1. People like free stuff.
I've shifted hundreds of copies of the book. I've sold far fewer. Despite this, I did get my first UK royalty cheque earlier this year. Should have had buns a la Nesbit for tea, bought fish and chips instead and the rest went on the rent.2. Being a writer is not 24/7 glamour.
See rent comment above. And I still haven't had an opportunity to wear my frivolous shoes.3. People are fab.
People I have seldom or never met have helped me with technicalities and promotion. Friends have read the book, bought the book, plugged the book, listened patiently to me fretting about the book and generally been very positive about the whole thing. Complete strangers have sent me nice messages via Twitter, Facebook and the Kindle Users' Forum and posted reviews on Amazon. As a shy and retiring hermit, I find this all slightly overwhelming. Thank you, all of you.I won't witter on. You're busy people and I'm supposed to be writing an essay (being a mature (immature) student is a great way to put off writing the Difficult Second and Third Novels). But it's been an interesting and sometimes fun year, so if you're reading this, thank you for coming to the party.
Do help yourself to tea and buns.
