. We parked our work van by the polling station and I noticed a big organised graffiti logo on the wall. It was commemorating the Battle of Ashingdon between the Anglo-Saxon forces of King Edmund II (Sometimes known as Edmund Ironside) and the Danish King Canute and his Viking forces.

King Edmund II lost battle to King Canute

The Danes had ruled two thirds of today's England under Danelaw. Before this, England was comprised of six feudal kingdoms of Saxon, Angle and Jute origins. In the years around 1000 AD to 1016 AD, it was just two kingdoms. King Canute of the Danes ruling the north and Edmund II (Ironside) ruling the south.

There had been a serious of Battles between the Anglo Saxons and the Danes which came to head at the Battle of Ashingdon. The Danes won the battle and the Anglo-Saxon King Edmund II was forced to sign a peace treaty with Canute. When the first monarch died the lands were inherited by the surviving king. Edmund died first and Canute was the first king of all of England we know today. Therefore, England was formed by the Danish King Canute - OUCH.....   :) We were created by Denmark?