Well, I’ve only been and gone and done it!

Well, I’ve only been and gone and done it (as they used to say in the old Brit flicks).

source: Stock Xchng

Yep.  It’s done.  Too late to back out now.

What? I hear you cry in exasperation.

I’ve only gone and published on Amazon.

Yes, you heard it here first.  ‘A Construct of Angels’ is now available in Kindle format.

This wasn’t the way I’d planned it – I’d envisioned a daily countdown post, teaser artwork, a larger-than-life countdown button on my blog and a big launch on Saturday at 8pm, sitting in a West Midlands house with some good friends and fellow writers.

But, being a pessimistic sort of a chap, I thought I’d better be prepared ahead of time.  So, with my Kindle’d version of ‘CoA’ to hand,  I nervously hit Amazon’s ‘upload’ on Wednesday afternoon, anticipating the odd glitch, an inordinately long upload time or perhaps a rejection email  from the Eye of Amazon that said ‘Hey, kid.  You’re no damn good – get outa town.’

Or at the very least, I would have accidentally loaded the wrong format of Ravven’s artwork (Amazon are quite specific about the sizes) and had to begin all over again.

I had an overwhelming sense that if I counted down, teased and announced that my book was going live on Saturday at 8pm, something would leap up at the last minute and sabotage everything.

So, in order to prevent a massive false alarm and a failure to launch (even Felix Baumgartener had to endure that!) I began early.

The result?  By Thursday lunchtime, my book was published and LIVE.

Oh, hell.

Too early!

I scoured my account for a way to delay visibility, a way to hide it until Saturday night, but to no avail.

It’s published.

It’s live.

It’s there for all to see.

And by 2pm I’d already sold two copies.  Weird, huh?

By now it’s responsible for a friend gaining new determination to publish and another friend installing ‘Kindle for PC’ just so they can read it.

That same friend’s sister-in-law will be taking a look at ‘A Construct of Angels’ because she not only lives in York (the city in which ‘CoA’ is set) but she’s a book reviewer to boot.

Karma?  I like to think so.

Which is why I am posting this, as a celebration that 37 years of ambition have finally borne fruit and as a call to all newbie and wannabe writers;

YOU CAN DO IT TOO!

Many bloggers have repeatedly reiterated the point that we are no longer slaves to the agencies and publishing houses.  We can go it alone.  We can publish on our own terms.  If fifty or a hundred (or more) agencies tell you ‘no thanks’, there is an alternative.

And if, in a year’s time, we experience record sales and are eagerly approached by an Agent or Publisher thirsting for profit, we can ask them; ‘Where were you when I needed you the most?’ and proceed to name our own terms.

On the other hand, royalties notwithstanding, it’s a chance to share your work, your ideas with the entire, internet-using world for 99 cents or less if you choose.

Was that a little gushy?

Maybe a little too ‘I-am-celebrating-for-once?’

Perhaps.  But then it’s not every day that an eleven-year-old wannabe writer (as I was when I began this journey) finally gets to have his day.

Now, another pint of that frothy stuff, please barman…

Write on!