Nicky Bond's Blog, page 46

Hello Free Time, My Old Friend...

As promised, there'll be far less talk about Carry the Beautiful, for now. (Available here! In paperback and ebook! Buy it! It's great! Woohoo!) Sorry. Far less talk, starting from now.
Now things have died down regarding all that jazz, I get to watch films, catch up on boxsets and actually pick up a book or two before cracking on with the next project. It's been emotional. So let me share what's been filling the void that Carry the Beautiful (available here!) has&nbsp...

Almost Finished Banging On...

There will come a time, hopefully in the very near future, when I sit down to write this blog and my thoughts do not immediately turn to the writing, publishing or launch of Carry the Beautiful. Soz guys, but we are not there yet.

Yes, I know this is getting tedious. It is for me too. But as this blog has become a record of all the blood, sweat, tears and emotion of the entire 'I want to write a book' dream, I feel the need to share the events of the past week - for posterity only. Definitely...

From Conception to Birth in Four Short Years...

So the day finally arrived. After bleating on about it, like the most irritating of irritants, the day dawned and Carry the Beautiful was officially published.
I always knew I wanted to write a book. I just thought it would be when I got old. I assumed I'd retire from whatever job I'd ended up with in my sixties, sit in a wing backed chair facing a window, and write a long sprawling saga in a flowery notebook, whilst wafting about in a kaftan and drinking gin in the afternoon.
Reader,...

Normal Service Has Resumed, I Think...

Last Monday I kissed and made up with Mail Chimp, who until 11am that day, had been causing me all kinds of weekly havoc for a month or so. But as Maria Von Trapp implored, let’s start at the very beginning.


A few months ago, once I had got into the weekly routine of blogging, I decided I wanted to include a ‘Subscribe Here’ button. I was promoting my posts via Facebook and Twitter every week, aware that people would only know there was new content if I happened to pop up on their timelin...

39 is the New Fabulous...

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Roll Up, Roll Up...

Right folks, let’s cut to the chase.  You can pre-order Carry the Beautiful on Amazon here. Or here? Or here! Click away now for marvellousness beyond your wildest dreams. Or something like that.



Yes! Can you believe it? Just one teensy click away from nabbing yourself a jolly good read. The Easter break is coming up. What more could you want from a four-day weekend, than chocolate eggs and a hot-off-the-press novel in which to lose yourself. You’ll...

What's It All About Then?

Summarising the plot of a novel is tricky. I have several synopses on my hard drive, all at differing lengths and for differing purposes. But a synopsis is not what people want when they ask about my book. What they want is a pithy one-to-two-line teaser. They want to know something basic - the genre or style, and whether it is something they would read.

As hard as summarising all that is, it's also my job to sell it. I need people to want to buy it, regardless of whether it's t...

To Sum Up the Last Six Months...

Gird your loins and pull up a chair. Hello there. What follows will seem like a rambling stream of consciousness but don’t be fooled. Look closely and you will see more book information and updates than you can shake a stick at. It's all falling into place, or in the words of Liz Lemon, ’Life is happening’.



A bit of context first. Back in September, I read a bajillion blog posts and websites that talked about Ingram Spark. This is a Print on Demand company, that take your uploaded manuscript a...

Operation 'Turn That Frown Upside Down'

The good thing about articles that start, ‘In the midst of all this terrible news, here are some things to be cheerful about’ is that the list is always changing and never ending. Last time I felt the urge to buoy up myself, and the world because of current events, I started with the pleasure of watching Netflix’s The Crown. (You can remind yourself hereif you feel the need.) That was ages ago. Now? Who knows what it would be? Who knows what cheerful distractions I would put on a list to gee...

Marzipan Books, anyone?

It’s time for a book update again. Yes, I realise this is dragging, but it feels like the end is nigh, or at least the book is near. Hold on in there. We’ve almost made it.
This week I saw the logo for my imprint name, and it is sooooo good. There’s those extra Os again, so you KNOW it must be epic.
For anyone who, like me six months ago, is unsure what an imprint is… an imprint is the name in place of a publishing company on self-published books. I am the publisher as well as the author,...