This book is now also available on the KINDLE - email me for details. See also Smashwords for ebook versions.
More from Lee Jackson:
This book is now also available on the KINDLE - email me for details. See also Smashwords for ebook versions.
More from Lee Jackson:
After publishing this book online, it has now found a print publisher in the delightful Snowbooks. Early days yet, but a print copy should be available in the UK in Spring 2011. For details about how this book came to be online, read on ...
ABOUT THIS BOOK (December 2009)
You may wonder if it's wise for an author to publish a book online, making it
available gratis. After all, a novel takes me about nine months to
write and, like most people, I'd like to get paid for my work. Well, here's the background:- A year or so ago, my last publishing deal with Random House came to an end.
Why? It's all about sales. My books were selling in thousands, and Random House
expected tens of thousands. Basically, I'd had my chance (not a bad one,
amounting to six books) and they wanted new blood and bestsellers. Fair enough;
it's a tough business, publishing. So what did I do? Essentially, I dusted myself down and wrote The Diary of
a Murder. (Read the
The next step was to sell it. Unfortunately, my timing wasn't great, just as the credit crunch hit the industry hard. I won't bore you with the details, but I did not find a publisher in the UK. (I'm pleased to say a French print version will appear with the admirable Editions 10/18 in 2011)
This result left me in a quandary. What was I to do with The Diary of a Murder? Because, actually, I rather liked the book. I even thought - whisper it - that it was quite good.
Well, as you've no doubt gathered, I'm publishing it myself.
It's something few authors have done and there are clear arguments against it, mostly concerning the question of (lack of) payment. Moreover, the arrival of e-readers (Kindle et al.) means that a payment model for online books is evolving - why not wait for that? Indeed, why not put the book in a metaphorical drawer and try again later, when conditions were more in my favour?
I told myself this for a while, but a nagging feeling persisted ... a fundamental question ... why do I write?
The answer? For people to read and enjoy my books.
An online book can potentially reach thousands of people; readers who would never come across my work. That's why this book is here. (As for payment, see 'Is it free?')
Is all this worth my trouble? Read it and tell me what you think.
Then tell your friends!
