Sheila's Guests and Reviews

One day, in England, my husband, wise and kind gentleman that he is, suggested we take the train to London and walk along Charing Cross Road. We climbed out from the underground and found a small bookstore. It was a very nice bookstore, filled with mysteries, many at crazy-low prices, so I treated myself with presents to carry back for my birthday, and we walked on. A few steps later we came to...another bookstore. This one was filled with second hand books, cool volumes of photos and essays, with lots about London, transport, the Blitz - perfect for gifts to give my father-in-law. Then we wandered a store full of art books and gorgeous images. Another had stuffed animals in the window and was stuffed with animal books. Another, and another...I like Charing Cross Road! But then came the store with its front all closed and the signs pointing two doors down to the magic of Foyles! Did I mention, I like Charing Cross Road! Books, books, books and more books...and more books as wel...

"Shop local." Isn't that what they say? So I did, and what a treat! One store had dogs in its window! Another hosted a small child, "hanging around." But more importantly, it offered local Longbottom's Coffee, and local Blue Moon gluten-free coffee-cake. It's been so long since I ate coffee-cake. It was delicious! And another hosted books wins awards and welcomes local authors. Next time I shop local I'll plan to take a photo of my books on the shelf. Meanwhile, if you're anywhere near these stores, please drop in. And say hi to the dogs!

A very good friend has started to talk about maybe trying to self-publish. I suddenly feel guilty. Have I painted too rosy a picture of this game in my strenuous efforts at positivity? So here, to counteract the sweet smell of perfume, are some thorns to give the other side of the tale. The rule of 10s : Out of 300 online friends, 30 will tell you your writing’s not only wonderful but also publishable, and ask, please let us know when it comes out. Out of those 30, 3 will buy copies of the book. The rule of 3s : Out of 30 real-world friends, 20 will tell you your writing’s wonderful, 10 will pre-order the book, and 9 will buy. But those 9 will buy more than you ever thought all 20 would. Unfortunately, that will still be less than you ordered… …because you planned to sell more at Christmas fairs. The rule of 2s : Out of every 2 people who stop at your stall, only 1 will smile at you. Out of every 2 people who smile at you, only 1 will look at your book. Out of every 2 people who look a...

I got a check in the mail the other day. A very special check: It came from a Christian Retreat Center bookstore that had actually sold some of my books! I ran round the room. I opened and closed the envelope and opened it again. And I gazed in awe at the numbers, the calculations, the percentage I got paid, then just kept looking at the words. I got paid! Yes, that's really what the letter said. They really did sell some of my books and pay me! So tomorrow I'm taking a box with me to a church bookstore in town, hoping perhaps they might take some on consignment too - hoping even more for more buyers. And I'm checking on Lulu and wondering... Maybe one day...