Pay what you can: My new outlook on writing.

In just a few days, the two books published with Booktrope will be removed from Amazon. It is a bittersweet moment. Sweet because the drama and stress surrounding those books reached a critical point and I am glad it is over – bitter because they are being removed and I am not sure I have it in me to re-do the entire lot for a third time.  I am not there, and I am not ready to deal with that. From this point onwards, I do owe a debt to the formatter/editor/proofreader from BT. This was her livelyhood too. The books will go up on Lulu.com – but I take the lead from her. When she’s ready, I’ll figure it out. Untill then … who knows?

So here is what is happening inbetween:

I have published (on Amazon) three titles: Turn to Ash, Touch & Destroy, Food for Thought. These three titles are currently published under the Barefoot Romance, UK banner. Do I care for the sales? Yes, it would be handy. Am I going to push for the sales? Absolutely not.

Instead, I have set up a donation tipjar on the Barefoot Romance, UK website. There, you can read just about all my writing as I slowly but surely start to transfer it all. It is a lot of work, people do not realise what goes into producing a eBook. But … My dream has always been, and still is, to share my writing. To provide a little escapism here and there; even if it is just for long enough to make up your mind that you hate it. Or love it. Or are indifferent.

The pay what you want allows you not to feel guilty about reading. If you don’t want to, or can’t pay – NO PROBLEM. There are so many ways to help authors, and money is not my goal here. So by all means, stop in at my library, nab yourself one of my books, or all of them, and consider the following:

You can help by leaving a comment.


You can help by telling your friends.


You can help by doing a review, or joining discussions on the

fanpage.

You can help by sharing the links.


You can help by giving feedback.


You can help by offering proofreads.


You can help by offering Beta reading.


You can help by encouraging the Author to write more! 

Those are not things that cost you anything – well, maybe a bit of time and we know time IS money … but kindness goes a long way.

Many authors are lost since Booktrope announced their closure. Others are even more driven while others like me? We reinvent ourselves and take stock of what is important.

Yes, there is a MASSIVE vulnerability in doing things this way. My books may be stolen, my stories may end up on pirate sites (though to be fair, I don’t have issues with that!). But the more of you who read it, the more security I will gain too. The more people are aware of ME writing those stories, the easier it will be to pick up on the plagiarists out there. The more you support me, the more you know my style and my words and my characters … The less chance there is of being hard done for.

I do not ask, and I will not beg – so I leave you with a thought: Authors are struggling. Amazon and other platforms are chewing us up and spitting us out as if we are nobody and nothing. Our readers are genuinely coerced to stay with them because ‘Brand Names!’ are still important. To gain the traffic and the leads Amazon has, we have to stop writing and promote full time. It is a catch 22. But here is what I’d like you to do – best part is, it is free – YES EVEN GUILT FREE!

Help the authors out there, by helping yourself to the offers they present with an open mind.

That is all.

Adri.